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Decent binoculars for older kids (1 Viewer)

3Italianbirders

3Italianbirders

well-known member
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Italy
We are looking to replace our (nearly 11-year old) daughter's binoculars with a new pair. She is on her second pair of RSPB Puffins, but they really are no good. On the first pair, one of the eyepieces fell off and the RSPB sent us a replacement pair. After a couple of months one of the eyepieces became very loose to the point that it cannot stay up. I really don't understand all the raving reviews on the RSPB online shop.

We have been looking at Bushnell and Opticron as they both seem to have good entry level binoculars. We wouldn't want to spend a fortune, let's say we'd like to remain within the £ 100-120 range.

Close focus is an important factor for us, as is weight. In particular we have been looking at the Bushnell Natureview 8 x32 and the Opticron Oregon 4LE WP (8x32, 8x42 and 10x42).

Any thoughts?
 
Well my first thought, when you mentioned Opticron, was the Savannah 6x30 or 8x30 but then you mentioned the close focus requirement. With the Savannah being a traditional porro you would have a problem with convergence of both barrels at close distances...more so than with a roof like the Oregon 4.

I certainly like the Oregon 4 8x32 for its price point. It is still relatively light at around 18 ounces (not sure of the grams equivalent). The field of view is very wide and I liked its optical performance characteristics overall for the price.
 
I would 2nd Joachim's suggestion. The Papilio's close-focus ability is really amazing. They aren't very good for low light levels, but for regular daytime viewing they would be fine. They do have a nice build quality, and focus easily.

If you cannot find the Papilio, or if you need a larger objective, then you might investigate the Nikon Prostaff line. These are inexpensive, but have a very nice level of optical and build quality for the price. They come in 32mm and 42mm sizes. Unfortunately however, I cannot say anything about their ability to focus closely.
 
Thank you! We have added the Papilio and the Prostaff to our list. We would get the Papilio in the 8.5 as she is used to longer focal lengths, but they are both suitable and the Prostaff are also somewhat WP.
 
Hi,

my Papilio 8.5 (also quite good) got confiscated by my mum, so I'm probably going to get a 6.5 pair again since I liked that better due to a wider field.

Joachim
 
Yep, i'm with Joachim and Phil, the Pentax Papilio fits the bill, superb close focus on the 6.5 model, and perfectly useable at distance, light and comfortable viewing.
 
Bushnell Legacy WP 8x42, the view is fantastic for under $100, if you can get it.

430 feet FOV, and 18mm eye relief makes it comfortable to look through all day.
 
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I just bought Nikon prostaff 7(?) 10*30
I needed a back up as my normal are currently being repaired by Zeiss

I chose them because they were compact and different to my Zeiss - 7*42 - and they will be my 'car' pair when the 'primes' come back.

They are light, easy to use and good value - I paid 139€
 
Thank you both. The Prostaff sound really good, especially since they are very lightweight, only 420 grams apparently! And close focus is good too, 2.5 m. And I am sure she'd love the greater magnification. She is used to finding birds with a scope, so she wouldn't have problems "finding" things in a 10x
 
Just my two pence - obviously children on average have far far better vision than the great plastic bespectacled majority of eye weary/eye defective binocular experts on this forum.
Give an astute child with pristine eyes your five best bins and they will rank and file them faster than you can type - "After a week of shrewd tests I think my Tract toric is nearly as good as my Zeiss FL!"

Within seconds of use!

Therefore, I wholeheartedly suggest that if at all possible - children be encouraged to use only the finest glass available. Nothing but the absolute best.
 
rosbifs said:
they will be my 'car' pair when the 'primes' come back.
Click to expand...

Ha! So I am not the only one to cycle older binoculars to the car...

Rathaus said:
Therefore, I wholeheartedly suggest that if at all possible - children be encouraged to use only the finest glass available. Nothing but the absolute best.
Click to expand...

My daughter is 5 so she got the inexpensive, robust and brightly colored Bresser 6x21 kids' binoculars, but she agrees with you and whenever she has the opportunity, grabs my Leica Ultravid 8x32 or Zeiss HT 8x42 and refuses to let go...

As regards the OP's question, here in the US there are a number of specials on the Zeiss Terra ED series like the 8x42 for $220. Not quite £120, but close. See the "binocular bargains" thread for more details.
 
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Thank you. We definitely want quality stuff, as she already grabs my old (and heavy) Leica Trinovids 10x42 whenever she can. Unfortunately we cannot order from the US as we'd have to add customs fees on top of the price and I also guess there would be problems with the warranty. On Saturday we may pop in our usual photography store which stocks Nikon bins, so we could try the Prostaffs so to say "in the field".
 
Rathaus said:
Just my two pence - obviously children on average have far far better vision than the great plastic bespectacled majority of eye weary/eye defective binocular experts on this forum.
Give an astute child with pristine eyes your five best bins and they will rank and file them faster than you can type - "After a week of shrewd tests I think my Tract toric is nearly as good as my Zeiss FL!"

Within seconds of use!

Therefore, I wholeheartedly suggest that if at all possible - children be encouraged to use only the finest glass available. Nothing but the absolute best.
Click to expand...

On that note, I'll just add that the Zeiss 8x32 FL are a particularly suitable choice for those who can afford an ultrapremium children's bin because they have 52 mm minimum IPD, focus down to 5 feet (or less for young eyes!), and have very smooth focus control.

--AP
 
Just an update: we did buy the Nikon Prostaff 10x30s in the end. They were, along with the 8x30s and the 8x42s, the only good quality ones we could actually try out at our nearest dealer. We couldn't really decide between the three. I would have got the 8x42 and G probably the 8x30, but our daughter liked the greater magnification and didn't mind the more restricted field of view. We haven't been able to try them out on birds yet ;) as we have been busy with the usual end-of-the-school-year family, sports and school commitments. Hopefully on Sunday!
We were amazed at how compact and lightweight they are for a 10x. They also look sturdy and "serious". She is certainly looking forward to putting them to good use!

Again thanks to all those who helped!
 
I have to confess I have used the Nikons a couple of times over the last week in preference to my Zeiss. Good choice...

I'm also very glad that you bought at a dealer rather than just an internet 'cheaper' price purchase.
 
Yes, they were considerably more expensive (Amazon.it has them at around € 190-200 and we paid € 240), but it's our trusted shop for photographic gear etc. and an official Nikon dealer and we really wanted to try them "in the field". And after having tried them out we felt bad about just walking out and getting them on Amazon. Also they offer a 10 years official Nital (Nikon Italy) warranty, so that's a bonus. We'll probably get to try them out on actual birds tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again for the tip!
 
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