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Which Binoculars? (1 Viewer)

EricBrian

New member
I am looking to buy binoculars. But, I just can't make up my mind which ones to get.

I have $400 to spend and I would like them to be light and VERY VERY crisp. Water proof would be nice.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Eric
 
Well there is crisp and then again there is also crisp. That is sort of a subjective criteria and will be defined differently by different eyes. But there are lots of good binoculars these days in the less than $400 price range. I will offer the following suggestions.

1 Swift Eaglet 7x36 @ $410
2 Swift Audubon 828 8.5x44 @ $350ish
3 Leupold Mojave 8x42@ $350ish
4 Vortex Fury 8x42 @350ish
5 Pentax HRc 8x42 @ $260ish

Go to CameralandNY's site and look at their Demo list. Lots of good stuff there. Vortex Vipers, usually $500 glass can be sometimes found for right at $400.

Also at $500 there is the Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED. It is what I would call a 99 1/3 binocular. That is 99% of the optics of the best but at 1/3 of the money. It is more than you want to spend and is maybe heavier than you want, but its good.

Of those I listed, I have the 7x36 Eaglet and a Vortex Fury (6.5x32). You are going to get some Nikon Monarch recommendations as well, but I have those too, and they are not at the level as the others I listed, at least in my opinion.
 
And you can get the Promasters for $400 ... perhaps your best bet.

See the Binocular Bargains thread as I fail to recall the company name somthing like <firstname>Camera in Colorado.
 
If being light is important you might also look into 8 x 32's. You will save some weight there, perhaps 1/2 a pound or so, and in most cases get a wider field of view than with an 8 x 42. Here is a good site where you can do some binocular research: www.eagleoptics.com. You can break your search down both by cost and by size. Then you can come back here and seek opinions. You will get plenty of them, you can be sure!:king:

I notice that this is your first post and so: Welcome to Bird Forum!:t:

Bob
 
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I also recommend the Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8x42 for around $339 on the EO site. I spent all day yesterday comparing the Vortex Vipers to my Rangers and I cannot say that there is a lot of difference. Much less than I expected. For the Vipers check out Arrowsmith Outfitters 214-727-3079, they sell the 8x42 Vipers for $410. I am planning on ordering the Promasters from Mikes Camera - I have high hopes for them! Good luck in your search!
 
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...comparing the Vortex Vipers to the Rangers and I cannot say that there is a lot of difference. Much less than I expected
Yes, the Vipers are pretty much good mid level. Not spectacular. Not bad.
 
The problem is the confluence of crisp/light/$400.

That's why I suggested the discounted promasters which hit two of the three requirements.

I have a pair of Zeiss Conquest 8x30 I got secondhand that match all the requirement.

Very sharp (almost as sharp of the Promaster/Hawke ED and sharper than my other lesser bins). Very light. Nice bins. I like them. So preowned (or looking for demos) might be a a way of getting them.
 
Ditto on Kevin's comments for both the Promaster ED and the Zeiss Conquest.

You might also want to check out the Leupold Cascade Porro 8x42. The image is very crisp...crisper actually than any of the roofs in that price range except maybe than the two mentioned above. They have that crisp porro image but in a totally waterproof, internal focus package....plus the ergonomics are excellent in my opinion.
 
The trifecta of $400, light, and crisp, is also the reason for my first recommendation of the Swift Eaglet 7x36. It is all of those. It is also the closest thing image wise I have experience with in the mid price range that can challenge the Promaster.
 
Eric--

It looks like you are getting some good suggestions. I second Caesar's suggestion of going to the Eagle Optics website and doing some research on the various models.

--Bob
Kentucky, USA
 
The trifecta of $400, light, and crisp, is also the reason for my first recommendation of the Swift Eaglet 7x36. It is all of those. It is also the closest thing image wise I have experience with in the mid price range that can challenge the Promaster.

I really need to try these out ;)

But they should be on the list. They really do have an almost unique set of rare qualities: 7x, 36mm (so 5mm exit pupil), good quality, light weight.
 
Thank you all very much for the suggestions. This will give me a lot to compare but I at least have something to start with. There are just way too many out there to look at so this narrowing down of the choices is much appreciated.

Thanks all. :)

Eric
 
Steve C, I took your advice and went with the Vortex Fury 8x42. I ordered them today. I will let you know what I think when I get them. Again, thank you to you all. :)
 
Send back your report, on this thread. I have a feeling the Furys are similar to Vipers but with some little cost savings in it. Ah, I see, it is just the glass mostly. I bet they are better than 8x Monarchs

# Phase corrected roof prisms increase contrast for sharp, bright views.
# Silver-coated prisms greatly increase light transmission.
# Exclusive XR multi-coatings increase resolution and light transmittance
 
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I would be interested in hearing your comments on these bins. The specs have always had me curious and the 6.5x32 version was definitely a nice binocular.
 
Actually I had two Kevin. The first one had a diopter issue. The second I returned because I felt the focusing speed was much too fast for my tastes. I liked the optical package in terms of the field of view, size of sweet spot, brightness, etc... but it was too easy for me to overshoot the correct point of focus because of the focusing speed. I find this is the case with many 32 mm binoculars. I would assume the 42 mm Fury would be better in this regard as are most of the 42 mm counterparts I have tried.
 
Yes, I thought it was bright, reasonably sharp, wide and with a nice sized sweet spot. The view wasn't my concern. The focusing speed was.
 
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