Which of these binoculars? (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone, I am primarily using for bird watching purposes (hides/ forest areas).

I want to get a good bang for buck pair of binoculars to use and have been looking at the following options,

Barr & Stroud 8x42 series 4 phase coated
Helios Aero 10x42 ED
Helios MP6 ED 8x42
Vanguard XF 10x42
Barr & Stroud Savannah 8x42

All around the £100 mark or so

I have looked through the Helios MP6 ED and was impressed by them on the whole and these are the most expensive here at £150 however the others are all around £100.

I've looked on here for some reviews and generally these brands (with Vanguard being the most revered) are similar.

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks.

Hi,

quite frankly, none of them. In most of the cases 100 quid chinese roof bins are not so great. And for some from the list I couldn't even find specs.

Exceptions might happen though - if you can try one of these in person and like the view (and preferably are able to compare to sth good side by side), you can try to buy exactly that pair you have tried - hey, you might even be able to get it a bit cheaper since it was a demo unit...

Joachim, who would try to get a porro with that budget...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leupold-B...640197&hash=item5b3a8b879e:g:5lkAAOSwvjdZTVB4

If you like 10x these Leupold 10x30 compact porros are waterproof. I bought one & like the view. It would be an affordable option, approximately £53.28 shipping included, for use until you found a roof that you liked.

Just a thought ...

You've probably realised that information on those brands is pretty sparce on the forum. They are rarely stocked on the high street, and not by the specialist birding stores. I don't think I can help a lot as it's a few years since I've seen any of those, but I'll pass on what I recall.

Vanguard has had the most mentions, mostly for the Endeavour models. The Spirit ED is a nice little model that has recently been discontinued to watch out for sale prices. The XF appeared to have quite a few QC issues when it first arrived, but I haven't had a look at them in a very long time.

I had a look at the Helios Aero about 6 years ago. It had the distinction of being the cheapest ED model in the UK at the time at arounf £200. I liked the compact form and the performance seemed competative at the time, but the yellowish colour balance of that sample was a bit off putting. Probably worth another look as coatings have generally improved across the industry in the meantime.

It used to be that the B&S Sierra was about the only binocular below £100 with phase coating. It was generally a bit brighter and better contrast than it's competitors (including the Sahara) at the time. The sweetspot was on the small side but still a very usable little binocular. I think the Savannah effectively replaced the Series 6 offering a wider view at a lower price. None of these controlled CA particularly well as I recall if you are sensitive to the issue. I've not seen the others.

Little porros like the Leupold Yosemite will give a brighter image than some as there is no need for phase coating. However Leupolds are rarely seen on these shores. That may be changing as a new distributor has been appointed. The Opticron Savanna is built on the original Yosemite production line and sell for around £100 too.

Sorry I can't be a lot of help. I'm sure there are a number of quite capable, low priced models we never see in regular outlets, but bricks and mortar, display shelving, salesmen, and after sales support costs money and generally pushes the orice to over £150 for phase coated models.

Good luck,

David

My first binoculars were the Helios AM-6 and I like them a lot! Value for money have a look at these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-l...-1&keywords=opticron+sr+ga+8x32&condition=new . They are porro, not waterproof, but have a very nice view and are very well built. They also have the Opticron service folk over here that are very good.

8x with wider FOV would be better for woodlands

edj

I can get Opticron savanna 8x30 for £90 are these likely to be much better than other options?

I am after some 10 or 12x bins too, again are porro a better choice and if so, which ones?

Basically, a Porro prism doesn't need to be phase corrected like a roof prism does to achieve the same resolution, so where 'bang for your buck' is concerned, you do often get more for your money. Porros just aren't as popular nowadays because of their style and size. The Savanna would be better than say an Oregon 8x32 which is similarly priced.

Just to throw another suggestion in to the mix, I would look for an Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42 going cheap. They have been discontinued and replaced by the T4 which has a better resolution and light gathering, but the T3 is still phase corrected and can be picked up for under £100 while there is still stock.