Have binoculars become cheaper in real terms? (1 Viewer)

John Cantelo

Well-known member

• Oct 24, 2016

• #1

It's my contention that binoculars in general, have become distinctly cheaper in real terms since the 1950s/60s/70s. Similarly, I'm sure that you get far more 'bangs for your buck' than was previously the case. I'm fairly confident that this is the case regarding both the cheap and middle price end of the spectrum but less sure that it applies to top brands. Unfortunately, I don't have any facts to support my contention. The only evidence my casual search produced was that Swift 7x35s (= good middle range bins?) cost about £40 in the early 1970s which was then roughly the average weekly wage. Today average weekly wage is around £520 but a perfectly decent pair of binoculars can be had for far less. Is there any more substantial evidence to back my view and if bins really are a lot cheaper why is this? (I have my own theories but would like to hear other opinions ..._

 

Chosun Juan

Given to Fly

• Oct 24, 2016

• #2

John, checking the prices of the Zeiss SF out here is enough to cause you to involuntarily spit your morning breakfast cereal out ! :eek!: .... try circa ~ AU$3.5K !!!


Chosun :gh:

 

John Cantelo

Well-known member

• Oct 24, 2016

• #3

Chosun Juan said:

John, checking the prices of the Zeiss SF out here is enough to cause you to involuntarily spit your morning breakfast cereal out ! :eek!: .... try circa ~ AU$3.5K !!!


Chosun :gh:

Click to expand...

Agreed - roughly 3-4X average weekly wage in the UK. So were top optics back in 1973 retailing at £120 - £160 in the UK? As I noted I'm not sure top end Alphas are any cheaper in real terms at all. In fact, given a much larger and generally wealthier market for such products I wouldn't be surprised if the ultimate optics available were more expensive in real terms!

 

Mono

Hi!

Staff member

Supporter

• Oct 24, 2016

• #4

It depends if you look at the market as a whole or just at the top of the range. And once you go back you are not comparing like for like the top optics in the 1970s wouldn't compare favourably in view with even mid range bins today.

I had a look at some old adverts in 1912 you could get some "Aitcheson Stereos", a porro prism binocular of unknown specification (the advert didn't even quote AxB) for £5 10s, or £580 in today's money but I'm guessing a modern £580 binocular would have an incomparably better view.

In more recent years there does seem to have been an upward price war in the top of the range alphas. In 2006 Swarovski 8.5x4.2 ELs were £840, £1100 in 2016 money, where as in 2016 they are £1800. They may have some incremental improvements over the 2006 model but £700 worth?

 

Adey Baker

Member

• Oct 24, 2016

• #5

John Cantelo said:

So were top optics back in 1973 retailing at £120 - £160 in the UK?

Click to expand...

I bought a pair of 10x40B Dialyts from Jessops in 1976 for about £145.

In about 1973, give or take a year, I bought some 8x30 Jenoptems from a local camera shop in Hinckley for about £22.

Still got both, though they seldom get used nowadays.

 

SuperDuty

Well-known member

• Oct 24, 2016

• #6

The cost of the SV and Field Pro have come down some after the huge discounts on the discontinued SV last winter, maybe the closeout prices on the gray SF will bring the new black model down a little.

 

John Cantelo

Well-known member

• Oct 24, 2016

• #7

Adey Baker said:

I bought a pair of 10x40B Dialyts from Jessops in 1976 for about £145.

In about 1973, give or take a year, I bought some 8x30 Jenoptems from a local camera shop in Hinckley for about £22.

Still got both, though they seldom get used nowadays.

Click to expand...

I think I paid £27 for 8x30 Jenoptems in around 1975 ...

 

P

peatmoss

Well-known member

• Oct 26, 2016

• #8

Hello John,

As far as the '70s, one of my Bushnell Custom 7x35s is a "BOL" version from that decade. I've got the original box, and the price on it is $109.50. However, this was one of Bushnell's top models so more basic models would have been cheaper. If you don't mind jumping ahead a decade to the '80s, here is part of an ad from one of the New York camera shops for their binoculars....

 

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pwjp2011

Active member

• Oct 26, 2016

• #9

Considering a Bausch & Lomb Zephyr 7x35 sold for $197 in 1957 which is about $1600 in todays money, they have always been expensive. Zeiss and Leitz (Leica) were right at the same price level.

I think the performance level has increased for much lower prices. I bought a pair of Cabela's Guide 8x32 about a week ago for $150 and the performance of them is better than the vintage binoculars (I have a mint pair of Zephyrs that look new). I wouldn't say that the performance between $300 pair and a $1500 pair is as dramatic as years ago.

So if you think about it, you are getting high performance for less money today.

 

Last edited: Oct 26, 2016

J

jremmons

Wildlife Biologist

• Oct 26, 2016

• #10

I think for most birders and hunters, you don't see much improvement when looking at good quality mid-range (e.g. $500-1200) binoculars as compared to the alphas. Even the lower range binos (e.g. $200-500) are perfectly fine for most users. There are differences, of course, but per dollar improvements are very minor at best, and sometimes more related to preferences than anything else.