Best binoculars under £100? (also kids ones) UK (1 Viewer)

Hi All,

I'm getting into birding and would like to get a pair of binoculars for under £100 and some kids ones as well.

I have looked around and quite like porro style and came across some Olympus ones for £45 at amazon, 8x42 I believe, seem to get very good reviews but are not waterproof etc.

I also saw some Pentax 8x30 XCF I think for £70 which are waterproof.

I also saw some Nikon Sportstar 10x25 and I only put them here as they are so small and lightweight which is good as well.

I am uncertain which to buy or if I should consider anything else.

I tried some RSPB ones recently, I quite liked their RSPB 8x40 ASW ones and I tried some dearer £200 ones too and the difference wasn't huge for me. Generally I am after best value sharpness for birding at £100 or below.

Also for children what would you recommend?

Thanks

Hi, Warm welcome to you, If you are looking at the cheaper Olympus, like the DPS series I have the Olympus 7x35 DPS 1 which is around the £52 mark new and to be honest it's pretty average, about what you would expect for the money, the Pentax XCF is very likely much better, but be careful with Amazon reviews, I notice they sometimes have reviews which are actually related to a slightly different model. I think the Bushnell Nature View porro or a Nikon Porro, a little more expensive, would also probably be better than the Olympus, the Bushnell nature view series are waterproof and also have a 6x30 that might be ok for kids, depending on age? The Kowa 6x30 is another good one under £100 , or much lighter, a Pentax Papillo 6.5 x which I think is very good, they are around £80 - £90 if you shop around.. I have bought vintage used poro binoculars from the 1970s that are frankly better that the Olympus DPS 1, like the Swift Audubon HR5 8.5X44, you can pick a good used one up for around £100. Although you mention waterproof, is this essential for your intended use? It's not something I would bother too much about unless you intend taking them out to sea regularly, most binoculars are good enough sealed to resist a bit of rain. The Nikon Sportstar is a great little pocket binocular for the price, but I think you will want something a little bigger than a 25mm objective for birding, and with a decent field of view.
Good luck.

Hi
At Bird Fair last week, Viking had some surprisingly nice little 6x17 Explorers, which are only about £27. If your kids are small, they'd be a good starting point.
There was also a new one (i think) which was an 8x25 roof, retailing around £75. They come in a range of colours, and i suspect aimed at the kids/general market.

Sorry - answered second question first..keep doing that.
I think if you're looking at fairly compact binoculars (which it seems you are) and can stretch that £100 a little, i'd be looking at the Sightron Blue Sky ii 8x32, or the 8x32 Nikon Prostaff 7S. I've found that if you go too cheap and buy something that's just enough to fuel your interest but not enough to satisfy it, you're going to buy something else in a year.
I think these two (via ebay or similar) would be a 'cut above'. The Blue Sky you'd probably hang onto for life. See other threads on BirdForum - huge following!

hr21 said:

.............Also for children what would you recommend?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Make sure the model can be narrowed to kids' eyes (IPD 50 would be fine). The link provided by pesto (post #3) shows two models that are suitable, the Opticron one, but also the Kowa YF models. They are essentially clones of a model originally offered by Leupold in the US (no longer available), and they can really be recommended. The designer of that original Leupold type specifically designed it for children. But they are great for adults as well.

The Celestron Cypress 7x30 is another such clone. It can also be recommended.

If you look here you will see what I mean about amazon reviews, this item has not been released yet, but has reviews not related to this product below it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-...qid=1472408645&sr=8-11&keywords=10mm+eyepiece

I agree with Swissboy. The Opticron or Kowa porro bins are great for kids. I personally have bought two Kowa 6x30 YF bins. They are great for children as the IPD can be adjusted for smaller faces. The 6x magnification is steady to hold for children and the 5mm exit pupil makes it much more enjoyable. Add that to the 3D depth of view of Porro bins and very little focusing is required. I'd recommend any of the Kowa, Opticron and Bushnell 6x30 bins for children in the 5-10 age group.