recommend roofprism binoculars around $100 (1 Viewer)

Shopping for a new pair of binoculars for my nephew for his birthday gift. What will be a good, reasonably priced roofprism binoculars, preferrably around $100? Thank you.

My usual response is: avoid < $200 roofs. Buy a porro prism bin. They are so much better at this price point.

You have a choice of several excellent porros at $100: Leupold Yosemite 6x30 or 8x30 (if eyeglasses aren't worn); Nikon Action Extreme ATB 7x35; Bushnell Legend 8x40; Celestron Ultima DX. The latter might be too heavy.

With a bias to the Yosemite 6x30. Excellent bin. Wide FOV. Quite compact and light with great view. It would even fit all ages of nephew starting at 5 or 6 up to old age. And with the money left over you can given him a field guide too!

The following I haven't tried but I'd like to hear the options of those who have looked through them.

Failing that roofs at $100 just aren't that good but a UK and a US magazine said the Swift Reliant 744 8x42 (phase corrected too) for $104 was a good buy but no one here has tried one (yet). Not the widest FOV (downside for a youngester) but decent close focus.

Some of the Bushnell Excursions might work too but they're drifting up out of that price range but the Bushnell Excursion 8x28 is $90. Phase corrected too.

The real problem is at $100 you aren't going to get phase corrected roofs plus quality is going to be a bit hit or miss.

Why do you think you need roofs? Aside from owning some nice roofs yourself

Bushnell Excursion 8x32 Binocular, $126 on line, Google for prices. I have the 8x28, but you will get more mileage out of the 32mm.

falcondude said:

Shopping for a new pair of binoculars for my nephew for his birthday gift. What will be a good, reasonably priced roofprism binoculars, preferrably around $100? Thank you.

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You can't really get a good PORRO prism for $100.00 much less a roof prism! It's a waste of $100.00 and you will end up with something that's not suitable for birding. Save until you get at least $300.00 for some Monarchs. They are the cheapest binoculars I would recommend for birding and they have POOR contrast but they will work.

Dennis.

Respectfully, I disagree with Dennis's comments and wonder if he has ever had the opportunity to check out the Leupold Yosemite models.

As Kevin related, and I agree with, the Leupold Yosemites would be my first suggestion. They aren't roofs but they might as well be because they are just as light, just as compact and have image quality that rivals many $300 roof prism binoculars.

You mentioned getting a pair for your nephew but you did not really mention his age. The reason I mention this is because I think many folks assume that when referring to a "nephew" or "son", etc... that many times we are talking about young children or even adolescents (and many times we are) but the terms can often apply to young adults as well. Regardless, the Yosemites would fit the need across the board.

Kevin really hit on the key points and models I would have mentioned. At the $100 price point you are going to have a hard time finding a roof prism binocular that is phase coated and phase coating does make a noticeable difference in image quality (assuming the rest of the binocular components are doing their job). With phase coating in mind the Bushnell Excursion series is really the only roof prism bin I can think of suggesting.

If you are willing to consider non-phase coated roof prism models then something like the Vortex Crossfire would be my suggestion. Nikon's full-sized Trailblazer model might also be worth considering but it typically sells for over the $100 price point. Honestly, if you could stretch your budget to closer to $200 then it would offer a world more of possibilities. At that point or slightly below I would suggest the Vortex Diamondbacks or Promaster Elite (non-EDs). Both of which offer excellent optical performance for the price and both have excellent lifetime warranties.

But, if you aren't going to go that route then at the $100 price point I would agree that a porro prism model would be the way to go.

Sorry I could not help more.

[EDIT: posting at the same time as Frank].

Here is a link to Eagle Optics recommendations for binoculars for kids (you have not stated the age of your nephew, but I guess we are assuming he is not an adult):

http://www.eagleoptics.com/buying_guide.asp?cid=6

It echoes Kevin's recommendation of the Yosemites. (Though it lists the eye relief as being 20 mm for the 6x, so I would have thought those would be OK for people with glasses -- but I have not tried them myself. 8x is only 14 mm though.). It also lists the Vortex Vanquish, a reverse Porro prism. If I were a kid, I would think these look pretty cool -- and would like the feel of the rubberized armor. So I might consider these. Though the 15 mm of eye relief might be cutting it close for a glasses user. Again, I have not tried these myself, though I have seen reports from birders indicating they use them for birding and have found them satisfactory.

My two cents,
Jim

Falcon dude,

I bought a pair of Leupold Yosemites for my daughter and use them often. This is first hand experience... not just repeating spec. These are very nice. They'll have you questioning the $$$ you paid for your "better" glass. And the 6x is a great way to start. Might not ever have to go with another bin... unless they break.

OK... not roof prism... but the best easiest, view for the buck anywhere.

Cheers

Another vote for the Yosemite 6X. One thing not mentioned but important for young childern is Interpupilary Distance (IPD) In many instances bins do not have a shallow enough IPD for children. (I believe the IPD of the Yosemites goes down to 49mm. )

These bins were designed with children in mind. The equipment review for this bin on this forum goes into this in much more detail.

In my view, the purchase of the Yosemite 6X is never a mistake.

J. Moore said:

It echoes Kevin's recommendation of the Yosemites. (Though it lists the eye relief as being 20 mm for the 6x, so I would have thought those would be OK for people with glasses -- but I have not tried them myself. 8x is only 14 mm though.).

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My eyeglasses qualification for the Yosemites only applied to the 8x30. Others have commented that the 14mm is not enough to see the whole FOV with eyeglasses on.

I have eyeglasses and the 6x30 has plenty of eye relief. I see the whole FOV easily.

In fact perhaps a little too much. After some occasional odd issues with positioning the bin on my right eye (which has more myopic correction than my left) I found that adding a little raised eyecup on the right solved the problem. I was also impressed the the eyecup is continously variable and stays in place too (pretty good for cheap bin!).

So the 6x30 ER should be plenty for everyone.

BTW, after quests for a decent compact I'm considering using my Yosemite as my "compact". It's wider than a compact roof but actually a little lighter. The smaller aperture ones (all 8x) don't have enough exit pupil for me. And the one that would fit this role (the Leupold Katmai 6x32 roof) is $290 though the Bushnell Excusions look lik they might possibly work in the compact's role.

I have not gone the Yosemite route (I use 8x32 roofs), but have seen the 8x30 and it is a decent pair. Not as ideal for all as the 6x, but I prefer 8x, even with a little loss of quality. Birds are often tiny things.

Here is another vote for the Yosemite. If your nephew is a teenager then a little larger glass like the Celestron Ultima 8x32 or Nikon Action Extreme 7x35 are good at their price. I have both 6x and 8x Yosemite.

I too must beg to differ with Dennis on the waste of $100.00 on even a porro prism. He is right about wasting $100 on a roof prism. The absolute cheapest roof binocular I would consider is the Bushnell Excursion mentioned by Tero.

I also have a Nikon Monarch that Dennis mentioned, and the 8x30 Yosemite is a much better glass. Easier to hold, brighter, wider fov, and better resolution than the Monarch.

Get the Yosemite. Light and bright, waterproof and fog proof and designed from the get-go with kids in mind. If you want to introduce a kid to binoculars, get him one he can use. If he can use it, then he will use it. If he uses it, he will learn with it. A cheap non-phase corrected roof is not what will do that.

thanks for everybody's reply. After I moved away from Porro many years ago, I haven't looked back. Roof binoculars always looks appealing me. Probably just my personal preference after using roofys for too long.

My nephew is 14. I will say he has an typical size for teen. So handling a fullsize binoculars shouldn't be an issue.

Kevin, your suggestion for swift Reliant sounds pretty good, I would love to give it a try. I will also check out Yosemite as many has suggested. After all, the binoculars is not for me, so I shouldn't hold anything against Porro.

I'd love to hear your comments on the Swift Reliant if you look through one.

There is another thread on the forum that was asking about these bins but, so far it seems, no one has actually tried them (and written it up!).

If you could AB the Yosemite with the Reliant that might be an interesting write up (it might surprise you too!).

Whatever you choose I hope a new birder gets a useful pair of bins -- that's got to be good

Have a look at the offerings from Meade - not the lightest bins ever made, but fantastic optical quality for a minimum of $$$. Same applies to their scopes.

Hmm, I don't know much about the Reliant. I am going to have to do a little diggin'. I love a good "sleeper".

The Reliant seems to be part of a trend to phase-corrected roofs at the $100 price point along with Bushnell who seem to be doing this with their Excursion and Excursion EX ranges.

So one wonders whether this is another example of improved quality at lower price and an example of the compression of the market.