New bins - no clue! Help please? (1 Viewer)

New bins needed - no clue! Help please?

I mostly use my camera and telephoto lens to look at birds but I think I'd like to use binoculars more so am looking to buy a pair of bins to replace my tiny Minox 10x25's. I'm looking at the range at Warehouse Express at the moment where there's a bit of a sale on, but am unsure what to go for. Can probably stretch to about £150 but what should I buy? I think 8x42 seems as though it's probably a good spec, but there are a number of options and I don't know how they stack up against each other.

I must admit that I prefer the straight roof-prism style, but is it a big compromise compared to the porro type? I've not used a 'good' pair of bins so have little comparison really - the minox's are good but the small size means I find them rather lacking and not comfortable to hold.

Have seen the Excursion 8x42s on there as well as the Natureview plus 10x42 and I assume the Excursions are better, but have also seen a pair of Legend 10x50 porro's really cheap but they seem as though they'd be a bit too big for the light use I'd put them to - which would be a better option? Obviously I would like something with good depth of view and reasonable edge sharpness and good general clarity but how the different models stack up I'm unsure of. I want to go and try out some pairs although I'm not sure the local stores will have much choice - Jessops and Cameraworld... will have a look tomorrow.

Any thoughts most gratefully received!

Try the 8x42 or 8x32 roofs. Many brands now. Never had the Excursion, but it should work as a starter. I would pass on the 10x42 Excursion.

In roofs, 10x50s are heavy. Several porro 8x40s, Nikon and Bushnell etc (not Powerview!) are acceptable.

Some of your questions are answered in other recent posts (another thread started today that I just added a comment to applies here too!).

I see in another post you intend visiting Hanningfield Reservoir :
http://www.essexwt.org.uk/centres/Hanningfield.htm
Some optics there too.

Thanks guys. Don't think I'll get to Hanningfield just yet unfortunately, had hoped I might go tomorrow but have had a woozy/nauseous day with my recovering ear infection so probably won't get out much this weekend. Will probably go for the Excursion 8x42's, they seem to offer some of the features that I've picked up here as being good - waterproof/fogproof, phase coating, reasonably long eye-relief and field of view.

Hopefully they won't be just starters... am hoping for a pair that will offer reasonably solid performance and will last a good while with moderate use. Am not expecting perfection but have only experienced looking through some small fold-up bins so don't have a point of reference for 'good' bins. Up until now I've mostly watched birds using my camera and tele lens... good for taking photos of what you're looking at but not very good for eye strain or weight!

Fozzy, I have the Natureview 8x42 and find them excellent. At the time and price they were the best balance of all factors for me.

Have the H2O's as well and, as I have said elsewhere, I use the H2O's more then the Natureviews. Both sets I have are good, will admit that if I sit and compare side by side the natureviews are the better optics overall. Just the H2O's are a bit smaller and the lens covers for them are attached better so when out there is less to think about.

Presently I think that Natureview's are about 150 while H2O's are about 100.

Bought mine 3-4 years ago after comparing lots at Birdfair. Assume that they are made in the same place and so are the same quality. Also bought mine via the US and again there is the presumption they their souce is the same as one's sold here.

Eye relief is good, no idea what it is specified as but I wear glasses and have no problem. IPG seems good as well - a pair of porro's I have just fail to get close enough for me. Sure they used to:-O

Thanks SG - ordered a pair of 8x42 Excursions this afternoon thanks to some info from Tero. Nearly did go for the natureviews, the 10x42's are reduced to £129 at warehouse express:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/?sku=1005521

but as 10x is a bit long really and it seemed that 'phase coating' is a good thing to have I went for the Excursion 8x42's

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1000009

which are £139. They have closer focus and wider field of view than the Natureviews, which is useful. I started out looking at the H2O's on Jessops, but did see a mix of good and indifferent reviews so started looking at the other options. They may have been good enough really, but didn't want to really skimp and possibly have to buy another pair.

It really is difficult to pick a pair of bins if you're new to it! My current pair of little fold-up Minox's were picked really because they had been fairly expensive and were reduced to £79 in Jessops, but although they're sharp they're titchy, they're 10x so I get a lot of shake with such small bins and they're a pain to use with glasses on so I have to take them off to use the bins... so I lose sight of what I'm looking at and have to put my glasses back on to see... then take them off again!

Eye relief on the natureviews looks to the same as the Excursions - 17mm. Looking on t'web it looks a fair bit more than the Minox ones I have, and the exit pupil size is double on these Bushnells, which should make a big difference!

Agree that picking optics is a bit of a nightmare.
You can get good and poor samples of just about every make.
Went to the birdfair this year and tried out the scopes. Have to say I wouldn't have bought any of them. Everything I tried had a poor image and the price range was up to £1200.

Hope the excursions are good. When I bought mine, NV+H2O, I was a bit bothered that pehaps the optics were the same and simply the tube was cosmetically different.:-O They weren't, so at least I had the chance of one being better then the other. Happy to say both are good.

Blimey, for £1200 you'd expect a good image.

The Excursions are really good. No idea what they're like in comparison to other similar bins but they totally blow my minox 10x25 compacts out of the water - much sharper, really bright (though you'd expect that!) and good handling. The strap is 100% better too - the fixed string on the Minox cut into my neck but the Bushnell strap is nice and squidgy. Really nice to finally be able to use bins with my glasses on too.