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Buying binoculars, looking for help (1 Viewer)

Mike7300

New member
Hi,

I am looking for binoculars, mainly for watching sports games from way up high...also for watching wildlife on occasional trips.... but i have never owned any or shopped for them before. I was wondering what i should look at. I would like to stay somewhere around $100 mark. Thanks!
 
Nikon Action 8x40. They have rubber eye cups, but they will work. I actually, in the long run, did not like the larger eye cups of the more expensive Action EX version. They had a sharp edge. Plus the regular Action are lighter.
 

AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! (I'm running and screaming) Those are the antithesis of functional, and they're expensive to boot.

I'm thinking this post must be a tongue-in-cheek joke (my apologies if it's not), but I'll bite:

1) At 15-30x magnification, you'll need a tripod to hold them steady.
2)With an exit pupil of ranging from 1.6mm (at 15x) to 0.5mm (at 30x) they'll darken full sun to moonlight, so I recommend a cloth similar to that used by operators of view cameras as they inspect the image on the ground glass when focusing and composing.
3)As a zoom and at those powers (=narrow field of view), you'll have to have the skills of a fast-draw shoot-from-the-hip sharpshooter to aim that at what you want to see, especially if it is moving.
4)At this combo of size, price, and power, the image is bound to be fuzzy. Binos like this shouldn't be manufactured.

I'll second Tero's suggestion of the Nikon 8x40 Action. Any porro of similar quality in an 8x40 or 10x50 configuration would be worth taking a look through (check that close focus, compatibility with glasses if you wear them, and field of view are to your liking). A good used pair could be even cheaper and just as good as the Nikon.

--AP
 
Try a local sports store. Camera stores have some, but usually just one brand. Pentax porros are also OK, so are Leupold. Bushnell Powerview would be my last choice. Bushnell has some others that are OK, but it varies a lot.
 
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If I could weigh in on this just a bit. If you're going to be using it for sports and possibly other uses, I'd go for the widest field of view you can afford. I've used 8x42 (Nikon Monarch ATB, 330ft at 1000yds) and 10x42 at various sporting events, mostly NFL and MLB games (in San Diego), at a variety of times. The 8x42's are the MOST magnification that I'd go for since more than that and you're looking at a narrow field of view. With the 8x42 I can get close enough (with good clarity) to see the players faces, yet not have it be difficult to locate the target during the play. The 8x40 that was recommended has a 429' field of view at 1000 yds, which is 42.9' at 100. However, the bino's that you were looking at have a 168' field of view at the same 1000 yds. TOO narrow to be of use, IMO, for sports.


Cabelas, has them on sale now for $79.
 
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AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! (I'm running and screaming) Those are the antithesis of functional, and they're expensive to boot.

I'm thinking this post must be a tongue-in-cheek joke (my apologies if it's not), but I'll bite:

1) At 15-30x magnification, you'll need a tripod to hold them steady.
2)With an exit pupil of ranging from 1.6mm (at 15x) to 0.5mm (at 30x) they'll darken full sun to moonlight, so I recommend a cloth similar to that used by operators of view cameras as they inspect the image on the ground glass when focusing and composing.
3)As a zoom and at those powers (=narrow field of view), you'll have to have the skills of a fast-draw shoot-from-the-hip sharpshooter to aim that at what you want to see, especially if it is moving.
4)At this combo of size, price, and power, the image is bound to be fuzzy. Binos like this shouldn't be manufactured.

I'll second Tero's suggestion of the Nikon 8x40 Action. Any porro of similar quality in an 8x40 or 10x50 configuration would be worth taking a look through (check that close focus, compatibility with glasses if you wear them, and field of view are to your liking). A good used pair could be even cheaper and just as good as the Nikon.

--AP

haha.. my feeling exactly! I cannot believe Olympus makes 30x25 binoculars. They should understand principle of exit pupil better than any of us.
 
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