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Another "what bins should I buy?" thread (1 Viewer)

Yeah, try to get an exact measurement of her IPD, and I can try to measure the Vanguard's more precisely than I did.
 
Having bough a pair of Opticron Countryman 8x32 bins and after 4 field trips would recommend a look at them. Certainly seem to perform well in varied conditions so far way better that my previous bins---Helios Ultrasport 8x42. These did help me convert to roof prisms after a lifetime of porros.
 
Vanguard Endeavour ED 10x42 measured weights (sample size=1)
765 g naked
809 g w/ with rain cover and objective lens covers

Here is my take on it:

Center resolution: Good
Sweet spot size: Good
FOV: Good
Contrast: Good
Color rendition: Good
Ergonomics: Excellent
Construction: Excellent
Weight: Okay

Optically, it lags an alpha-class binocular in every aspect (maybe getting you 75% of the way there), but there are no major flaws, and it's quite good for the price. I think the birdwatching.com ranking at http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/2011midpricebins/chart_2011.html
might be somewhat optimistic, but I don't own the comparison binoculars.

The view has an ever-so-slight red or pink cast when looking at a white sheet of paper. It's probably not noticeable if not looking at something white.

Overall, it's very good for the price (currently ~$230 USD) with no major short comings, except for it's on the heavy side and the IPD won't go very narrow.
 
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Vanguard Endeavour ED 10x42 measured weights
765 g naked
809 g w/ with rain cover and objective lens covers

Thanks for that, and the correction of the earlier post. Even for the Endeavour ED that weight still looks a bit high. No question the EDII is heavier than the ED and my first scale gave me 812g and my second 809g with the covers. Even if the Endeavour was nearer to 770g I'd agree some would find that a bit on the heavy side but the Spirit ED is much lighter. I have no reason to think the specified weights are unreliable.

David
 
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This thread has really kicked into gear - thanks for all the opinions and replies.

When it comes to IPD the missus said she wants "less than 60mm, ideally", and where figures have been available it seems most roofs support that. She's had no problems with the roofs she has used to date, only a pair of Olympus porros (10x50s) I bought a while back which only just go small enough for my eyes. So far, I haven't ruled any bins out on IPD. But some have been eliminated on other grounds, including weight, FOV & lens caps.

The Opticron Imagic BGAs that got suggested were ruled out on the removable lens caps. The Carsons went as they don't have lens caps or raincover - just the wraparound case. The Barr & Stroud Series 4 went on FOV and close focus (4.5m). The Vanguard Endeavors are hovering on the brink due to the weight
 
The Opticron Imagic BGAs that got suggested were ruled out on the removable lens caps.

This binocular is still one of the better choices.

I have bought these as replacement objective lens covers in various sizes for various makes of binoculars :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Opticron-42mm-L-Rubber-Objective-Lens-Covers-Pair-/301404360389?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item462d198ec5

There is a wide choice in sizes, and for the larger objectives I particularly like the forward lip on the cover, it is a good size - it fits well with gloved hands in cold and / or wet weather.

Best wishes,
 
This may sound absurd, but why wouldnt she just buy the ones she likes?
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here. I don't understand the question.

Is anyone suggesting she won't get bins she likes? Because that's certainly not the case. Yes, I'm shortlisting bins but only really to narrow down a massive market because while she may know what she likes/dislikes she doesn't know much about what is out there on the market in general. And while I don't know much about optics I know more than she does so I think she appreciates a few pointers. The bins that have been eliminated from consideration so far have been done so by the missus, not me. She has free choice - and if there is something else on the market that's not currently on the shortlist but meets her criteria then we'll look at that too.

Or is the emphasis wrong and you're asking why doesn't she buy the bins? In which case, it's because they will be a birthday present as I said at the start of the thread. People don't normally buy many of their own birthday presents
 
Buying optics is a pretty personal purchase. If you want her to be happy with the purchase, nobody here is going to be able to do that for you or her. They can bring to the fore ideas as to what works for them, but if you look through the threads here, you will see that theres not much agreement in what is a generic fit. She needs to spend some time looking through a few pair until she decides what she likes. You buy it, and as she uses it the learning curve gets shorter for the next purchase if the need to purchase is ever felt.

To me it's an excersize that is similar to buying her a pair of hiking boots without letting her try them on.
 
Buying optics is a pretty personal purchase. If you want her to be happy with the purchase, nobody here is going to be able to do that for you or her. They can bring to the fore ideas as to what works for them
Right, and that's why I started this thread. I put together a shortlist based on my thoughts and since then the replies I have received have helped expand that shortlist with a few options I hadn't considered. Maybe I had narrowed down the market too much and the posters here have helped me look at other brands I had forgotten about. I wasn't expecting 100% agreement from all posters and for people to say "Buy these" and for me to follow blindly, but opinions from people on here are a factor as are reviews from other trusted sites. When we go look at optics I at least want us to have some idea of what we should be looking at - we can't look at all the 10x42s in the shop.

To me it's an excersize that is similar to buying her a pair of hiking boots without letting her try them on.
I couldn't disagree more. Nowhere have I said we're not going to try optics out in person. To use your analogy though there's no harm looking online at styles, materials etc to see what boots she might like to try on before we actually get to the shop.
 
An update to this (not that anyone really cares! 3:)):

The shortlist I mentioned at the start of the thread got longer a few days ago when I started to look around and came across a few more bins that deserved to be on the list, including a few that I thought would be over budget. The missus has looked at the specs, images online etc and the shortlist has finally been narrowed down to 5 preferred options (all 10x42):

Vanguard Spirit ED
Bresser Everest
Barr & Stroud Series 5 FMC ED
Zeiss Terra
Eagle Optics Ranger ED

Hopefully we'll get hands on with a few pairs this weekend.

I have also been through plenty of online reviews and if it were me I'd been taking a long serious look at the Vanguard Spirits and the Eagle Optics Rangers ahead of the others.

I will update later when a final decision is made
 
It came down to a straight fight between the Barr & Strouds and the Eagle Optics in the end. The missus chose the Eagle Optics and will hopefully get a chance to use them next weekend. If she doesn't get on with them for whatever reason I might have them! 3:)
 
An update to this (not that anyone really cares! 3:)):


I have also been through plenty of online reviews and if it were me I'd been taking a long serious look at the Vanguard Spirits and the Eagle Optics Rangers ahead of the others.

I will update later when a final decision is made

With the Spirit ED presently available for $159, it is certainly an attractive option.
 
With the Spirit ED presently available for $159, it is certainly an attractive option.
I do sometimes wish I lived in the US with your cheap optics :-C Prices in the UK often seem to be about the same as in the US but in £ rather than $. Not fair when the exchange rate is more like $1.50/£
 
Yeah, the price you listed for the Vanguard Spirit ED (£240) is over $355 USD. Is £240 the correct price?
 
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