Hello everyone - my first post on this excellent forum.
My hobby background is in Astronomy - I have a pair of Canon 15x50IS bins which do a wonderful job (I'll post a review of them sometime soon). But more and more, I'm wishing I had something lighter and more convenient in my coat pocket for when I'm strolling around the Suffolk coast - lots of birds, wildlife and other things to see....
My criteria are:
. Bright image, as I'll be using for wide field stargazing as well as birding/trekking - (7x42?, Phase coated prisms, if roofs? Certainly, not less than a x42 objective)
. Portable (not large Porros or huge roofs, so the traditional 7x50 is probably out. Ideally, would fit in a large coat pocket)
. Wide FOV (say 7deg min, 8+ preferable)
. Not large magnification - I don't have the steadiest grip and also I've read that high mag tends to give a dimmer image?
. Less than £300/$600 preferably - else I'll have to save up for a while.
. Reasonable sharpness of image
Looking at all the reviews and adverts, it seems to be a veritable jungle out there, although 7x bins seem to have been largely overtaken by 8x at my price point - seems a pity as they'd give me the brightest image, I think....
All help welcome, particularly if you have compared some of the different brands "head to head".
Many thanks,
Keith.
My hobby background is in Astronomy - I have a pair of Canon 15x50IS bins which do a wonderful job (I'll post a review of them sometime soon). But more and more, I'm wishing I had something lighter and more convenient in my coat pocket for when I'm strolling around the Suffolk coast - lots of birds, wildlife and other things to see....
My criteria are:
. Bright image, as I'll be using for wide field stargazing as well as birding/trekking - (7x42?, Phase coated prisms, if roofs? Certainly, not less than a x42 objective)
. Portable (not large Porros or huge roofs, so the traditional 7x50 is probably out. Ideally, would fit in a large coat pocket)
. Wide FOV (say 7deg min, 8+ preferable)
. Not large magnification - I don't have the steadiest grip and also I've read that high mag tends to give a dimmer image?
. Less than £300/$600 preferably - else I'll have to save up for a while.
. Reasonable sharpness of image
Looking at all the reviews and adverts, it seems to be a veritable jungle out there, although 7x bins seem to have been largely overtaken by 8x at my price point - seems a pity as they'd give me the brightest image, I think....
All help welcome, particularly if you have compared some of the different brands "head to head".
Many thanks,
Keith.