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Best sub $100 binoculars for kids (1 Viewer)

J

jbl917

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I am looking for binoculars for my 8 and 10 year old children for under $100. Also, preferably light weight (about 1 pound). Do you have any recommendations?

Currently, I'm leaning to the Leupold BX-1 Yosemite 6x30 or the Bushnell Natureview 6x30, both of which are Porro Prism. Thoughts about which of these is better?

Also, I've seen a couple of Bushnell 8x32 Roof Prism bins in this price range, the Natureview 8x32 and the Trophy XLT 8x32. Do you have experience with either of these? One trade off here would be gaining magnification while losing some brightness in low light and losing some field of view, although both of these are about 390 ft at 1000 yards vs about 420 ft at 1000 yards for the two Porro Prisms above, so not losing a lot of field of view.

Thanks for your help!
 
Hi there, sure will get lots of suggestions, I think either of the Porro's you mention will be fine, I bought the Bushnell 6x porro's for my grandkids, I would think 6x is more suitable for kids and in that price range a porro will outshine a roof. The Kowa 6x30 porro is also a good option, I like that one myself. I have not looked through the Leupold or Yosmete, but would guess if in the same price range they are all much the same, differences are likely to be marginal, some are probably made in the same place.
 
IMO the Yosemite meets your requirements quite well, and is the one I would choose. I haven't used the Bushnell you mentioned, but I would pick the Leupold over the Bushnell just because Leupold is easier to deal with than Bushnell when it comes to customer service, and I doubt that the Bushnell would be any better a binocular than the Yosemite anyway.

I've yet to see a roof-prism bino under $100 that works as well as the Yosemite. Also, make sure you check and see if the others you mention will adjust down to the smaller IPD width of a child. The Yosemite will do so.
 
Hi,

Leupold Yosemite/Kowa YF in 6x30 were on the shortlist when I looked for a pair for my godchild - but I finally got a Pentax Papillo 2 in 6.5x21 for the added bugwatching capabilities. It's a bit less rugged and a bit more expensive than the others but so far it has survived...

Joachim
 
Same design and slightly better quality control than some of the previous models...Kowa YF or Opticron Savanna.
 
I posted this an year back for a similar query. Reposting with some mods.

I purchased the Kowa YF 6x30 a few years back when my kid was 6 years old. I got them after reading that these bins were designed for children http://www.optics4birding.com/kowa-yf-30-binoculars-review.aspx#PhysicalAttributes.

The Kowa YF 6x30 has the right magnification for kids, with fewer shakes and the 3D view due to the Porro design. I purchased another one as a gift for my friend's daughter who is 7 and she uses it all the time. I bought mine for $79 and for the price it provides a bright and sharp image. It is also armored and waterproof. The notches in the focus knob are quite useful for little fingers to turn. It is a such a good binocular to hold and I am continuously amazed by the quality for the price. If only Swift made their 820ED body as well as the Kowa YF, I'd buy one in a heart beat.
 
My oldest grandchild turns age 5 soon, a Leupold Yosemite will be his birthday gift from me.

I have 3 others, and also have done some shopping ahead of time. One is pink camo.

Jerry
 

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Ratal said:
I need that pink camo version. Was it a special one off?
Click to expand...

Leupold made this model in: Black, Natural, Dark Earth, Mossy Oak
Break-up Blaze and Pink, and Mossy Oak Treestand.

I had a 8x30 Mossy Oak Blaze orange and gave that one to my nephew.

Edit to add:
I should have mentioned, the ones above are all 6x30, better for kids of all ages.

The Yosemite has an IPD range of 50-70 mm. Very nice for kids.

Jerry
 
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Ratal said:
I have a neice who would love those. Thank you, I'll shop around!
Click to expand...

I should mention, those colors were only on the older version Yosemite
before the armor change a couple of years ago.

I am not sure what colors are available now, I haven't checked on that.

I just found a used Pink Camo on Ebay right now in the US.

Jerry
 
Although it has been many years since my childhood I use a pair of Kowa YF's (6x30) as my 'goto' binoculars. For the money they are very good and provide bright and clear images. My young grandson also finds them very easy to use.

The objective lens caps are not very good but these are very easily replaced with some aftermarket ones so not really a hassle.

Must admit I prefer porro binoculars to roof prisms - they just suit me better.
 
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Thanks, everyone, for your posts. You gave me a lot to think about. I ended up ordering a Leupold BX-1 Yosemite 6x30 from B&H.
 
I ordered a Kowa YF 8x30 and a Celestron Cypress 7x30 for my soon to be 13 year old grandchild who lives in the US. In the end, she preferred the Kowa for its slightly higher magnification. But she and her dad were happy with both of them. Both cost about 56US$, though the same Kowa is now shown for 20 $ more after just a few weeks. I got that one from Amazon US as an "international" model, i.e. without warranty. The Celestron came via eBay US from Target, but apparently also imported directly. Both included postage to the US address. So that Celestron will become a Christmas present for another grandchild here in Switzerland. Her brother already has the same one, and he likes it. My son will bring that model when he comes for a visit next December. The first Celestron that I had ordered to be sent here had cost me about $120 in the end, with postage and taxes/duty here.

Both models are obvious clones of the original (Greenring) Leupold Yosemite version. And as such they are well suited for the narrow interpupilary distances of kids.

I might add that I own a 6x30 Greenring Yosemite myself, and I like it for its fine view and comfortable feel. Though the focus is not all that smooth when moving it back and forth. That's due to the o-rings that should keep it waterproof.
 
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