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best but reasonable priced binoculars for a child ? (1 Viewer)

H

homebirder

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Hi does anyone know of any decent mid priced binoculars for a young child ? I am starting to go birdwatching again and will be taking my grandson along so i am looking for a reasonably good pair of binoculars for him to start with but do not want to go mad on the cost ! Have took a look on amazon but there are so many mid priced binos that its hard to pick and they all have conflicting reviews ! Can anyone recommend any brands that will suffice ?
 
The Yosemite recommendation is probably a good one. Midway USA probably has the best price right now:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/359362/leupold-bx-1-yosemite-sub-compact-binocular-8x-30mm-porro-prism-armored-black

I have experience with the Vortex Raptor 6.5X32. It's a nice little binocular for the money. I like the 6.5X32 combination because it has a larger exit pupil that is easy for new/young users to find. Also 410ft FOV makes finding the bird easy. I've bought a couple of these and the results have turned out well for a 6yo and a 10yo.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/optics/binoculars%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104217480/vortex-raptor-binoculars/1625002.uts

GREAT prices on each with the above links.
 
Have you looked at the RSPB Puffin Binoculars?
You can try them in any RSPB reserve.
Designed for young children - 8x32 for £55
 
btooze said:
Have you looked at the RSPB Puffin Binoculars?
You can try them in any RSPB reserve.
Designed for young children - 8x32 for £55
Click to expand...

Not a great binocular, BUT for a young child - probably a very good starter. In fact I bought a pair for my m-i-l (80 years old), and she takes them everywhere!
 
Hi,

I tend to be prejudiced against roof prism binoculars below s $100 - I haven't seen an acceptable pair yet.

The Leupold Yosemite, Kowa YF or Opticron Savanah in 6x30 are a really nice pair of bins and will be great for children. Easy to hold still and don't need very exact focus due to moderate 6x magnification, robust and the optics are reasonably good.

Another nice option (a bit more expensive and more fragile) is the Pentax Papilio 2 6.5x21 which can also be used for watching insects etc. with their very short close focus distance of a foot and a half or so.

My godchild likes her Papilio 6.5x a lot.

Joachim
 
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I don't think Leupold binoculars are very widely available in the UK so you're unlikely to get a good deal even if you can find them. It would be useful to know who old a child they're for as something OK for a 10-year-old would be unsuitable for one of 5 or 6. Also some sort of idea what you deem 'reasonable' would help!
 
I tend to be prejudiced against roof prism binoculars below s $100 - I haven't seen an acceptable pair yet
Click to expand...

Cabelas Guide 8x32 and Sightron BS 8x32 are about 150$, so "reasonably priced", and both are more than "reasonable".
 
Since you said 'mid price' not 'low price' i'm going to suggest Nikon Monarch 7 and since he is young you may prefer 10x over 8x. Of course try them for fit first if you can. They are small and wonderful in the x30 configurations, never tried x42.
 
homebirder said:
Thanks guys for the info i will check Amazon uk to see if i can get these binoculars over here in the UK :t:
Click to expand...

I bought the 6x30 Leopold Yosemite from Uttings about 3 years ago at £89. great little binoculars and also bought some Opticron Savanna WP 6x30 from the Birders Store, same spec as Yosemite, and again great binoculars for the price.
 
EnjoyTheView said:
Since you said 'mid price' not 'low price' i'm going to suggest Nikon Monarch 7 and since he is young you may prefer 10x over 8x. Of course try them for fit first if you can. They are small and wonderful in the x30 configurations, never tried x42.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%, Nikon's MONARCH 7 8x30's are very nice bino's in a more compact form then the 10x42's. My wife uses mine, now pretty much her's when we go on vacation's. She also loves the Premier's 10x28's. Smaller field of view but incredibly clear. About 2 times the price of the 8x30's.
 
I am following this thread with interest as I'm in a similar situation. This time I'm looking for a porro model.

I have done some research and had suggestions in a previous thread i posted on here.

Another one to consider is the kowa yf 8x30. There's a fair bit on that binocular here if you can find it.

For me though, the Vortex raptor trumps them all purely based on warranty. My 5 year old will occasionally use them and if he drops them vortex should be quite good at helping you out. So far I've only ever heard good stuff about vortex and it's warranty.
 
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