[d.steeley]

Hi folks, my brother in law is off to a wedding in South Africa in just over a weeks time and I was going to lend him a pair of my bins for when he goes out on a few organised wildlife trips. Unfortunately when I gave him my bins we found the focus wheel wasn't working. I said I would seek opinions on a relatively cheap pair of good bins. There has been so many good things said about the sporters that I would like to recommend them to him and would like your opinions. He does not wear spectacles, when back home they will sit on the kitchen window-sill and used to watch the garden birds. Neither I, or my bro' in law has time to find a stockist where we could try them out, so it will be a mail order from W/E I guess. Budget £100.00 max, would like to spend less if possible.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Dave

[FrankD]

I think the Sporters most definitely fit your criteria...price, performance, etc... You do not need to have glasses to truly appreciate the effect of their large eye relief. Even without glasses I found the long eye relief to promote a more "step into the image" effect when compared with other binoculars I have owned...even ones costing quite a bit more. For the price they sound perfect for your and your friend's situation.

[mcapper]

I agree. I have road tested the sporters against both Leica BAs and Nikon HGs and they certainly perform very well for the money. I have recommended them to 4 different people who are all now very happy with their Sporters, all bought from Warehouse Express.

The only problem that has been noted is that the screw eye cups can tend to go loose. Only a minor niggle I think.

I'd say they would suit your needs very well. Time to get the credit card out.

Matthew

[Geoff Brown]

Yep agree with above, mine going strong as a back up pair for use in the house supposedly, but often end up by being the main bins in the car when I am out. Get the old card out and spend, spend, spend!

[d.steeley]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I guess I'll have to use my flexible friend again.

Dave

[Tero]

I use the 10x Sporters a lot, now mostly in summer. The 8x are as good as any other 8x roofs for everyday use. The 10x are dimmer than some other models about twice the price. But on a sunny day, no difference.

[d.steeley]

Update. Taken all of this good advice and ordered the bins from W/E. They should be delivered later today. Thanks again.

Dave

[FrankD]

Please do chime in with your impressions. It is always interesting to hear a new perspective on them.

[d.steeley]

I now have the Nikon Sporters and am well pleased with them. The image looks very crisp to me and they seem to handle very well. I was surprised how heavy they felt at first but their good balance seems to overcome this. Unfortunately, I will not be keeping the sporters as I did buy them on behalf of my brother in law who will be taking them off to South Africa this weekend.

Dave

[FrankD]

Unfortunately, I will not be keeping the sporters as I did buy them on behalf of my brother in law who will be taking them off to South Africa this weekend.

Yes, but who gets them when he returns?

;-)

[Tero]

Yes, the Monarchs are lighter. Some composite materiala for the body.

[d.steeley]

Originally Posted by FrankD

Yes, but who gets them when he returns?

;-)

I hope he does and I get to keep the £99.00 he will give me (I hope) before he takes them. My bro' in law is not a birder but does take an interest in the birds that visit his garden. So I am hoping he will begin to watch them with his new bins. Who knows, he may start taking them out to his golf course and look at the local wildlife between shots. One can but hope.

Dave

[FrankD]

True, but I was just curious. They are definitely great bins for the price.

[Richard W]

got the 10x36's from WE today to replace my old bins that were stolen from work earlier this week, apart from the loose eyecups (although only the right one is too loose on mine) am very impressed with the quality, image is very bright & clear and a big improvement on the old Swift 10x42 they replaced.

[d.steeley]

Originally Posted by Richard W

got the 10x36's from WE today to replace my old bins that were stolen from work earlier this week, apart from the loose eyecups (although only the right one is too loose on mine) am very impressed with the quality, image is very bright & clear and a big improvement on the old Swift 10x42 they replaced.

I already have a pair of good bins but must admit to being tempted to buy a pair of sporters as back up should anything happen to them. My current 2nd pair are Bushnell Natureviews, which were fine for about 8 years then the focus wheel developed a problem and they went back to Vickers for repair. They were returned by Vickers and sent back as unrepaired twice before they were made to send a 'new pair'. By then I'd bought my better bins so did not use them for about 18 months until I was due to lend them to bro' in law. When I showed them to him they developed exactly the same fault as before. New pair? I don't think so.

Dave