[Babzz]

Hello, just searching the forum for info on bins. I'm not a hard-core birder (yet!) so I'm looking for something all-purpose, at a reasonable price. Until recently, I had a pair of dinky bins from childhood that were all scratched up, so my basis of comparison is pretty low. I would like to stick to 8 magnification and I'm under the impression that 8X42 (or 8X40) is ideal for my needs. I just started searching in depth today, so I'm open to all advice. At this time, I'm most considering the Monarch 8X42 bins, but I've also looked at the Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8X42 and had a look at the Cornell ratings. Thanks in advance. :)

[ceasar]

Try the Swift 8.5 x 44 Porro Prisms if you can find a dealer who carries them. Great sharpness, very bright and a very wide Field of View (FOV). Reasonably priced too.
Good Birding,
Bob

[Dave B Smith]

My wife and I together have both bins above. Both are very good and priced similarly. However, they are very different. The Swift is heavier / bulkier and is really made for someone with fairly large hands and also has a larger minimum interpupillary distance (won't narrow down enough for my wife to use).

So, while both are good bins, a person really needs to try them out to see how they fit / feel to them.

[Babzz]

That could definitely be a problem for me. I have small hands and I have that interpupillary issue with a pair of wide angle bins that my father lent me.

Right now I'm most struggling between 8X42 & 8X32 and the trade-off b/w FOV and brightness/image clarity. With my old bins, clarity was mostly an issue, esp in dim light, but I'm afraid of losing too much FOV. Unfortunately, I can't reemember what my last bins were and I've lost them!!

Also, I'm confused if I should aim for porros or roofs. I originally thought I'd go for porros, but then the Monarchs seemed like a good investment. This is so overwhelming. Thanks for the input :)

Originally Posted by Dave B Smith

My wife and I together have both bins above. Both are very good and priced similarly. However, they are very different. The Swift is heavier / bulkier and is really made for someone with fairly large hands and also has a larger minimum interpupillary distance (won't narrow down enough for my wife to use).

So, while both are good bins, a person really needs to try them out to see how they fit / feel to them.

[Dave B Smith]

Nikon Monarchs come in several ranges. You might want to try both the 8X42 as well as the 8x36 and see which ones you are most comfortable with. As far as quality / price, you can't go wrong with either - just be sure they are comfortable for you. Try to find a store near you that carries them and try them out.

And of course there are a number of other good optics out there. You might browse some of the optics subforums to get an idea of others you might want to try.

As to Porros/ Roofs, in my opinion, Porro's give a slightly better view for the dollar but you pay for it in bulk. Roof's are sleeker and easier to handle.

[Tero]

The Eagle Optics 8x42 is going to be similar to the Monarch, but I have not tried them side by side. I would guess that the Monarch would be as good or slightly bigger with the sweet spot. All biniculars, including porros, have a center spot that is in focus and there is loss of clarity or other distortion toward the edges. This is because they have prisms. Camera lenses do not use prisms.

[Babzz]

So I stopped by the shop yesterday to have a look at some bins. They didn't have much selection, but they had the Monarchs. I looked through those and some Bushnell 8X42s. I guess I didn't know what I was looking for, but I couldn't tell the difference. This makes me wonder if I should just go for the cheaper pair??

[ceasar]

Originally Posted by Babzz

So I stopped by the shop yesterday to have a look at some bins. They didn't have much selection, but they had the Monarchs. I looked through those and some Bushnell 8X42s. I guess I didn't know what I was looking for, but I couldn't tell the difference. This makes me wonder if I should just go for the cheaper pair??

It depends on whether the Bushnell is a "Legacy" or the cheaper "Excursion." The "Excursion" has a much wider field of view (420' to 330') than the Nikon Monarch or the Bushnell Legacy. The more expensive Bushnell Discoverer also has the wide 420' FOV.
Bob

[postcardcv]

Originally Posted by Babzz

So I stopped by the shop yesterday to have a look at some bins. They didn't have much selection, but they had the Monarchs. I looked through those and some Bushnell 8X42s. I guess I didn't know what I was looking for, but I couldn't tell the difference. This makes me wonder if I should just go for the cheaper pair??

If the cheaper pair suit you and you will be happy with them then there really is no point in buying a more expensive pair.

[Babzz]

It was the Excursion 8X42s. I'm now trying to decide b/w the Monarchs and these. I know the Monarchs are better from what I've read everywhere (and I could see small text slightly more clearly with the Monarchs when I tested them out again), but they are about 1.5x the price. What are your thoughts on the Excursions? Are they good bins for the price? Thanks.

[NWBirder]

Originally Posted by Babzz

Hello, just searching the forum for info on bins. I'm not a hard-core birder (yet!) so I'm looking for something all-purpose, at a reasonable price. Until recently, I had a pair of dinky bins from childhood that were all scratched up, so my basis of comparison is pretty low. I would like to stick to 8 magnification and I'm under the impression that 8X42 (or 8X40) is ideal for my needs. I just started searching in depth today, so I'm open to all advice. At this time, I'm most considering the Monarch 8X42 bins, but I've also looked at the Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8X42 and had a look at the Cornell ratings. Thanks in advance. :)

You cannot go wrong with Monarch ATB.

[SouthTXBirder]

I ordered a pair of Excursion 8x32 and Stokes Talon 10x42 from Eagle Optics and should be here by early next week, will let you know how those 8x32's are.

[NWBirder]

Originally Posted by Babzz

It was the Excursion 8X42s. I'm now trying to decide b/w the Monarchs and these. I know the Monarchs are better from what I've read everywhere (and I could see small text slightly more clearly with the Monarchs when I tested them out again), but they are about 1.5x the price. What are your thoughts on the Excursions? Are they good bins for the price? Thanks.

What's your budget?

[Babzz]

Ok so the story is: I ordered the Monarchs yesterday, but they were out of stock, and I need binoculars by next Friday, so I ended up ordering some Celestron Noble 8x42s just now. I picked express shipping in case I don't like them, so I can still return them before I leave. Is this a good choice? I searched the forum and the sentiment towards these bins seems quite positive, and they ranked 5th in the Cornell study. I decided against the Excursions b/c of all the negative comments about them, though they did seem like a nice pair of bins from my inexperienced viewpoint.

[Tero]

The Celestrons are probably better than the Excursions.