[turumti]

Guys,

I need your help, I need to buy a pair of binos for watching hawks, and my budegt when fully stretched is USD 200. Within this budget, the only two binos that fit my requirements are the Bushnell Legend 10x50 and the Nikon ATB 10x50. According to the product specs that I read on binoculars.com, both are fully multicoated, both have Bak 4 prism, 340'+ FOV@100yards, and both are waterproof and fogproof. Furthermore, the manufacturers of both these binos claim that they will withstand rain, rough handling (bumpy rides in trucks), and will last quite a while. The only difference that is apparent to me at this point is that the Bushnell Legend 10x50 weighs 28 oz and costs USD 125.00, while the Nikon ATB 10x50 weighs 36oz and costs USD 179.00.

The Bushnell being 8 oz lighter and USD 54.00 cheaper than the Nikon, appeals to me more as the lighter weight would also make it more comfortable to hold up for peering long minutes into the sky, while the lower price is an obvious enough cost saving.

Having said that, I have no experience of either model and would not like to base my decision on purely what the manufacturers claim. So I would be obliged if you guys could guide me as to which one of these two binos is a better buy.

My foremost considerations are optical performance, ruggedness and user comfort, as most of my bird watching is done around dusk and dawn in hilly areas, when the light is low, and one does really a good pair of binos to identify birds positively.

Thanks in advance!!