Binocular for tripod during daytime viewing.. (1 Viewer)

[Rg548]

Considering buying a binocular, attaching it to a tripod, watching birds while out walking.
This would be between 10-14 in the afternoon.

Most birds are in the 20-50m range...

So, tripod, small chair and a binocular..
I already have tripod and small chair..


What would you use?

At 20m to 50m range, a high end 8x or 10x will be perfect for observing, or identifying birds.
No tripod needed, but you can still use one if you want to.
If you have the funds, the Pure 12x42 would be great.
A Canon stabilised bino, whilst heavy, would still weigh less than a standard binoi and tripod combined.
Everyone seems to agree that your choice is not the norm.... but I'm also a huge fan of 'forge your own path' ..... good luck with it

 

[exup]

At 20m to 50m range, a high end 8x or 10x will be perfect for observing, or identifying birds.
No tripod needed, but you can still use one if you want to.
If you have the funds, the Pure 12x42 would be great.
A Canon stabilised bino, whilst heavy, would still weigh less than a standard binoi and tripod combined.
Everyone seems to agree that your choice is not the norm.... but I'm also a huge fan of 'forge your own path' ..... good luck with it

A Canon 12x36 III is lighter than a NL 12x42 and will show more.
The smaller models are also lighter again and will again show more detail.

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

The same 8x class binoculars I’d use without a tripod. Higher mag binoculars are going to hinder you with FOV at that distance, especially if you’re trying to track. Just because you’re using a tripod doesn’t automatically mean to go to higher magnification, those lower mag binos will still have a better image off of a tripod than free hand, you just notice the shake less with them but the same amount of shake is still there.

 

[chill6x6]

I'd just get a quality 8/10X42 and not worry about it. Your range is such that you won't need more than that. That binocular would actually be fine for any uses.

 

[hopster]

If you’re looking for straight personal opinions …

I’d go with 12x or 15x, to make good use of a tripod (as suggested above) but retaining flexibility if handheld use is ever needed. I have used 20x binos in a setup similar to the one you describe. That was before I got a spotting scope, which I now prefer for seated distance viewing.

Even with daylight viewing, big objectives are almost always a bonus - brighter images are always better - and especially so if you’re not holding their weight by hand. So I’d be looking at 50mm, or even 60mm, objectives.

If I was buying entry-level binos again for this kind of thing, I’d probably look at Vortex Diamondbacks. If I was splashing out, it would probably be Swarovski SLCs.

Budget is a decisive factor, as previous posts say 🙂

Meopta Meostar 12x50 HD and 15x56 HD are both excellent choices too. Significantly cheaper and perhaps even lower CA than the SLC, but less ER for spectacles.