Binoculars - recommendations, please (1 Viewer)

[Feathers445]

Hello birders,
I am writing on behalf of my 11 year old son who is an obsessive, keen birder. Unfortunately, the binoculars that he has are too heavy; given that he seldom takes them off his neck, we are noticing that he is starting to suffer from neck issues. Please can you recommend a pair of lightweight binoculars that are affordable? He goes bird watching by himself on our local commons, so I would feel uncomfortable about him walking around with a precious pair of binoculars. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[tehri]

Just a basic recommendation regarding this kind of question : For those who will try to answer you, it is much easier and more practical for them, to indicate a price range, a budget idea !

 

[Feathers445]

Thank you. That is a valid point. I am not sure I know what the appropriate amount is to spend on a pair of lightweight, decent quality binoculars for a young birder. Something under £100 potentially?

 

[KeesJ]

If your son likes his binoculars, maybe he can use a harness what will take the pressure of his neck.

 

[elkcub]

I'd suggest that you consider the Pentax-Papilio II 6.5x21, which retails on Amazon for under $100 USD. Very good optics, light weight, and amazing focusing range.

Product Description​

Experience the fun of binoculars with Papilio II, suitable for viewing objects both close-up and far away. The Pentax Papilio Series offers great visibility and brightness when using both in and outdoors. The Pentax-developed Convergent Lens Optical System Engineering mechanism automatically slides the left and right objective lenses toward the center to facilitate close-range viewing down to 50cm.

Ed

 

[4 The Birds1]

If your son likes his binoculars, maybe he can use a harness what will take the pressure of his neck.

Or wear them cross body/bandolier style

 

[Elkhornsun]

Some unusual and excellent binoculars are the Pentax U-Series Papilio II binos that have an extremely close focus distance of 0.5 meter or 1.6 feet. This makes them great for birds but also excellent for insects and amphibians and other small creatures.

They are available in a 6.5x and a 8.5x power and sell for $130 and $146 respectively. The 6.5x weighs only 10 ounces and it is small enough for a child to hold comfortably. They are also a great binocular for adults with the very close focus distance and I have a pair.

 

[dw87]

I dont think you'd go too far wrong with any of these, and both would make an excellent spare pair if (hopefully!) he is keen and wants to upgrade in a few years:

Kowa YF II 8x30 Binocular - Green

Kowa YF II 8x30 Binocular – Green The Kowa YF II 8x30 binoculars are the ideal pair of binoculars for a variety of viewing applications – from observing nature to concerts. Benefitting from decades of optical evolution, these Kowa binoculars adopt top-end features including Kowa Repe...

www.harrisoncameras.co.uk

https://www.opticron.co.uk/our-products/binoculars/adventurer-ii-wp-binoculars/adventurer-ii-wp-8x32

Oregon 4 PC Oasis 8x32 | Opticron

Click to view this page on www.opticron.co.uk

www.opticron.co.uk

 

[KC Foggin]

Welcome aboard Feathers and hopefully your son will get you attached to birding as well

 

[qwerty5]

The Kowa YF is excellent, and as a porro, it will get you a good bang for your buck. I wouldn't suggest low mag, 8x should be fine.

 

[beacon hill]

If you are near N.Lincs you could pop along to our next optics weekend and try some. We do get a number of parents with children visiting. The Helios nitro sport 8x26 are just 266g !, so should not cause neck problems.

 

[Feathers445]

Or wear them cross body/bandolier style

Thank you so much for the harness idea. That is probably what I will go for.

 

[Trinovid]

Thank you so much for the harness idea. That is probably what I will go for.

I only carry my binoculars that way, under my left arm and it also makes it much easier to be active, like rowing a boat last week and climbing or running through the woods. Also highly recommend the Papillio binoculars.

 

[Fritz73]

Hola! Welcome to Birdforum