Common question the day. (1 Viewer)

I'm sure this is a question that has been asked a million time but I was wondering whether the forum could assist me.

1. What is a good value for money pair of binoculars to start birding with?

2. What is the best spot to purchase binoculars in Cape Town / JHB (generally...specials etc. aside.)

Thanks so much for the help.

Welcome to Birdforum!

I hope someone with local knowledge comes along to guide you with regards to where to buy.

Nothing beats having the binoculars you are looking at in your hands before buying, sometimes there is something with how they feel that just is wrong to you.

This part of birdforum has more discussions about binoculars than you would imagine: http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=112

Niels

I'm afraid I don't know Cape Town so I cant help you there. However, the folowing basic points might help
1. How much money can you spend.
2. 8x42 is a good size to consider for birding, especially if you are starting. You might be tempted to go for 10x42 , but make sure that you have a very steady hold as vibration might blur the image a little, it is also a little more difficult to follow moving birds with these.
3. Personally I prefer the porro prism system (where the front lenses are offset from the eyepieces) over the roof prism (where the front lenses and the eyepieces are in a straight line) as you generally get a wider field of view and better depth perception in the latter. They are slightly heavier, but to me it is worth it.
4. Make sure they are fully waterproof, i.e. sealed and nitrogen-gas filled to fog-proof them.
5. Look for coated optics as this improve the image - multi-coated is good.
6. There must be some kind of technical back-up service available in this country for cleaning, repairs etc.
7. Close focus is very important; check that they can focus to within about 2 metres.
8. Comfortable wide neck strap.
9. They must feel good to you when you use them.

I'm sure you will get much good technical advice if you follow Niels's link, but I hope these basics may give you a starting point. Good luck. Hope we shall hear more from you on this thread.

Thanks so much for the advice guys. Really appreciate it.

A couple of comments to Sal's answers

Magnification goes a little with what you usually are looking at. 8x would be my personal preference if all birding was in forested areas, 10x if it was mostly coastal/open areas/wetlands. But hold the binoculars for several minutes and make sure that after this period you can still hold them stable if you are tempted by heavy/10x bins.

Regarding strap: I do not anymore want any neck strap, period, I prefer something like this: http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/eagle-optics/eagle-optics-bino-system-harness-strap

Niels

While there is something of a light penalty because of the smaller objective diameter, I have used lightweight Nikon 10x25's for close to 25 years now. Round your neck you wouldn't notice them....and they are small enough to slip into a pocket, camera bag or whatever. I go nowhere without them, and would not trade them for the finest optics around. The enormous price - and weight - increase which goes along with more sophisticated optics is simply not worth it.
Happy birding,
Dave