• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Which sub-£300 8x42 or 10 x 50? (1 Viewer)

M

michaelmorris

Well-known member
My wife and I are looking to upgrade our binoculars.
We are looking for:
8x42s or possibly 10x50s
Lightweight
Probably roof-prisms
Reasonable close focus
<£300 a pair.

Suggestions welcome.
 
Although I own neither I would look at Hawke and Eden in this price range.
Ignore any porro-prism binoculars and 10X50 roof as they will be too heavy.
Consider 8X32 if weight is an issue.Also Opticron 8X32 Verano.
Regards
Russ
 
Hawke Frontier ED's. Sherwoods are doing reasonable deals on them and they are close enough for a visit. Excellent for astro work also.
 
Michael,

I've not tried the Eden pairs, but they are only available on-line.
http://www.edenwebshops.co.uk/en/ct/eden-quality-binoculars.htm
A couple of them have been well reviewed on the forum.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=209395
http://www.birdforum.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/339/limit/recent

My suggestion would be to try to get to a well shocked retailer like Sherwoods Photo, Clifton Cameras or InFocus at Slimbridge and try some pairs for yourself. Some that spring to mind are the Nikon Monarch, Hawke Frontier ED, Opticron Verano, InFocus's Delta SL3, Helios Aero ED, or the Opticron EDX that is just being introduced. They do vary quite a bit in size and weight. If weight is really important, then the Opticron Traveller MG 6 or 8x32 or the relatively cheap Opticron Discovery 8x32 may be worth a look.

Good luck,

David
 
Tarsiger said:
Although I own neither I would look at Hawke and Eden in this price range.
Ignore any porro-prism binoculars and 10X50 roof as they will be too heavy.
Consider 8X32 if weight is an issue.Also Opticron 8X32 Verano.
Regards
Russ
Click to expand...

The ability to view in low light conditions is important to me, so an exit pupil of less than 5mm is show stopper. Therefore it must be 8x40s (or greater aperture) or 10x50s.
 
Just to throw my two-Pence in:

I bought a pair of Hawke frontier PC 8x25 last week and I still can't stop spouting on about how good they are. (bargain for £65 posted on the bay)
I'm after some mid size soon and there are some Hawke 8x43 frontiers on there, the mk2's are £300+, but there are some mk1's for £240 posted. Not sure exactly what the difference is, but it can't be much! I'm sorely tempted to buy them as I'm so impressed by these compacts.
 
I had the Hawke 10x43 ed for a while, very good apart from a half moon shaped reflection in the eyepiece that drove me mad after a while. How about Opticron HR WP Porro`s, I don`t think there`s a roof to touch them at their £220 price.
 
Torview said:
I had the Hawke 10x43 ed for a while, very good apart from a half moon shaped reflection in the eyepiece that drove me mad after a while. How about Opticron HR WP Porro`s, I don`t think there`s a roof to touch them at their £220 price.
Click to expand...

Whilst the optical quality of those porro prism binoculars is undoubtedly good for the money, roof prism binoculars seem to be slightly lighter, have better close focus, are slightly more compact and I prefer the feel of them in my hand.
 
Any other suggestions?

What about the various roof prism offerings Opticron? (We current have both Opticron spotting scopes (66mm and 80mm) and we love them).
 
The Nikon Monarch would be worth a look, I've not tried the newest version but the previous model was excellent.
 
Torview said:
How about the new trailfinder t3, I`m hoping to give them ago soon, looks promising.
http://www.opticron.co.uk/PDF/T3 Review Birdwatching.pdf
Click to expand...

The review looks good. However, we're after a once-in-decade upgrade and we want to make sure we're not going to be wanting/needing to upgrade in 4 or 5 years time. At well over >700 grams they also perhaps a little heavier than we ideally want.

The short list has so far has been narrowed down to:

Nikon Monarch SE 8 x 42
Opticron Countryman 'HD' BGA 8 x 42
Opticron Verano 'Open Hinge' BGA 8 x 42

Other models considered are possibly a bit heavy (Hawke Frontier ED) or have a relatively limited warranty (Opticron ED-X BGA)

The search continues ...
 
Why not go to Sherwoods (Morton Bagot) and compare some glass? Not far from Worcester and they have a lot of new and display only deals.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

U
Binocular Comparison: Nikon Prostaff ATB 8x25 reverse porro vs. Hawke Endurance ED 8x25
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
uofmrob
U
Snuffleupagus
2nd Pair / Upgrade for Birder - Advise Needed
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
jring
J
I
Analysis Paralysis- Please help me choose!
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
Trinovid
T
T
Dielectric Coatings - Potential Drawbacks?
Replies
5
Views
1K
wllmspd
W
A
Entry - Midrange Binocular Recommendation ($500)
2
Replies
22
Views
3K
Binovehje
B

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top