• 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.

Cheap but rugged bin? (1 Viewer)

dalat

dalat

...
Switzerland
I just had a few birding days in a phantastic birding location in Nicaragua. The local guides I met were young guys, very keen and very good, but had no binoculars (though IDed more birds bare eyed than me with my superbino). I've seen similar situations elsewhere, it's quite common I think.
So I thought it could be a good idea when doing a tropical trip, to bring an inexpensive bino as back-up that could be left behind with such a guy when leaving.

I don't expect the guys there treat the binos overly carefully, and humitidy is a big factor, so waterproofness and ruggedness would probably be most important, more than optical quality.

So are there any binoculars that are:
- classical 8x40ish
- rugged
- waterproof
- 50€ to max 100€
- ok to look through

Cheers, Florian
 
I go to boot sales and secondhand / charity shops throughout the year looking for serviceable binoculars for just that purpose. Even if the guides have decent bins there are always schools you can donate them , and a field guide, to.

Chris
 
A fine idea Florian! The bin that comes to mind is the Minox BF 8x42 BR. Waterproof and rugged and a pretty nice view. I just got one from Cameraland NY for $99. It was an open box special. CLNY still has them available at that price. Even a new unit is just $10. more than your max @$139.00.
 
How about this? The same seller is also selling 10x42 for the same price. Lots of folks raving about them on here, and the optics are pretty decent. Nice idea, may do the same when I head out there next month.
 
The Vortex 8 x 42 Diamondback at about $220.00 comes to mind here. They are very rugged, have long ER and a wide FOV.

I don't know about their overall availability in Europe. They sell very well in the USA and the 38 volunteered positive reviews they have on the Eagle Optics website is quite remarkable!:t: Although the Swarovisons have somewhat more.

www.eagleoptics.com

Bob
 
Here in the US, one can purchase the Olympus EXPS1 8x42 for around $100. It is a very sturdy and bright binocular, and would meet your needs very well. You can go to the allbinos.com site and read their review.

Also consider the Vortex Raptor 6.5x or 8.5x. These run about $30 more than the Olympus. They are smaller than the Olympus too, and I know that I would prefer their lighter weight if I were to be carrying something for a long period of time. I was very impressed at how sharp and bright they were, especially when considering how little they cost.
 
Hi guys, thanks a lot for all this good suggestions. A lot of food for thought on the next buy. Problem may be price, all those binos are a bit more expensive here in Europe than they seem to be in the US, 200 € feels a bit steep for a giveaway. But I'll keep the eyes open.

Also for this:
chris butterworth said:
I go to boot sales and secondhand / charity shops throughout the year looking for serviceable binoculars
Click to expand...
No idea where I could come across good used binos here, but I also did not look for it so far... so again, I'll try to keep the eyes open.

And dwatsonbirder, are you the guy who asked for info on Nica and Costa Rica a while ago? I know a bit more now about a phantastic place, a must-go it seems to me. I will try to write up a small report over the weekend.

Thanks all! Florian
 
I think that's a great idea and something EVERYONE on this forum should think about doing when they take their exotic vacations to tropical locales. As you note, us "gringos" show up with our "superbins" and the local guides often make due with none at all. I remember being in Madagascar and, as you note, seeing a local guide ID'ing birds at a great distance without any binoculars. One time, upon seeing a soaring bird, I disputed his ID and he just smiled and nodded... after a few minutes of staring at with my bins, while he chatted idly with the driver, I realized that he was 100% right and acknowledge my mistake. It's amazing sometimes what the local guides can know about their local patches.

Considering the gross excess that some on this forum have with 10-20 or more pairs of binoculars, it seems like a no brainer to bring along an old pair or two as backups and then donate them to the local guides. The difference it will make is astounding and it's always a good idea to keep encouraging those local folks who are trying to establish the ecotourism industry in their homes and provide an economic alternative to habitat degradation.
 
dalat said:
No idea where I could come across good used binos here, but I also did not look for it so far... so again, I'll try to keep the eyes open.

Thanks all! Florian
Click to expand...

Just a quick addition. I picked up an immaculate Opticron Polarex 70mm scope with 25x and 36x eyepieces, and the original leather case, for £50 yesterday. It was advertised in the local free paper. They're out there.

Chris
 
And here we have folks discussing, in innocence, whether some superbin is "old hat" because some newer bin is more super.

Well, there's trickle-down technology... maybe other consolations if one thinks a bit...

Re this very praiseworthy purpose, most First-World tour leaders doing the Tropics use 8x42 (so it seems), but for these recipients, depending on the donor's budget, even ≤ 32 mm at 8x or 10x is most certainly far better than 1x 2-7! And that 50 mm you now find cumbersome will similarly be welcome.

As Florian says, it's got to be waterproof - and this means inert-gas-filled - for the longer term. There's not much need to worry about other aspects of "ruggedness". Most likely it'll be carefully looked after. The guy with the low-priced car is less likely than the Mercedes owner to speed across potholes.
 
Last edited:
dalat said:
And dwatsonbirder, are you the guy who asked for info on Nica and Costa Rica a while ago? I know a bit more now about a phantastic place, a must-go it seems to me.
Click to expand...

Hi Florian,
At the risk of hijacking the thread it was me who was asking about locations in CR and Nica a while ago, heading out there in 3 weeks and 6 days...not that I'm counting or anything! If you do get the chance to scribble some notes down on any locations around Nicoya/Osa/Tortugero/Monteverde/Lake Nica, I'd really appericiate any gen available.
I've found tow old porros that are ok and cheap that I plan to take out to donate, most likely to a school or one of the lesser used guides.

All the best.
 
Dakota Elites 7x28 and 8x32 roofs are a good, very inexpensive binocular. Waterproof and phase coated. They are discontinued (originally marketed by the now bankrupt Ritz Camera). They show up used or NOS frequently on eBay going for $30 to $50 per pair.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 11 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

M
No black ring please
Replies
10
Views
862
BOKEH
B
P
Upgrade from Nikon 8x30 EII to Zeiss Victory 7x42 FL?
Replies
10
Views
1K
PedroP
P
A
Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 blackouts
Replies
9
Views
812
tenex
tenex
T
Waterproofness and your use of binoculars
2 3 4
Replies
63
Views
5K
tehri
tehri
J
Hello from South Korea!
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
jackjack
J

Users who are viewing this thread

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