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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

$50 binoculars (1 Viewer)

The Olympus Trooper 7x35 is pretty much identical to the Nikon Action 7x35. Olympus reverse porros generally get good reviews, but a 10x21 for under $50 would be pushing your luck, I think. The 7x35s will give a much more relaxed and pleasant viewing experience. The disadvantages are weight, short eye relief, folding rubber eyecups and minimum IPD of 60mm. (IPD =Interpupillary Distance and means the distance between the eyes).

I still think the Olympus 8x25 might be your best bet, if the minimum IPD of 58mm is okay. If not, I don't know what to suggest. What is your daughter's IPD?

There's an 8x25 on auction at the moment being sold off by Olympus because of scuffed packaging. I wish I could bid for it myself. (I recently won an auction for one of these, only to find out after it had been sent that it was actually an 8x21!)

Michael
 
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Thanks again for all of the advice. I think I will get the Nikon or the Olympus; hopefully I will be able check them out at a store before I buy.
 
I'm still trying to decide on binoculars. I am either going to get the Nikon Action 7 x 35 Ultra Wide or the Nikon Action 8 x 40. These will be for my daughter who doesn't wear eyeglasses. I will get my own binoculars later. I am leaning toward the 8x40 after reading reviews at amazon.com and binoculars.com and most reviews were good. I found very few reviews on the 7x35. Is there any reason to choose the 7x35 over the 8x40?
Thanks again.
 
Yes, the 7x35 are lighter. Some people really like 7x over 8x, and this is one of the few cheap 7x models.
 
The 7x35 is 25.2 oz and the 8x40 is 26.3 oz. It seems like the 7x35 would not feel much lighter. The information on both binoculars is almost identical so I am having a hard time deciding. I am also wondering why the 8x40 has so many good reviews while the 7x35 has very few.
Thanks.
 
OK, sure. I had the Action EX 8x40, about 29 oz. The regular is less. 8x40 is really good to start with, you will not need another pair for a long time. Those of us that have multiple pairs are just equipment junkies. ;)
 
The 7x35 has a wider FOV (9.3°, as against 8.2°) and also greater depth of field, both of which are generally recommended for children. The 70g difference in weight may not seem much, but for a 12-year old, I would always favour the lighter model, unless there were strong reasons not to.

Michael
 
Why would a wider field of view and greater depth of field be recommended for children? My daughter is close to an expert child birder. She can identify correctly nearly any bird she sees; this is with our cheap 10x40 Sportsman binoculars. She has owns field guides and almost has them memorized. She is also very strong physically; she carries around 50lb bags of livestock feed with no problem. She is not petite for her age either; she's around 5'2 and 95-100lbs. The binoculars we own now are 22oz and I asked her if she would be comfortable with heavier binoculars and she said she would. I want to get her the best I can afford; we have a variety of birds in our area and she always has her binoculars around her neck.
So, I really want to get the 8x40 if that is better. If the 8x40 would be a good choice for myself then I know it will work for my daughter.
Thanks again for all of the advice.
 
With respect to FOV and depth of field, notice Mr. MacGee's statement:
MacGee said:
The 7x35 has a wider FOV (9.3°, as against 8.2°) and also greater depth of field, both of which are generally recommended for children.
Michael
Click to expand...
That is, children GENERALLY have a better binocular experience when the field of view and depth of field is larger because it is GENERALLY easier to see the target birds the larger that these are. This is generally not as big of an issue with adults than it is with children.

With respect to weight, it sounds as if you've answered your own question...:t:
 
I am also looking for a cheap pair of backup binocs to keep under the car seat. I currently use a pair of 8x25 Nikon Travelite V for this purpose but find their light gathering ability a bit low especially at this time of year. I often drive to and eat lunch at a nearby beach so 10x would be preferable to 8x for distant birds. Any cheap porro prisms for under €100 (circa £66) with 40 or 50mm objectives would suit.

I had a look through a pair of Bresser porros (8x40 or 50) one day and was amazed at the clarity as the owner said they cost him less than €50 (£33 sterling). My Zeiss conquest cost me over 10 times that amount. I did not see anything like 10 times difference in quality. He said he did a lot of research and concluded that Bresser deliver more bang for your buck than any other brand at the bottom end of the range.
Can anybody offer any advice on Bresser?
I understand their astronomical telescopes are fairly highly regarded.
 
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