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Your opinion on binoculars... (1 Viewer)

S

Slickchik

Member
I have a pair I'm using but they are not ideal. I'm looking into a pair around the $100 mark.

Anyone have thoughts on the

Nikon 8220 Trailblazer 8x42 All Terrain

Nikon 7238 ex Extreme 8x40 All Terrain

or maybe Bushnell H20 (black rood prism?)


Or other suggestions I've missed?

Thanks for the help!
 
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Both the Nikon Action Extreme and the Leupold Yosemite lines have had positive reviews on this forum. They are both waterproof designs, with older style porro design (dogleg) optics, which are less costly to make and hence cheaper.
The Trailblazer and the Bushnell are both roof prism designs. At the same price point, they would have difficulty achieving comparable optical quality, as measured by sharpness and color aberration.
However, your own judgment is the overriding factor. Chicago surely has places where you can play with all of these models and select which one best suits you. Alternatively, Eagle Optics has a great returns policy, order what you want and ship back the ones you don't want, for the price of the postage.
 
The range of choices is pretty daunting indeed, but you've already set a budget, which is the key step.
The other key is to get something that fits you comfortably.
Imho, an 8x30 glass is a good compromise, small enough to be easily carried yet big enough to be comfortable to look through. I use one for casual birding.
Leupold offers the 8x30 or the 6x30 sizes, Nikon splits the difference at 7x35, a bit bigger. Your decision.

PS
I do also use a 10x42, for birding trips, but it's so bulky and heavy that I wear it on a harness.
 
Nikon makes a very good product and I have several pairs including the 8x24 Mountaineers and the 8x40 ATB Monarchs. Living in Oregon, waterproof binocs are a plus and the ATB's fill that bill well. However, being a hiker and carrying photography equipment and bird song recording gear, I've opted over the years for a lighter pair of binoculars. I purchased the Pentax Papillios... and haven't turned back! They're amazing for birding as well as close focus observation of dragonflies, butterflies, and other visual treats. After years of hauling around the heavier binoculars from the major manufacturers, I can truly appreciate the light weight of the Papillios. The smaller exit pupil will not provide the bright image during early morning or late evening as the larger binoculars, but during normal daylight they're more than adequate. I give the Papillios five stars in all categories and especially for their compact size, light weight (a mere 10 ounces), very fast and easy focusing, and the very reasonable price tag which fits your budget precisely ($100). They're also about the closest focusing binoculars available anywhere (18"). I'd highly recommend you give them a look....
 
Thanks for the review Richard! If my husband is not with me, I end up carrying all the photography stuff too, so smaller/lighter is always nice! I'll definitely check them out!
 
Living in Chicago you only have about 3 hours drive each way to Eagle Optics, so you can get to try some of their stock without too big problems.

Some friends of ours had a good experience with them over an item that had broken, replaced before we left the store.

Niels
 
Go to a store that sells birdfood, feeders, and binoculars. Buy a pair of somethings from them. I bought Audubons and Nikon Monarchs this way. Can"t lose!!
 
Don't laugh...

I have a pair of Bushnell 16x32 that are fantastic for the price. I've had no issues with them, and the clarity is quite good even with looking at birds 15 feet or so from me.

They also aren't bulky and considering my clutzability, I won't be mad if I drop them accidentally.

For a bit more $$$ Zeiss makes unbelievable binocs, but with my luck, I would drop them in the river while float-tripping.
 
SaVas said:
Don't laugh...

I have a pair of Bushnell 16x32 that are fantastic for the price. I've had no issues with them, and the clarity is quite good even with looking at birds 15 feet or so from me.

They also aren't bulky and considering my clutzability, I won't be mad if I drop them accidentally.

For a bit more $$$ Zeiss makes unbelievable binocs, but with my luck, I would drop them in the river while float-tripping.
Click to expand...

I'm glad they work for you but, with such a big magnification coming through such a comparatively tiny objective lens diameter, I'm surprised that, in conditions of anything less than brilliant sunshine, you can see anything at all. |:S|

For a 32mm lens diameter, personally, I wouldn't want to go above 8x magnification.
 
Can't go wrong with the 8x40 EX Extreme. Very nice pair for that kind of money. Waterproof and a nice wide field too for spotting birds. Porro's are a bit bulkier of course, but they feel good in the hand and will provide great image for the money. I think you'd have to go to an 8x42 Monarch to see an appreciable improvement but then you're at almost $300. (Still a huge bang for the buck)
 
i thought i was seeing a good view through my first cheap binos, then i looked through some more expensive better designed ones,

now i have the better designed ones, my other half still has the cheap ones, she won't now use them and steals mine all the time because hers are now hopeless,

the moral of the story, buy what you can afford and then don't look through ones that are more expensive.

though it seems to me the cheapest proper binos come in around £150.

double the price and the difference in image quality is around 10%

after this the price increases but the image quality increase is hardly discernible except in terrible lighting situations.
 
10x42. nikon monarch or steiner skyhawk pro?

both in my price range, i just dont know what is better...
looking for bino's for birdwatching only.
anyone can help?
 
Nikon has a much larger customer base and global distribution/support.
The Monarch line is an excellent all weather mid price roof prism glass, with a somewhat narrow field of view. A new and more costly variant, the Monarch X is just entering the market. There are many comments on the Monarch in the Nikon thread.
Steiner is a well known name in binoculars, but a bit of an enigma. in terms of quality, both optical and mechanical. They offer a huge range of models, including military, marine and hunting oriented models.
It is not clear whether these are all made by Steiner or whether they are built for the Steiner label by others.
That makes it not only hard to find a review of a specific Steiner glass but also hard to judge whether there are any common traits or outstanding values.
Absent a flagship product that can compete, Steiner is in limbo imo, at great risk of being crushed by the still accelerating avalanche of high quality low cost binoculars from China.
All that said, if the Steiner feels better for you, go with your judgment. They are binoculars for you, not anyone else.
 
thank you etudiant for your full answer.
i'm really a bit lost in this, for all i know there are many kinds of bino's that could fit my needs, i'm just not experienced enough to decide which is better...
also, have been holding the steiner ranger pro - they r so nice its hard not to fall in love with them, but im not sure that they are as good for birdwatching as the skyhawk or the monarch...
still cant decide...:-C
 
and if already on the topic, when i search sites to buy the nikon monarch, in some its appear monarch DCF and in some ATB... sorry for the ignorance, but what is the different?
 
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