• 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.

New Binoculars (1 Viewer)

C

Chromedome73

Member
Hi, I'm new on here & looking for some advice please.

I have some cheap 8x21 binoculars which my 2 young children will use & I'm looking to get something in the £100 area.

I'm new to all this & expect to use them for back garden,walking & days out.

So far I have seen (online) the following:
Opticron Oregon 8x32
Hawke Nature Trek 8x25
Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42
Barr and Stroud Savannah 8x42

All in & around £100 (give or take)

Is there a stand out pair in that list or should I be looking at something different all together?

Cheers for any info
 
Chromedome73 said:
Hi, I'm new on here & looking for some advice please.

I have some cheap 8x21 binoculars which my 2 young children will use & I'm looking to get something in the £100 area.

I'm new to all this & expect to use them for back garden,walking & days out.

So far I have seen (online) the following:
Opticron Oregon 8x32
Hawke Nature Trek 8x25
Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42
Barr and Stroud Savannah 8x42

All in & around £100 (give or take)

Is there a stand out pair in that list or should I be looking at something different all together?

Cheers for any info
Click to expand...


Cromedome73. That’s very descriptive. You’re in your mid-70s with nothing between you and heaven ... including hair!

WELCOME!

I would say you are safe with most of your choices. I only know of Barr & Stroud from a historical perspective, but I feel the Hawk (with a 25mm aperture) will be disappointing, unless you’re a VERY casual birder. Not because of quality but rather light grasp, handling, and eye relief considerations.

And you say you want to keep it to £100. How much is that in ... REAL money?!

Sorry, I couldn’t help it. I went through maturity for about 2 weeks when I was 15 years old. It wasn’t fun ... so I quit. You have many countrymen on BirdForum and some, I’m sure, can advise you on the most dependable vendors.

Let us know what you decide. :cat:

Bill
 
Last edited:
From the Binocular Bargains Thread. Good deal at your price point. Only through March 30th 2018.

"Look's like Bushnell is running a 30% rebate in the form of a pre-paid Visa card on all bino's purchased from March 1 thru March 30th 2018.

As an example, if you were to buy the 8x42 Legend M's via ebay from Rogers at the $152.99 clearance price, you'll get a Visa card back for $45.90!

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...www.rogerssportinggoods.com/...march-2018.pdf

A $399 binocular for $107.09!

As advertised on Roger's website:

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...www.rogerssportinggoods.com/...inoculars.html
 
Last edited:
WJC said:
Cromedome73. That’s very descriptive. You’re in your mid-70s with nothing between you and heaven ... including hair!


And you say you want to keep it to £100. How much is that in ... REAL money?!


Bill
Click to expand...

Hi,
Not quite in my 70's.
Well it used to be about $200 but now its more like $140ish
 
hi, i am in UK and have been looking too but decided to stay for now with my inexpensive camlink langham 8x25 as UK markups are often ridiculous on decent binoculars (and most other things).

been reading all the threads here and the sightrons 8x32 are well liked especially for quality and value. probably worth the extra? japanese suppliers get good ratings too but you have to read reviews.

the closest i found is https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B004MFBSL4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new which are free delivery from japan for 136 quid. store has reasonable reviews. might be worth asking the store if international warranty applies.
 
I was in similar position to you --I was advised to go to one of the InFocus shops and try some out - they are attached to most of the WWT nature reserves (https://www.wwt.org.uk/). InFocus do seem very linked with Opticron.

I think it was good advice because I really noticed the difference between different binoculars of similar price. As mentioned regularly on this forum what works for you is very personal.

RSPB reserves also sell binoculars but sometimes limited stock

So if you're in Staffordshire that's a day trip to either Martin Mere or Slimbridge... which is a fun day out for the kids too

that way you can try something out in a more realistic way (i.e. looking at birds etc) rather than in some basement of some shop!

Also option of second hand.
 
Last edited:
Seems like the VAT taking approximately 20% on the product price and shipping, and driving up the cost for an item, the Fujinon KF in USA costs 139.00, a very good value, at least I got a good sample since there is variation. Perhaps buying used is the best solution at that price point.

A.W.
 
Chromedome73 said:
Hi, I'm new on here & looking for some advice please.

I have some cheap 8x21 binoculars which my 2 young children will use & I'm looking to get something in the £100 area.

I'm new to all this & expect to use them for back garden,walking & days out.

So far I have seen (online) the following:
Opticron Oregon 8x32
Hawke Nature Trek 8x25
Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42
Barr and Stroud Savannah 8x42

All in & around £100 (give or take)

Is there a stand out pair in that list or should I be looking at something different all together?

Cheers for any info
Click to expand...

I agree trying out binoculars if you can. I note you are new to birding and all the models you have suggested are Roof prism designs. I have not tried them personally but I would suggest if you can to consider porro prism binoculars too. These are the "old fashioned" design but have a simpler optical path, meaning they can produce a very good image at their price point.

The downside is they don't focus as close as roofs and are not usually waterproof at your budget.

Anyway I would recommend the RSPB 8x42 though they are over budget at £129, http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/binoculars-scopes/binoculars/rspb-8-x-40-binoculars.html which I have tried and are very good for the money

or the Nikon Aculon 8x42 but the close focus goes from 4m for the RSPB model to 5m for this but it is within budget. https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camer...2-mm-porro-prism-binoculars-21472198-pdt.html
 
Chromedome73 said:
Hi, I'm new on here & looking for some advice please.

I have some cheap 8x21 binoculars which my 2 young children will use & I'm looking to get something in the £100 area.

I'm new to all this & expect to use them for back garden,walking & days out.

So far I have seen (online) the following:
Opticron Oregon 8x32
Hawke Nature Trek 8x25
Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42
Barr and Stroud Savannah 8x42

All in & around £100 (give or take)

Is there a stand out pair in that list or should I be looking at something different all together?

Cheers for any info
Click to expand...

HI CD73 and welcome to BF! :hi:

If you can order from the BAY, these are excellent optics around your budget!

HERE's their on line site info!

Ted
 
Chromedome73 said:
Hi, I'm new on here & looking for some advice please.

I have some cheap 8x21 binoculars which my 2 young children will use & I'm looking to get something in the £100 area.

I'm new to all this & expect to use them for back garden,walking & days out.

So far I have seen (online) the following:
Opticron Oregon 8x32
Hawke Nature Trek 8x25
Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x42
Barr and Stroud Savannah 8x42

All in & around £100 (give or take)

Is there a stand out pair in that list or should I be looking at something different all together?

Cheers for any info
Click to expand...


Kowa YF 8X30 are really a good glass for the price, as are Vortex Raptor 8.5X32.
 
As suggested.
Go to one of the WWT sites or a local shop and have a look through them.
Opticron are good and their customer service is great.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 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

J
Which binoculars to buy?
Replies
5
Views
906
exup
E
J
Japanese High grade Binoculars
Replies
14
Views
1K
jackjack
J
V
  • Poll
Which pair of 8x42 binoculars to buy for around 150 euro?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Vyre12
V
P
Binocular eyepiece repair
Replies
7
Views
656
payaminotom
P
Evan Atkinson
Binoculars around £1000
2 3
Replies
43
Views
2K
iseegeorgesstar
I

Users who are viewing this thread

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