A Little Help Please - Binoculars (1 Viewer)

I have just started to get into Ornithology and me and my young lady are really keen to get out and start spotting.

Please can someone point us to a reasonably priced pair of binoculars that are lightweight, compact and are of good quality with good optics etc.

We have a limited budget and cannot afford a second mortgage!

Thank you.

Peter

Hi Peter

Try the Opticron Oregon WP LE 8x32, fits the criteria you posted and punches well above its price tag.

http://www.uttingsoutdoors.co.uk/Product/232/107448/opticron-oregon-le-wp-rp-8x32-binoculars-30447/

http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/oregon_le.htm


John.

What is reasonably priced to you?

Yep, I was recommended Opticrons when I asked a similar question.

Simply can't afford to shell out for the high end gear... but we bought a couple of pairs of £200 Opticrons 10 years ago... and the pair we didn't drop on a hard surface a while back, is still going strong.

(That works out at £20 a year... not too expensive in the scheme of things.)

Oh... and talking of lightweight... invest in a good wide neoprene neckstrap (ten to twenty quid) and they'll feel a lot lighter.

I've never personally used a binocular harness, but I've heard good things... although you'd probably need one each.

Peter,

I was going to suggest you try a few out, but there doesn't appear to be a lot of Choice on the Isle of Man. Photofinish and Morrison Photo in Douglas appear to carry a few but don't look very promising. Morrison at least mention the Opticron range which would be a good place to start if they have any on show. The Oregon John mentioned is worth a look, but that model isn't phase coated. It means it won't be as bright in poor light as those that have it. You have to go a couple of steps up in the range to the Discovery to get that. The 8x32 is small light and fun to use, but another £50 or more than the Oregon.

Those are roof prism binoculars, but you get better optical quality for your money with the porro prism pairs. They are generally a bit bigger and heavier, but the Opticron Savanna 6 or 8x32 are comparatively small and light and very good value. Going to a bigger objective with the Imagic TGA WP 8x42 would give better low light performance though.

Of course there are plenty of other makes to consider, but hopefully you might find some of those to try and get some idea what might suit you both.

David

Guys thank you very much for all your help on this one, it appears that the Opticron range of binoculars is quite a recommendation and as such i am honing in on these little fellas that are quite reasonably priced in my opinion!

http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/oregon_le.htm

Now my last question which ones out of the listed three would I be better going for?

Thank you once again for all your valued help.

Peter

Oops meant to add these links from Amazon!

1 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opticron-Or...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350067975&sr=1-1

2 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opticron-Ad...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350067511&sr=1-4

Peter

Peter,

We would generally suggest that an 8x42 is a good combination of magnification for general use with lower light performance, but I should point out that 730g is not the light weight you originally asked for. Some 'young ladies' might find it rather heavy, in which case the 8x32 might be a more sensible starting point if you are going to share the pair.

If your bird watching is mostly coastal, you might find yourself wanting the extra magnification of a 10x, but the narrower view could be more restrictive for general use. You might be better off thinking about a scope sometime in the future.

David

Last Ten said:

I have just started to get into Ornithology and me and my young lady are really keen to get out and start spotting.

Please can someone point us to a reasonably priced pair of binoculars that are lightweight, compact and are of good quality with good optics etc.

We have a limited budget and cannot afford a second mortgage!

Thank you.

Peter

Click to expand...

How about buying second hand - you will get a superior binocular for the money.

When I go to see my young neice she borrows my Nikon 8x30E2 when we go out but she needed binoculars for when I was not with her.

As the binoculars need to be relatively light but with reasonable quality optics it did restrict what was available.

I eventually found a second hand 8x36 Nikon Monarch in excellent condition for £125 which at 550g is reasonably light and I was suprised at how good the view is. You can get a new one now for £160 so they should be available for not much over £100. There are, of course, other makes and models including a better Opticron, so don't be in a rush to buy new - there are second hand bargains about.

I have had quite a few binoculars, the majority of which have been secondhand, and these have included a number of alpha models and I have not had a dud yet.

Good luck whatever you do and happy birding.

Stan