Hi all! I am a novice birder. Not a lot of time for it at home but do try to get out some. I do more when on vacation and like to mix it in with other things as I love to experience as much as possible on vacation. I love that we have easy access to some great places to bird and enjoy the outdoors in our back yard so to speak. We are not heavy adventurers but enjoy moderate adventure.
My husband and I are readying for a trip through the Panama Canal and on to Lima Peru then visiting Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.
It was while searching out binoculars that I found this site. I had a couple pairs and my husband has very old pair that is a bit cumbersome. I have discovered here in Florida the rubber covered ones do not last very long. I was on a trip to Costa Rica and took one pair of travel size bins that I inherited and were kept well in their case. I could not figure out where all this black greasy stuff was coming from on my hands and in my waterproof bag...it was the bins that had gone back to grease from rubber
Anyway, I am trying to decide between the Vortex Viper HD and the Monarch 7 with it's upgraded features that seem to be closest to the VVHD. The Monarch 7 I can get for about $80 less with lots of attachments. The VVHD just the holster for the bins and I hear it is cheap. I read a great review that says the Monarch edged out the VVHD in DOF and clarity at that further distance and the FOV being quite a bit wider without being too wide. I am as I said a novice with the bins but not a camera. But still find myself struggling to find the bird I am hearing.
So is the HD lense that much better than the Monarch? I did hear one outdoorsman that was comparing the Diamond back with the Viper that he thought it was more like 4K than even just HD for the clarity. But then a group that compared something EP with the VVHD and the Monarch 5 liked the 5 slightly better for the above reasons and the price. They said clarity was all but equal between them. I figured the Monarch 7 with it's upgraded features when comparing to Monarch 5 was the better of those two and closer in comparison to the VVHD. We do where glasses but can take them off for use as well.
Any input is much appreciated. I am looking at the 8x42 size.
Barb
My husband and I are readying for a trip through the Panama Canal and on to Lima Peru then visiting Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.
It was while searching out binoculars that I found this site. I had a couple pairs and my husband has very old pair that is a bit cumbersome. I have discovered here in Florida the rubber covered ones do not last very long. I was on a trip to Costa Rica and took one pair of travel size bins that I inherited and were kept well in their case. I could not figure out where all this black greasy stuff was coming from on my hands and in my waterproof bag...it was the bins that had gone back to grease from rubber
Anyway, I am trying to decide between the Vortex Viper HD and the Monarch 7 with it's upgraded features that seem to be closest to the VVHD. The Monarch 7 I can get for about $80 less with lots of attachments. The VVHD just the holster for the bins and I hear it is cheap. I read a great review that says the Monarch edged out the VVHD in DOF and clarity at that further distance and the FOV being quite a bit wider without being too wide. I am as I said a novice with the bins but not a camera. But still find myself struggling to find the bird I am hearing.
So is the HD lense that much better than the Monarch? I did hear one outdoorsman that was comparing the Diamond back with the Viper that he thought it was more like 4K than even just HD for the clarity. But then a group that compared something EP with the VVHD and the Monarch 5 liked the 5 slightly better for the above reasons and the price. They said clarity was all but equal between them. I figured the Monarch 7 with it's upgraded features when comparing to Monarch 5 was the better of those two and closer in comparison to the VVHD. We do where glasses but can take them off for use as well.
Any input is much appreciated. I am looking at the 8x42 size.
Barb
