• 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.

'Jungle' binoculars (1 Viewer)

Imaginos

Imaginos

Well-known member
My other half is off to Vietnam for a month soon (lucky bint!) to do some work in the northern forests. Rather than borrow my binoculars (again) she's looking to buy herself a new pair, with a budget of around £150-200.
Does anyone have any advice on what she should get? Light-gathering is a priority as this won't be the last time she has work in the SE Asian tropical forests and Porro-prism would be preffered (she finds my roof-prisms a little bulky).
Ideas?
 
Imaginos said:
My other half is off to Vietnam for a month soon (lucky bint!) to do some work in the northern forests. Rather than borrow my binoculars (again) she's looking to buy herself a new pair, with a budget of around £150-200.
Does anyone have any advice on what she should get? Light-gathering is a priority as this won't be the last time she has work in the SE Asian tropical forests and Porro-prism would be preffered (she finds my roof-prisms a little bulky).
Ideas?
Click to expand...

Hello Imaginos.

I have been looking for similar myself and with guidance from helpful posters on here am now seriously considering the vortex range. The are roof prism designs but I am a little confused when you say that "Porro-prism would be preferred (she finds my roof-prisms a little bulky)".

http://www.sherwoodsphoto.co.uk/vortex_binoculars/vortex_binoculars_fs.hm

You might find some of the other comments and links on this thread helpful:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=78034
 
There seems to be some confusion (probably on my part) about porro & roof prisms these are similar to mine (too bulky), whereas my partner would prefer this style if that makes more sense?

EDIT: Yes, I seem to have got my Porro's & roof's mixed up, so actually ROOF prism would be preferred as she finds my Porro's too bulky. Sorry... :-C
 
Last edited:
There are some reasaonably cheap Nikons that would do the job - try Warehouse Express.

8x is fine though I prefer 7x. Optically many bins would be fine. Some that perform well in the wet and high humidity are vital though. A packet of Silica Gel in leg of a pair of tights (kept overnight with the bins) can soak up a lot of moisture.

good luck

Tim
 
Nikons dinky little 8x36 would probably be ideal here,as tim says,those forests
are likely to be quite humid.The monarchs are waterproof and nitrogen purged which should keep out excees moisture and also prevent them from fogging.

Optically they have been highly rated by others,there is also a model from minox called the bl 8x32 (or something similar?) for just a snip over £200
which is also highly rated.

Matt
 
A packet of Silica Gel in leg of a pair of tights ...snip... can soak up a lot of moisture.

Thanks for that Tim!

;-)
 
Imaginos said:
would x32 be enough on the light gathering front?
Click to expand...

Good point,but the budget is £200,an extra 50 odd ££'s would be needed to secure the 42mm equivalent minox model.Unfortunately the 8x42 monarch is way off your budget at £329.

There are other options from swift,opticron though.

However some 32mm models might privide a better field of view over the larger 42mm models,equally important for woodland/forest birding.

Matt
 
Last edited:
A reasonable checklist? :

Good waterproofing and reasonable robustness
Good brightness
Low magnification (as good depth of field v. useful)
Light weight and compact
Wide field of view

The Vortex Sidewinder model mentioned by rozinante looks good. As does this and various clones :
http://www.bazaarbuilder.com/cgi-bin/nickaltair/myshop.php?merchant=nickaltair&prodid=463&sinprod=1
a previous non phase coated version of which is reviewed in reviews section on this site. My main reservation about a lot of these newer Chinese models would be about build quality and reliability for such an important trip. Not saying they definitely won't last the distance, but just that they are comparatively untried.

May be safer with models like the Nikon Monarch, Minox BL, Helios AM6 8x42 models which have a narrower field of view.

Think the Monarch 8x42 could be found within budget Matt. eg :
http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog...oated&osCsid=1cb4ffe9d470220fe5f3085eb5e55d3a
 
Imaginos said:
My other half is off to Vietnam for a month soon (lucky bint!) to do some work in the northern forests. Rather than borrow my binoculars (again) she's looking to buy herself a new pair, with a budget of around £150-200.
Does anyone have any advice on what she should get? Light-gathering is a priority as this won't be the last time she has work in the SE Asian tropical forests and Porro-prism would be preffered (she finds my roof-prisms a little bulky).
Ideas?
Click to expand...

Ideal binoculars in my opinion would be the OPTICRON VERANO 8x32 BGA PC
Small, lightweight, waterproof,very smooth focussing, and with a good field of view. I bought my wife a pair last year, and liked them so much that I bought a second pair for myself. I use them in the forests here, and as they have an exceptionally good close-focus, they are good for insects, as well as the usual things. Very good prices at Sherwoods.
I hope that she has a great vacation.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, definitely a lot of food for thought there-looks like a happy weekend looking through binoculars in shops is on the cards.

By the way, it's not a vacation, the lucky lady actually gets sent these places to work!

Oh, to be a botanist ;-)
 
Sorry Michael, haven't seen a checklist of "technical" questions to ask a seller on Ebay re. optics. Just wonder if sellers divide into two camps a) those who know very little about what they're selling (which could be anything in any sort of condition) and b) those who do and can be expected, assuming they are honest, to provide an accurate description of the item. What do you think, is this nonsense? If it were the case, shouldn't take much to determine which sort of seller are dealing with. I guess purchasing from the former is risky (even if you could get an answer, could you trust their assessment that collimation is good?) but could be the route to a bargain. Speaking of bargains, remember this thread?
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=20864
Perhaps would be worth starting a new thread on this. I'm sure I've seen tips on Ebay buying in various places on BF. Would be handy to have them in one place.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 17 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
What binoculars are as good as Nikon Superior E?
2 3
Replies
46
Views
4K
Jaywalk
J
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars. Part 2 first anniversary
Replies
2
Views
635
Scott98
S
J
My First Experience Purchasing Birding Binoculars
Replies
11
Views
2K
tenex
tenex
I
Analysis Paralysis- Please help me choose!
2 3
Replies
42
Views
2K
Patudo
P
D
Recommendation - Starter binoculars <£150 (in UK)
Replies
11
Views
4K
pete_gamby
pete_gamby

Users who are viewing this thread

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