Binocular for wild safari or bird (1 Viewer)

Hello

I need your advice, in April we are make a safari in Kenya/ Tanzania and i want a buy a binocular. in this moment i read a lot of reviews and i´m very confused. i never buy a good binocular
What is the best model for safari/ bird, my budget is around 250-300 USD

I have the doubt if it will be better 8x or 10X,

i see lot of binoculares: Vanguard Endeavor ED 10x42; Celestron 10x42 TrailSeeker, Celestron 9x33 Granite, Bushnell 10x42 Legend L-Series, Binoculars, Celestron Nature DX 8×42 , Bushnell 8x42 Legend Ultra HD Binocular, Celestron 8x42 TrailSeeker Binocular, Nikon 8×42 Monarch 5,
Vanguard Endeavor ED II 8X42, Minox HG 8x43, Minox BL 8x33,
Minox BL 8x33 HD Binoculars, Opticron Discovery WP PC 8x32,
Hawke Endurance ED 8x32



Do you recommend any of these models? Or advise others?

Welcome to the forum.

I see you have spent a lot of time looking through the available options. It's actually very difficult to give you a clear cut answer. Binoculars, particularly in this price range, can look very different in the range of light conditions you are likely to encounter. One might look very good in the light of the noon sun, and comparatively poor in twilight.

I was slightly surprised to see the Minox HG on your list as it normally sells at a much higher price than the rest. It is quite light, very well engineered, and optically pretty good. It probably doesn't have the best CA performance, but that may not be an important issue for you.

Personally I'd cross off the Celestron Granite and Nature, and the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD. The Hawke Endurance ED and Opticron Discovery are good for their price categories but maybe a little behind some of the others in performance. I think I would want more field of view than something like the Monarch 5, but it is fairly light, which may well be useful.

You have a mixture of magnifications and objective sizes.which again might suite different conditions. If you are vehicle based I might favour a 10x, but an 8x if you are hiking. A bigger objective will help in low light but as a percentage of the time animal watching that might be quite small.

The other options on your list are all very capable binoculars but they do have strengths and weaknesses and some are bound to suite you better than others. I would really urge you to try them if you can. If you are planning to do much hiking of do some general sightseeing then perhaps the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 should be on your list as well.

Good luck,

David

I was wondering, if the best time for viewing wildlife is early morning or evening then maybe the 8x40ish models might work best for brightness. On the other hand for bright daytime use the binocular may need to be compatible with the use of sunglasses; which again might point toward the same models. Probably flawed logic but just trying to cut the field down a bit o
Clearly the nx30ish models mentioned will have the advantage of lightness and compact dimensions which may be an issue particularly if intend having a camera round your neck. Plus, all else being equal, they tend to have wider FOV.
Another issue which may reduce the field is availability and price. As David indicates, at your budget it is probably worth that bit of extra expense and trouble to try out in person if at all possible. That would probably substantially reduce the options but at least should guarantee you get something that works decently well for you.

Hello

Thanks for your reply.

On the safari I'm going to use the car most of the time, i looking models 10x, The Nikon Monarch 7 i think is little expensive for my budget. or do you know a place sell it a good price?

It was the Monarch 7 8x30 I was suggesting, which I think should be in your price range. The 8x or 10x42 are light and have a wide view, but I did not like them as much.

David

the best time for viewing wildlife is early morning or end of afternoon.

David said " The 8x or 10x42 are light and have a wide view, but I did not like them as much."
you don´t like lense with 42mm for Nikon 8x or 10x? I think wide view is very important for me, i´m still a little confuse, please advice some bino for me

If you are going to be near the Equator you won't be getting as long a period of twilight as you get in regions further away from it so that might not be as important a concern. What is important is that you decide on one early enough to make sure that nothing is wrong with it before you go to Africa with it. You don't want to get there and find out it has a problem.

If a wide view is important to you, you should consider the Monarch 7 8x30 and 10x30. Although they are small and won't be as good in twilight conditions as an 8x42 or a 10x42 they will have wider fields of view and you won't notice the difference in brightness in sunny conditions. They are also lighter in weight and easier to carry around.

The Monarch7 8x30 has a very wide FOV that amounts to 435'@1000yards or 43.5 feet at 100yards. The Monarch7 10x30 has a FOV of 370'@1000yards.

They cost under $400.00 in US funds. My Monarch 8x30 cost $375.00. Personally I would have no trouble taking mine on a Safari.

Here is a review of the 8x30:

http://www.allbinos.com/272-binoculars_review-Nikon_Monarch_7_8x30.html

Bob

tutosat said:

the best time for viewing wildlife is early morning or end of afternoon.

David said " The 8x or 10x42 are light and have a wide view, but I did not like them as much."
you don´t like lense with 42mm for Nikon 8x or 10x? I think wide view is very important for me, i´m still a little confuse, please advice some bino for me

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If you are going to a reserve and go out with guides then undoubtedly they will take you out in the early morning and in the evening. This is what I found in Zimbabwe and South Africa. In this case I would recommend 42mm bins for their brightness in semi-dark conditions. If you are touring from place to place in a car and are not leaving your hotel until 09:30 and then checking-in in the evening with no chance to be out in the early morning or late evening then 30/32mm should be fine and more comfortable while in the car.

Lee

Following your advice for the safari I will need a binocular that for semi-dark environments, so I should choose a 8X30/32 or 42, 10X30/32 or 42 binoculars with very wide FOV, if possible a small and light bino, which brand and model do you advise?

tutosat said:

Following your advice for the safari I will need a binocular that for semi-dark environments, so I should choose a 8X30/32 or 42, 10X30/32 or 42 binoculars with very wide FOV, if possible a small and light bino, which brand and model do you advise?

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If you need binoculars for semi-darkness then I would recommend 42mm.
If your priority is for one that is small and light then 32mm is preferable and the field of view is likely to be quite wide too.

The choice between 8x and 10x magnification can be very personal and depends on how steady you can hold the binoculars as the 10x will emphasise any unsteadiness. My personal decision would be to go for 8x which will be easier to hold steady and also give you a wider field of view.

To choose which suits you best you really need to try as many models as you can and perhaps come back here with a short list of perhaps 3 models and then we can all help you choose the best.

Good luck

Lee

tutosat,

I was originally attracted to the midsize binoculars due to lighter weight, but I've been surprised at how well a good 8x32 (or even 8x30) can perform vs. a similarly priced 8x42. Part of this is that at a similar quality level 30ish models can be less expensive, particularly as the price goes up. I ended up with an 8x30 model that is also compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket, which I have found very handy.

There is no denying that a 42 gathers more light than a 32. Yet, until the light is quite dim, there is no difference in how much light gets into your eye, because your eye's pupil is smaller than the exit pupil of the binocular. And, even in low light a bright 30ish binocular keeps up quite well leaving only a few minutes between too dark for nature viewing or bright enough that there is little difference. I would prefer the 42 at night for star gazing, and I can hold a 42 more steady (one advantage of additional weight). But I have strictly been using a midsize binocular for birding and I've been very happy with it.

The advice you've been given to try before you buy is very important. No review or specification can guarantee how the binoculars will fit your hands and face or how comfortable you will be with the view. I believe that many "new" binocular purchasers tend to over emphasize optical specs and under value ergonomic qualities (mechanical design, focuser, feel in hand, etc.) because they are not simply numbers.

Of the models that have been mentioned, I've used the Celestron DX, the Vanguard Endeavor ED, and something similar to a Monarch 7 (Maven B3). The DX was an 8x32--good center but poorer edge, good field of view, fair CA control, glare problems, fairly compact. The Endeavor was an 8x42--good center and good edge, decent CA control, narrow field of view, quite heavy, somewhat large. The Maven B3 8x30 (my current favorite)--very bright, excellent center with wide sweet spot and good edge, wide field of view, very good CA control, very light weight, quite compact, expensive. The DX is a ~$100 binocular, the Endeavor is a ~$200 binocular, the Maven is a ~$500 binocular.

Alan

Thank you for your opinions, I liked going to a physical store to see some models, the problem is that in Portugal there are not many stores with binoculars. I'll probably have to buy a bino without testing it first. That's why I came to the forum to ask Your help.

tutosat said:

Thank you for your opinions, I liked going to a physical store to see some models, the problem is that in Portugal there are not many stores with binoculars. I'll probably have to buy a bino without testing it first. That's why I came to the forum to ask Your help.

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OK, but this makes it very difficult for us because choosing a binocular is such a personal thing.

I can see that Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 is available in Portugal and it is a nice compact binocular with a great field of view at a nice price of around €290 so I would suggest this one.

If this is an important purchase for you I strongly recommend that you do some internet research and then dedicate one Saturday to travelling to a store to try out binoculars yourself.

Good luck

Lee

ok, i found the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 in Portugal price around 269 eur and Nikon Monarch 7 10x30 289 eur, 30mm is ok for semi darkness in early morning?

tutosat said:

ok, i found the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 in Portugal price around 269 eur and Nikon Monarch 7 10x30 289 eur, 30mm is ok for semi darkness in early morning?

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30mm would not be a perfect choice for semi-darkness but it is a good quality instrument, compact and light and has a very good field of view.

If you definitely want bins that suit the semi-darkness then the Monarch 7 8x42 would be a good choice and the field of view is still excellent.

Lee

As the guys have mentioned (which I'd forgotten) there isn't usually a lot of twilight time at the equator. Should have remembered Billy Connolly, the Scottish comedian, describing his horror in the rainforest at the end of his first day things went suddenly from light to pitch black and the air was suddenly filled with the blood curdling sounds of everything eating everything else...

Could be an issue with the Monarch 7 8x30 if its use with sunglasses is a requirement?

tutosat said:

ok, i found the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 in Portugal price around 269 eur and Nikon Monarch 7 10x30 289 eur, 30mm is ok for semi darkness in early morning?

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Hi,

a Monarch 7 8x30 for 269€ is certainly a good deal and will be a very good travel companion - light, small, wide field, no fancy red circle, blue square or silver raptor logo to attract unwelcome attention and even if it gets nicked or sunk in a river, it won't break the bank.

I would not consider the 10x32 as a 3mm exit pupil is borderline tricky for eye placement and might be too dark for some even on a drab day.

As has been mentioned by others, prolonged twilight is not going to happen, so 8x42 or real night bins like 7x50 or 8x56 are only going to buy you a few more minutes more observation time.
I would happily loose those and have the 8x30 with me during an unforeseen sighting of some wildlife where a big pair of bins is left at home...

Joachim, who always has a pair of 8x30 along when traveling

jring said:

Hi,

a Monarch 7 8x30 for 269€ is certainly a good deal and will be a very good travel companion - light, small, wide field, no fancy red circle, blue square or silver raptor logo to attract unwelcome attention and even if it gets nicked or sunk in a river, it won't break the bank.

I would not consider the 10x32 as a 3mm exit pupil is borderline tricky for eye placement and might be too dark for some even on a drab day.

As has been mentioned by others, prolonged twilight is not going to happen, so 8x42 or real night bins like 7x50 or 8x56 are only going to buy you a few more minutes more observation time.
I would happily loose those and have the 8x30 with me during an unforeseen sighting of some wildlife where a big pair of bins is left at home...

Joachim, who always has a pair of 8x30 along when traveling

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Excellent advice.

Lee

This week I'm going to a store trying to test this 8X30 binoculars. There are many brands, why do they only advise Nikon binos?
i visit some pages fro example https://www.binocularsplus.com/pages/2016-binoculars-of-the-year-awards , http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/binocular-awards.php but I do not see Nikon with any award. Why?

tutosat said:

i visit some pages fro example https://www.binocularsplus.com/pages/2016-binoculars-of-the-year-awards , http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/binocular-awards.php but I do not see Nikon with any award. Why?

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Those "awards" are meaningless. They are written by the advertising department, and are meant as a selling tool for that retailer.