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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Recommendations please (1 Viewer)

T

Tyke

Well-known member
I need to get some bins for my (non-birder) wife so she doesn't get bored when I hold up our walks to look through mine !
I was thinking budget £150 max-compact lightweight preferably.
Have thought about RSPB ( Viking I think ) 8X25 but don't know their reputation.
Any thoughts please?
Thanks
Colin
 
Nikon Monarch roof prisms arent compact but their lightweight @ 21 ounces. they just come at your 150 pound budget. i wonder if they are available in UK?
 
Another vote for the Nikon Monarchs, with the caveat that she should try them out before purchase if possible. My wife uses the 8X42 and loves them. If you want a little smaller pair, you might try the 8X32 version. Compacts have their place, but if you want your wife to spend more time looking through the bins and enjoying them, a better view (such as the 8X32) will help with that.
 
Not 8x32. The lighter Monarch is 8x36 and appears about the same length and weight as 8x42. FOV is slightly better. Good for beginners.

Other models are around in 8x32, Eagle Optics and Bushnell.
 
Thanks everyone-that's a pretty unanimous vote for Nikon Monarch!
Alan-that's the cheapest price I can find too.
How does the Monarch differ from the Nikon HG which I have myself ( 8X32)?

Colin
 
The Monarch is 8x36, so it is a bit easier to make than the finest 8x32s. It may also be quite a bit brighter etc than a 8x32 would be in that price class. I think the body is all man made composite, so it is pretty light.

It has been a while I looked at any HG Nikon (I had an interest in the 10x25), but the view for the average person looks similar to the HG, but of course hugely different for the expert. ;)
 
Last edited:
The most immediately obvious and important differences for me are that the 8x32 HG/LX has a wider field of view, better edge sharpness, and better flare control (and thus contrast in many situations) than the 8x36 Monarch. Nevertheless, the 8x36 Monarch provides a good, comfortable view.
--AP
 
Tyke,

Good to see you're going for a larger objective. 8x25 give narrow field of view - rubbish for beginners as it is harder to find birds and 'stay on' birds. I'd consider 7x models also for this reason. Wide FoV is way more important than magnification.

Graham
 
The FOV of 367 of the 8x36 of the Monarch is close to the 393ft that other 8x32s in its price class get. That 393 is closer to the 408ft that many high end 8x32s get. But overall, I think the 8x36 is one of the best deals in that price range. If I could only have one binocular, it might be between the 8x36 and 8x42 Monarch.

It would take a while to explain how and why I came to have neither, but I generally have used 10x for the past 3 years.
 
I'd say go for the Monarch 8x36 as well, they're very good as long as you're not accustomed to better. If you had the extra funds for refurbished HG's, well that's something else! I see a very big difference. My wife generally uses my 8x HG's when we're together. Her biggest issue is getting on the bird, so field of view is important, but she never complained about my 8x36 B&L porros which were narrower, probably comparable to the Monarchs.
 
Thanks everyone.
What a fount of knowledge this place is!
It looks like the Monarch 8X36 is my target-& at the Tecno price they seem incredible value-certainly compared with what I paid for my 8X32 HGs!
I noticed that the Monarch are 20% lighter than the HG which is a big factor for a non-birder wife!
I have been delighted with my HGs & can't wait to see how Monarch compares.
Thanks again all.
Colin
 
The Monarchs look pretty good for the money, except for the 7° FOV, which I would find a bit restrictive. An alternative would be the Helios AM6 8x32, which Warehouse Express is selling for £135 (normally £199). They have a 7.5° FOV and at 520g are a bit lighter than the Monarch. In fact, this is the same binocular as the RSPB BG.PC, which sells for £299.

Michael.
 
I'll 2nd Michaels statement. I took a look through some Helios AM6 8x42 roofs today and optically they seemed very good. They are apparently the same bins as Minox BL, Opticron Verano ? and RSPB but a little cheaper.

Nick

MacGee said:
The Monarchs look pretty good for the money, except for the 7° FOV, which I would find a bit restrictive. An alternative would be the Helios AM6 8x32, which Warehouse Express is selling for £135 (normally £199). They have a 7.5° FOV and at 520g are a bit lighter than the Monarch. In fact, this is the same binocular as the RSPB BG.PC, which sells for £299.

Michael.
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