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Binos for India (1 Viewer)

thisisallen

Active member
Advise needed.
Inputs are
1. India is in the thread title to indicate that the binoculars I need should be small enough to be able to be carried around comfortably cuz most of the time you need them with you. Possessions seem to end up in other people’s hands if you are not careful.
On the other hand, there is really a lot of nature to see there, almost all the time.

2. Back in the day - mid 80s - I was happy enough owning the B&L Audubon 8x36. Over the years, with situations changing as they always do, I no longer own them (or any others).

3. If I have properly digested the knowledge that I gained while lurking in the forum it seems obvious that for my needs and skill level, if I was staying in 1 place, then I would just buy the Bushnell Legend M 8x42 tomorrow and live happily ever after.
However, I am definitely not convinced they would be good for travel/India.

Considering the above info then x = what?
Thx and regards,
 
For the trip buy the KF 8X32 Fujinon on Amazon less than $150 or the Sightron Blue Sky 8X32 for less than $200. Both are waterproof, light in weight and both have the same specs except the coatings may be different.
They will pack better than a 8X42 for easy travel. You can't go wrong.

Andy W.
 
@Andy. Good solution to my riddle. If both are indeed identical then the Fujinon is a great bargain at $65+ less. And they are reliable, consistent in quality to buy with confidence from Amazon??

@Bob. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with $1,000+ binoculars in India.

Pls don’t take my remarks about India in a wrong way. India is a vast and wonderful country where the majority of the people are honest and kind. And there is a growing middle class indicating the country is enjoying greater and greater wealth. However, Westerners with expensive goods may be tempting some of the poorer people to act against their better nature.

Thx again for the replies.
 
Bushnell Elite 7x26, made in Japan by Kamakura, they have a really high image quality, they are renowned for being a traveling binocular.
 
There’s a lot of good info about the Bushnell. Do you think they would be enough magnification for Himalayan mountain and valley landscape views?
 
There’s a lot of good info about the Bushnell. Do you think they would be enough magnification for Himalayan mountain and valley landscape views?

I think 7x or 8x should be good. 10x can get hard to hand-hold

Since you are in the US, perhaps try the following in a store and see what you like best. They are all under $1000

Zeiss Victory 8X25 FL Pocket
Opticron Traveller BGA ED 8x32
Hawke frontier ED-X 8x42
 
I'm spending 4 weeks every year in Nepal, which is poorer than India.
I'm travelling alone, with a 77mm scope and big Binos (56mm), so almost 4K of gear with me.

Do I think twice before pulling my binos out of their bag, depending where I am? Yes.

Will I avoid to bring my gear with me because I might get robbed? No.
The view my gear is giving me can't be beaten.
Even if it means carry all the weight in a backpack.
 
It is not clear most people will know the value of the different bins, as from a distance they don't look all that different... the large cheap Nikon porros sure look more impressive than the small Swaro 8x32cl / zeiss 8x25 from afar.

I guess you should get some good travel insurance if you are worried.
 
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There’s a lot of good info about the Bushnell. Do you think they would be enough magnification for Himalayan mountain and valley landscape views?

These Pentax AD 9x32 WP binoculars (See Link below) made in the Philippines would be better than the compact Bushnell 7x26 Elite (which I have).

The Pentax 9x32 is a clone of the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32. It would be excellent for mountain and valley views. I don't think that the little Bushnells will be as good. I have one of these Pentax 9x32 binoculars. It is a good compromise between an 8x and 10x. It is easy to hold and very easy to use in finding my correct eye placement. In fact, I can place the eye cups almost anywhere: Braced on my eye brows or back in my eye sockets. I have no blackout problems at all when using it.

https://us.ricoh-imaging.com/index.php/sport-optics/a-series/ad-9x32-wp

Adorama in NYC carries them: $276.00.

https://www.adorama.com/px932ad.html

By the way, to avoid any confusion; if the name Ricoh comes up with the Pentax; Ricoh now owns Pentax.
Bob
 
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Hi,
we only get to see that beautiful view once in our lives..... lucky if we can get to do it again. Take the chance and enjoy the beauty with an alpha..... Or the best you can afford. May be a Zeiss Victory 8x25 could be a good compromise. the memories will remain far longer then the lost binos.

For example, during a safari in Kenya, we had a crappy Tasco and Nikon zoomable. Those images are long forgotton, except for the terrible images which still pains me today for not buying an alpha binos. 10 years later, what sticks in my mind is the Zoomable Canon SLR lenses we used and shared. They gave every momories of the intricate facial details / expressions of the animals and expanse views of beautiful flora.
 
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