BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jay Gamble" data-source="post: 1687877" data-attributes="member: 54818">I'm not a fan of 10x bins for everyday use.  IMHO, they are more specialized use bins when distance viewing will be the primary usage.  Although some folks love 'em, I sold mine after a couple years.A couple wildlife biologists I know who use their bins all day long on duck or raptor counts will not use anything over 7x for three reasons:  depth of field, field of view and eye fatigue (inc. headaches).  They aren't concerned with details, just ease of use and a positive ID... day after day at work.A 7x is a good all-round bin, and although I use my Nikon 8x32 SE and Swaro 8.5x42 ELs the most, I would definitely go 7x over 10x if I was buying my first pair or limited to only one pair.  They're quick on the target with great depth of field.For refuges and other areas where the viewing locations may be restricted or fixed by policy or by land/water separation, I often use my Nikon 12x50 SEs as a special use bin.  More power and more light gathering than a 10x42, and they work nicely on a monopod for stability in such viewing locations, i.e., rock jettys, long tidal mud flats, refuge viewing platforms, etc. (I also have a 85mm scope for such locations, but the 12x50s SEs are very lightweight, quicker for 360* usage, can be handheld about as easily as a 10x for me, and are more versatile for BIFs compared to the scope, IMO.)Jay</blockquote>