• 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.
Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

A complete novice's choice (1 Viewer)

I don't get this sensitivity to the notion of experts looking down on and putting off novices. Would anyone care to share actual examples? I don't recall any, so this looks like hypothetical worry and weird guilt. (Nothing personal, hardly the only example of this today...)

And how is experience of nature any less "pure" for knowing more, or having a better binocular?
 
Last edited:
I don’t think there are very many snobs. I don’t think there are very many who walk around with a $3,000 binocular, as part of their “costume” when they aren’t sure which end to look into.

I recall being invited to look through someone’s $4000+ spotting scope , at a Tundra Goose. (CORRECTION: Barnacle Goose) I was very careful with my feet vs the tripod legs.

The point is that this guy freely and willingly allowed me (a total stranger) access to his very expensive instrument, with absolutely no hesitation. I was very impressed. I have no idea who he was, but the group that day included most of the big guns of CT, since a Barnacle Goose was a very big deal.

I think this is more typical.
 
Last edited:
I hand my bins to anyone who looks even slightly interested. And I don't mean to be raining on DrK's thread here, I just don't understand what he's getting at and should leave it at that.
 
With new birders I recommend that they go on group birder outings in their area and try the binoculars of others. With a group of ten birders there are going to be 10 different binoculars to try.

For me and my wife the size and weight are very important. My favorite is a 10x25 that weighs only 12 ounces and my wife prefers the 8x25 as a 10x is not comfortable for her to use. I also have 8x42, 10x43, 12x50, 16x42, and 20x60 binoculars and they are not used nearly as often as the 10x25 ones that I do not hesitate to grab. I keep the 8x42 in my car as they are the least expensive ones I own and my wife is fine with the 8x aspect.
 
Okay.

To me you are acquiring a precision, multi-use, instrument, which should last a substantial part of a lifetime.

If you have the means, I still don't see the logic, of buying an el-cheapo in the beginning, even if that's what many do. Just because many do something, does not make it logical or rational.

I'm not sure this "explanation" helps, and I'm not even sure it will make sense.
Richard
But what price point is "el-cheapo"? $150, $500, $1500?? In your experience, which bins would you recommend?
 
Today, the best is north of $3000 US.

Price point depends on your means, temperament, and eyesight.

I am but a dabbler, and there are folks here much better qualified than I to answer your question.

I really don't "recommend" because what I like, you may find to be unsuseable.
 
But what price point is "el-cheapo"? $150, $500, $1500?? In your experience, which bins would you recommend?

Atombird,

Following on the input of @Maljunulo, generally speaking regarding new bins, a rough yardstick is that perfectly useful and enjoyable Porro prism models can be had at the MSRP $100 to $150 level e.g. Nikon and Opticron. In roofs, it's best to spend @ $200 minimum.

At $500 and above there are a number of excellent bins for the money.

The rub for newcomers is buying less expensive bins "to start out" may not result in a positive experience thus wasting the investment entirely.

As always try before you buy if possible and spend as much as you can reasonably afford.

Good luck with the Quest.

Mike
 
Atombird,
The rub for newcomers is buying less expensive bins "to start out" may not result in a positive experience thus wasting the investment entirely.

As always try before you buy if possible and spend as much as you can reasonably afford.
Absolutely this! (these?)

I tried to say the former, a while ago, and got pretty well shouted down, so I'll ride on Mike's coattails.

Recommendations and reviews tell you what someone else saw, which may or may not be what you will see.
 
With new birders I recommend that they go on group birder outings in their area and try the binoculars of others. With a group of ten birders there are going to be 10 different binoculars to try.
This is solid gold IMO. Not just will you have a variety of binoculars to try, from different brands and at different price levels, but you'll be doing so in an environment that reflects actual birding better than most (though not all) optics stores.

I agree the perspective of the absolute novice is interesting, and can be very thought provoking - but it's not the be-all and end-all, no more than any one perspective is.
 
On the point of how decent a binocular one should start with, I'd say that ideally they should be good enough to be effortless and enjoyable to use. I personally tried for years to get interested in binoculars, but was thwarted through the poor choices I made. Then a few years ago I tried again and bought an old Leitz model, and was instantly converted. I really enjoy my Viper and Ultravid models, and still have a few Leitz in the mix too, but didn't see anything compelling me to be interested in the Noctivid or NL offerings and feel that many like myself can be very well served by mid-tier binoculars.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top