Best budget pocket bins? (1 Viewer)

[nightheron28]

Budget no more then $200 usd unless significant jump in optical performance for a bit more.

These Days I only bird from hikes. So a pocket pair will get lots of use.

Unfortunately I live in a smallish city in the states about 34 miles from a city of 709k and then another hour from a big city of 3 million. However the cities only have one camera shop with a limited selection. Then we have sport warehouses like cabelas and bass pro that seem to carry hunter friendly brands like vortex and Leopold.

I've been stuck buying from Amazon. So far I tried the nikon trailblazer at 8x25 and while they were perfectly pocketable and had a nice image they had horrible eye visors that did not stay put and the focus ring had significant play so you no precision.

I tried the kowa sv 10x25 roof prisms. They were fine in the center of the image but the outer edges were fuzzy.

Hawke ed endurance 8x25 roof prism

Nothing special to my eye just don't seem worth the $175 price tag for the image they provide.

I'm wondering if the nikon prostaff 8x25 porro would be the right balance of price to performance.

Also was looking at the pentax pockets.

I previously had a pair of nikon 8x30 prostaff 7 bins and while they were great I left them at home a lot because they were not very pocketable.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Thotmosis]

Ask your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and people on the street if they have a binocular that they don’t use. Maybe a bit unconventional but you might hit the jackpot and get a nice Leica Trinovid or Zeiss 8x20 or 10x25.

 

[tenex]

I'm not a pocket-bin guy but once tried the Docter/Noblex 8x21 and thought the optics were amazingly good. Well built too. Discontinued but you can still find one. (The Prostaff 8x25 has its fans here too.)

Noblex | Docter Optics Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331

Docter Optic Compact 8x21 Binocular 50331 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

 

[mwhogue]

My advice is a bit out of date and the bins are discontinued now (apparently?) but appear to be still available from some retailers in the $169 price range. The Promaster Infinity 8x21 ED. The various, numerous pocket Promaster names/versions are confusing so a search will likely turn up a number of used $10 bins bubble pack Promaster models, including junk roofs and reverse Porro which are not the ones I'm talking about. Look for the ones that are double hinge roofs -- exact copies externally of the older SW 8x20.

Alternatively the green Zeiss Terra TL 8 or 10x25 sometimes go on sale for $199 but I think they may also be discontinued now and they may now be hard to find. Briefly checking today, the standard issue Terra is still available on some Black Friday promos for @ $275. IMO that's well worth the stretch above the aspirational $200 max.

Good luck with the Quest.

Mike

 

[nightheron28]

My advice is a bit out of date and the bins are discontinued now (apparently?) but appear to be still available from some retailers in the $169 price range. The Promaster Infinity 8x21 ED. The various, numerous pocket Promaster names/versions are confusing so a search will likely turn up a number of used $10 bins bubble pack Promaster models, including junk roofs and reverse Porro which are not the ones I'm talking about. Look for the ones that are double hinge roofs -- exact copies externally of the older SW 8x20.

Alternatively the green Zeiss Terra TL 8 or 10x25 sometimes go on sale for $199 but I think they may also be discontinued now and they may now be hard to find. Briefly checking today, the standard issue Terra is still available on some Black Friday promos for @ $275. IMO that's well worth the stretch above the aspirational $200 max.

Good luck with the Quest.

Mike

I have been really thinking hard about the zeiss but the reviews kinda scare me with people citing the fact that they are made in China and come misaligned and defective frequently. I've had a zeiss scope in the past and absolutely loved that thing.

 

[Maljunulo]

Whenever one searches for a binocular, one’s expectations must match the proposed expenditure.

 

[Sky2goflying]

I recently ordered a shuntu 8x20, they come with ED glass and dielectric coated prisms which really make a difference. They seem to be a copy of the SW 8x20B.
There is no comparison with the Swarovski's quality but they do have very good optics. The focus wheel is a little bit sluggish, I would not recommend it for bird watching. To slow for my IMO. The dual hinges needed some tightening after becoming loose. Other than that I think these are s good value for the money.

Compact Light Weight 8X20mm ED Binocular Magnesium Housing SMC Lens Waterproof | eBay

10X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 12X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 8.5X42ED Super Flat Field Binocular Magnesium Alloy Body SMC Lens BAK4 Prism.

www.ebay.com

They also they also make an 8x32 with Ed Glass and Dielectric coated prisms.

Shuntu SHA15 8x32 roof telescope binoculars SMC MG Alloy ED BAK4 P3C HRDC IPX7 | eBay

SHUNTU L0820 High Powerful 8X20 ED Binocular Magnesium Alloy Nitrogen Filled. 12X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 8.5X42ED Super Flat Field Binocular Magnesium Alloy Body SMC Lens BAK4 Prism.

www.ebay.com

I hope this helps

 

[nightheron28]

I recently ordered a shuntu 8x20, they come with ED glass and dielectric coated prisms which really make a difference. They seem to be a copy of the SW 8x20B.
There is no comparison with the Swarovski's quality but they do have very good optics. The focus wheel is a little bit sluggish, I would not recommend it for bird watching. To slow for my IMO. The dual hinges needed some tightening after becoming loose. Other than that I think these are s good value for the money.

Compact Light Weight 8X20mm ED Binocular Magnesium Housing SMC Lens Waterproof | eBay

10X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 12X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 8.5X42ED Super Flat Field Binocular Magnesium Alloy Body SMC Lens BAK4 Prism.

www.ebay.com

They also they also make an 8x32 with Ed Glass and Dielectric coated prisms.

Shuntu SHA15 8x32 roof telescope binoculars SMC MG Alloy ED BAK4 P3C HRDC IPX7 | eBay

SHUNTU L0820 High Powerful 8X20 ED Binocular Magnesium Alloy Nitrogen Filled. 12X50ED Binocular with Magnesium Alloy Housing SMC Coating Lens BAK4 Prism. 8.5X42ED Super Flat Field Binocular Magnesium Alloy Body SMC Lens BAK4 Prism.

www.ebay.com

I hope this helps

Awesome do you known how it compares to the hawke ed 8x20 or the athlon g2 uhd 10x20? Thanks!

 

[[email protected]]

I think I would go with the Nikon Prostaff 8x25. The Nikon reverse porros are excellent values for the money. These will have much better optics than a low end pair of roof 8x25's. Here is a like new pair for $76.10 on eBay.

Nikon 7483 PROSTAFF 8x25 Waterproof All-Terrain Binocular 18208074839 | eBay

MPN Nikon 7483. Flash & Lighting. Computers & Accesories. Binoculars & Spotting Scopes. Batteries & Power. Bags & Cases. Albums & Storage. Original manufacturer software once opened.

www.ebay.com

Nikon ProStaff 8x25 ATB | Nikon Binoculars

ProStaff 8x25 ATB binoculars provide impeccable magnification for all your outdoor needs. Shop visionary Nikon compact binoculars!

www.nikonusa.com

 

[Sky2goflying]

Awesome do you known how it compares to the hawke ed 8x20 or the athlon g2 uhd 10x20? Thanks!

I have never tried the Hawke ED 8x20 or the Athlon, so I wouldn't know. But I think Ed glass plus Phase coated and Dielectric coated prisms make a hughe difference.

 

[nightheron28]

Well I went to that nearby larger town today and was able to look at the nikon prostaff 8x25 and was noticeably impressed. Brighter and clearer then the hawke. Also a much wider fov. Also the eye visors are way more comfortable. I would say they are not as pocketable as the hawke and the no questions asked warranty will be missed. So the search is over we went with them. Thanks all for your input!

 

[Cest]

I have the Hawke 8x25 ed. They are decent. I just replaced them with the Swaro CL pocket 8x25 which as you can imagine blow them out of the water.