Recommendation - Starter binoculars <£150 (in UK) (1 Viewer)

[DavidInTheUK]

Hi all, I've been looking for some time but struggling to pull the trigger on any.
I want some binoculars for when we are away in the motorhome/out walking. My budget is ideally under £150 (nothing higher wife-approved yet!). I believe the sweet spot I'm looking at is 8x42 roof prism.

What would you recommend?

Thanks,
David
Nottingham

 

[Mike Crawley]

My personal recommendation at this price would be Hawke or Opticron.
I would also suggest that you try before you buy - make sure that they are comfortable in your hands and "fit" your face.
If you find a reputable optic shop, ask to see their "pre-loved" or second hand stock. Someone els's careful use before upgrading can work to your advantage.

an example - I was in my local optics shop picking up some bits and they had just taken in a pair of Hawke Nature Trek 10x42 which were 5 years old but absolutely immaculate. Kept in a box in someone’s car as a just-in-case pair - £70 which is something like 50% off.
If you are anywhere in Cheshire, Focal Point Optics are very good and I trust them implicitly.

https://www.focalpointopticsltd.com/

 

[William Lewis]

I'd agree with Mike. Opticrons a great place to start.

You'll get much better value with a porro prism binocular than a roof, don't discount the 30/32 mm aperture models if your general usage will be in good daylight although I'd stick to an 8x or less with them so the exit pupil isn't too small.

A 42mm one is a great all rounder though, for general purpose you can't go far wrong.

As far as magnification goes there is always a trade off at a fixed price point between magnification and field of view, also more magnification means less stability 10 or 12 is generally the limit for hand held use for longer periods, 6x or 7x are much better than you'd think.

As always it's best to try before you buy if you can.

 

[mwhogue]

Hi all, I've been looking for some time but struggling to pull the trigger on any.
I want some binoculars for when we are away in the motorhome/out walking. My budget is ideally under £150 (nothing higher wife-approved yet!). I believe the sweet spot I'm looking at is 8x42 roof prism.

What would you recommend?

Thanks,
David
Nottingham

David,

Given your (present) budget, I agree with Mike C and William Lewis above. IME Opticron roof pockets and compacts and porros are very good for the price. To simplify your choice though , IMO generally a roof would be a better choice for a first bin. Also agreed do try to compare 42 with 30/32 and 6/7x as less size and weight adds up to more use for many people. The steadier image and better DOF of lower power bins are additional advantages. Finding a good used pair probably your best option. YMMV.

Mike

 

[Dennis Mau]

The Celestron Nature DX 8x42 are a good starter birding binocular at your price point. Here is a review on them at Gear Lab also.

Celestron Nature DX Binocular - Green for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Celestron Nature DX Binocular - Green at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Celestron Nature DX 8x42 Review

We've met many people who want to get started bird watching but don't want to invest a pile of money into a super-expensive pair of binoculars. If this...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

 

[DavidInTheUK]

Thank you for you replies and recommendations. It's reassuring I was looking at Celestron, given my price-point.
There were also some Bushnell's at around £150. Would they be a good move?

I'm in Nottingham, only place I know here is London Camera Exchange. Will try to get down there, give me chance to try some.

 

[DavidInTheUK]

The Celestron Nature DX 8x42 are a good starter birding binocular at your price point. Here is a review on them at Gear Lab also.

Celestron Nature DX Binocular - Green for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Celestron Nature DX Binocular - Green at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Celestron Nature DX 8x42 Review

We've met many people who want to get started bird watching but don't want to invest a pile of money into a super-expensive pair of binoculars. If this...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

Read a couple of reviews, the Celestron Nature DX 8x42 get good reviews for £90!

Would it be worth the stretch to get the CELESTRON Nature DX ED 8x42 for around £190? (Or does getting to that amount open up better options anyway?

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Some great advice from others on here, for a tiny bit over your budget, these would certainly be worth considering: Used Opticron Verano BGA HD 8x32 Binoculars

 

[Dennis Mau]

Read a couple of reviews, the Celestron Nature DX 8x42 get good reviews for £90!

Would it be worth the stretch to get the CELESTRON Nature DX ED 8x42 for around £190? (Or does getting to that amount open up better options anyway?

It depends on how sensitive you are to CA. If CA bothers you, the ED glass is definitely worth the upgrade. At that price point, I still think the Celestron is a good choice.

Celestron Nature DX ED 8 x 42 Binocular #72332 (UK Stock) BNIB ED Glass ED Quali 50234723329 | eBay

Celestron Nature DX ED 8 x 42 Binocular #72332. To achieve this optical performance, these binoculars feature anti-reflection fully multi-coated extra-low-dispersion glass lenses with phase-corrected BAK4 roof prisms.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[exup]

I have many bins within your budget, including the Celestron Nature DX in 8x42, 10x42, 8x32 and 8x25. These are good and generally get good reviews to reflect that.

Another couple to consider-

Barr and Stroud Series 5 or Savannah 8x42s. Wide FOV. Check Neill English website for a review and a few others too.
Barr and Stroud Sierra are also worth considering, a step down from above, but cheaper and still worth considering.

Vanguard Spirit XF. These are also good.

Porros ....... Opticron Savanna are worth a look...... Neil reviews too!

You might be able to get Celestron Trailseeker below £150, but maybe in 8x32. These are the next line up from Nature DX.

Svbony SV202s are definitely worth looking at too. You could get any one of the 3 pairs ...... 8x32, 10x42, 10x50 within your budget.
These probably have the best spec too .... Magnesium body, phase and dialectic coatings, FMC and ED glass. Image is good.

There are others e.g. Helios Mistral WP6, but I only have in 10x32, which is fine, but would not buy this size as an only bin.

If I was to pick from above ...... B&S series 5 or SV202.

 

[jring]

Hi,

in that price range going used offers great rewards...

I'd strongly recommend having a close look at the Opticron Verano 8x32 pair Daniel linked above... they were their top 8x32 model priced at 430 quid 10 years ago or so and as usual with Opticron, they aimed to punch above their pricepoint...
And you get a Made in Japan pair with a good part of their 30 years transferable warranty left...

Here is a review....

Opticron Verano BGA 8x32 HD - A real gem

These are an example where Opticron has pretty much done everything right: Specification: Field of view: 140m Minimum Focus: 1.5m Eye Relief: 17mm Interpupillary Distance: 56-74mm Height x Width: 128 x 122mm Weight: 609g They have a great 8 deg field of view that's sharp across about 90% of...

www.birdforum.net

And here some comparison with their cheaper counterpart, the Traveller ED...

Opticron Verano HD 8x32 or the Opticron Traver ED 8x32

When the Opticron Traveler ED 8x32 Binoculars first came out, the only thing that stopped me was I could not decide on these or the Opticron Verano HD 8x32 which had been discontinued I believe to be replaced by the Traveler ED 8x32 in Opticron’s top 8x32 lineup. After reading Frank D. review of...

www.birdforum.net

Joachim

 

[pete_gamby]

I'm in Nottingham, only place I know here is London Camera Exchange. Will try to get down there, give me chance to try some.

The Attenborough Nature Centre probably has a better selection than LCE.

Shop | Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org