• 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.

What are the best really "CHEAP" birding binoculars? (2 Viewers)

Rob from Texas said:
"Have you tried any "Cheap" Porros?"

The only Porro I have owned were reverse porros. They were Vortex Vanquish 8x26. I was impressed with them. They were amazingly sharp (and of course handy and compact.) The reason I moved up to Blue Sky's was for bigger oculars. I gave the tiny ocular binoculars to a tiny person. It all worked out.
Click to expand...
How is your focuser on the Sightron Blue Sky? Mind got stiff when it was cold. Do they ever loosen up with use?
 
[email protected] said:
This answers the question. Is a "Cheap" Porro or roof better?

www.bestbinocularsreviews.com

Cheap Binoculars - Is a Roof or Porro Prism Best? | Best Binocular Reviews

When choosing low cost & cheap binoculars, is it better to opt for a porro or roof prism design? I explore the merits of each in detail & give my recommendations.
www.bestbinocularsreviews.com www.bestbinocularsreviews.com
Click to expand...
The top 3 in the link as scored and tabled by BBR were Roof Prisms....albeit twice the price.
At around $200 I wouldn't class them as " really cheap ".
 
The old Nikon Action Extreme porros are optically very good, waterproof, with decent eye relief (much better than their Aculons) as well as reasonable FoV. They sell around $125 for the 7x35, about $165 for the 10x50. They are a poor man's Habicht imho.
 
etudiant said:
The old Nikon Action Extreme porros are optically very good, waterproof, with decent eye relief (much better than their Aculons) as well as reasonable FoV. They sell around $125 for the 7x35, about $165 for the 10x50. They are a poor man's Habicht imho.
Click to expand...
True. Less bright and with softer edges though.
 
For me the best "cheap" birding binocular would be the Swift Audubon HR/5 8,5x44. Well build Porro design. Bought it last year for around 125,- euro and has a wide field of 144 m. Still strong, build in 1996.
 
I think the problem with really very cheap optics is that one area where they save money is QC, so it's a bit of a lottery, as @dries1 pointed out earlier. It there was one advice I would have liked to received when searching for my first binos is that 2nd hand usually gives you the best value, but then, it must be from a trustworthy seller... and you more or less have to know your ground, which kind of defeats the purpose (since you are new to binos and don't know much about the differences). So, ideally you should ask a friend or someone more knowledgeable to guide you and help you navigate the 2nd hand ocean ;)
 
Last edited:
yarrellii said:
I think the problem with really very cheap optics is that one area where they save money is QC, so it's a bit of a lottery, as @dries1 pointed out earlier. It there was one advice I would have liked to received when searching for my first binos is that 2nd hand usually gives you the best value, but then, it must be from a trustworthy seller... and you more or less have to know your ground, which kind of defeats the purpose (since you are new to binos and don't know much about the differences). So, ideally you should ask a friend or someone more knowledgeable to guide you and help you navigate the 2nd hand ocean ;)
Click to expand...
I agree, it is better to buy 2nd hand if you are looking for good quality and value. The Vortex Raptor 8.5x above may be good binoculars if you get a good pair, but if you read the feedback on Amazon.com you will see that there are a lot of complaints on inconsistent quality and that parallels my experience with cheap binoculars. I think you are better off getting a used Swift Audubon HR/5 8,5x44 as Thotmosis mentions above or a used Leica Trinovid than a new cheap binocular. I picked up a pair of Leica Trinovid BN 8x32's, and they are excellent optically and build quality wise and at $500 they could be considered cheap for the value you are getting. I think the best cheap binocular would a good quality used porro like even an older Nikon E that is in good condition.
 
[email protected] said:
I agree, it is better to buy 2nd hand if you are looking for good quality and value. The Vortex Raptor 8.5x above may be good binoculars if you get a good pair, but if you read the feedback on Amazon.com you will see that there are a lot of complaints on inconsistent quality and that parallels my experience with cheap binoculars. I think you are better off getting a used Swift Audubon HR/5 8,5x44 as Thotmosis mentions above or a used Leica Trinovid than a new cheap binocular. I picked up a pair of Leica Trinovid BN 8x32's, and they are excellent optically and build quality wise and at $500 they could be considered cheap for the value you are getting. I think the best cheap binocular would a good quality used porro like even an older Nikon E that is in good condition.
Click to expand...
got a pair of those as a gift, they were certainly a nice upgrade from my old ones. Only complaint that the neckstrap was a huge pain to attach.

-joe
 
Binoculars under $100 usually aren't worth a thing. The vortex diamondback is in my opinion the best binocular under $200. That is if you can catch it on sale. I think these days it runs $225. Some of the porros are not bad under $200. Pentax, Leopold, nikon etc. Bushnell seems to be king of low end bins. They usually offer bins with decent performance but cheaply built.
 
I'd say if you want to get good binoculars for under $100, your best bet are something from wingspan optics. idk if the price has raised, but my grandma has three of them. i asked how much they were, as they were so high quality, and she told me last time she checked they were only $75 per pair.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 3 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

D
Recommendation for a binocular
Replies
7
Views
5K
jmulvey
J
ShengTu Optics
How to choose an entry-level bird watching telescope？
Replies
6
Views
1K
ShengTu Optics
ShengTu Optics
ShengTu Optics
Some suggestions for beginners on how to choose a telescope and basic knowledge about telescopes
Replies
2
Views
1K
ShengTu Optics
ShengTu Optics
D
Zeiss SFL 8x40 This Year's Best New Birding Binocular!
2
Replies
31
Views
17K
AlphaFan
A
yarrellii
Very light* setup (binoculars + scope)
2
Replies
21
Views
6K
mwhogue
M

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top