What are the best really "CHEAP" birding binoculars? (1 Viewer)

[WJC]

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.

There are good optics and there are cheap optics, but there are no GOOD, CHEAP optics. And I am NOT one who bases his definition of "good optics" on how much money can wasted on any model. In my world, science trumps opinions of the newbie. And anytime you see "what is the best ...", you can know you're hearing from a newbie. Onnacounta each such—in any category—can be narrowed to about 200 specimens ... almost all presented by individual OPINIONS. Which is as solid in quantifiability as the value of Jell-O nailed to a tree. What's the "best" has two valuable answers. 1) Whoever your talking to, or 2) SPEND SOME TIME LEARNING ABOUT OPTICS (and NOT on bino forums) and then use several ... AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION!

 

[JoeGBirder]

There are good optics and there are cheap optics, but there are no GOOD, CHEAP optics. And I am NOT one who bases his definition of "good optics" on how much money can wasted on any model. In my world, science trumps opinions of the newbie. And anytime you see "what is the best ...", you can know you're hearing from a newbie. Onnacounta each such—in any category—can be narrowed to about 200 specimens ... almost all presented by individual OPINIONS. Which is as solid in quantifiability as the value of Jell-O nailed to a tree. What's the "best" has two valuable answers. 1) Whoever your talking to, or 2) SPEND SOME TIME LEARNING ABOUT OPTICS (and NOT on bino forums) and then use several ... AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION!

o- okay.

 

[WJC]

o- okay.

P.S. WPM: I miss Baby Doll! The only reason she rolled over on me was that the flies were driving the poor girl nuts. It was summer in NE Arkansas. Only a cowman could understand the above!!!

 

[sillyak]

I haven't researched cheap binos in a long time, but I would have no problem birding with Nikon Action Ex 7x35 or 10x50s.

As for ridiculous cheap. I bought my daughter a 8x21 Bushnell Powerview for $10 CAD on sale. Compared to my 8x20 Swarovski they are absolutely trash, but they do have glass lenses and do make an 8x image with reasonable eye relief. Great for a child who will drop then and touch the lenses. If you want to seriously bird you should at least sink enough money for the Nikon Action or Prostaff.

 

[Dennis Mau]

These Sightron SII Blue Sky 8x32 for $99.99 are hard to beat for a "cheap" binocular. They may be cheap in price, but not in quality!

Amazon.com : Sightron SIIBL832 8x32 Binocular (Green) : Electronics

Amazon.com : Sightron SIIBL832 8x32 Binocular (Green) : Electronics

www.amazon.com

 

[dries1]

The longest thread in the binocular forum by Frank on the Sightron 8X32, .... where is he these days?

 

[Dennis Mau]

The longest thread in the binocular forum by Frank on the Sightron 8X32, .... where is he these days?

Frank posted a while back, but I think since he got married, he has more important things to do now than post on Bird Forum. He used to be one of the biggest posters on Bird Forum along with Steve, who still posts once in a while and did a lot of reviews. I wonder what happened to Chosun One? Did she get banned? I miss her satirical comments!

 

[dries1]

If one does not wear glasses ( I am not sure of the eye relief and one who wears glasses, if it is enough) - those Sightron 8X32s are the best bargain going. It is a very good 8X32 for the price - it is the clone as the Fuji Film 8X32 KF.

 

[Dennis Mau]

If one does not wear glasses ( I am not sure of the eye relief and one who wears glasses, if it is enough) - those Sightron 8X32s are the best bargain going. It is a very good 8X32 for the price - it is the clone as the Fuji Film 8X32 KF.

The Sightron is no Habicht when it comes to brightness, but for $100 they are hard to beat. They have pretty good build quality, although the focuser can get a little stiff in the winter.

 

[winginit]

If one does not wear glasses ( I am not sure of the eye relief and one who wears glasses, if it is enough) - those Sightron 8X32s are the best bargain going. It is a very good 8X32 for the price - it is the clone as the Fuji Film 8X32 KF.

I have the Fuji KF 10x32. Picked them over the Sightron because they're a little lighter. I recently read on a vendor site that the Fujis have BK-7 prisms but allbinos says BAK-4 (like the Sightrons). It's not specified on the box or in the manual. Does anyone know?

 

[Dennis Mau]

I have the Fuji KF 10x32. Picked them over the Sightron because they're a little lighter. I recently read on a vendor site that the Fujis have BK-7 prisms but allbinos says BAK-4 (like the Sightrons). It's not specified on the box or in the manual. Does anyone know?

I am sure the Fujinon's KF 10x32 have BAK-4 prisms. The B&H site is incorrect, saying they have BK-7.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

I recently acquired an Opticron MCF 7x24 compact binocular to be kept as a coat pocked binocular for walking the hounds. I've been really surprised by the image quality (particularly the relatively user-friendliness with glasses) and the build quality seems ok - obviously won't stand a drop/hard knock or water submersion, but for general use, totally fine. They can be found secondhand for £25 - £50, and for that price seem an absolute bargain.
I'm keen to try a pair of these at some point too, rather impressive specifications for the price!

 

[winginit]

I am sure the Fujinon's KF 10x32 have BAK-4 prisms. The B&H site is incorrect, saying they have BK-7.

Saw the BK7 info on the Samy's and Focus Camera sites. If it's really BAK-4 it's odd that Fuji didn't market the bins as such. But if the Sightrons are optically similar or better, seems like they'd match what the OP is looking for.

 

[dries1]

I would say these Optic/camera retailers sometimes do get the specific data incorrect. Looking at the EP of the KF 8X32, they look more like a BK4.

Fujinon KF 8x32 - binoculars specification - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

 

[qwerty5]

I agree. I had that Olympus, and it was amazingly good for the low price. A cheap Porro or reverse Porro for $100 is sometimes better than a $500 roof. The $100 Leupold Yosemite 8x30 will beat most roofs up to $500.

I know I'm late, but this is wrong. I have personally tested the 10x30 Yosemite against a 10x42 Vortex Diamondback, which costs $230 (and it was a pre-2018 Diamondback, not the new HD version, which is apparently better). I did enjoy the view through the Yosemite, and for me they seemed to handle glare a bit better, but build quality was not good at all, and the Diamondback was distinctly sharper, with much better close focus. I agree that porros typically outperform roofs in the same price range, but not roofs 5x their price.

Btw, I posted my full comparison here

 

[Dennis Mau]

I know I'm late, but this is wrong. I have personally tested the 10x30 Yosemite against a 10x42 Vortex Diamondback, which costs $230 (and it was a pre-2018 Diamondback, not the new HD version, which is apparently better). I did enjoy the view through the Yosemite, and for me they seemed to handle glare a bit better, but build quality was not good at all, and the Diamondback was distinctly sharper, with much better close focus. I agree that porros typically outperform roofs in the same price range, but not roofs 5x their price.

Btw, I posted my full comparison here

I said MOST roofs. Not all of them. The porro will still have the advantage of the 3D view, and they most likely will be brighter because of better transmission. Cheap roofs like the Diamondback have cheap glass and coatings in general, and they are usually not high transmitters. The Diamondback 10x42 has a poor 83% transmission. I found the Diamondback to have a small sweet spot, and it had a sharp fall off of sharpness at the edges compared to the little Yosemite 10x30.

Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 - binoculars review - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

 

[Dennis Mau]

I have the Fuji KF 10x32. Picked them over the Sightron because they're a little lighter. I recently read on a vendor site that the Fujis have BK-7 prisms but allbinos says BAK-4 (like the Sightrons). It's not specified on the box or in the manual. Does anyone know?

I got my $100 Sightron's and as many threads have discussed they are very impressive for their price point. The quality is fine, with a nice smooth focuser, firm IPD settings and solid eye cups. In fact, the eye cups are better than some Zeiss I have used! Even the case, strap, objective covers and rain guards work well enough. The FOV is good sized and pretty sharp to the edge with not a lot of falloff. They are pretty bright for a cheap roof prism binocular. I would say they have to win 1st prize for the best value in a cheap binocular right now when they are priced below $100.

 

[Cest]

I picked up a pair. I concur with your assessment. Very decent for $100.

 

[Dennis Mau]

I picked up a pair. I concur with your assessment. Very decent for $100.

I had a good view of a Great Blue Heron in mine yesterday, and it was very nice through Sightron's, and it was very nice. The edges aren't bad on the Sightron's at all.

 

[winginit]

I picked up a pair. I concur with your assessment. Very decent for $100.

Cest and denco, great that you're happy with your Sightrons. As I've mentioned, I have the similar Fuji KF 10x32. I know someone who just got the Sightron 8x32. They have the same minor flaw as my Fujis. The inner seams of the rubber armor are not completely fused, there are open gaps. Are yours like that? Both brands/models are made in the Phillipines so maybe the same factory? I've decided not to try to seal mine. I just don't use them at the beach or anyplace sand or dust might get in the gaps. Very nice optically, though.