G-ManBart Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 As a late birthday present from the family I've decided to get myself some decent binos. I've got a decent pair of very compact binos I sometimes use at work, but they're not what I'd use for field use or when I want to check targets at pistol distances without bringing out the spotting scope. I'm just starting to look at different brands and models so I don't have any huge preferences just yet. I'm figuring something in the $300-500 range....decent, but not too expensive as I basically don't hunt any more and don't see the need to spend a fortune at this point. My friend owns a gunshop and she always has some decent binos on hand. Today I looked at Brunton Eternas in 10x32 and 8x45. Both seemed to have pretty decent glass, had a nice feel and were in the price range I'm looking at, but I don't know much about their reputation. Any thoughts on them or good alternatives to compare? R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
open17 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Less money than you want to spend, but take a look at the Pentax DCF HRII 8x42. Bought a pair for use on the farm a couple of years ago. Under $200. REALLY a nice bright clear set of binoculars. Comparable to some $600-$800 sets I've tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoMiE Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I have the leupold cascades 10x42, nice glass in that price range. http://www.leupold.com/observation/product...m-center-focus/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpops Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 G-man, I bit the bullet a few years ago and purchased a Zeiss set. By far the best bino's I have ever owned. If you shop around you may find some good deals. For what it is worth, I used to be a Leupold man (still am for scopes) but the Zeiss blew them out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 A couple years ago, I bought a pair of Steiner 7X50 Marine binoculars and I really like them. Not having to constantly focus is great, especially in low light. The price was under $300 with tax. If I lost these today I would order a new pair. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I have the Leupold Mesas 10x50. Good glass, good company, good price. I think they were around $230 at Cabelas. Got them spending some Cabelas gift cards I got for Christmas last year and have been very, very happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 We purchase swarovskis for the wildlife department. Had to send spotter back. Compared to the OLD style Zeiss, I would take the old style zeiss (10 pow) any day. Have the Steiners that are not too bad on the price pointage. And finally some Leica minis that I really like, but would rather have the zeiss minis. Superior glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boats Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Here is my Binocular advice. Consider what you plan to use them for. Scanning and searching out large objects lower power is more suitable. Standard marine glass is a 7x50 for good reason. Long hours of scanning from a rolling vibrating platform. Big objective because they are using the glass from a fixed spot not carrying it around all day, weight is no big deal. On the other hand Bird Watchers like higher power. Most see a small object with there naked eye and put the glass on for a quick identification. Most common bird glasses are 10x by 40 or so. Smaller because they have to be carried while walking. 10 X makes it easier to identify one species from another. I like and always recommend lower power unless you have a real good reason for high. However I own a couple of spotting scopes that handle the High X close look work for me and don't need 10x 8x may be a good compromise bionic. Objective lens should be as large as you can carry. My hunting glass is a 7x30 but often times use a 8x20 mini when spotting work will be minimal and don't want to carry a lot of weight. When on the water use an old pair of 7x50's and are often struck by how much easier they are on my eyes than the smaller objective glasses. Better low light situations too. When it comes to quality a few things to consider. Higher power and smaller objective lens better quality will really show it self. Lower power larger less expensive glasses often can give a better picture than the smaller more powerful & expensive glasses. Not a bigger picture but looks clearer because it's easier optically to deliver. Older you get better quality you need too. With any glass it's a good idea to look first. Particularly with the lower price models. Seems to be a lot of difference between glasses that are same make and model with the less expensive ones. Even high dollar glass they are not all the same. Brands ? they are all good in my book, buy from somebody who will stand behind it and make sure it meets your needs. Binocs and Spotters I use Swarvoski, Leopold, and Bushnell. Wide range of cost. Have had a few other brands I no longer own because they were not good "lookers" I account it to the particular glass more than the brand. Boats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoShot Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 In my humble opinion, if you are a casual user of binoculars, there are many in the price range you are looking at that will do you well. The reason I say casual user is this; you can have a pair of $400 and $1000 bino's side by side that appear to be optically equal in the store. Compare these binos in any of the following examples and they begin to separate themselves in what they will do for you: 1) low light conditions, the better glasses will have better light transmission allowing you to see later in the evening or earlier in the morning 2) very bright glare conditions, top quality coated lenses will cut through glare 3) use for long periods of time, spotting game/shots/babes for 2 or three hours the better glasses will give you less eye strain I hunt deer and waterfowl in the midwest, I did not realize the difference in optical quality until I started going prairie dog hunting in the west. I went from Tasco to Bushnell to Cabelas Alaskan guide to my current Swarovski SLC 10X 40's. If there is a Cabela's store near by, go there and compare, find a dark spot across the store and look with the various brands and compare the detail you can see. When I did this, the guy at the optics counter took my top two choices ouside so I could compare them in sunlight. Knowing what I know now if I was going to spend $400 or less I would look at Nikon Monarchs but you won't pry my Swaro's out of my cold dead hands! Good luck to you in your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKAL Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I use the Nikon Monarch 8x42 great glass for what I needed them for. I've also looked at Vortex and they get good reviews from everyone. They make riflescope, spotting scopes and binoculars. If I purchase again I think I will go with Vortex. www.vortexoptics.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 In my humble opinion, if you are a casual user of binoculars, there are many in the price range you are looking at that will do you well. The reason I say casual user is this; you can have a pair of $400 and $1000 bino's side by side that appear to be optically equal in the store. Compare these binos in any of the following examples and they begin to separate themselves in what they will do for you:1) low light conditions, the better glasses will have better light transmission allowing you to see later in the evening or earlier in the morning 2) very bright glare conditions, top quality coated lenses will cut through glare 3) use for long periods of time, spotting game/shots/babes for 2 or three hours the better glasses will give you less eye strain I hunt deer and waterfowl in the midwest, I did not realize the difference in optical quality until I started going prairie dog hunting in the west. I went from Tasco to Bushnell to Cabelas Alaskan guide to my current Swarovski SLC 10X 40's. If there is a Cabela's store near by, go there and compare, find a dark spot across the store and look with the various brands and compare the detail you can see. When I did this, the guy at the optics counter took my top two choices ouside so I could compare them in sunlight. Knowing what I know now if I was going to spend $400 or less I would look at Nikon Monarchs but you won't pry my Swaro's out of my cold dead hands! Good luck to you in your decision! You nailed it.,..Nikon Monarch are good low priced glass. I traded my Leica for some Swarovski EL, and don't regret it at all...IMO, best on the market. The points to consider are: easy to focus, good clarity from edge to center, good color resolution from edge to center, ergonomically comfortable, adjustable eye pieces for glasses users. Bite the bullet and get some good ones they will last 25 yrs or more...better use of the $$ than buying a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle O Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I have actually read several books in this field as I am an avid astronomer. 1. Look for the words (fully multi-coated) not fully coated, not multi coated, but both. You'll see in the reflections of the lenses purple and green tinted reflections, white reflections are not good red tint is not good either. 2. Check for good tight fitting focus controls, no slop. 3. look thru the binoculars focused at something distant (preferrably steady on a shelf or something) and back away slowly, check that the black circle that comes in from the edges is perfectly black, and perfectly round. You do not want to see any of the "inside" of the binocular. A sqare shape here is bad also (sign of cheap prisms). Also, during this test check that the focused images don't become separated "double vision" so to speak. The images should stay focused together even as you back away. 4. BAK-4 prisms are the best 5. Make sure the binoculars are comfortable to your eyes, if you wear glasses get 15-20mm eye relief, or adj eye cups 6. Anything over 10 power will require a mount of some sort. I have found that some $200 leupolds, and several Nikons fit this criteria, and you don't have to spend huge money on a great pair of binos, good luck. also, for further info there is a book by Phil Harrington, called "Starware" I think, and is pretty much the bible of binos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveU Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I have actually read several books in this field as I am an avid astronomer.also, for further info there is a book by Phil Harrington, called "Starware" I think, and is pretty much the bible of binos. Ditto what Kyle said, same reason. I have 10 x 50 Carton Adlerblicks which are about as big as you want to go without image stabilization or a solid mount. "Star Ware" is good, or "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" has lots of great info - Terrence Dickenson. A really expensive but great Bino (according to the book) is a Canon 15 x 45 Image Stabilized. The best test of optics is small bright dots on a black field (stars). The quality of the glass and the precision of the optics is very important because irregularities cause really bad things to happen in that setting. Therefore, binos good for astronomy will be awesome for terrestrial viewing. Key points: Objective lens (light amplification) over 50 is heavy. Divide lens by optical lens to get exit pupil size. That's how much light is going through (50 / 10 = 5 mm). It should match your pupil - the bigger the exit pupil, the more light gets in, but it's wasted if your pupil is dilated (over 40, pupils more dilated = smaller pupil size) and the light hits the iris. BAK-4 Prisms good. BK-7 (Barium Crown) prisms are cheap. Fully Multicoated reflects the least light, so transmits the most through the lens. This is most important in astronomy with seeing faint objects, but more light = good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p99shooter Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Less money than you want to spend, but take a look at the Pentax DCF HRII 8x42.Bought a pair for use on the farm a couple of years ago. Under $200. REALLY a nice bright clear set of binoculars. Comparable to some $600-$800 sets I've tried. +1 on these. I bought a set a long time ago for birding and they work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoterbeast Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The Steiner Military/Marine units are a good value and in your price range. (ususally cheaper) Nikon Monarchs good too. Whatever you do - do not look through the really high end stuff (Swarovski / Leica, etc) you will be ruined. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 The Steiner Military/Marine units are a good value and in your price range. (ususally cheaper) Nikon Monarchs good too. Whatever you do - do not look through the really high end stuff (Swarovski / Leica, etc) you will be ruined.Bill Too late...lol. I'm not a total stranger to optics, which helps somewhat. I've got a sweet Kowa spotting scope and once managed to spend $100K on camera lenses and only wound up with three so I've been able to sample some of the very best available. I've used some high end binos in the past...had a pair of the Canon IS binos with the L series optics...crazy good, but more than what I need now. I also compared the Brunton's my friend's shop had with a couple of pair of Swarovski (similar size) and I thought the Brunton's were actually a tic better in some ways (8x45)....that really surprised me. Reading the birding review sites seems to offer a bunch of info...almost too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heiter Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 They're not as well known, but I've got a relatively inexpensive pair of Fuji MTR 7x50's that provide a clearer image than my Steiner's. You may want to check them out. They're a little bigger and bulkier, so the Steiner's often make it on hunting trips where the Fuji's don't, but it all depends on what you want them for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The thing I like most about my Steiners is not having to focus. Once you focus the eye pieces you are done, just like a rifle scope. It is very nice in low light conditions not having to constantly focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 With the SHOT Show just ended, I would not be too surprised if SWFA has SHOT Show display models on their http://samplelist.com site soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthread...t=13&page=1 There's a guy here selling surplus Russian military binoculars..... not the sexiest stuff, but very clear and sturdy. You could do a lot worse for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now