|
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Group Forum: Bird Watchers Best pair of binoculars for bird watching |
Author
Text
12/09/2015 08:45PM
Can any of you recommend anything within a reasonable price range? What are your favorites? Is there a set that could do double duty for hunting and birdwatching?
aka HermitThrush "Such sights as this are reserved for those who will suffer to behold them." -Eric Sevareid
12/20/2015 08:19PM
quote SaganagaJoe: "Can any of you recommend anything within a reasonable price range? What are your favorites? Is there a set that could do double duty for hunting and birdwatching? "
I would recommend a pair of porro prisms from Nikon. They aren't waterproof but they offer a lot of quality for the price. You might find the following article useful:
Binocular Picks for Every Price Range
12/21/2015 01:51PM
An 8x40 is good for general purpose bird watching. That's the minimum magnification that I find useful coupled with a larger field of view. Waterproofing is a plus. For a lightweight binocular, I like a waterproof 8x25, but the narrow field of view can make finding a bird somewhat harder. I'd recommend a brand name like Nikon or Pentax. Cheap stuff causes eye strain for me, but I don't know what you consider to be a reasonable price.
12/23/2015 01:15PM
quote SaganagaJoe: "Under 200 would be reasonable, but I'm willing to pay more for a good set. "
That Eagle Optics Shrike on birdwatching.com looks like a good choice for under $100.
For a better binocular, look at the Pentax SP8x40WP for $159 on optics planet.com.
12/23/2015 06:09PM
If you're at all serious about bird watching you might as well spend the money now. It will be cheaper than gradually upgrading over the next few years.
For about $500 you can get a really nice set of water proof compacts (8x20 or 10x25) from Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski. Although small in size quality is fantastic for the price and, at least when I bought mine about 6 years ago, the field of view beats many full size binoculars in the same price range. After trying out a few pairs of full sized binocs in the $500 range I was disappointed and went with the compacts and found my little Leicas to be of better image quality. You just give up a little brightness in low light but to be honest it really hasn't bothered me.
Main reason I went with Leica was because of availability and, at least at the time, better eye relief which meant a lot to me as I wear glasses.
Then, in a year or two when you're really sucked in, this pair of compacts will become your backup pair when you buy a set of full sized binoculars in the $1000-2000 range.
I've also got a pair of 10x42 Zeiss Victories and now that I'm not so serious about birding they mostly stay in the case and the Leicas come with me everywhere. The small size and light weight is hard to beat. You don't even know you're carrying them and they easily fit in a jacket pocket. The compare surprisingly well with my Victories in terms of image quality. I don't feel like I'm settling for second best when I use them although the huge and bright picture the 10x42 Zeiss's offer is hard to beat when you don't mind carrying the weight.
Alan
For about $500 you can get a really nice set of water proof compacts (8x20 or 10x25) from Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski. Although small in size quality is fantastic for the price and, at least when I bought mine about 6 years ago, the field of view beats many full size binoculars in the same price range. After trying out a few pairs of full sized binocs in the $500 range I was disappointed and went with the compacts and found my little Leicas to be of better image quality. You just give up a little brightness in low light but to be honest it really hasn't bothered me.
Main reason I went with Leica was because of availability and, at least at the time, better eye relief which meant a lot to me as I wear glasses.
Then, in a year or two when you're really sucked in, this pair of compacts will become your backup pair when you buy a set of full sized binoculars in the $1000-2000 range.
I've also got a pair of 10x42 Zeiss Victories and now that I'm not so serious about birding they mostly stay in the case and the Leicas come with me everywhere. The small size and light weight is hard to beat. You don't even know you're carrying them and they easily fit in a jacket pocket. The compare surprisingly well with my Victories in terms of image quality. I don't feel like I'm settling for second best when I use them although the huge and bright picture the 10x42 Zeiss's offer is hard to beat when you don't mind carrying the weight.
Alan
12/24/2015 09:18AM
Trying out binoculars in the store is hard. Sharpness is, of course, important, but judging that by looking around a dimly lit store or through a window is difficult at best. And everything looks sharp when the sun is shining since there's so much contrast. The real test is spending some time in the field under difficult lighting situations. I've found chromatic aberration to be one of the most common problems with lower priced binoculars and something I won't tolerate when when bird watching.
When I was trying to choose my first binoculars I ordered a pair of Eagle Optics Rangers. I'd read great things in the forums and lots of people bragged they couldn't tell the difference between them and name brands costing twice the money. I was very pleased when I unpackaged them and looked around the yard. Next day I took them out in the field on an overcast day. Stepped out of the car and saw a dark bird nearby on a telephone wire silhouetted against the sky. When I looked through the Rangers I saw a black silhouette with a purple halo around it (chromatic aberration). When I put the little Leicas up to my eye I could see a black bird with a brown head and no purple halo. Those are the conditions where you get the benefit of good glass. The Rangers got returned next day.
Alan
When I was trying to choose my first binoculars I ordered a pair of Eagle Optics Rangers. I'd read great things in the forums and lots of people bragged they couldn't tell the difference between them and name brands costing twice the money. I was very pleased when I unpackaged them and looked around the yard. Next day I took them out in the field on an overcast day. Stepped out of the car and saw a dark bird nearby on a telephone wire silhouetted against the sky. When I looked through the Rangers I saw a black silhouette with a purple halo around it (chromatic aberration). When I put the little Leicas up to my eye I could see a black bird with a brown head and no purple halo. Those are the conditions where you get the benefit of good glass. The Rangers got returned next day.
Alan
12/24/2015 11:46AM
Check out the American Birding Association site . There is a drop down menu for Events. Click on festivals and enter your state. I checked Washington and Oregon, there is a festival in both. Optic reps and vendors are often at such festivals. This would give you a chance to compare optics side by side, perhaps in real birding situation. My wife and I did this in Ohio, it was very valuable. You may find a good price on bins on the association site.
"Fine figure of a man, yes?" Jeremiah Johnson
Subscribe to Thread
Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. Sign up Here