Binoculars

john ledger · Jun 28, 2005

Never replaced my old pair lost many moons ago when Churchill was PM. Need advice on model and price range or if anyone is thinking of selling a decent pair. I am ok on cameras but do not have a clue on bonoculars,obviously need a light pair and i do wear specs

Richard Farrow · Jun 28, 2005

My only piece of advice John is try before you buy. My binoculars are were not hugely expensive but the instant I put them to my eyes I could see clearly. My two friends have much better quality binoculars but I can't use them as it takes ages to adjust them to my eyes. Please don't buy without trying them first as they may not suit you and you could be wasting money.
Where abouts do you live John and what is your budget and what do you want them for. I hanker for a really good pair of bins and often do a bit of price research via the internet and the RSPC's bird magazine.

The Monk · Jun 28, 2005

Leica for me every time

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/leica.html

Richard Farrow · Jun 28, 2005

Great binoculars no doubt, but will they suit him Monk.

I can't stress enough TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. By all means try in a shop to see what suits you, then shop around for the best price.

john ledger · Jun 28, 2005

Was going to spend around fifty or sixty quid Richard.Live near Sheffield so it might be Jessops,just spent over ?700 on a new camera so im stuffed at moment.
Leica if anything like their cameras might be too expensive Monk.
My mate Mike Townsend has a really small pair (Binoculars i mean) will have a word when i see him

Richard Farrow · Jun 28, 2005

John I'm sure Leica will be well above your budget.

Phil Hackett 2 · Jun 29, 2005

The Monk's just bragging or taking the urine.

I bought a pair of Olympus 8 x 21 2 months ago from Dixons at 50 quid. Excellent bins, small compact, fit in your pocket, very good micro focus on them. I?d recommend them at the price you want to spend.

Might take a bit of getting use too if you?re use to bins with a wide field of vision 50 plus. Me I?ve always had 21 and they are a tool of my trade. Sod looking the part with a pair of big blings round your neck, give me compacts any day of the week.

The Monk · Jun 29, 2005

no, just bragging, got mine second hand mate ?2.50, they are excellent though, the best binos I`ve ever used, Bill Oddie swears by them, just like looking at the real thing and you only have to buy them once of course and they never steam up or let water in.

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Jun 29, 2005

The Monk is right. I had a pair of Leitz Trinovid 7 x 35s years ago that got nicked.

Leica are the best binoculars in the world and think about it. You only ever make that one purchase.

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Jun 29, 2005

"Leica for me every time"

It seems The Monk is buying these things on a regular basis. Any chance of selling a a spare pair mate?

A good lightweight pair of binoculars is really somthing nice to possess.

And the Leica ones are small and unobstrusive. They wont suit the carpchavs though - not enough "Bling".

Hey that's a good name - "Carpchav"

Paul H · Jun 29, 2005

I used to work for Jessops and Yes Leica were the bees knees! You certainly know you've paid for them tho.
Canon and Olympus and even Pentax make some very good quality pairs in various sizes and magnifications, the larger the second number in the description, i.e 8x20,
then generally the brighter the image will be due to larger lenses.

Paul H · Jun 29, 2005

The try before you buy advice is essential!
Always try them outside the shop as well looking at something a good distance away after all that's what they're for, you're not going to use them for looking at price tags 10 yards away no matter how reluctant the shop assistant may be to let you out the door with them.

Graham Whatmore · Jun 29, 2005

I have never owned a pair but I have used them, as a signalman in the RN I had a pair round my neck all the time I was on the bridge and the naval ones were magnificent (pun)?

What I have never understood fully is what those numbers represent. I know its to do with magnification obviously but what exactly is 8 X 20?

Baz · Jun 29, 2005

I found that 8x40 were pretty good, as I could focus instantly.
Lost a pair when I left them on the bonnet of my landrover (carl Zeiss).
I can't get on with Leica,(10x50) as they were very sensitive to hand shake.

Baz · Jun 29, 2005

8 = times the magnification.
20 = field of vision. (I think)

Paul H · Jun 29, 2005

Yes pretty much, 8 is magnification i.e things will appear 8 times closer and the 20 is in relation to the diameter of the front lens which affects field of view and brightness of the image. The larger the number the larger the lens will be the wider the field of view you get and the more light it will gather.

Larger binoculars will generally be easier on the eye because of this but heavier and more cumbersome. It's a compromise really size versus quality of image. The small Leicas though were incredible, better than some brands best large pairs!

Richard Farrow · Jun 29, 2005

Its the diameter of the lenses. 8mm near your eyes far end 20 mm. Divide the lower inro the bigger and that will indicate how much light will enter the bins. Mine are 8X40, hence 40 divided by 8 is 5. Doesn't make much difference in good light conditions but early or late in the day or on really dull day it can make a big difference. At the end of the day its 'horses for courses',

Ron 'The Hat' Clay · Jun 29, 2005

When I bought my Trinovids I wanted them for game viewing in the various parks in SA and Namibia. I was advised against high magnification glasses as you do have problems holding them steady. The 7 x 35s were the best all-round spec.

The beauty of the Leica lenses is they are brilliant, even in low light. I spent some time comparing them to Pentax, Carl Zeiss, Nikon etc. For a start they were half the wieght. You could drop them in water and not damage them.

Leica ARE the best. They cost me the equivalent of ?350 at the time - 1984.

Paul H · Jun 29, 2005

That is true also Ron, anything above 35 or 40 is difficult to hand hold steady. The problem is magnified (sorry) by the magnification, as you get above 15x hand holding is tricky.

The Monk · Jun 29, 2005

I was lucky with mine for the price the 10x8s are around ?800, I also use a Kowa Scope which cost me ?400 second hand (normally ?800) For scopes I prefer Kowa TSN4, absolutely brilliant, of course I use these things for twitching

Binoculars

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