Binoculars

Porthandbuoy

Porthandbuoy

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Not really a boaty question, but I'm sure there's plenty of knowledgeable people out there.

Daughter #3 will be going off to South Africa for 12 months or so. I intend to get her a pair of binoculars for Xmas and have, so far, settled on a pair of Steiner Safari 8x30. They seem a reasonable compromise on quality, weight, specification and price.

Anybody recommend an alternative?
 
Sorry to be pedantic but surely she will only need a single binocular not two of them!

Personally I'd like to know what the real cheapies you see in Newspaper ads are like. Last weekend there was a two for £19.99 offer. Common sense says they'd be rubbish I suppose.
 
Strongly suggest your daughter tries them: they are very personal items. I've tried other peoples very expensive Swarovski binos and didn't like them much. Pentax/Nikon optics are pretty good, in my experience.

Also some very cheap binos are quite good - until you drop them and the prisms go out of alignment. The 7x50s currently on my boat cost under £20 at a market stall, and are excellent. At that price I can bin them when they mist up or get badly knocked. You have to try them first though.
 
Would suggest you look at Opticron. They are a Japanese company that are really worrying Zeiss, Leitz , Swarovski etc.with their Oasis model at about 500 pounds and is equivalent, some say better. Of course I am not suggesting you pay this much but their compact models are under 100 pounds are terrific value. Be very careful about buying secondhand binos, they are often out of alignment.
 
Good advice re. try before buying. The problem is there are very very few places which stock bins by different manufacturers. Off-hand I can't think of any within striking distance of here.

2nd hand bins are not being considered.

Now Googling for Opticron.
 
8x30 will not be so good for what she waans. I would recommend a zoom so that she can find wildlife at something like the 7 or 8x, and then be able to zoom in to at least 10 - 12x

They also need to be as small and light as possible, but she is unlikely to need low light capability, so 30 field of view should be ok. They will also be banged around on transport etc, so rubber coat is good!

hope that helps.
 
Check out your local wildfowl centre/RSPB reserve, they often have organised days where many types of optic can be tried and compared. I have binoculars and scope by Optricon, top quality. I am not suggesting buying at the display day...you can always save money elsewhere.
 
I bought a small pair of Tasco 10 x 20 about 15 years ago, and these are still giving good service. I used these in the bush in Africa. They are portable, adequately bright for daytime use, and the extra magnification is useful. Also, I can afford to lose them, although because they fit in my pocket I am less likely to do so.

Overall, I would go for small, light and higher magnification.
 
Tried them all at the Boat Show and was fully prepared to pay £5-600 for Steiners.

Settled eventually on Compass 7/50s including a compass (from the Compass mail order co). They are £90 odd and in my experience are far superior to any others that are currently available. That was 5 seasons ago now, still using them, no problems. They are actually German Bresser-Optik ones that Compass simply brand for them. Recommended!
 
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