YBW - 7 best binoculars for under £40?

[Sharky34]

Of the 7 shown, only 2 are under £40, with the other 5 well above into £100's.
Shame on you YBW, why the con?

 

[Frogmogman]

Maybe its under £40 in 1980 money ?

 

[siwhi]

Don't know if it's changed, but the webpage now says "from under £40", not "for under £40".

A friend has the £40 Plastimo's which are autofocus. I gave a big "wow, these are great" when I tried them a couple of weeks ago, they give a far better image than my somewhat more expensive (if old) ones do. I guess that's what China can do to price. Definitely worth a look (sorry) if you're in the market for new ones.

 

[[3889]]

The Plastimos are servicable and good value but best isn't a word I'd use to describe them. Having balked at the cost of Steiner Commanders for many years I inherited a pair with a boat and wish I'd bought them from the get-go.

 

[mjcoon]

A friend has the £40 Plastimo's which are autofocus.

Given there are genuine, and expensive, autofocus mechanisms, fixed focus units should not be allowed to describe themselves that way!

 

[Chae_73]

After reading a previous PBO article and then doing some internet research, I've just bought a pair of Bushnell, like the ones in the article but with compass.

To me, they seem very good indeed but also the first decent pair of binos I've had.

 

[siwhi]

Given there are genuine, and expensive, autofocus mechanisms, fixed focus units should not be allowed to describe themselves that way!

Yes, I agree it's misleading. I guess it just means the focal point is set to infinity?

 

[Bobc]

I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.

 

[penberth3]

Yes, I agree it's misleading. I guess it just means the focal point is set to infinity?

I think "focus-free" is the right term. And the focal point is probably a bit less than infinity to achieve that.

 

[mjcoon]

I think "focus-free" is the right term. And the focal point is probably a bit less than infinity to achieve that.

Yes, I'm sure the focus point is a compromise...

 

[mjcoon]

I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.

I've bought lots of those over the years. One of my minor complaints is that the focus movement depends on lots of grease to make it smooth. And unfortunately it is not silicone grease with a viscosity that hardly varies with temperature. Instead they stiffen up in the winter (don't we all!)...

 

[Bav32]

I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.

Me too for the Lidl ones. Work well despite usually being 10 by 50s, when most people go for 7 by 50.
My greatest fear is dropping expensive ones over the side. Strange how that never seems to happen to the cheap ones, but if they did it's not that much to replace,

 

[WoodyP]

One of the things to check is if the lense coatings change the colours at night. A friend's bino's lose the colours which is a bit of a problem if trying to decide what a ship is doing at night. Poor eyesight at night means that I rely on binoculars when on watch.

 

[Praxinoscope]

I think "focus-free" is the right term. And the focal point is probably a bit less than infinity to achieve that.

The focus of 'autofocus' binoculars is factory set at the Hyperfocal Distance of the optics which provides the maximum Depth of Field, thus allowing them to be 'focus free'. The only disadvantage is that they won't focus as close as focussing binoculars.

 

[john_q]

The focus of 'autofocus' binoculars is factory set at the Hyperfocal Distance of the optics which provides the maximum Depth of Field, thus allowing them to be 'focus free'. The only disadvantage is that they won't focus as close as focussing binoculars.

They are no use for bird watching

 

[mjcoon]

They are no use for bird watching

I didn't think it was so much of a handicap for birdwatching, when most birds might be expected to be a moderate distance away. On the other hand when looking for insects, and butterflies in particular, close focusing is useful. Hence my Pentax ones that focus down to 0.5m are called Papilio.

 

[johnalison]

I think they are cleverly computed so that the normal human eye can comfortably focus in the same limited range as when viewing normal distant objects. Although not as good as focussing binoculars for critical use such as bird-watching, they do have the great advantage that they are ready for instant use by several people with differing eyes, without the need to adjust the two eyepieces for each individual.

 

[MikeCC]

Heads up if you are thinking about Steiner. There is a 25% price increase for any new stock.

Some retailers may just add the increase from today anyway. Very limited UK stock was available when increase was announced. I do know where there is a small quantity of Navigator compass type and maybe a Commander at pre-increase prices.

 

[Bodach na mara]

I bought a pair for £20 from Lidl and I'm very happy with them.

I made the mistake of taking them to a repair shop along with a pair of more expensive ones as both were out of colimation. The cost of each repair was £40!