Hi all,
I seem to have stumbled across a great group with a plethora of knowledge! I am getting back into birding (I haven't done any real watching for over 10 years), and am looking at purchasing my very own first pair of binoculars. I am looking to stay under $300, but also need them to be light (lots of hiking and backpacking) and powerful (field research, possibly of large marine mammals and/or birds for long periods of time, waterproof is optimal). I've found a few that look good, and have read through several posts, but am still rather overwhelmed. Any suggestions folks have are most welcome. Thoughts on brands beyond Leica, Nikon and Zeiss, the only ones I really know, are welcome as well. Thank you! I look forward to being part of the group!
Holly
A few "maybes"
1) Bushnell 8x42mm (or 10X42) Excursion roof prism
2) Swift 8.5x44mm Audubon porro prism waterproof
3) Audubon Classic Equinox 10x42 Binoculars
4) Brunton Echo 10X42
5) Swift 8 x 42mm Ultra Lite porro prism
PS I apologize for cross posting - I didn't realize there was a forum just for binoculars:)
[QUOTE=fishgirl]Hi all,
I seem to have stumbled across a great group with a plethora of knowledge! I am getting back into birding (I haven't done any real watching for over 10 years), and am looking at purchasing my very own first pair of binoculars. I am looking to stay under $300, but also need them to be light (lots of hiking and backpacking) and powerful (field research, possibly of large marine mammals and/or birds for long periods of time, waterproof is optimal). I've found a few that look good, and have read through several posts, but am still rather overwhelmed. Any suggestions folks have are most welcome. Thoughts on brands beyond Leica, Nikon and Zeiss, the only ones I really know, are welcome as well. Thank you! I look forward to being part of the group!
Holly
A few "maybes"
1) Bushnell 8x42mm (or 10X42) Excursion roof prism
2) Swift 8.5x44mm Audubon porro prism waterproof
3) Audubon Classic Equinox 10x42 Binoculars
4) Brunton Echo 10X42
5) Swift 8 x 42mm Ultra Lite porro prism
PS I apologize for cross posting - I didn't realize there was a forum just for binoculars:)[/QUOTE]
Hey Holly,
One thing you didn't mention is whether you wear eyeglasses. The Swift Audubon 8.5x44 are the best binocs on your list, but they don't offer a lot of eyerelief -- so that if you wear glasses, about a third of the field of view gets cut off.
Also, different binocs are able to be adjusted closer together than others -- called interpupillary distance. If you have average-set eyes, most binocs are fine, but some people have very narrow or wide-set eyes and fewer binocs will work for them.
The best thing you can do is go to a store that carries a wide selection of quality binoculars and try them out.
One model not on your list is the Nikon Monarch 8x42. This is a very good binocular in your price range and has Nikon's lifetime no-fault warranty. You can drop them or run them over and Nikon will still fix them for 10 bucks.
8x32 configurations are smaller and lighter than 8x42s, though not by much. I think that generally, 8x42 is the most versatile binoc you can use. 10x make the image a bit larger, but in your price range 10x binocs usually have less eye relief and a smaller field of view.
The Swift Ultra Lite 8x42 roof prism is also a very good binocular and usually goes for around $299 online and at some of the big sporting goods chains. Personally, I like it better than the Ultra Lite porro prisms, and it's definitely smaller.
Good luck! You will get lots of good advice on this forum!
-- Jim