Hi,
I'm ready to leave the US in a week and I want to buy a new pair of binoculars before heading again for Spain, where the average price is a lot higher.
I've been searching for reviews in internet and I bumped upon a previously unknown brand for me: Barska.
I'm seriously considering their Barska Naturescape 8x42 (Bak4, FullyMC, PC, close focus of 6ft, wide FOV, 21 oz... at around 130$).
I have read some harsh comments against this brand in two posts of this forum... is this brand so awful? Do you people have experience with this brand, specially with their full-size Naturescape series?
Another option was the Olympus Magellan EXPWI at 190$, jut because the brand is more reknowned. Whay about the ruggedness of this ones?
More so, if you could recommend any other binocular with the following characteristics I would greatly appreciate:
mainly use for birding, but also reptiles, and backpacking through rough terrain, so:
- good close focus (lower than 9ft)
- low weight (around 23 oz or less)
- good glass (bak4, fullyMC...) of course, but I don't need a top end
- rugged, shock-proof
- FOV not critically important (but nothing lower of 300ft!)
- 8x power
- around 100-200$
Thank you!
Thank you very much Ceasar. It looks great! However, I was looking for something less heavy and preferably under 200$. Anyway, it is a very interesting option to consider.
I've been expanding my search and in the EagleOptics webpage I 've found 3 other potential candidates that also have good reviews in this forum:
Atlas Radian 8x42
Leupold Acadia 8x42
Eagle Optics Denali 8x42
All of them have the same type of glasses and coatings, but I guess there will be some variation in quality. Do you know them? If there were no appreciable differences in optic quality, I would go for the Atlas because its closer focus and current less expensive price.