Hi everyone, new to this whole birdwatching hobby but really getting into it. I went out with some friends a few times and decided its time to buy a set of binoculars of my own, I just had some issues that I wanted to get cleared up before I take the plunge. Im willing to spend upwards of $500 for a pair, but being a beginner and new to the hobby im not entirely sure I should spend that much, this is kinda where the whole parro/roof thing comes in. I have been reading about the pros and cons of each (thanks to some of the older threads) and am kinda leaning towards parro, I live in Southern California where it rarely rains and its pretty dry so I dont think weather proofing would be a big issue and I also have fairly big hands so that wouldnt be an issue either, those two things seem to be some of the biggest selling points when it comes to both technologies. Am I missing something?
As it sits right now I would say im leaning towards parro with the most bang for the buck but definitely open to suggestions considering im a noob and all.
Hi, from what I know - in low/medium price bins, porro owns the show. This has to do with a number of things, especially light gathering capabilities and image clarity. Roof prisms are much more expensive to manufacture than porro ones, because special coatings need to be added to prevent light scattering. If I was in your skin... maybe try finding some 500$ highend bino on ebay, sometimes you can get one, like leica ultravid, trinovid or zeiss FL. Otherwise I'd go for some highend porro. The only drawback of porros is their size and weight, but you said you got big hands so no problems there. What combination do you have in mind? 10x40ish or 7x32 or something in between?? The size of binos will affect youir price greatly too.
If you are considering a porro then the Nikon EII and SE are generally considered top of the heap. They mostly differ in eye relief (for glasses) and field of view, but do read the specs. Most choose an 8x or a 10x, but that would depend on how steady your hands are, and the kind of terrain. Try some if you can.
Check this thread.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread...836#post2051836
David