I am pretty much set on a pair of Hawke Frontier ED Binoculars 8x43 as my main set but I am a little concerned that with a set of 8x43 I will need to be pretty close to the birds to get a really good view, am I right in thinking this. I currently have a pair of pretty crap 10x50s and for longer shots I was thinking of getting a set of wait for it.....20x80s, they are less than £100 so obviously not the best quality and are so big I will need a tripod but I was wondering if anyone has used a aet of these and what they are like.
Or maybe instead of the big bins I should go for a spotting scope for long distance stuff
[QUOTE=Cartman;1309240]I am pretty much set on a pair of Hawke Frontier ED Binoculars 8x43 as my main set but I am a little concerned that with a set of 8x43 I will need to be pretty close to the birds to get a really good view, am I right in thinking this. I currently have a pair of pretty crap 10x50s and for longer shots I was thinking of getting a set of wait for it.....20x80s, they are less than £100 so obviously not the best quality and are so big I will need a tripod but I was wondering if anyone has used a aet of these and what they are like.
Or maybe instead of the big bins I should go for a spotting scope for long distance stuff[/QUOTE]
You´ll get tons of advice if you check through the threads, or google for birding-binocular advice. The Hawke Frontier ED 8x43 sound like top-class bins and superb value, and for general birding the maximum magnification one is advised to use is 8x or 10x. For longer distance use, wait and buy a good scope. That´s a whole other issue, but I think you´ll regret it if you buy a 20x pair of bins for general birding. Best of Luck.