Cameras and Lenses

Binoculars for children - suggestions

My lad is not yet 4 years old, however he is already showing a keen interest in birds and can identify several species. I currently have a pair of Swarovski 7x42 slc's, a pair of Zeiss 10x25 classic's and an old pair of Minolta 8x22 compacts.

I thought that the Minolta's would be an ideal pair for him to use, they currently reside in the kitchen and so are always to hand. But they are actually difficult to use - the focusing is very stiff and they are difficult to to get a decent view out of ie they "black out " easily. He, however, would rather use my Swaro's even though they are heavy (plus I rather like using them myself!) or the 10 x25's which he is liable to drop or I fear he could damage the objectives which are not deep set and therefore liable to scratching.

So, do I persist with the Minolta's, risk the others or splash out on a new set. If I go for a new set they will have to be cheap - my wife still has no idea of what I really paid for the Swaro's and they are pre SLCnew ones that I got on a good deal !!!!!

What does "The Panel" think would be a good set of binoculars for a very young child? I have noticed that the RSPB are advertising a pair of 6x17 porro's that they recommend for children aged 7-12 would these be OK?
Views or any other suggestions would be gratefully received.

Some 7x model. Not too terribly wide, medium field of view. Some compacts work for children. If they do not wear glasses, rubber eye cups may be the simplest.

Eagle Optics has a nice little Reverse Porro Prism binocular in it's Triumph series. They cost less than $70.00. They weigh 9.9 oz. The 8 x 25 model has 18mm ER, 330' FOV and close focus's to 8.2 feet. You might even want to keep them in the car for yourself! Your son should be able to use these with proper supervision, but I wouldn't let him play with them. www.eagleoptics.com. They also have inexpensive binoculars for children. Check out their website.
Cordially,
Bob

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