Cameras and Lenses
Cheap 7x42 - was thinking Opticron Imagic TGA WP?
Hi,
I am possibly going to buy a pair of 7x42 binoculars for around £130 in the next few days.
I have a pair of Opticron DBA Oasis for going out birding, when I wear contact lenses.
What I want is something for the walk to work/at work, when I wear glasses. The distance from my glasses lens to the front of my eye is around 20mm, so I am thinking 7x42 for the long eye relief and also because I find it slightly harder to get onto birds when putting the bins quickly up to my glasses.
So I am thinking of buying a pair of Opticron Imagic TGA WP 7x42. Would you buy these or do you have any other recommendations?
Thanks! 
I have this exact model, and unfortunately while the optics are very nice they do suffer from a wobbly bridge/focus mechanism which gives the impression of a faulty dioptic setting when focusing from close focus to infinity...in other words because of this movement the two barrels are out of alignment with each other!
Personally I'd recommend Nikons compact little 8x36 Monarch's or the Minox 8x32 BL BR..though these might not have quite so much eye relief as a 7x42 etc.
Matt
Not sure about the availability issue across the pond but the Bushnell Discoverer 7x42s have been going for around $200-$225 US recently. They are the least expensive of the 7x42s and offer very, very good optical performance for the price.
You might also consider waiting just a bit. Vortex is coming out with the 7x36 Diamondback very soon and it specs are very interesting...size, weight, field of view, eye relief, etc... all look excellent and the price, again, should be in the mid-$200s IIRC.