I wonder if you good people could give me some advice in choosing a new pair of birding bins? I would like to have a pair weighing less than 500gms as, because of my disability, I have limited strength in my arms and holding anything heavier is tiring after a while If I can I would like to avoid buying a pair of compacts because I don’t feel these are quite up to it in poor lighting conditions.
My choice seems to be a bit limited, and at the end of the day I expect I will have to make a compromise between quality and weight, but I would still like to get the best bins that I can. I know that the Zeiss Conquest 8x30 BT and the Optolyth Alpin 8x30 NG BGA both weigh under the 500gms. So my question really comes down to this: are these two bins worthy of consideration or are there other better models out there? I think that I would prefer to go for the Zeiss, but I’ve heard that the cheaper roof prism bins don’t match the quality of the same priced porros. Is that true, and just how good are the Zeiss bins? I said in the beginning that I wanted to avoid buying compact bins, but should I also consider looking at some of the high quality compacts like the 10x25 Ultravid or Nikon HGL?
All thoughts, and comments on the above would be most gratefully accepted!!
Cheers
Gary
hi Gary
comments I've read about the Conquests have all been positive. Another one to consider would be the Opticron Traveller 8x32 weighs 454g and is pretty good.
As a curio a review in BBC Wildlife (by two WWT people at Slimbridge rated the Ultravid 10x25 VERY highly compared to full size bins. Probably a case of trying them and see.
oh and welcome to the forum.
hello gary,one consideration to remember when choosing bins is the focus action,some binoculars have a tight focus action if you have a weakness in your fingers they may induce muscle fatigue.the small size[pocket bins] may be to small and fiddly to operate comfortably.the first bin that came to mind which would possibly suit you would be the nikon 8+32 se porroprisms but some say that the focus is quite stiff and also the shape of it may not be very comfortable as it is the old thin wheel type.
the reviews section in september edition of bird watching may point you in the right direction as there is a special 8+32 binocular test survey with the leading models from £350.best of luck,matt