Hello Folks
I live in a “binocular retailer free zone” - well you’d think so, there must be all of 10 pairs max (mostly real cheapies) available within an hours drive of here.
Anyhow that doesn’t give any opportunity to look at things before one buys – at least we have the internet now and can source a wonderful array of stuff !!
So – its years (well decades actually) since I tried a pair of individual focus bino’s.
I want to buy a pair of good quality 6 or 7x glasses that theoretically will mainly be used by my boys (but you know what happens – they always want what Dad likes – so my Minox 7x42’s always get swiped).
We are primarily hunters, and our style here is to glass each basin as we come to it. That means we are using them at ranges of 80 to 800 metres as a general rule, very seldom any closer, occasionally a bit further.
I have my eye on a few different IF glasses that boys might like (look a bit “warry”!!) such Jena EDF 7x40’s or Minox 6.5x32s etc. It seems to me that IF's are modestly priced for the optical quality, and maybe reasonably boyproof.
As long as I get something with sufficient eye relief (I wear specs, the boys don’t) will an IF binocular be suitable for my purposes ??
Has anyone got further suggestions as to particular models I should consider ??
Many Thanks
Foster
Your instincts are serving you well. If you need a solid, well-made binocular for hunting purposes, the IOR-Valdada 7x40’s are as good as any you’ll find. They’re also available in a 10x50 configuration, perhaps better suited for those 800-meter ballistics situations you described. They are shipped with very effective yellow filters, which snap into the oculars (I believe), a real boon if you’re attempting to follow game over a wavy, sun-saturated horizon. They retail for about $450.00 US. I’m not sure what they’ll cost in New Zealand currency. I’ve spent considerable time peering through them, and have found the optical quality to be remarkably good for this price range. My cousin, an accomplished mariner, purchased a pair of the 7x40’s, and he loves them! MUCH cheaper than other comparable low-power individual-eyepiece focusing binoculars, like the Fujinon FMTR-SX 7x50’s, and quite a bit lighter, as well. Eye-relief is splendid.
I’ve enclosed some links below that will direct you to retailers. Yep, they’re favorites of big brawny men in uniforms…
http://www.valdada.com/product/f65e...e9d07d8ead.aspx
http://www.usaoptics.net/
http://www.impactguns.com/store/ior_scopes.html
Good hunting!
Chris Ellison
If you do end up going the Minox route, cameralandny.com has the best prices online on that model... ;-)