Cameras and Lenses
Need Help on bin selection! New to Birding
Hi: I am from kentucky and am new to birding. I am trying to buy a pair of binoculars but do not know what to buy? I would appreciate any advice on what to get? Right now I am trying out a borrowed pair.....they are 10x50.
I like them but cannot see the details of birds. Right now I just like to watch the birds from my window or outside.....if anyone has any advice please e-mail me at: cl_sheats "at" bellsouth.net
Thanks Sheats
Several things to consider.
First would be price range, this might be less than $100, around $300, over $700.
Then you can find reviews on these forums that treat similarly priced bins. For a hundred dollars you can certainly get a decent compact bin. For a little more serious bin, something like the Nikon Monarch 8X42 for around 300 is a great bin, then the pricey bins above 700, well I'll leave that to others to talk about - I don't own them 
.
Then the last but most important thing - try them out! Any bin you buy should be comfortable for you and "fit" you.
Dave above gave you some great advice. I do not have much to add from that standpoint as I always enjoyed the Monarchs as well...plus your choices are going to depend on how much you want to spend. However, one of your statements caught my eye. You said you cannot see much detail with the 10x50s. That could be because of one of two reasons. One, and this was the first thought, was that I am curious as to the quality level of your 10x50. All things considered, and assuming you have a fairly steady hold/rest for the bins, the 10x50 configuration should produce more usable detail than many other regularly used configurations. But, the key words there were "steady hold/rest". A 10x bin, for many folks, without a steady rest provides less detail because the images bounces around a bit more. A good quality 8x or 7x bin might provide you with more usable detail because the image produced by them doesn't move around as much. My second thought was about what expectations you have from your bins. I know many folks who have picked up a pair of bins and were quite disappointed because the image just wasn't large enough to give them the details they expected to see.
Hope this is somewhat helpful.