Hello, just searching the forum for info on bins. I'm not a hard-core birder (yet!) so I'm looking for something all-purpose, at a reasonable price. Until recently, I had a pair of dinky bins from childhood that were all scratched up, so my basis of comparison is pretty low. I would like to stick to 8 magnification and I'm under the impression that 8X42 (or 8X40) is ideal for my needs. I just started searching in depth today, so I'm open to all advice. At this time, I'm most considering the Monarch 8X42 bins, but I've also looked at the Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8X42 and had a look at the Cornell ratings. Thanks in advance. :)
Try the Swift 8.5 x 44 Porro Prisms if you can find a dealer who carries them. Great sharpness, very bright and a very wide Field of View (FOV). Reasonably priced too.
Good Birding,
Bob
My wife and I together have both bins above. Both are very good and priced similarly. However, they are very different. The Swift is heavier / bulkier and is really made for someone with fairly large hands and also has a larger minimum interpupillary distance (won't narrow down enough for my wife to use).
So, while both are good bins, a person really needs to try them out to see how they fit / feel to them.