binoculars

[Paully]

I want to purchase some but i know very little about them?

Whats the most important things to look for when buying a pair?

 

Any help is appreciated..

[rbaquial]

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=binocular+faq%27s

[BillM]

Glass, glass, glass....

 

It's all about the quality of the optics.. My parents picked up a pair of Nikons and they are unbelievable.

[bassjnkie]

Last year I bought the Bushnell Trophy in camo 10x42. Awesome clarity, shock proof, fog proof, lightweight. I bought them on sale for $199.99. The best thing about Bushnell is lifetime warranty and the repair center is in Thornhill. I have to add this, I brought a 25 year old rifle scope to Bushnell cause is was getting dark. I walked in showed the guy the scope and within 10mins I walked out with a brand new scope. That's great service.

[fish_fishburn]

Hey Shorelunch. I was in the market about 4 yrs ago and I just happened to be walking past a pawn shop and checked it out for some bino's. They had at least 10 different kinds. I ended up buying the Bushnell 10X50 for about 40 bucks. Still have them and they work great. You might want to try there before springing for a new pair.

[hirk]

How about in the box Bushnell H20 10x42's for $100 or 8x42's for $90.I have 1 of each

Edited March 18, 2010 by hirk

[Roy]

Yeah, I need a pair too. My old cheap ones don't work well at all...in fact, when I want a closer look at something out there now I use the zoom on the Sony camera. Not ideal I tell ya.

[JohnF]

A couple of years back I picked up a pair of compact glasses. What's nice about them is that there's some kind of lens phase coating that somehow enhances the ambient light. When you look at a darkish target it looks as if there's a light source being directed at it. Pretty cool. They're 8 power Pentax weather resistant DCF MCII. I think they may be a discontinued line. They were on sale for $100 down from $300.

 

JF

Edited March 18, 2010 by JohnF

[Fisherman]

A couple things to remember, much more than 7X (the power of magnification, first number) you need to be really steady otherwise the shakes become pronounced. The the bigger the second number is, the better the light gathering quality is, ie, a 7x50 pair has a light factor of 7.1 versus a 10x40 which only has a factor of 4.0. Big difference under early morning, late evening light conditions. Stay away from the C junk. Japanese or German optics are best.

[archie_james_c]

A good set of 8X42's will be all you need for hunting/marine/bird watching. Go with the most expensive glass you can afford. If you don't want to spend wad's of cash on a set of bino's have a look at some of the mid end Vortex optics or Leupold Olympics.

 

Remember with bino's, the more expensive the set, the better the glass, the clearer the picture.

[Mattones]

I am looking for a cheap pair to have in the truck

[archie_james_c]

I am looking for a cheap pair to have in the truck

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex....excrossfire8x42

 

I have the same set as I needed some for my Moose hunt last year but didn't have alot of money to spend on glass. They see out to 500 yards pretty damn clearly. For the price you wouldn't be dissapointed.

[HTHM]

My first thought due to the title of this thread, was the bikini clad blonde in the distance.....

[Roy]

My first thought due to the title of this thread, was the bikini clad blonde in the distance.....

 

And mine was curiosity as to who it was fishing with more rods than they should.

[kickingfrog]

I want to purchase some but i know very little about them?

Whats the most important things to look for when buying a pair?

 

Any help is appreciated..

 

Start with a budget, ballpark it at least to narrow it down.

 

Do you wear glasses? Contacts?

 

What do you plan on doing with them? Hiking, fishing, hunting, star gazing or watching birds from your back window?

 

Are you rough on stuff?

 

Do you want them to be water proof?

[bigugli]

If you don't mind the coin, Zeiss lenses are the best in the industry. It all boils dwn to your specific needs as to what size and magnification range you require.

[Paully]

Thanks for all the replys guys, lots of things to consider i guess.

I mainly want a pair for hiking around with , some deer.. bird watching... when the opportunity arises.

 

Canadian tire had some Bushmaster bino's on sale a few weeks back that i purchased for 9 bucks...they work alright for having in the truck, but i would definitely want a much better pair.

 

The pawn shop idea sounds like something to check out.

 

Why would you need bino's to be water proof? for condensation?

[singingdog]

For the best info anywhere on binos, check out Better View Desired. It is birding focused, but explains all the different designs and their pros and cons. It gives you "best buys" at various price levels.

 

A quick primer:

8x42 means that the binos magnify the view 8x your normal eye. (anything over 8 is of limited usefulness). The 42 is the size of the objective lens (lens farthest from your eyes). Divide the two #s (5.25 in this case) and you have the binos theoretical ability to deliver light to your eye: theoretical because lens quality will affect this. A 10x42, all else being equal, will magnify more than an 8x42, but deliver less light to your eye.

 

More $ does not necessarily mean better binos. Porro prism binos (the ones with a "kink" in the tubes) are far easier to make than roof prism binos (the ones that have straight tubes). Because of that, you can get super-high quality porro prisms for far less $ than an equivalent quality roof prism bino.

 

The main reason to go with roof prism binos is that they can be made completely weatherpoof (no condensation). If you pick up your typical pair of porro prism binos and turn the focus knob, you will see that the eyepieces actually move up and down. Every time that happens, outside air is being pulled into the insides of the binos, potentially causing condensation on the lenses and prism.

 

Good roof prism binos have the moving parts inside, which allows for a totally sealed bino. No outside air means no condensation.

 

The last thing most people consider is fit. If binos don't fit your face, then they are not a good deal at any price. If you can't bring them up to your eyes and very quickly get a good view through the eyepieces, then your going to have tough time using them.