Binoculars help plse

cazarol

We are going to Kenya on 19 July including a 3 day safari!! Just wondered if anyone has any recomendations on binoculars for a 10 year old and 14 year old, Dont really want to spend too much but want them to have a good chance of seeing as much as poss!!
Cheers

black-saturn

Perhaps you would get more replies in 'Wanna buy it' section.

johnnytee

I would go for a pair of compact binoculars. As the name suggests they are small,lightweight and easy to pack. A magnification of 8x20 or 10x25 would suffice. You can pay a lot of money for high spec binos, but i would suggest you get yourself down to Jessops or London Camera Exchange,where you should be able to pick up a perfecly adequate pair for between £20-40. Don't forget to try them out in the shop before you buy. Have a great trip

RacyRed

Check out the advice for buying optical equipment HERE, For a quick reference check the RSPB optics shop, usually if they sell it, it is worth having.

For youngsters I'd consider buying second hand. Keen birdwatchers tend to update their equipment regularly so some very good quality binoculars are available in the specialist shops or the classifieds of birding/wildlife magazines.


I'd not recomend going for the really cheap bins in non-specialist shops. They can be a real waste of time and money. Bad bins really are worse than none as if they are heavy, dark and do not focus quickly you miss seeing things altogether.

Invest in good neck straps though, any bins get heavy when you have had them slung round your neck for a few hours and the combination of bog standard neck straps, heat and sun could be painful.

Get the children to practice using binoculars before they go. Practice on garden birds or something, get them to spot a bird just using their eyes, keep looking at it while bringing the bins up to their eyes WITHOUT taking their eyes away from the bird. Not too difficult once they have the knack and will pay real dividends on safari.

BigDonut

johnnytee wrote:

I would go for a pair of compact binoculars. As the name suggests they are small,lightweight and easy to pack. A magnification of 8x20 or 10x25 would suffice. You can pay a lot of money for high spec binos, but i would suggest you get yourself down to Jessops or London Camera Exchange,where you should be able to pick up a perfecly adequate pair for between £20-40. Don't forget to try them out in the shop before you buy. Have a great trip

How about a pair for 5.99 (+postage)
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_8&products_id=90473
I've got these and they are great. Meet the small and lightweight, and are also so cheap that if the kids trash them then its not such a great loss

Only down side for a safaris is the 25 is perhaps a bit small field of vision but for kids I would think its fine

alanrowell

If you want to see game at dawn & dusk (when most gamespotting is done) you need as big an objective (the front lens) as possible BUT you don't need too much magnification in order to get a wide a view as possible.

I'd go for something like 7x50 or 8x42.

8x20's & 10x25's will be like looking through a straw

BigDonut

alanrowell wrote:

If you want to see game at dawn & dusk (when most gamespotting is done) you need as big an objective (the front lens) as possible BUT you don't need too much magnification in order to get a wide a view as possible.

I'd go for something like 7x50 or 8x42.

8x20's & 10x25's will be like looking through a straw

Thats a good point alan. The 7dayshop site also do 10x42 http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=90463
and 12x50 binoculars http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=8335
both under 12 quid

No idea on quality but I would guess good for the kids.
Its important to ge tthe kids used to looking for things, their eyesight is usually much better than adults!