Help on Binoculars please?

mils

I have no idea good brands/makes extras I need t be looking out for.
Basically im after a pair of Binoculars for a present for someone who has 8 acres of land. So the purpose of them would be to watch wildlife in the garden - Doves, deers, heron .....
A few weeks ago they mentioned they saw from a distance 6 deers but couldn't get a good view of them being so far away. They also have a dovecote in the garden which would be another reason.


So in my head im expecting to pay a few hundred pounds but would love some advise to point me in the right direction.


Regards


Paul

EpsomOldie

Hello Paul

What a lovely gift. I'll be interested to see the suggestions from the people here as I've long been interested in something similar...though I haven't got the acres, just a garden and allotment in the semi-rural 'burbs!

I saved a recommendation (posted here I think) for these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-10-DPC-Silver-Binoculars/dp/B00006G33O/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377852722&sr=1-1&keywords=olympus+10+x+21+dpc+i

...but would like to see what else people say.

EO

ljonski

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006G33O/ref=s9_hps_bw_g23_i4?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=0WPTTGW1YNT1TQZECB35&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=449884507&pf_rd_i=1083928

I have these and are great

Tyler_Du

Lidl and Aldi have good binoculars and bird spotting scopes from time to time.

andygb

These seem pretty good.

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/Helios/Solanarange/16x50/porro-prism/binocular.html

You can spend £hundreds on binoculars, but I have an old pair of Praktica which I purchased ten years ago, and they are as sharp as a very sharp thing in all weather conditions.

martinthebandit

Have a look at the advice on the rspb web site and then buy these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barr-Stroud-Sahara-10x50-Binocular/dp/B0010ZVUC6/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1413797047&sr=1-5&keywords=barr+%26+stroud

peter_the_piper

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bushnell-224208-Nature-View-8x42mm-Porro-Prism-Binoculars-Tan-/201105464075?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:3160

Just bought these for OH who dropped her last pair. Seems very good to me as I usually buy Bushnells when needed. Came within days from this seller.

Davesnave

andygb wrote: »

These seem pretty good.

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/Helios/Solanarange/16x50/porro-prism/binocular.html

You can spend £hundreds on binoculars, but I have an old pair of Praktica which I purchased ten years ago, and they are as sharp as a very sharp thing in all weather conditions.

Those are a bit powerful for nature viewing. Remember, the higher the magnification/larger the binoculars, the harder it is to control hand shake etc.

I agree older quality brands are somewhat better than the sub-£100 modern offerings.

I have late1970s Pentax binoculars that have literally been through hell & high water, and they are still slightly sharper and brighter than my Nikons. The Nikons are lighter, so easier to hold and carry around though.

It's a bit like cameras. Everyone knows that a quality SLR will give superior results, but a pocketable compact is more likely to be on your person when really needed.

Davesnave

Tyler_Durden_UK wrote: »

Lidl and Aldi have good binoculars and bird spotting scopes from time to time.

I can't comment on the quality of those, but that's a good point about scopes.

Some of us have very 'unbalanced' eyes and it's worth looking at scopes if you're like me, with one eye doing 90% of the work!

peter_the_piper

Good bins allow you to focus each lens seperately.

Davesnave

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Good bins allow you to focus each lens seperately.

Yes, of course, but if people have a weak eye as gammy as mine, they may still end up closing it!