I bought a cheap set (I know, I know) at a local wholesale place and while they were alright for awhile they broke and the view quality/sharpness really wasnt that great. I'm looking for a pocket pair with a 10x or 12x magnification. The trick is I want steiner type quality on a tasco budget. Thats probably never gonna happen but I'd like to spend less than 75.00 maybe alittle more if it's an awesome deal. Anybody out there got any ideas, sites, mail order outfits that would have a good range of decent bino's.....
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I need a new set of binoculars any ideas
- Thread starter Cyblade
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- Jun 8, 2000
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- 3,140
You probably want to stay at 10x or less. More than 10x and it becomes hard to focus as the shake in your hands get magnified and it makes it hard to see what you're looking at without some sort of solid mount, which is hard to do on pocket glasses.
With a little searching at some of my favorite optics sites, here's a pair of Bausch & Lomb 10x25 Legacys I'd recommend as the best buy in your price range:
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=3860
I have owned at least six sets of the Bausch & Lomb Legacy 8x20s and still carry a set in my briefcase every day. My wife has a pair and loves them as do all the folks I've given the other pairs to or who bought them on my recommendation. Bausch & Lomb is the parent company of Bushnell but generally offers better stuff under their own name. The Legacys I have were made in Japan as opposed to most of the Bushnell stuff that comes from China these days. If they're anything like the build quality of my 8x20s, the'll be darn good binos. Not quite Leica or Zeiss, but much more affordable.
John
With a little searching at some of my favorite optics sites, here's a pair of Bausch & Lomb 10x25 Legacys I'd recommend as the best buy in your price range:
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&purch=1&pid=3860
I have owned at least six sets of the Bausch & Lomb Legacy 8x20s and still carry a set in my briefcase every day. My wife has a pair and loves them as do all the folks I've given the other pairs to or who bought them on my recommendation. Bausch & Lomb is the parent company of Bushnell but generally offers better stuff under their own name. The Legacys I have were made in Japan as opposed to most of the Bushnell stuff that comes from China these days. If they're anything like the build quality of my 8x20s, the'll be darn good binos. Not quite Leica or Zeiss, but much more affordable.
John
- Joined
- Jun 4, 1999
- Messages
- 359
10X is probably as high as you want to go but in a compact you may find taht lower power is more usable. The exit pupil on a 10X20 pair is going to be pretty small and make eye alignment very criutical. In the smaller size a 7 or 8 X may actually prove to be more usable. I think for a 10X 42mm is about as small as you want to go and keep a really usable exit pupil size.
- Joined
- May 24, 2003
- Messages
- 31
Cyblade,
Might I suggest the Minox 10x25 BR
for $99, or the Minox 8x24 BR $124.95
I have little experince with Minox optics, I use a pair of Zeiss Victory 8X20s
If the links dont work above, then goto Samplelist.com, Minox line
Might I suggest the Minox 10x25 BR
for $99, or the Minox 8x24 BR $124.95
I have little experince with Minox optics, I use a pair of Zeiss Victory 8X20s
If the links dont work above, then goto Samplelist.com, Minox line
johnniet
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 1999
- Messages
- 4,682
For binoculars under $100, you often get a much better view if you can put up with porros (somewhat bulkier than roofs).
A lot of people like the Pentax UCF series; I bet the Minox 8x24 porros from Samplelist ($80) would be even better.
Some low-priced roofs that are said to be terrific are the Zhumell 10x25s (also come in 8x21).
If you really want to try something cheap, these would be inferior to the Minoxes but probably better than Tasco:
http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/t1492.html
They look like the same body as the Pentax UCFs, but with BK-7 prisms instead of BK-4. I don't know the story behind them.
A lot of people like the Pentax UCF series; I bet the Minox 8x24 porros from Samplelist ($80) would be even better.
Some low-priced roofs that are said to be terrific are the Zhumell 10x25s (also come in 8x21).
If you really want to try something cheap, these would be inferior to the Minoxes but probably better than Tasco:
http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/t1492.html
They look like the same body as the Pentax UCFs, but with BK-7 prisms instead of BK-4. I don't know the story behind them.
MelancholyMutt
Doggy Style
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2002
- Messages
- 3,906
go cheap if you like, but quality is worth the money. I recently purchased a pair of image stabilized bino's by Canon and the difference is amazing. For anything not image stabilized, stay 7X or under with 30 to 35 mm objectives... You will find that a hundred bucks will serve you just as well as 500 bucks.
While too bulky for your request and admittedly out of your price target, the new Canon 7x42's (US versions 
) can be at your door for $180 if you shop around. Admittedly, I was not able to properly demo them against the Steiners (7x50 military) but, given the viewing conditions, I was not able to discern any difference in optical quality with MY eyes given the limited test conditions.
The price versus performance issue is very real. What you want to figure out is where the point of diminishing return is (twice the price for a small improvement in performance). Also, what sort of performance do you really need (what are you trying to view)?
In general with binoculars, I find that I get huge leaps in performance until I hit the ~$200 (ebay/internet prices) pricepoint. $200 to $500 helps with very specific performance issues. More expensive bino's offer performance enhancements that I generally cannot see with these tired eyes.
) can be at your door for $180 if you shop around. Admittedly, I was not able to properly demo them against the Steiners (7x50 military) but, given the viewing conditions, I was not able to discern any difference in optical quality with MY eyes given the limited test conditions.The price versus performance issue is very real. What you want to figure out is where the point of diminishing return is (twice the price for a small improvement in performance). Also, what sort of performance do you really need (what are you trying to view)?
In general with binoculars, I find that I get huge leaps in performance until I hit the ~$200 (ebay/internet prices
) pricepoint. $200 to $500 helps with very specific performance issues. More expensive bino's offer performance enhancements that I generally cannot see with these tired eyes.