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Mini binocular recommendations
- Thread starter Squid
- Start date
There are plenty on the market. Stick with the known brand names like Nikon, Minolta, Tasco, Bushnell etc or if you can afford it look at the Steiners, Zeiss etc.
For compactness get the roof prism (straight barrel tubes) for slightly lighter in weight, get the porro prism design (zig-zag lens tubes).
For general use a 7X21 or 8X22 should suffice. Anything higher powered will irritate you as handshake is magnified with these small light binocs. Also higher powers can make it harder to find your target, especially in wooded or featureless terrain (snow, desert) as you can wind up waving the binocs all over the place trying to find your target (esp true with moving birds). Most times you don't want to see target detail (unless you're a bird watcher) but you want to identify something you can't quite make out with the naked eye.
But most important - don't buy via mail order. You must check out the binocs yourself, in the store before you buy. I went through a pile of Minoltas before choosing two, one for myself and one for my wife. Focus them for your eyes, then look at objects close (3 - 10 metres) then further out to the far distance. You should have a clear. round picture with no black 'clipping'. The picture should be clear, look 'normal' (no double picture) and you should not feel like your eyes are becoming strained after a minute or two of peering through them. To check for chipped lenses look through the lenses in reverse - any chips will be seen as black nicks on the edges. You'll be amazed at the difference in quality (lens barrel misalignment mainly) on the lower priced binocs.
If you wear spectacles then get a pair on which the rubber eyecups fold down for spectacle use.
Good luck and have fun with them!
For compactness get the roof prism (straight barrel tubes) for slightly lighter in weight, get the porro prism design (zig-zag lens tubes).
For general use a 7X21 or 8X22 should suffice. Anything higher powered will irritate you as handshake is magnified with these small light binocs. Also higher powers can make it harder to find your target, especially in wooded or featureless terrain (snow, desert) as you can wind up waving the binocs all over the place trying to find your target (esp true with moving birds). Most times you don't want to see target detail (unless you're a bird watcher) but you want to identify something you can't quite make out with the naked eye.
But most important - don't buy via mail order. You must check out the binocs yourself, in the store before you buy. I went through a pile of Minoltas before choosing two, one for myself and one for my wife. Focus them for your eyes, then look at objects close (3 - 10 metres) then further out to the far distance. You should have a clear. round picture with no black 'clipping'. The picture should be clear, look 'normal' (no double picture) and you should not feel like your eyes are becoming strained after a minute or two of peering through them. To check for chipped lenses look through the lenses in reverse - any chips will be seen as black nicks on the edges. You'll be amazed at the difference in quality (lens barrel misalignment mainly) on the lower priced binocs.
If you wear spectacles then get a pair on which the rubber eyecups fold down for spectacle use.
Good luck and have fun with them!
You can get Steiner Safari Pro's for less than 100 bucks or Predator Pro's for less than 200. They're small and rubber-armored for water resistance and durability.
I just bought a pair of Pentax Papilio compacts 8.5 x 21. They have a rubber coating but it's thinner than what I would consider "armored" although there's a nice rubber ridge surrounding the objective lenses. I paid about $110 for them. The reason I chose them is because they are by far the closest focusing binocular ever made and close focus was the most important feature I was looking for. I will use them for butterfly and other insect observation. These things focus clearly down to 18 inches! There is a bit of chromatic aberration when looking farther distances or infinity, but I bought them for close observation and they are still perfectly acceptable as a light-weight backup for longer range when I don't have my birding binoculars at hand.
I just bought a pair of Pentax Papilio compacts 8.5 x 21. They have a rubber coating but it's thinner than what I would consider "armored" although there's a nice rubber ridge surrounding the objective lenses. I paid about $110 for them. The reason I chose them is because they are by far the closest focusing binocular ever made and close focus was the most important feature I was looking for. I will use them for butterfly and other insect observation. These things focus clearly down to 18 inches! There is a bit of chromatic aberration when looking farther distances or infinity, but I bought them for close observation and they are still perfectly acceptable as a light-weight backup for longer range when I don't have my birding binoculars at hand.
I have a pair of Nikon 7x20 CF that I found on e-bay. Great little tool. I searched and waited for months until I got them at a reasonable price. I also have a pair of Nikon 8x23 Venturers that I bought new many years ago. A little bigger, but great glass for the money. I've also seen them on e-bay
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2005
- Messages
- 19,834
best to try them out. the eye relief will vary, and may not suit you.
i had a pair of 8x20 steiners. well made and durable, but i just couldn't focus. i also have a pair of 8x32's that are wonderful.
now my 8x20 pair are leica trinovids. pricey, but well worth it.
i had a pair of 8x20 steiners. well made and durable, but i just couldn't focus. i also have a pair of 8x32's that are wonderful.
now my 8x20 pair are leica trinovids. pricey, but well worth it.
No price range specified... so I'll tell you about my nikon lxl 8x20s... They're awesome. Completely covered my compact binocular needs. Insane image from small binoculars. They handle like small ones, meaning that they don't handle like larger ones and are prone to small binocular problems, but they're spectacular. I paid nearly $300 for mine... but lifetime warranties do cost that. I'm young, and know that I have a pair of compact binoculars for the rest of my life... which, if all goes well, should be far more than 50 years.
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