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What is a good brand of binoculars to get?

Nikon

Hehehe, how'd I know that was coming after I just looked at some Nikons

Ted's have the 10x50s for $200 wonder where I can get 12x or 16x. Want to use them for searching for nests.

kipper wrote:Hehehe, how'd I know that was coming after I just looked at some Nikons

Ted's have the 10x50s for $200 wonder where I can get 12x or 16x. Want to use them for searching for nests.

kipper,
12x or 16x is not good on hand holding.

Hi Kipper i use Silva eterna marine 7x50 autofocus waterproofs, i have had them for along time now , mostly used on the boats ive had no probs at all over the last few years hope this helps
Kevin

Just so you know what you're missing, try some top of the range models as well as the others, and then you will have a reference point to work from. Leica or Zeiss binos are a good start, but are fairly (very) expensive. One thing you will notice is that a higher magnification will not necessarily give you a better image - a good quality 7x pair will enable you to see a lot more detail than an ordinary 10x pair. When testing them, look for things like edge-to-edge sharpness, and that there is no colour fringing on contrasty edges. A 6 or 7mm exit pupil is good for lower light situations. These attributes are important if you're going to look up in trees against a light sky, and want to see into the shadows. Also, look through the binos the wrong way at about 300mm from the eye, and see if the interior is well blackened, and that the optical path is not clipped, it should look round, and not have a squarish look to it.

I bought a pair of Meade binoculars recently, the difference between them and the average (Nikon, Bushnell, Tasco) pairs was startling, but the difference from the Leica (my "reference") ones was slight, and easy to live with.

Cheers

Which is better, Roof or Porro Prism?

kipper wrote:Which is better, Roof or Porro Prism?

One is not inherently optically superior to the other - what matters is the quality (and size) of the prisms. How well they are mounted in the housing also matters, otherwise a minor drop can upset the collimation, (each side points in a different direction) and give you a headache after a while! Roof prism designs are a bit more compact as well.

Cheers

What do you reckon of the Nikon Action Series VII 10x50CF for $199?

kipper wrote:What do you reckon of the Nikon Action Series VII 10x50CF for $199?

To be honest I wasn't very impressed with the Nikons I checked out - I can't say if this was the exact model, but I did look at some Nikon 10x50. Still, at that price you won't get perfection!

I would suggest taking them out into the street, and looking up at some powerlines or something against the sky, at the edge of the field of view, and compare them with a ludicrously expensive pair, to see the difference. Of course, you may have to try a vendor other than Ted's for this - I don't think they have any in that category. Also look across the road into a dark shop and see how much detail you can pick out inside.

Cheers

You can try to look for one in the real Army Surplus Store, they might have some very good models which Ex-US Army or Ex-diggers
I have one brand new for the US ARMY use in Artillery Battery which the FO (Forward Observer) normally carries it.

Digitor, I don't want the best. I know you could spend thousands of dollars. I just want a pair that will allow me to spot things from a distance. I'm guessing some image recognition of low contrast areas might pay off (eg. dark on dark) as I might be looking into trees for birds.

Birddog114 wrote:You can try to look for one in the real Army Surplus Store, they might have some very good models which Ex-US Army or Ex-diggers
I have one brand new for the US ARMY use in Artillery Battery which the FO (Forward Observer) normally carries it.

These type are normally VERY good optically - and they have a reticle in mils as well! I have seen some (Au issue) excellent 7x42 porro prism design of this type for use at the OP, very bright image with good colour, and robust for field use as well. Hard to find in the "surplus" stores I've seen - but worth buying if you can find them. They would have cost the Gov't a lot more than most people would be willing to pay for a pair of binos, I bet!

Cheers

kipper wrote:Digitor, I don't want the best. I know you could spend thousands of dollars. I just want a pair that will allow me to spot things from a distance. I'm guessing some image recognition of low contrast areas might pay off (eg. dark on dark) as I might be looking into trees for birds.

I hear what you're saying kipper - and I feel the same way! All the same, it's useful seeing the difference. I went out intending to spend about $200-$300, and ended up spending more (the Meades cost me about $600) than I thought I should, but I would say that they're only a little bit different from the $2,500 ones, but miles better than the $250-ish pairs.

Cheers

Maybe I should just stick with these Tasco 7x35 if it's like that. I've already got one lust, I don't want to start another!