Hi

after moon on a stick I suspect, anyway:
– lightweight – as will be carried whilst walking/biking)
– outdoorised – as in rucksack/on car dash etc
– birds/scenery (so near and far distances…)

any suggestions or good review sites
Ta

Budget?

Budget is the main concern. Optics are massively expensive for good quality glass (binoculars, telescopes, camera lenses)

Would you favour ease of carry over quality of view?
And will these be used in daylight only?

mmm – probably more than I want to spend – £200 ??? but open to suggestion (not £1000 ones tho ..)

also – what about a spotting scope

(we already have my mums binocular collection and bird scope and telescope – however they are heavy/elderly )

quality reqt is higher than lugability reqt

would be used daylight(and dawn/dusk as wildlife in general) no night/stars reqt tho

*I think I’m overkeen on magnification – dads telescope is 4ft long …. and we used to use ww2 naval bins)

I really like Steiner binoculars.

http://www.steiner-binoculars.co.uk/

They have a wide range of designs and a wide spread of prices.

I would recommend going for the largest objective lens that you are happy to carry around. Generally more important than magnification IMHO.

steiner-skyhawk-3-0-8×42 £255

In general, go for a lower magnification. Anything over 10x is going to be shaky freehand (unless you’re well practised), plus you’re going to need a big lens to collect enough light for dusk

Personally I’d aim for 8x

If you’re not fussed about brand, but want quality, you could look at some of the Chinese manufacturers. They’re not on par with ze germans, but they’re excellent value for the money. You’ll find something in your price range too. (I’m talking about the good Chinese manufacturers like Zen Ray, not the cheap ones)

I have a small pair of Leicas (8x20s) and some bigger Zen Rays (ZRS 8×42), both excellent

Spotting scopes are much point unless you’re spotting something in general, and you’ll need something to stabilise it. If you’re scanning you’ll probably needs bins anyway

We bought some Opticron Discovery WP 8×32 about 4 years ago when looking for a pair with similar requirements to you. We bought them from Sherwoods who were very helpful over the phone.

Best bit of advice I got from a mate was to go to a local RSPB optics day to see what works best for you within your budget and meets your requirements. We all have different eyes so what works for you may not work for you partner etc.

I bought these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-Sporter-EX-8×42-Binoculars/dp/B001CXHY08?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

which are very nice 🙂

I have a pair of Leica 8×20 BCA that I bought almost 30 years ago and are still pretty much as good as new. Not cheap, but tiny, solid, and excellent quality. The new ones look a bit different from mine, but aren’t too far out of your price range.

When my 30yr old 10x50s got broken I did a bit of looking around and ended up with some viking vistron 8X40s, and I have to say they are amazing in comparison.
I use them for everything, light enough to carry and I can generally see 3 of jupiters moons (for comparison using 25×100 astronomical bins on a tripod I can see 4)
You can get them for around £160

I’d also recommend strathspey binocularshere
The guy is really helpful and the site is worth a browse, Id have got his 8x42s if I hadn’t tried the viking and been so impressed.

Having re read your OP id say my advice stands, 8×42 are great for low light conditions, something with a smaller objective lens will not let enough light in at dusk

& I’ve got these…
http://www.bristolcameras.co.uk/p-opticron-bga-t-pc-oasis-10×28-binocular.htm

Theyr’e small & light, go in a jersey pocket easily, have good optics. Opticron stuff is fantastic VFM, I’ve got one of their 80mm spotting scopes as well which I got 2nd hand from

The Binocular & Telescope Specialists

I recently bought a pair of Celestron Nature DX 8X42 for myself and a Nature DX 10X42 for my dad. They also come in 8X50 & 10X50
The image quality on them is excellent whilst not being expensive as they seemed to focus on the optics. They are also a good size, fit nicely in the hand and aren’t too heavy.

I found this site to give the best prices and a pretty good range

http://www.tringastro.co.uk/celestron-binoculars-110-c.asp

muttley – you anywhere near Readingish ?

as they are a make that seemed to suit (also vortex viper 10×50 and Nikon monarch 10×42 – however price wise they are more suitable – ie cheaper ……)

I’m in Cardiff so not particularly close unfortunately. If your heading to any of the trail centres around here your more than welcome to pop over and give them a go.

Try before you guy is a good shout, but some of the ones you should be looking at won’t necessarily be there to try

The best forum for optics like this is birdforums. Amazing knowledge on there. This sort of question is like ‘what tyres for’ or ‘which gravel bike’ on here

Still feeling ripped off by the shop I bought my last binoculars from…I think they saw me coming.

Right I’ll get my coat 😳