hey guys

wanting a recommendation for some binocs for the mrs, for birdwatching int t’garden

upto £100 ?

anybody know owt about them?

Ta

opps wrong section

was looking at these online

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/nikon/aculon-a211-10×42-binoculars-89680/show.html

“Don’t waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.”

Viz top tips

Hawke make some pretty decent bins for the money.

Some quick tips:

Don’t buy anything with a zoom.

I really recommend you get 12 x 50 or 10 x 50.

If you’re buying binoculars with a roof prism (the type that look more compact), don’t get anything cheap or they won’t be good. You can get away with cheapish porro prims binoculars. However, decent roof prism binoculars have come down in price, mainly due to the manufacturing of good prisms in China. You’ll now find the same bits inside many binoculars – what you really pay for is the build quality and factory alignment.

I did a bit of research a couple of months back, read loads of reviews etc..

I believe the following are highly rated:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Strathspey-new-10×50-Marine-waterproof-Binoculars-award-winning-clarity-/331318778840

I ended up getting some Konus Emperor 12 x 50 binoculars and they are superb, but very hard to find for some reason.

Forgot to add, Hawke are a good make, as mentioned already.

Here’s a review of a pair similar to mine, although slightly smaller:

http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Hawke8x42Nature-Trek-133.htm

Other thing I forgot to mention, although I recommended higher magnification, the image quality might not be as good as the same model with a lower magnification, especially with roof prism binoculars. Hence, something like an 8×42 is still really good, and probably the most common size for serious bird watchers. I went for 12x so I can do a bit of star gazing too.

To be honest, most stuff around that price is good these days. I’m going to say, depending on how big your garden is of course, you don’t want 10 or above magnification- you want 7 or 8. Anything bigger is harder to hold steady unaided and has a smaller field of view.
I have Swarovski as my proper work binoculars but my £70 Hawke ones match them in good sunlight until the ends of the day when they lose about 30 minutes dawn and dusk.

work binoculars

and forum name ‘crosshair’ – are you an assassin ? 😛

Not sure I’d be going for 10x or 12x for the OP’s post. They’ll be a bit harder to handle – to lock on to what she sees with her naked eye. For a spot of birding in the garden, I’d go for an 8x. Maybe 8×30 or 8×40. Should be able to get something reasonable with the budget. Possibly roof prisms too. I wouldn’t rule out a used pair from a reputable store which does trade ins.

work binoculars
and forum name ‘crosshair’ – are you an assassin ?

At times, yes 😀

Yeah you need something 8×. Got some Opticron 8×25 for free for joining the BTO a few years ago and were great. I’d go for Hawke.

RSPB ones are great value, the avocet 8*42 push your budget at £130 but are excellent. Hawke, bushnell and opticron all worth a look. Best to try before you buy.