Looking for a pair of binoculars – advice

Ive recently got back into birdwatching (feathered kind!) inbetween riding and I am looking for a decent pair of binoculars up to £150 for better viewing.

I have an old pair of Miranda 10×50 bins and was wondering would I actually notice much difference between these and new ones ie Bushnell, Nikon.

Thanks 8)

http://www.binoculars-uk.co.uk/acatalog/binoculars.html

these guys have got plenty of options and choice,

I just got a pair of Steiner military 7X50R from the US as they don’t sell them here, cost a small fortune
but the most amazing bins i have ever glanced through, they were replacing my 18yr old Minox that gave up the ghost last year,

things have changed a bit in the optics world, the lenses are so much better, it would be worth spending a little more to get a quality pair and i would go for less mag than 10×50 as shake is always an issue over 7X.

my ten penith

skiboy has a good point about shake as a lot of people using binoculars will use tripods or even monopods to reduce shake. But the larger the lense the less this matters also a small lense relative to width makes it hard to find what you see with your eye through the binoculars and it reduces light. My problem is simple I don’t want to carry large binos when out walking as I have other things to carry so I am afraid I went for a small not very good quality binoculars. Have always been looking round for ex forces small binos as I always thought they were one of the few good quality kit the MOD supplied.

You should consider a monocular I also have one as my binos don’t fit in a bag , opticron 10×42 BGA is what I carry,
They have a good reputation and are nicely manufactured, very point and squirt if you see what I mean ,

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/opticron_binos/opticron_monoc_fs.htm

I’ve got a tiny monocular, never used a full sized one though. However I find it quite handy for finding stuff by keeping your other eye open – then all you have to do is be able to separate the images from each eye 🙂 So you can look with your naked eye and then concentrate on the image in the other eye.

I bought my pair in the shop at an RSPB reserve. They had a range, which I hoped was a good choice at each price step. And you got to try them out for real (well at Loch Garten I did). It was a while ago, mind, but it could be worth a look.

I had some Swift Audubon years ago until some theiving git took them!!! They are superb glasses and pin sharp too so check them out on fleabay – the 8.5×44 are well recommended and you can get them for a £100 or so.

Thanks for the feedback, Ive noticed its the 3 counties show in a few weeks and remember seeing a few binocular stalls there last year. Atleast I can have a peep through a few before I decide. Good idea about ex mod stuff as well. thanks

i picked up a pair of nikon 10-20×50, £200 reduced to £100 at warehouse express. absolutely awesome. keep an eye on the site as the bargaintastic offers would come and go quickly