UKC

Looking for a pair of good small binoculars. A size that's OK to carry in the top pocket of your rucsac. Happy to pay upto £80ish. Used for spotting DofE groups in the distance, and general spying on interesting things! Any suggestions?

In reply to JayPee630:
I'd be inclined to go for something like this http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-nikon-8x25-sportstar-ex-black/p1019242.. some decent deals there.
You really do get what you pay for with binoculars. Small bino's will inevitably be compromised by the amount of light that can get in., but should be fine for you purposes - just don'f expect miracles

Alternatively go to the rspb site and see what they've got

In reply to JayPee630:

While reseraching some binoculars I discovered that in the budget price range below £300 most of the binoculars are generic from factories and are badged and branded by the various companies that sell them. You do get what you pay for which is no excuse to go mad and spend thousands because I am more than happy with my budget binoculars.

I know very little about binoculars but I chose a company called Viking for the two pairs that I bought, one of which was an ex-demo that I got for half price. The only problems were cosmetic, sun fading while on the shelf.



Bit of a bargain.


http://www.vikingoptical.co.uk

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/binoculars-scopes/binoculars/rspb-binoculars.ht...

http://www.jessops.com/Directory/catalogue.ashx/categoriesLT;jessops_8/cate...

In reply to JayPee630: How about a monocular? You'd get something lighter with better glass for your money maybe an Opticron? http://www.eebc.co.uk/productDisplay.aspx?productid=741

In reply to JayPee630:
I have a pair of these http://www.nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/binoculars/compact/travel-... that I think cost about 80 quid. On the big side for compacts but optically pretty good and waterproof. They were recommended to me by a serious birder who usually spends hundreds on bins and I've been very happy with them.

In reply to tommyb:

Thanks all, plenty to be looking at there. Did try a monocular ages ago but couldn't get on with it.

In reply to JayPee630:

My stock reply is to look on ebay for a pair of Pentax ucf-m 8x21. They go for about £15-£20, and binoculars are usually well cared for.

I've used mine for exactly the same purpose...

In reply to JayPee630:

Leica Trinovid if you can find second-hand. Superb clarity.

I buy used opera bins from ebay. If you want to try those see if you can find a pair which fold, that type is great,the new ones fold but some of the older ones are excellent optics. They are all x3.

In reply to tommyb:

+1. Waterproof, rugged and great optics. Worth paying a bit extra for.

In reply to JayPee630:

Large binoculars can seem quite small when viewed through a pair of binoculars the wrong way round.

In reply to patrick_b:

A couple of years ago when I was researching compacts, I had the chance to compare the Nikons side by side with Zeiss and Svaroski. The Nikons were very impressive. However, I have decided to wait until I can afford the Svaroski, which were undoubtedly TDB of compacts.

The problem with looking though a really good pair of bins is that it stops you being happy with something that's almost as good! I have a pair of Leica 8x42, which I love, but are too heavy to carry round all the time in a rucksack.

I have some silva 8 x 20 (i think) binoculars that cost the princely sum of 30 quid that are awesome for d of e stalking. Good optics and pocket size. Can identify groups on hollins cross from castleton if that helps at all.