Binoculars ???

ReneZ

Well-Known Member
I'm in doubt what to do and would appreciate your advise. I understand that you get what you pay for, but if I take a budget of £350 and want to get the best for that money, you can do the following:

1 Buy second hand an earlier version of the big 3 - probably not their best line(something like 7 or 8 X 40).
2 Buy second hand a smaller size, but better quality line (same 7 or 8 x 20/25) with the latest coating T* or similar.
3 Buy new a second-tier brand, but with multi-coating, Bak4 etc?

The difficulty is that you can't really compare all possible offerings.

Appreciate your advice! Thanks, Rene.
 
2nd attempt to reply:

I got a pair of Minox 8.5X43 HGs from the US for about £400 here in the UK. I paid tax and delivery etc. If you have family or friends in the US who might send them to you as presents then I think you can avoid the tax. Currently they are available as "over stocks" for about £370 in the US:

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62155

I suspect these over stocks are new items but this is the only way this company can discount premium products, they certainly appear to be new.

I can recommend the Minox and they get very good reviews, mine are excellent and very impressive in low light. Having used other binos and S&B glass on my rifle I have no urge to upgrade my Minox.

In view of the fact that you are likely to be looking for deer in low light or in shadow it is probably best to avoid the smaller objective sizes if you can.

Also, I bought my S&B scope 2nd hand for very little money and it has been excellent. With that in mind I would have no problems with buying good 2nd hand optics from a reliable source.
 
BINOS

Have to agree with the Minox, the best value around, great light gathering and sturdy binos at a good price.I have a pair of Swarovskis 7 x 42 that i keep as spares now.
 
With bins you need clarity hard waring good light gathering and wide field of view. Scanning and finding deer is an art and it is made a lot easier with the artists equipment. if you go for a small objective you need to go for a low magnification. you mention 20mm well that will mean you magnification will need to be as low as 2-3. i would go for the best there is on the market get a 7 - 8 x 42 or above with out going into the ridiculous .
MY MOTO IS LOOK ASSESS DECIDE (LAD) IF YOU CANT DO THE FIRST PROPERLY BECAUSE YOU GLASS IS POOR OR THE MAGNIFICATION IS TO HIGH \ LOW FOR THE JOB YOU WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE ABLE TO DO THE FOLLOWING TWO.
THINK LONG AND HARD THEN THINK AGAIN AND TRY THEM OUT AND SEE WHAT SUITS YOU. now i have messed your head all the best with your choice. ;)
 
Indeed a messed up situation. As usual better wait until the answer becomes clear (and there's more money in the pocket)! Clearly no real easy answer to my question, should have known. Thanks, Rene.

Indeed John, one step forward two steps back, but we'll get there!
 
Renez: The first thing buying optics is a lifetime buy not something you would change yearly .

So buy Leica, Swarovski, Zeiss don,t waste money on crap you'll just disappoint your self ,out of every thing you'll buy the optics are by far what you'll use the most so why cheat yourself .

Look at every nature or hunting programme you'll see Leica ,Swarovski or Zeiss optics all these binos for £200 are just a waste of your cash ,get Davie to take you into Alex speak to him about second hand binos , we're in hard times its only a matter of time before something has to be soled.

Guys I'm not looking for argument over my comments, you've bought what you bought for myself I'll buy the best ,all the time because I want to see at first and last light ,with quality you have that ability for me its a personnel thing ,but you can't shoot what you can't see thats fact .
 
reneZ
A budget of £350 will get you a good pair of bins that will meet your needs for years to come.I've got a pair of nikon monarch binos which are nearly 4 years old.I've knocked them about and the image quality is still very good.I use 'em virtually every week in the highlands and i reckon they will last another 4 years.They cost £180.I'm in no doubt that the premium brands are better but you can now get very good quality binos for £200-£400 that offer excellent value for money.
 
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