Best binoculars for under £150

[4535jacks]

[SUB]I am about to buy my first binoculars for stalking and varmint shoorting and I have decide to go for 8x42. I have a very tight budget and these binos are just to get me started and no doubt I will upgrade in a few years once I can afford it. I have done some research and have narrowed my search to the following 8x42 binoculars in order of price:


[TABLE="width: 215"]
[TR]
[TD]Bushnell[/TD]
[TD]Natureview[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£40[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bushnell[/TD]
[TD]H20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£50[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bushnell[/TD]
[TD]Powerview[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£60[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vanguard[/TD]
[TD]Orros[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£100[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Opticron[/TD]
[TD]4 LE[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£110[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hawke[/TD]
[TD]Nature Trek[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£110[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vortex[/TD]
[TD]Diamondback[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£130[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Minox[/TD]
[TD]BV[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]£150[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


I would appreciate any comments or expereice on these binos as well peoples opinions of what is the best value for money. So far I am tending towards the Minox BV as they seem to get good reviews and would hopefully work better in low light as I mainly shoot around sunset. Although I have £150 to spend, I wonder if the Minox's are three times better than the Bushnell and therefore warrant the extra cost.

Thanks in advance,

Gary[/SUB]

 

[private fraser]

I vote Minox.
They used to be part of Leica...enough said.

 

[Hereford]

+1 for Minox or Steiner 2nd hand?

 

[muddy42]

I rate Minox aswell. My family have two pairs of BVs and love them. I have used them for a while and they have consistently performed - no fogging up or loss of clarity. They are as good as the top German brands even in low light.

 

[Dawnrazor]

Got my Lad a pair of Hawk bono's for his 8th birthday last year, bang on for the money imo.

 

[takbok]

I've got Hawke Frontier 10x32's. They do the job, but don't think I can recommend them. Had to send back first pair due to the focus being out. Would try Minox's if I had to buy again, as I have a Minox scope which is excellent.

 

[paul k]

I have the Minox in 8x42 and they are very good indeed, in the past I've had Zeiss, Swarovski, and Kahles, all of which were considerably more expensive and it's hard to see why you'd want to spend the extra money over the Minox.

 

[jimbo1984]

Vote for minox from me I also use Zeiss 10x40 t*p* they're really good but the minox are very close for a lot less cash

 

[Shadrach2986]

+1 for the minox, got a pair and realy pleased with them, plus sportsmans were doing them for £120 a month ago.

 

[Flatbadger]

Have a look at second hand binoculars you will get a lot more for your money, Cley Spy are worth a lock twitchers like to have the latest model in bino's

 

[Pointer]

These are the best - excellent camouflage for less than £60 : )

RSPB 8x32 Pink Puffin Binocularsrs | RSPB Binos

 

[49ERIC]

I vote Minox.
They used to be part of Leica...enough said.

Reckon with all these You will end up PAYING TWICE or more YOU Only get ,, what you pay ''for'' much better off .EVEN buying a used pair
of Leica or any of the Others . yep a real pain in the Pocket but it makes sense in the long run.

 

[4535jacks]

It looks like the minox is the way to go. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[User00026]

I personally favour the minox BF 8x42, coming in just over a hundred quid. glass is up there with zeiss, swaro and leica, build quality is of course not quite as good but they are light and are excellent for all UK hunting IMHO. Also,, you don't worry about scratching £2K's worth of glass when you're using them as a bipod or rear butt rest, and moreover, they are nice and light.

personally, I have some other very expensive binoculars, but the minox are by miles my favourites and the one's I reach for when I go hunting..couldn't recommend them any higher,,,and I do like good quality gear and glassware!

 

[hybridfiat]

Reckon with all these You will end up PAYING TWICE or more YOU Only get ,, what you pay ''for'' much better off .EVEN buying a used pair
of Leica or any of the Others . yep a real pain in the Pocket but it makes sense in the long run.

Agreed, very good advice. Although I'm not advocating you buy a pair I'll add that I have 2 pairs of Hensoldt DF 8x30 from the West German army, circa 1961. They cost less than £150 for the pair. They have been used by soldiers for at least a decade and then stored for 4 decades but the optics are flawless. Collimation is perfect, clarity and colour are excellent. Depth of field is the best I've encountered. All this from Binos made 54 years ago.
This is what you get with well made kit. How many in your list will still be around in 40 years?
Have a good look around and get the best 2nd hand Binos you can afford.

 

[hybridfiat]

Steiner 8x30 Fero D12 Binoculars German Army Top New Army Packaging Box | eBay
Try these.
Anyone who has a pair like these want to comment?

 

[Southern]

I do not have a pair of the Steiner 8x30mm but have used them. Some people do not like them, but I do. They are different from what many people are used to.

Steiner makes larger military binoculars for naval and artillery ranging and extended glassing. These are made to adjust to your eyes and to remain in focus without having to play with any focusing controls. They are intended to a platoon leader to have a small pair of binoculars which he can put into a shirt or jacket pocket, with the strap around his neck, and bring them to his eyes with one hand and have a look, without needing two hands. I think that is a good for hunting, too, like stalking, where you might be moving on steep slopes and just need a quick look. And they are pretty nice, and rugged.

 

[mudlark]

I've got the minox and last year two professional stalkers using zeiss and swaros couldn't say why they paid so much for what they were using compared to the minox

 

[Southern]

A friend of mine, who is an amateur astronomer, and has a fantastic 85mm spotting scope for shooting and wildlife watching, asked ma about binoculars and I recommended the Minox to him about 4 years ago. He continues to rave about the clarity

 

[Klenchblaize]

Steiner 8x30 Fero D12 Binoculars German Army Top New Army Packaging Box | eBay
Try these.
Anyone who has a pair like these want to comment?

http://www.holgermerlitz.de/zeiss8x30.html
"The Fero-D 12 was made by Steiner, Bayreuth, and, according to Seeger, delivered to the armed forces from 1966 to about 1972. It was an attempt to cut down expenses, which were pretty high with the Hensoldt devices. It was also an experiment to introduce a high performance plastic (Makrolon) material for the body, which then was of lower weight and perfectly sealed against environmental hazards. The Steiner glasses were nitrogen filled and water proof. From today's point of view, however, one can safely claim that this experiment failed. The mechanical construction of this binocular turned out to be insufficient for the daily abuse during military service. Once out of collimation, it was hard to repair, and the number of items 'lost in action' led to a drain of property which was as high as with the more expensive, but maintainable Hensoldt devices. Today, the Bundeswehr has turned back to Hensoldt with its Fero-D 16. The Steiner is frequently found on Ebay and sold for about 80 Euro."


K