Binocular bargains

Spix

Well-Known Member
Binoculars, one pair, two pairs, three pairs or more ?

A pair for stalking, a backup pair, a pair in the truck, a wide-angle pair, a rangefinder pair, a house & garden pair, a 56 objective pair for those that like them, or 10-15X50 for the specialist, a spare pair for the house ... binoculars for the job, trading up or if you just enjoy shopping.

Looking at the biggest part of the market, budget binoculars, there are some very good value offerings from the retailers, some too good to miss.

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42, a sharp, lightweight, all terrain binocular (ATB) from Nikon, the latest ED glass and dielectric coatings, now available at approaching half price, a saving of about £200, too good to miss.

For a slightly wider field of view the new Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 is not much more money ; with the new glass and coatings it should be nearly as bright, although I haven't seen it yet.

It's recognised everywhere that Leica, Nikon, Swarovski and Zeiss make the best binoculars in the world but only Nikon make within the inexpensive ranges, their optics are good throughout the range.

Vanguard Spirit 8x42 ED, essentially a clone of the Nikon Monarch 5, very lightweight for its size, ED glass and with very smooth, quick focusing, widely available at about £150, light gathering at very first light is excellent, a very good buy at that money.

Viking 6.5x32 MD, an RSPB/Viking bestseller, one of the sharpest of all the lower powers but with slightly more field curvature than the Swarovski 8x25 CL, long eye relief (22mm) for glasses wearers, perhaps a bit heavy. Sharper with a better contrast than the Meopta Meopro 6.5x32, and the FOV is spot on. A £300 view in a £100 body. You might still be able to find these at under £100 (originally £250), a bargain.

I own, or have owned, and use all of these, and I get my eyes tested at least once a year.

This part of the market offers increasing value as manufacturers offer higher specifications at lower prices.

If you've found something useful and good value at whatever level, post it here. S
 
Nikon EDG Binoculars

At the premium end of the market Nikon have a cashback offer, through main dealers, on their EDG (extra-low dispersion glass) series of binoculars (available in 8x32, 10x32 ; 7x42, 8x42, 10x42), from 16th October 2013 to 26th January 2014 (inclusive).

Prices are pretty firm for these and range from £1250 (8x32 EDG) to £1490 (10x42 EDG) before cashback.

On the 8x32s the cashback is equivalent to 20%, a substantial discount at this end of the market.

The cashback is paid by issuing a Visa Prepaid card.

Details :
http://www.nikon.co.uk/sites/cashback/bino_uk.html


If you've found something useful and good value at whatever level, post it here. S
 
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