Binocular, options

[Milligan]

I am after some binoculars but before everyone says "get the swarovski" there is context.
Am not a massive fan of bins as I wear glasses and find then fiddly. I am also not in a position where I can justify spending £1k for something I only use a few times a year.

So I am considering getting a pair of Nikon Monarch Mk3 8x42 DCF.
They'll be used for a bit of woodland and a bit of open hill.

Does anyone have these and what are they like?
Had a Nikon scope which was clear and well made for the money.

 

[pierred]

They will do the job but I would advise go with one of the big three and treat as an investment, i`m sure lots of members on here will tell stories of paying a kings ransom for a pair of binoculars only to sell to upgrade and recieve there initial stake.
Since buying my Geovids I would realy strugle to justify a pair of bino`s without a rangefinder built in thats just my view and worth exactly what you paid for it !

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Milligan

I have made a few gear selection mistakes. Not going for Swarovski binos has been one of them. I now have the 8.5 x 42 ELs and they are superb and I never take my specs off any more. For the previous binos, I used to take my specs off. No need to do that now. I tried the latest version of these binos at the Royal Highland Show yesterday, and they looked even better than my current pair.

Regards JCS

 

[Milligan]

You are all bad, bad people!
I know what you are saying makes sense, but it is an awful lot of money to part with for something I'll use so rarely.

 

[provider]

"get the swarovski"

 

[JabaliHunter]

Taken from here: A Guide To Binoculars - Binocular Guide - Bass and Bligh - The UK's Premiere Independent Optical Retailer

3. You generally get what you pay for
This might seem pretty obvious, but it’s worth stating nonetheless. The more you pay, the better binocular you get, both in terms of build quality and optical performance. Although there are some notable exceptions you are unlikely to find a new binocular at what looks like a bargain price that can compete with the best available. However, what is less commonly known is that above about £300 performance of binoculars increases only marginally. Gone are the days of having to fork out top prices just to get an acceptable view. There are now plenty of binoculars at reasonable prices that many people would be happy to own for decades. Improvements in optical performance are most apparent between £50 and £300. Above that figure, many people would be surprised at how small a difference there is between the top priced binoculars costing £1,000 or more and those priced at less than a third of that. It is only in what I call critical viewing situations, such as in very dull conditions or in strong lateral sunlight, that the most expensive binoculars demonstrate their superiority. On a sunny day those comparing the high end binoculars with the budget ones might wonder why people would part with so much money for such little gain.

For me, every view of a deer when I'm out stalking is a "critical viewing situation" so just choose carefully. If you buy mail order, you automatically have a 7 day (think it is actually 14 days by law) cooling off period to return them offered by most big stores, so that gives plenty of time to try them out at dawn/dusk actually observing deer to help you make up your mind.

 

[Lawiswar]

Go on fleabay and find yourself a pair of second hand ELs. You will never regret it.

 

[digger9523]

Thought i saw a pair of 10x42 EL's on here for £950 earlier. I got mine brand new in 2003 for £850 while on leave from Iraq. Took them back with me for the next 6 months of the tour, they earn't their weight in gold out there in OP's and in the guard towers. The price stung me then, but here we are less than 10 years later and the price has doubled in most places, and that's with newer models available! My advice and the advice of the bulk of people on this site, don't dawdle and buy something that will never be worth what you paid for it mate. Save a few extra shekels and get a pair of EL's or the newer SLC's for gawd sake. We'll see you back on here when you've got them thanking us all for saving you from making a huge mistake

 

[callumity]

Clear case of herd behaviour. They spent a bomb - so I must too or be thought 'inferior'. If I spent a fortune so must he or I'll be wrong.

JabaliHunter makes the telling point that the (admitted) differences are totally disproportionate to the cost. If you are rich and single fill your boots but I could not justify taking that much out of the household budget. I think you'll find the equivalent Pentax bins now edge the Nikons and I bought the top of the range Barr & Strouds and have had no regrets. They go out every day with me and the dog, shooting or not.

 

[mayfly]

Here you go, these should see you through the year. NO THAT EXPENSIVE.
10 x 80 BLC BINOCULARs

 

[JC275]

Taken from here: A Guide To Binoculars - Binocular Guide - Bass and Bligh - The UK's Premiere Independent Optical Retailer

For me, every view of a deer when I'm out stalking is a "critical viewing situation" so just choose carefully. If you buy mail order, you automatically have a 7 day (think it is actually 14 days by law) cooling off period to return them offered by most big stores, so that gives plenty of time to try them out at dawn/dusk actually observing deer to help you make up your mind.

Given that this advice comes from the retailer, a cynical person might suggest that there is a bigger margin to be made by selling an 'Also ran' pair of binos for £300?

My advice, which I have given many times is this, if you spend £100-£300 then the resale or trade in value will be zero or so low that it makes more sense to keep them on the dashboard of your truck. If you buy new Swarovski then you will generally get back what you pay out if, for some reason, you decide to move them on.

The best bet, in my opinion is to buy second hand but high quality, let the first owner stand the VAT and retailers margin. Look at Mcleods website, there were two pairs of Zeiss 7x42's (probably the best stalking bino ever made) on there recently for around £400.

My final piece of advice, and this is important, if you go for cheaper new binos, never, ever look through a good pair!

JC

 

[JabaliHunter]

You have mixed my advice and the retailers advice....
The retailer was suggesting that its only worth going over £300 for critical viewing situation and my opinion was that watching deer was always a critical viewing situation..... i.e. probably worth investing in the best you can afford. At least there is a way of testing them at home if you credit card can take the heat for a week...
Agree on 2nd hand though, and especially don't discount older models like the NIkon EII or ES

 

[Milligan]

Thanks for all the input. Some sage advice here but I suppose one should be wary of asking questions on such emotive topics as optics, calibres and brands.

There will always be diminishing returns with these things and I am sure the Swaro's are brilliant, but they're not going to be 5 times more brilliant than a pair made by a reputable Jap manufacturer who specialises in optics.

As mentioned, I simply can't justify spending that sort of money on bin's at this point in time so in a diplomatic bid to steer this thread back to the question on Nikon's; Is anyone prepared to own up to the fact that they didn't go with the German trio of Swaro, Zeiss or Leica and share their experience with Nikon?

 

[callumity]

My Nikon Buckmaster scope is excellent value for money and these won't disappoint a fellow tightwad http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog...roud-ed-pc-8x42-series-4-roof-prism-binocular either. If you want to go to about £500 then the Steiners would get my vote.

 

[Hales Smut]

I bought Pentax 10x42 binoculars for about £ 250, 10-15 years ago. You can just as well throw your money away. After a few times you leave them home. Just not good enough.
I would try to find a good pair of second hand european bino's. Better 8x32 europeans than 8x42 less quality.

 

[digger9523]

Here you go, these should see you through the year. NO THAT EXPENSIVE.
10 x 80 BLC BINOCULARs

Not that heavy either at a mere 100kilos!

 

[Yorric]

So not much cash available but still want to actually see the deer? ........ Well there's a good pair of IOR 7 x 40 bins for sale - see in the Classifieds - Solid build armoured high quality glass - Always get a good write up by anyone who hasn't got blinged - no blinded by crystal bauble makers products.

Ian

 

[willie_gunn]

Milligan

I'd second those saying consider a secondhand pair of European binos. Good quality binos come up all the time on eBay - if you're sad like me you can set up a saved search If you don't fancy eBay then, as JC275 says, you certainly won't go wrong with McLeod's.

Having something of a bino fetish, I have accumulated the following:

Swarovski 8.5x42
Zeiss Jena 10x40 Notarem
Leica 10x25 BCA
Zeiss Jena 7x40
Optolyth 9x63
Steiner 8x30

I would rank them in that same sequence (top to bottom ). Each time I look through the Swaro's I forget about the cost and marvel at the quality.

The Zeiss Jena 10x40's were picked up a month or so ago on eBay for just over £100 and I am very impressed with them. I take them out when walking the dogs and they are seriously good - they are compact, tough as old boots and the image is both bright and pin-sharp. For the money they were an absolute steal. They come up frequently on eBay and always go for around that price, so you can bide your time and wait for a good pair.

The 7x40's were also secondhand when I bought them for about £250 as my first serious pair of stalking binoculars. They are the "checkpoint charlie" model, though in my case without the rangefinding reticle. Mine are 'focus free', which is quite a nice feature when stalking, though on the downside they do have a slight yellow 'cast' to the image. Waterproof, rubber-armoured and Nitrogen-filled, they served me well for the first 10 years and now sit in my stalking box as a spare pair in case a client forgets theirs (or I forget my Swaro's ).

The Steiners were secondhand and I've probably looked through them twice - they are worse than useless. I looked at getting them refurbished but (at least with this particular model) there's no repair possible. Steiner offered me a discount on a new pair but why throw good money after bad??

When out stalking you use your kit in this sequence; binos, scope, rifle. On a stalk you will look through your binos dozens of times, your scope possibly a few times, and you'll pull the trigger once. IMHO you should spend your money proportionately.

willie_gunn

 

[maccer]

Here are lots of binos coming up for auction
http://www.fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/nextSale.asp?menuItemOn=3&start=380&isPage=1

Fieldings Auctioneers

 

[Mauser243]

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Secondhand_results.asp

Always a good option for secondhand is the london camera exchange hope the link works. (changes all the time)