bino's

[kuwinda]

I have to say I have always resisted the advice to 'buy the best you can afford' - for the simple reason that I seem to have a rather poor relationship with binoculars.

If the weather is fine and everything is going spiffingly then there is no problem but in winter I usually seem to end up crawling through snow or, as on Saturday, mud to take a shot and a significant part of this always seems to end up on the business end of the bins. Then of course you need need to see the beast NOW - and the mud ends up getting gently ground in with a glove. Yes of course I do carry moist lens wipes - but usually there is no time for that sort of faffing when you have several deer within shot.

I have worn out/knackered several pairs of cheap bins (Bushnell, Canon and even Boots ) and am currently using Opticron roof prisms which I have to say are excellent - the only real problem being the scratched lens coatings.........

I'm only glad its not the coatings on a £1,400 pair of Swaros thats scratched....

 

[Tamus]

+1 on Opticron.

I've a pair of their 7x42 Imagic porro-prisms. Excellent clarity/sharpness, brightness, colour resolution and depth of field. They currently cost about £137 ( http://www.swoptics.co.uk/view.asp?key=596&link=froogle ) and they're sold as waterproof. From personal experience I'd advise against dropping them into deepish water i.e. mine fell into about four feet of water and it took a few minutes to fish them back out, it then took a few days on a radiator to get rid of the slight fogging that appeared in one side after I got back home. No problems in the rain/hail/sleet and snow since though.

They are not Zeiss, Swaro or Leica class but they are a really good alternative and surprisingly close behind in terms of image quality and light gathering/transmission but at a fraction of the price.

What they really do lack is brand recognition and chachet. So, if you're after making an impression... you'll definitely need a more expensive pair of bins.

Having said the above I'd buy Leicas if I could afford/justify the cost.

 

[Hornady]

Zen-Ray Optics- Birding Binoculars, Hunting Binoculars, Monoculars, Spotting Scopes

Id challenge you to beat these for the money!

Check out optics talk for reviews!

Up there with Alphas!

 

[steve42]

8 x 42 Leupold wind river cascades

Another one for the leupold cascades fantastic value for money IMO

 

[Peter Eaton]

I too have minox and they are cracking, also have a set of bushnell 10x42 which are amazing for they money. Even my mates with swaros like them.

 

[Thar]

I had a set of leupolds 8X42s before I got the Minox, now the back up service with the Leupolds was excellent when they fogged up, but the glass is not as good as the Minox’s and with the Minox HGs a least they weigh a fair bit more, I don’t know what the back up is like with the Minoxs as I have not needed it.

ATB

Tahr

 

[liamnjs]

I currently use a pair of Leupold Yosemite 8x32 and they are really excellent for the price. Really light and compact with excellent optics. I bought them as a light pair of bins to keep in the car and carry when out and about, fully intending to buy a better pair for stalking. I still do intend to buy a larger pair but it is not a priority, the Leups do almost everything I want from them. I do like the look of those Hensoldts though.