[South London] Looking for shop to buy my first binoculars

[Roedeer 1962]

Hope they serve you well for many years to come

 

[nun_hunter]

I bought a pair of Swarovski just over 40 years ago I paid £410 still use them now and crystal clear I could probably get more for them now , buy good buy once , even if it’s in instalments it’s worth it long term , hope we hear what you decide on !

With inflation that's about the equivalent of just under £1300 so they should be decent!

 

[Roedeer 1962]

With inflation that's about the equivalent of just under £1300 so they should be decent!

Crystal clear still

 

[tim@tcs]

Good evening all,


This might not be the most glamorous review, but I did make up my mind today after having a long conversation with the good people of Beretta (very nice shop and customer service I must say).
I explained that I was after binoculars and that the motive was to do Deer Stalking within the UK, to which I was told exactly what Stover Rover pointed out regarding first and last light.
I was shown different models from the same brand (Steiner) and I chose the Ranger Xtreme 8x56 which I think was on sale for £600.

I spent most of the afternoon down the park getting a feel for them by checking out the birds. Sunset was around 8:29pm, and I could see better with the binoculars compared to the naked eye until about 9.26pm.
That's probably the limit though, couldn't make much out after that.

Maybe I'll manage to drag myself out of bed for sunrise and put them to the test in Richmond Park.
Wish me luck!

PS: Honestly I can't wait to do my first deer stalk

I bought my first Steiner 8x30 for about £120 (a good exchange rate then) whilst on holiday in Florida. I need to repair them but they’re still better quality than the new 8x30 the MoD bought!
Compared to a set of Swarovski though it’s like the difference between old style valve tv and modern flat screen digital!
I tend to pick a set for the ground now, if I don’t know it well I take my range finding set, a set of Leupold that was a gift or if it’s well known ground I can take a lighter normal set. Steiner are great for the depth of field!