Anyone know about Binoculars

markyboy.1967

markyboy.1967

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I have saw a set of bins that are in the sale. Did a quick check online and the price does seem to be the lowest around--so a genuine sale by Jessops.:lol:

Anyway i know nothing about binoculars and what all the spec means. I need them for general bird/wildlife use and dont need anything expensive as they will sit in the car until i need them.

They are the Nikon Action VII 10x40 Binoculars and the spec is below--if anyone can tell me what the spec actually means like BAK4 and ZCF etc it would help. All i know is the magnification.:shrug:

* Aspherical eyepiece lens eliminates image distortion.
* Wide field of view.
* Multilayer-coated lenses and large objective diameter for optimal clarity of image.
* Rubber armouring for shock resistance and a firm, comfortable grip.
* Sophisticated design.
* Wide strap



Specification:

* Magnification: 10x
* Objective Diameter (mm): 40
* Angular field of view (real/degree): 6.0
* Exit pupil: (mm)4
* Relative brightness: 16
* Eye relief (mm): 10
* Close focusing distance (m): 5
* Interpupillary distance (mm): 56-72
* Weight (g): 741
* Length (mm): 137
* Width (mm): 183

Features
Objective Size40
Magnification10x
TypeBAK4, ZCF
General UseExcellent
Bird WatchingExcellent
CoatingMulti
 
Erm, a lot of words there in the spec. All you really need to know is the mag (10x) the object dia (40) and the field of view. 10x mag is the highest you should go to as holding them steady gets a problem above 8x. The object diameter is important as that is the bins "f no" ie how much light the bins collect. If this seems a good deal then fine but I have spent £lots on bins, they are all different even if the spec appears the same. I would strongly advise you giving them a try before you buy. You may well find an 8x40 pair much better for the use that you appear to want to put them to.
 
I don't pretend to be an expert on binoculars, but have just waded through the terminology to get a pair myself.

BAK 4 refers to special (expensive) low dispersion glass used in the elements/prisms. ZCF is probably a proprietory term for lens coatings which are just as essential in improving the brightness of the image and cutting down light loss as they are in a camera lens.

The number 8 in 8X40 refers to the degree of magnification - the number 40 refers to the actual diameter of the large front objective lenses. Most bird watchers would advocate a magnifiction of no more than 8-10X as the image becomes very shimmery and diffciult to keep still if you go more powerful.

There are 2 types of binoculars these days...

Porroprism ones - which is the Nikon type you're looking at which have that traditional dog leg shape.

Roof Prism ones which look like two straight tubes side by side. These have a more direct light path through the binoculars and tend to be brighter, more compact and lighter. The vast majority of birders I see seem to be using the latter type.

I think that's all you really need to know, but I'd really recommend going and trying some before you buy. It's amazing how much brighter some binocuilars are than others, even within the same price range. Make sure you can set them up for your own eye width and adjust the dioptre compensation to suit you, or you'll never be happy with them. A decent pair of binocuars these days should be usable in conditions down to near -darkness without spending a fortune.
 
Well as most has been given, I just say I find anything over 8x to be hard to hold, as well as hard to find your subject.
I like a 8 x wide angle, with this kind you don’t get the two circles but more of one view if you understand what I am saying, and you can find your subject easier
Well hope that helps
Oh and Jessops is showing out of stock to me well on line is mabe the shop got them
 
I got mine by going to a well stocked camera shop and taking pairs outside to try.
I wanted a smallish cheapish pair to take hiking with me.
It was an overcast day and contrast was a problem.
I bought the only pair I could ready the post office opening times in the window way over on the other side of the square.

It was one of the cheaper models I tried; the brand names didn't cut the mustard.
A set of Opticron 8x24
The build quality matches the optics - I'm a happy bunny.

Like Chaz says - don't get suckered into big zooms; he's right.
I'll add - don't get suckered into posh sounding specs, try them out yourself.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Thanks for the info--very helpful. Im just wanting a cheap pair to throw in the car and use mostly from the car. I think i will leave these and not bother even though they ar a bit cheaper than normal.
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I wouldn't buy them either. Not saying they are not good bins, but I prefer lower magnification too. Not only are they easier to hold, but it makes them brighter and the exit pupil larger for easier viewing.

Also the 10mm eye relief is low. If you wear glasses it needs to be about double that. And the minimum focus is massive - my 8x42 goes down to 1.2m. You don't have to pay that much for decent bins for occasional use, mine are Helios and cost £99 :)
 
10x are as high as you should go for hand held use. the Bushnell natureview 8x42 are similar to the ones you are looking at size and weight wise but the Bushnell won best binocular buy in bird watching magazine for under £100.

I've a pair of Opticron 8x42 Countryman and very pleased with them but they are priced between £170-£230 but still a good buy.
 
The bins you've seen are a fine pair and will do the job very well. The only possible issue is the 10x magnification, most go for an 8x as they are much easier to hold stable and the slightly lower mag doesn't make much difference to the view. I can pick out detail better with 8x than 10x as the image is much more steady. An 8x will also give you a wider FOV than a 10x, 6 degrees is quite limiting I'd want someting with closer to 8 degrees FOV. If you can give an idea of your budget then I'll post some suggestions...
 
I'd like to get some recommendations for a cheap and light pair to take on safari next year, I'd rather not spend more than £100 though so I don't know if this unrealistic.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Someone send a link or two to show me a nice cheap pair that i can handhold. As i said they will just be sitting in the car and dont need a great/expensive set--cheap and chearful would do.
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These are mine. I liked them so much a bought my brother a pair. For occasional use I can't see the point in spending loads more. Best thing about them is 8x42 is nice and bright, and eye-relief is about 18mm I think (it doesn't say on the link) which is fine for glasses. Close focus good for bird table etc.

Helios Mistral WP4 8x42 £99.99 http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/binoculars/helios/roof_prism_binoculars/mistral__wp4
 
kickstart said:
I'd like to get some recommendations for a cheap and light pair to take on safari next year, I'd rather not spend more than £100 though so I don't know if this unrealistic.
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You'll struggle to find anything better than the Opticron Oregon 8x32s, they are the best sub £100 bins that I have tried. They are small and light, have a good close focus, good wide FOV and a decent image. Sure they aren't as good as the more expensive models but they don't fall far behind. I used to work for an optics retailer and we sold them buy the bucketful, probably the most popular binocular (by sales) for the last couple of years.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...Opticron-Oregon-LE-WP-8x32-Binoculars_1029188
 
I have had quite a few different sets of bins over the years small sets large exspensive and cheap but I would always recommend the Nikon 8 x 40 action bins to anyone I bought them last year after trawling the internet over several days to find the best and have not been dissapointed excellent quality
 
aztec said:
I have had quite a few different sets of bins over the years small sets large exspensive and cheap but I would always recommend the Nikon 8 x 40 action bins to anyone I bought them last year after trawling the internet over several days to find the best and have not been dissapointed excellent quality
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I don't know if you bought them unseen Aztec, but I wouldn't.

Even bins of identical spec are quite different in the hand and the only way you can choose between say 8x20, 8x30, 8x40 or 8x50 is to try them. Check the eye-piece adjustment, weight of the controls, that kind of personal stuff.

When testing, try to have a decent peek in low light when your pupils are wide and you'll soon see why 8x20 are rubbish and 8x50 are great.

A quick test of the optics is to look at a TV aerial against the sky and see how much colour fringing there is. CA is the enemy of binoculas and while it's not usually a problem for brief use but I can tell you that it gets damn annoying if you're sitting in a hide staring through them for hours. That's what you are mainly paying for with expensive bins.
 
If you want real advice this is the place to go :-


http://pennineonline.com

ZCF Zeiss Centre Focus are ok , the desogn goes back to WWII , modern binocular design favours roof prism as they are more efficient at tansmitting light.

Exit pupil size is also crucial, as we get older our pupils tend not to dialate as as when we were young therfore we need as much light transference as possible
 
i have canon IS bins and the IS is great works just like on lenses .
Rob.
 
Are these far to dirt cheap to be any good? As there are 4 of us going I'd rather buy a couple of pairs to share around. They are only £20 a pair.

We are not heavily into birdwatching but want something we can use from the back of a 4WD for spotting Game.

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_8&products_id=107160

Feel free to laugh at me if you want to....

I don't really even understand what 10x42 vs 8x42 is?

I just wanted something small, light and portable, these look like they might be a bit heavy though.
 
They are probably much better than they have any right to be.

For serious birding, no. But for occasional/casual use, maybe.
 
I'd probably go with HoppyUK on this one. There's not much chance of them ever being classed as "good", but to be fair 7dayshop don't really sell absolute rubbish either. So I'd guess they'll be passable. Certainly cheap enough just to keep in the car and not worry about losing them. You can always get a better pair later if you feel the need to.
 
All the above are lying. You won't be able to see anything unless you buy a pair of Zeiss Dialyts in 7x42 or 10x50 (don't buy the Victory version), or failing that some Swarovski 8x42 ELs, or Leica ones. They are what REAL birders use.:D

I have to say, the quality of th glass does play a huge part in the clarity of vision. I have Zeiss Dialyts (7x42) they are old now but I can watch badgers and foxes at night by the light of the moon - no, they are not night vision, just very good light transfer. Better quality optics will not grain out at dusk so soon - I use mine for finding deer before slotting them and putting them in the freezer!
 
Nope as i bought the Benro Gimbal head instead.:shrug::lol:. Will get a pair though and as suggested in the thread im thinking of going for these--Opticron Oregon LE WP 8x32 Binoculars, they arent expensive and a few reviews i have read they seem fine. As i said i just want something to sit in the car and use on te odd occassion.
 
Whatever you decide to buy make sure they are filled with nitrogen as this will help prevent fogging when going from warm to cold environment or was it the other way around? :lol:

I have a pair of THESE and they are superb, no faffing around with focusing they snap into focus and give a very bright image, and will last a lifetime of regular use, but not cheap.

A mate of mine showed me some £150 bino's he bought recently then I said to try mine, I recall he walked away dejected muttering to himself.
 
If they are just going to be chucked in the car and your not really bothered about optical quality, Morrison sell a pair of 10x50 for under a tenner. Not going to be great in dull weather but should be OK in bright conditions.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Nope as i bought the Benro Gimbal head instead.:shrug::lol:. Will get a pair though and as suggested in the thread im thinking of going for these--Opticron Oregon LE WP 8x32 Binoculars, they arent expensive and a few reviews i have read they seem fine. As i said i just want something to sit in the car and use on the odd occassion.
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hah, good stuff - yeh they seem good for the price, might get some. missus has got some olympus 8x42 http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/1942__8x42_EXPS_I.htm bought for her when she left her last employer, really nice for birding - bright and clear :)

drew
 
Just resurrecting this thread as I'm going on safari soon.

I was visiting a pal who is a plane spotter and he had a pair of these Nikon Sprint IV 10 x 21 which seemed ideal for me. They were easy to use, light and the right sort of price.

He got an offer at a boat show but they seem to be around £50 on a fair few sites.

http://www.lifestylesathome.co.uk/Gifts/£25-£50/sc1508/p110.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GoogleShopping&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D

There are also some that are 8 x 21 for about £42 as well. These would have less magnification I guess?

Does anyone else have any suggestions or have used these?
 
kickstart said:
Just resurrecting this thread as I'm going on safari soon.

I was visiting a pal who is a plane spotter and he had a pair of these Nikon Sprint IV 10 x 21 which seemed ideal for me. They were easy to use, light and the right sort of price.

He got an offer at a boat show but they seem to be around £50 on a fair few sites.

http://www.lifestylesathome.co.uk/Gifts/£25-£50/sc1508/p110.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GoogleShopping&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D

There are also some that are 8 x 21 for about £42 as well. These would have less magnification I guess?

Does anyone else have any suggestions or have used these?
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I wouldn't worry about the magnification, but 21 is very small. These are pocket bins, with all the compromises that go with that. But if you've tried something similar and like them, then fine.

On safari, when the light gets low and you need to see what's happening in the twilight, you want that second number to be as high as possible.
 
kickstart said:
Just resurrecting this thread as I'm going on safari soon.

I was visiting a pal who is a plane spotter and he had a pair of these Nikon Sprint IV 10 x 21 which seemed ideal for me. They were easy to use, light and the right sort of price.

He got an offer at a boat show but they seem to be around £50 on a fair few sites.

http://www.lifestylesathome.co.uk/Gifts/£25-£50/sc1508/p110.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GoogleShopping&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D

There are also some that are 8 x 21 for about £42 as well. These would have less magnification I guess?

Does anyone else have any suggestions or have used these?
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The problem with the compact binos is the poor light gathering performance plus 10x mag is rather too high to hand hold as every little twitch and movement will appear huge, 7x - 8x mag is optimal for wildlife. Ideally what you also need is a pair of binos with around a 5mm pupil exit diameter, basically divide the objective lens size by the mag, so for 10x21 = 21/10 = 2.1mm which is tiny and will limit their use in anything but the brightest light.

The easiest range to start in is around 8x40 - 8x42, I'd personally recommend something from Hawke (I've got the 8x42 nature-trek and they're cracking value), but you're looking at about £100 which is bottom of mid-range for binos. HTH

Carl
 
So just to clarify: 8 x 21 would be easier to use and better in lower light, but less magnification?

Size is an is as we are limited on internal flights, plus they are for occasional not prolonged use.
 
kickstart said:
So just to clarify: 8 x 21 would be easier to use and better in lower light, but less magnification?

Size is an is as we are limited on internal flights, plus they are for occasional not prolonged use.
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No, they'd be poor in low light regardless as 21mm is a tiny objective lens size and a decent set of roof prism 8x42s aren't much larger than a Dan Brown paperback! Granted my binos are for occasional use when I'm out and about but I still want a decent IQ and light gathering ability for wildlife... Think "buy cheap, buy twice".. ;)
 
I'm in the market for a compact pocket-sized pair of binoculars so this thread has been really interesting. I tried an 8x20 Leica and 10x25 Swarovski and have to say I was stunned by their clarity and sharpness. Of course they are rather pricey, but having just got some money in from papping the Queen it fits in the budget.

The low-light thing is not something I'd considered. I'm not that keen on getting anything larger so I think either of these may be the ticket.

I did also try a Zeiss 10x25 and 8x20 but they just didn't have the same level of image quality as the Leica or Swarovski items.
 
Tobers said:
I'm in the market for a compact pocket-sized pair of binoculars so this thread has been really interesting. I tried an 8x20 Leica and 10x25 Swarovski and have to say I was stunned by their clarity and sharpness. Of course they are rather pricey, but having just got some money in from papping the Queen it fits in the budget.

The low-light thing is not something I'd considered. I'm not that keen on getting anything larger so I think either of these may be the ticket.

I did also try a Zeiss 10x25 and 8x20 but they just didn't have the same level of image quality as the Leica or Swarovski items.
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It's all to do with the exit diameter of the binos (basically the circular image that enters your eyes), under average dilation your pupils are around 5 - 6mm in diameter, so if the exit diameter is < 5mm you're not getting optimal amounts of light entering your eye and conversley if its > 5mm you'll be losing light around the edges. The smaller binos are fine in optimium conditons but as soon as the light tails off it's a different story (think f2.8 versus f5.6).

I know the small size appeals but for the money you could get some stunning 8x40 / 8x42 roof prisms and they're not much bigger than a chunky paperback and they'll be useable in almost all conditions, not just bright sunlight.

HTH :)
 
Bearing in mind we will mainly be using these in Tanzania in bright light I'm a bit less concerned about the exit diameter. My main concern is size and weight.

So would something like these Olympus ones be better, or are they much the same as the Nikon ones?
Olympus 10x25 Tracker PC I Compact Porro Prism Binocular
http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?pName=olympus-10x25-tracker-pc-i-compact-porro-prism-binocular

I've also just realised that this shop is only round the corner from our offices so I'm going to nip in at lunchtime and try a few pairs out.
 
I went round to the shop at lunchtime and had a look through a bunch of different ones.

I ended up getting these:
http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?pName=olympus-8x25-tracker-pc-i-compact-porro-prism-binocular&cName=olympus-binoculars-tracker-binoculars

8 x 25 magnification felt about right, the 10 x ones were more difficult to hold steady. I liked the really compact dimensions, light weight and very smooth, fast focus.

I could see that for long use some of the higher spec ones I tried were better but for occasional use on the safari these seemed ideal for me.

Not much game to track near the British museum though!
 
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