Help with binoculars

My wife is a biologist and we're both pretty serious birders, so we have about
10 pairs of binocs around the house, in the car and truck, etc. Some are
full-sized, some are very compact, and a few are weatherproof (a nice feature
for backpacking). So here are some thoughts that might help:

1) Get 7x or 8x binocs. Birders use 10x glass to look at tiny birds way up in
the canopy during spring and fall migration, and to look at ducks and other
water critters. 10x binocs can be very shaky, they have a *very* narrow field
of view, and are often too powerful to locate something closeby.
2) Get compact binocs, but not tiny ones. If you have big bucks, both Leica
and Zeiss make little itsy-bitsy things that are bright and sharp as a tack,
but astronomically priced. A good pair of 8x30 binocs is a great choice for
general viewing. We keep going back to the Nikon 8x30E binocs, which may be
the best birding glass ever made. The only drawbacks are price (list for over
$500) and lack of waterproofing. Other than that, they're the best pair we
own. The Swarovskis, Swift Audubons, Steiners, smaller Nikons, and some Pentax
models are very good, at less cost. (The Steiner 8x30 are terrific, at about
$225.)
3) Please don't buy a pair of zoom binoculars, no matter what the salesclerk
tells you.
4) Look at several different models. You can usually find a good selection at
camera stores, for some reason. You can also look at ads in magazines like
Bird Watchers Digest to get some ideas. If cost is a consideration, and it
always is, you can buy a decent pair of Bushnells for under $100, but don't
expect miracles.
Good luck, and good hunting (just a figure of speech).

Ken Bennett

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is the major limiting factor on your selection.

I recently picked up a nice pair of Pentax 8x24 compact binoculars at
a good price, wonderful glasses, I take them with me on all my trips.
BUT, they are just no good in twilight conditions. I also have a pair
of US Navy surplus 10x50 that will just about let you see in the dark.
They weigh a ton (at least) and I would never carry them more than a
mile.

This is probably good advice. I might also add: go to a store and
examine each pair. Learn to recognize slight defects in convergence
and alignment. Only buy a pair that is perfect. Hold them at arm's-
length and look through the objectives. Reject any pair where the
bright spot in the objective is not perfectly round and set against
a jet-black background. Buy only weather proof binoculars unless you
just want to carry them in a zip-lock bag with silica gel.

Consider that, in the Rockies, 10 power may not be enough. You do not,
however, want binoculars above 10 power. (Why have binoculars you have
to mount on a tripod?) You should consider a good 20 power spotting
scope with a 75mm objective. (Kowa makes some good ones.)

Well, there are also Leitz and Swarovski to consider.
--
Donald R. Newcomb * University of Southern Mississippi
* "The God who gave us life gave us liberty
* at the same time." T. Jefferson (1774)

Let me weigh in with a different opinion. First of all, I take birding and
binoculars seriously. We have six (I think) in our family, including B&L
10x40s and Zeiss 7x42s. But for backpacking, I'm more than content with my
8x30 Minolta compacts. They are light, produce a bright and sharp image,
and have a good field of view. They don't focus as close to the viewer as
high-end binoculars (you may want that in the Kentucky woods), they are not
good with glasses, and they suffer a bit in low light (at least compared
with the Zeisses--surprise!), but I don't want heavy, full-size binos on a
long trip (they're always around my neck).

Note also that even better compacts are available (which would minimize the
disadvantages of the Minoltas), including extraordinary ones from Leitz.
Also, even the hard-core birding fraternity is turning back toward 7x and
8x optics, after years of devotion to 10x glasses. I would definitely
recommend you look at decent-quality compacts at these powers.

-Doug

Doug_

Orion 8x42 Ultraview (10x42 also). Very clear, wide angle, w/
full multicoating. Reasonably small & light. 10x shakes too much for
me, of course it could just be too much coffee! I like these because
I wear glasses and these have a huge 20 mm eye relief and large exit
pupils, so I can use them with glasses and still see the whole
picture. Cost: about $175. Orion is a mail order telescope/binoc
firm, w/ both "house" brand and "name" brand (Nikon, Celestron, etc.)
stuff. Significantly cheaper than anything local to me.
--

Brad Whitehurst | Aerospace Research Lab
| We like it hot...and fast.

One potential problem with 10 power binocs is that they are
very susceptible to image-distortion via shaking of the hands.
All other things being equal, a stronger magnification binoc
will have a more narrow field of view and will require a steadier
hand to see things clearly.

I ended up with some Svarovski (sp?) 8 x 30 compact binocs. These
are a nice compromise in size, weight, and magnification, and they
have excellent light gathering. They also have fully coated optics,
rubber armour, and are waterproof to at least 10'. I like them a
lot, and even for long distances they are clear enough for me.

My advice is to try out a bunch of models, then pick one you
like. Insist on fully coated optics, and good light gathering.
Don't worry about IR-resistance coatings. Zeiss, Leupold,
Swarovski, and Steiner are all excellent brands. I like Steiner
and Swarovski personally. Steiner has some nice, light, 8 x 30
compact models. If you wear glasses get a model with large eyeholes
in the eyepiece lenses (sorry I don't know the optical name for
these holes).

---
Robert Allen,

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this posting are mine, and
do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

I would go with 10x40s weight be damned. If good viewing is
important to you then for a few more grams get 10x 40 or 42mm
objective lenses are good compromises for backpacking.

I can personally recommend Mirador 10x42 wideangles. I think
Clestron makes a pair that is essentially identical but with
slightly better coatings. These are about $200-220. They are
as good as it gets in this $ range and up to about $500. Lots
of folks that I work with have them or have tried them side by
side with Pentaxes, Nikon, Bushnell/Baush & Lomb (other than
Elites) and the others just don't slice it.

They are surprisingly light and small too, although I don't
have the specs available at the moment.

I went out to spend ~$500 and after a lot of research came
home with these. I don't regret it and neither does anyone
else that uses/owns them.

If you've got the pesos, 10x40 Zeiss are the ultimate.

Brent Danielson