rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Uncle Buck Loc: South Dakota

Lots of good advice. I have a pair of 8x42 which I used for deer hunting. I have now gone to 10x50 Vortex Diamondback and find that I can handle them without shake and they are just slightly bigger than the 8x42 and I am getting a good image. Not a burden on chest harness(recommended if walking any distance. The 8x42 is in the pick-up for quick use during my day to day travels. Maybe get some moderately priced 8x42 and try out the others too at the outdoor store. Vortex is making waves re it's no question asked replacement warranty even if dropped.

I Derfdog

My binocs are Celestron 15x70. I prefer light gathering capabilities, they are definitely not small and pocket-able but fairly light for their size. Bought from B&H for around $50.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

A couple of years ago I bought a pair of Canon 12x36 IS III binoculars. Relatively small and light. Normally I would stay away from anything with a greater then 8x magnification because they can be so hard to hold steady but this Canon pair is stabilized and I know from their lenses that Canon stabilization works great. These binoculars are outstanding. Great range and rock steady when you engage the stabilization. I will never buy another pair of un-stabilized binoculars. My Nikon 10x50 pair, which I once thought were the best now sit untouched since I bought the Canon pair.
I bought this Canon pair from B&H for something like $850. Worth every penny. Canon has a number of stabilized binoculars. Some considerably less expensive and some considerably more so. Mine are priced about in the middle but they do an excellent job.

mrtaxi Loc: Old Westbury NY, Fort Lauderdale, FL

I have many binoculars mostly used for boating. The ones I pick up the most are my Fujinon 14x40 TS1440 Techno-Stabi Image-Stabilized Binocular. (B&H is at about $999)They are bright, the battery lasts s long time compared to canon, they are waterproof, and steady at 14x and bright . If not going stabilized do not go over 8x without a tripod or at least a monopod which is more weight to carry. The top end products from companies like Zeiss,Leica, Swarovski, Steiner commander, and fujinon all cost about $1,000 plus. This is like buying a tripod it’s cheaper to go get the good one first then to buy two or three beginners binoculars and eventually you will wind up spending the money to buy a good pair but at that point you can now spend double what you had to. This is like buying a tripod it’s cheaper to go get the good one first then to buy two or three beginners binoculars and eventually you will wind up spending the money to buy a good pair but at that point you’ve now spent double what you had to

Guyserman Loc: Benton, AR

Naptown & Longshadow, thanks for clearing that up. Good to know.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

LFingar and mrtaxi are the only ones mentioning stabilization. My experience is with a Canon version.

Two things happen with stabilization. One is that you can have much stronger magnification. 8x is typical for regular binoculars. You can double that with stabilization.

The other thing that happens is that it lets you see what you are looking at. Think about identifying a bird and then seeing the detail of the feather structure.

Don't buy binoculars until you've tried them with stabilization.

There is another benifit! If you go somewhere like Yellowstone and let someone look at a distant bear, wolf, etc through your magical, stabilized binoculars you will make a new friend.

drsdayton Loc: Dayton, Ohio

Wow! Thx for all the great responses. I have learned a lot from this thread. This forum offers some serious reach!

Doug

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I always carry a 12x50 binocular with me. bigger is always better.

Haydon

Nikon's Monarch 8x32 are reasonably priced and cater to those needing eye relief using prescription glasses. A few years ago I bought a pair when they were rated in the top five without breaking the bank. The most frequent focal length seems to be 8x32's in the birding community. It's great glass for less than $300.00.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Just as important as lens quality is the design, construction and QC effort that goes into assuring that the two lens systems are properly aligned with each other ("collimated" is the technical term.) Even with outstanding lens systems, if your binoculars are not perfectly collimated you will end up with headaches after fairly short periods of use. This tends to be another get-what-you-pay-for proposition.

I have a vivid memory of checking out binoculars. About 45 years ago Leica did one of their "seminars" near where I lived. It was held at night in a hotel ballroom which was underground, so the only light came from the installed lighting, which was comfortable but not particularly bright. Part of the attraction of the seminar was that they had tables of most of the Leitz optical line, for you to play with during breaks. I remember standing in line to check out Leitz Trinovid binoculars, which I had never handled before, and was surprised to hear every person ahead of me give a short gasp when they first looked through a pair. I did the same thing when it was my turn - the view was absolutely stunning. I soon bought the 6x24 model, which cost lots more than just about anything else on the market, but I haven't thought about that since. My wife mostly uses them now at the outdoor theatrical performances she attends - they are still a gorgeous tool to use.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Your experience matches mine with regard to quality binoculars. I have owned Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski. I am spoiled by the quality of all three. I used and sold the Zeiss, one Leica Trinovid and one Swarovski. Each time I sold for close to what I had paid for them. I still have the Leica 10X40 rangefinders and still love them.

Dennis

broncomaniac Loc: Lynchburg, VA

Seconding the Nikon Prostaff series. I have to 7S and love them. Just make sure you buy roof prism binos, whatever your choice.

PH CIB

My Wife and I really like our little Zeiss 10x25 pocket binoculars, Leica and Swarovski also make pocket binoculars in the 10x25 range, very small and light you will hardly notice them all day long around your neck,,,,10 power magnification which is usually enough, and 25mm objective lenses not as big as the 32mm or 40mm or 50 mm binoculars so do not let in as much light and not as good at dawn and dusk, but those other binoculars are very big and heavy....

Revet Loc: Fairview Park, Ohio

My wife and I went through this last summer prior to our trip to Yellowstone. I ordered 3 pairs of binoculars to see witch we liked best. We keep the Monarch 5 10x42 and returned the Monarch 5 8x42 and the Upland optics perception HD 10x42. We tried the 3 of them out on birds in our backyard and the Monarch 5 was the clear winner.

I might consider the 8x42 for birding because it is a little harder to find a bird with the 10x42 but with some practice, it wasn't a problem. If you plan on using it for other purposes like we did, the extra reach of the 10x42 was nice in Yellowstone (but not as good as a scope!!). If you don't have steady hands, definitely the 8x32.