drsdayton Loc: Dayton, Ohio

I'm pondering binoculars...primarily for birding, and don't have a history with them - so have some questions:

1) 8x42 v 10x42 - I glean from what I read that 8x42 may be easier for beginners, particularly in terms of tracking. Is that true? Will I feel differently about this a year out? (Seems to me that the extra range would be worthwhile, particular when paired with 600-1000mm camera lens capability)???

2) You can easily jump from the $3-400 range, to the $8-900 range, to the $2,000 range. Are there significant differences (that matter) between these price points?

3) Should I be considering other sizes? Are there clear favorites out there?

Thx for your thoughts!

Doug

Guyserman Loc: Benton, AR

I'm thinking the larger first number (10) would give you a little larger field of view, not more range (reach.)

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

I can only speak from my own personal experiences with them. They tend to be difficult to hold steady with the increase in magnification as it moves from low to high. The lens quality is more important than the magnification powers. If it is not crisp & clear to view and you never achieve a good focus , then all the power of X equals zero in your end results and the viewing is a waste of time.

Also what you are watching and how close you can get with the binoculars to it is the other factor in your search. If you are tracking wild animals , they tend to distance themselves from you and so you'll need the higher power device to follow them but the shake-factor will set-in. Now your will need a monopod or tripod and what I use.....a Spotting Scope ( a monocular ) which is better suited for objects @ great distances. These are for things at greater than 150 yards and the Binocular is most appropriate for closer objects of course

I would recommend that you go to a sporting store like Bass Pro or something similar and test out some of their optics before acquiring one to see if you can handle the magnification factors.

Good Luck

MBW66 Loc: NH, USA

Don’t know where you live but in NH Nature/Audubon Centers often have binoculars that you can try. 8x42 should be more than adequate. I happen to go the high end Swarovski route with pocket 10x25 or heavy 10x42. Look at the Nikon Prostaff 3S 8x42 write up on the LL Bean site for $120. Great price.

Angel Star Photography Loc: Tacoma, WA

The 10x42 would give you a tad bit more reach. I use a Celestron Upclose G2 16x32 and have found them very effective and convenient. I actually have three---one in the car, one with my cycling gear, and one with my photography gear. Typical price is about $30. I bought mine on sale for $20.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

For a small pair, that is excellent, I like the Nikon Monarch 7 (great value) 8X30, they also come in 10X30 (my personal favorite). Then going up from there the Nikon Monarch 7 10X42 (my favorite sitting birding glass). Both the 30 and 42 are bright. I prefer the 10 magnification. But that is my preference. If your going to get a pair and walk around with them over your neck the 30's are lighter. All Nikon Monarch's come with a padded neck strap and rubber outer caps.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

For the numbers (8x45 and 10x45), the first is magnification (8 or 10) and the second is the objective lens diameter (45mm).

Naptown Gaijin

Just the opposite is true.ore magnjfication means a smaller field of view (FOV), just as a telephoto lens has a narrower FOV when compared to a normal or wide angle lens.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

Doug,
I recently bought a pair of Nikon Action Extreme binos in 10×50. I really like them. They are great in lower light.
Nitrogen filled and sealed against water.
They aren't small, but built like a tank.
Bought mine thru Adorama for about $160.00.
You can also buy a tripod adapter for them for like $10.00 or so. I'm going to order the adapter soon.
Good luck!
Bob

berchman Loc: South Central PA

Get yourself an electronically stabilized pair of binoculars. Fuji makes a very good one. It's expensive, but you can have high magnification without shake.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

A 10 is like a 500mm lens. Get the kind you can use with glasses on. Price equals quality and use-ability.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

The number 10 (as opposed to 8) is the power of the binoculars. It will give you a smaller field of view but more power to see farther away.

With binoculars they are normally listed as 7X35, 8X40, 10X40 and so on. The first number is the power. The second number is the width in mm of the front lenses. The higher the second number indicates more light will be transmitted to the viewer. Thus a 7X35 may not have the magnification for distance that a 10X40 has but in low light situations will allow the user to see more clearly due to more light coming in.

I have Leica 10X40 range finding binoculars that I have had for years. I believe I paid about $1200.00 for them and find them to be one of the finest instruments I have ever used. Cabela's still sells the same binoculars for I believe $1399.00 now. For my money there is not a better deal on the market IF you don't mind paying that much for something you will easily use for a lifetime and then pass down to your children to use. Quality is superb. When they get dirty from crawling in dirt and mud I simply rinse them off under a faucet and all is good.

I am not a bird watcher but for me the 10X40 can't be beat.

Dennis

Naptown Gaijin

Just llike camera lenses, you generally get what you pay for. 8x42 is probably bes com of magnification and objective diameter. Divide 42÷8= 5.25mm exit pupil diameter. A 10x52 , (52÷10=5.20), would have a 5.20 exit pupil diameter.

A young person can have, in a dark place, a pupil diameter of as much as 7mm. This decreases as we get older to perhaps 5 mm. Of course, in bright light, the pupil size decreases to only a couple mm. Your eyes adjust automatically.

If you are going to use binocs at dawn or dusk, the larger the exit pupil, the more you will see in terms of light gathering anility from the binocs to your eye. A small binoc exit pupil at dusk or dawn means you won't be able to see the bird as well.

If you are watching in daytime on a sunny day, your don't need a large exit pupil, as the pupil diameter of your eye is much smaller.

The most popular combinations of magnification, objective diameter, and weight for handheld binocs is 7x42, 8x42x 10x50, all useful for handheld, though 10x is a lot of magnification for elderly people with shaky hands.

Anything larger than 10x requires a tripod, monopod, or some other type of assistance for two reasons: weight and magnification size.

For indoor operas people use real small binocs, 3×20 or 3x25. For navy ships, they scan the horizon with 10x50, 15x75 size binocs, sometimes mounted on monopods.

For your purposes, if you go with 7x you won't see as much detail as a 10x at a given distance.

If you go with a larger objective diameter for a given magnification, you will be able to see more at dawn or dusk but your binocs will be larger and heavier.

Everything is a trade off between magnification, objective diameter, weight, and price.

Like camera lenses, fully multicoated lenses (FMC) will provide more light transmission than simple multicoated optics.

Brands like Swarovski and Leica cost a lot, and perform very very well, but you pay some extra for the name. Brands like Nikon,Leupold, and Bushnell perform very well (depending on the model) and cost less. Brands like Celestron, Tasco, and BSA, are, IMHO, only adequate, and only in daylight, preferably bright daylight.

You really need to do some research before buying a good pair of binocs, which will cost you upwards of $300-700 new. You can get cheap stuff for $100-200 but you won't be happy, especially on cloudy days or at dusk.

Used binocs can be a good buy from BH or Adorama, but you must do your research first.

I use Leupold brand. Model I use is the McKinley 8x42, but I think these are discontinued. I also have a cheap pair of Tasco 10x25, useful only in daylight and not goid for detail.

Learn about the differwnce bewteen straight prism and porro prism binocs using goggle.
Good luck.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Correct! (finally)