My wife has a cheap £10 compact set which is better than nothing but a bit naff.
Looking to spend a bit more than that (£30? Maybe?) on a new pair but I have no idea what I'm looking at.
It would be for general bird/wildlife watching.
Smaller and lighter would be better obviously but not essential.
I fear you will have to spend a bit more than £30 to get a decent pair.
Go for something like 8x25 or 8x30 if you want to stay compact. 8 is the magnification, 25 or 30 is the objective (large) lens diameter. These will be good in bright lighting but will lose out on light gathering ability when the weather is dull. If you have an RSPB site near you go there to try some out. RSPB own brand are excellent. If you want brighter optics then generally you will have to go for a larger pair with say 40mm objective lenses. Nikon make some good compact bins. Things to look out for are colour fringes on bright edges, loss of focus at the lens edge & distortion at the lens edge-look at a lamp post or something similar to see how much it bends at the edge of vision. The more you pay, the less these artifacts appear generally.
Can't remember the science behind it but a very detailed article I read once suggested that the result of the lens divided by the mag ie 42 divided by 7 should be 5. Smaller and you are getting less light than the eye can deal with so potentially over magnified and dim and bigger than 5 was more light than the eye can deal with and thus you could go up a bit on the mag. All the small binoculars have a terribly high mag for the light they let in.
Without wanting to be rude if you had multiplied your prices by 5 you would be at a point where difference would be noticed.
Look at bird watching or shooting mags and website for good pointers.
I researched this a while ago, and my notes read:
For general bird watching, go for the lowest usable magnification together with the most compact body shape (e.g. 8x32 or 8x42). If you need high-definition, wide field-of-view and brightness of image, more than you need to consider size and weight, then try 7x42 or 8.5x42. For hide work, the best bet is around 10x42.
The cheapest binos that met the spec were Celestron Outland 8x42 Binoculars (C71167), waterproof, 2.44m close focus, around £45.
[url= http://budgetbirdwatching.wordpress.com/budget-birdwatching/barr-stroud-sierra-10x32/ ]maybe?[/url]
[url= http://www.mybinoculars.co.uk/barr-and-stroud-sierra-10x32.html?source=googleps&gclid=CLS9_Nn5i7cCFVMbtAodlz4AJA ]here[/url]
Uttings outdoors have good reductions on bins.
It's a bit like bikes.
Cheap ones are awful but if you spend a bit more you get a far superior bit of kit. After a certain price point it is diminishing returns for your money.
Personally, I would recommend Steiner but they are not cheap.
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steiner-Safari-Pro-8X30-Binoculars/dp/B0017PZDIG ]These are about the cheapest they do.[/url]
Don't get hung up on the magnification, on cheaper glasses, anything more than 7 or 8, then the lens can't really cope.
If you don't mind the bulk then get 7x50.
The Barr & Stroud 8x42s were second on my list, the longer 4m minimum focus put me off.
[quote=Viz Top Tips]..Avoid spending money on expensive binoculars, by simply moving closer to the object that you wish to view