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Last night of my break, and I'm sat on the "deck" of my "lodge", looking across at a muntjac deer that is grazing the edge of the field, about 100 yards from me. Too far to get a phone pic.
I love this kind of thing, and it's maybe about time I got a pair of binoculars to make the most of it. So what sort of bins does a middle aged bloke with dodgy eyesight need to get a decent view of something deer sized at 100 yards?
The deer seems to be aware of me but isn't bothered. The young couple next door though have retreated from their hot tub and gone indoors. Even without me having binoculars.
I'd say 8x42 are the type you are after. The 8 being the magnification and the 42 being the size of the front element for light gathering. I wouldn't go any smaller than that 8x32 given that your subject are most active at dawn/dusk and available light could be low.
I bought some Optricon binoculars 15 years ago and they still work! Highly recommended!
I spend way too much time cycling around Norfolk with a pair of binoculars in my handlebar bag, stopping every now and again to view something a bit special.
I think my advice is to get the best you can afford and look at the purchase as an investment. I’ve had mine since we moved here nearly thirty years ago and many of the things I have witnessed through my bins are priceless!
Just sent a quick text to my Mom who’s a keen Ornithologist and she’s sent this back as great value.
https://www.opticron.co.uk/our-products/binoculars/verano-bga-vhd-binoculars/verano-bga-vhd-8x42
I work in a shop and we sell binoculars and scopes mainly to people coming here to look at wildlife. Higher magnification means they’re heavier, narrow angle of view less good for moving objects. Smaller front optics means they’re lighter/more compact but less good in poor light (mornings/evenings). Cheaper models have multi coated optics whereas mid/higher range use ED glass which has less distortion/clearer image. Another option is a low-powered scope and a monopod - I have a 15-40x magnification scope that is very portable - I live next to open fields and woodland overlooking the Sound of Mull - we have a herd of red deer that lives here, plus regular fly-bys from eagles, hen harriers and other birds. You can buy a reasonable pair of bins for about £90 - water resistant, multi coated optics, whereas some folk spend well over a grand.
I got a set of used (perfect condition) Hawke Frontier HD X 8x32 from Harrison Cameras in Sheffield for £170 a couple of years ago. There's a tiny bit of purple fringing sometimes, but overall seem like fairly decent optics. They seem to be going for a bit more second hand now though.
I think they are lower/mid range offerings - would be ideal for 100yds.
https://irelandswildlife.com/hawke-frontier-hdx-8x32-binocular-review/
I wouldn't go for a basic budget set. I might go for some 10 x 42 or 12 x 50's at some point
I’ve had two pairs of 8 x 42 compact binoculars, excellent for putting in your backpack, however, one pair is in the sea off Skye and the other broke. I inherited my Dad’s old binoculars, probably70 plus years old, Japanese made, again 8 x 42 but the old fashioned shape, they are excellent but too bulky to carry on the bike. After a thread on here I went to Harrison cameras in Sheffield and bought a monocular, (Hawke Endurance) again 8 x 42, waterproof and can fit in my pocket.
As an addition, my wife bought me a pair of 10 x 42 from a charity shop, just for the case - they are excellent too! Since then I’ve looked in charity shops and there are loads, usually very cheap.
I can recommend Harrison Cameras, excellent service and choice.
As mentioned above for wildlife and birdies 8x42 with the best glass you can justify/afford.
Bit pricey but they are truly amazing. Even looking at the moon is stunning.
For quality at a cheap £80 Olympus 8x40
They've been making decent cameras and lens for a while so seems to know what they are doing
I spend way too much time cycling around Norfolk with a pair of binoculars in my handlebar bag, stopping every now and again to view something a bit special.
I think my advice is to get the best you can afford and look at the purchase as an investment. I’ve had mine since we moved here nearly thirty years ago and many of the things I have witnessed through my bins are priceless!
I shudder to think what some of the priceless things you can witness in Norfolk might be!
Thanks for the thoughts - I hadn't thought of charity shops or second hand, that might be a good option.
Who would have thought, binoculars are like bikes with price. 😉
Really good value for money are either Hawke or Vortex. There are different price points of course, and you really need to look through them to factor in little details such as ease of focussing, eye relief for glasses wearers etc. , but they sell an enormous number of bins and more importantly have almost limitless warranties.
I’d advise 8 x42 for ease of use and portability.
Nikon and Pentax both do decent binoculars, but it’s when you start looking at Leica and similar that you get into real pricey optics, close on £1000/pair!
I’ve got a pair of 8x32 Avian Trekker binoculars, which I’ve had for years, maybe twenty or so, which cost me £99, and a pair of Avian Lite 8x42, which I bought a couple of years ago, which are bigger and heavier, but better optics, and were around £250.
The main reason I bought those is because there’s a camera and optical instruments shop in Bath, Ace Optics, and I could try them out before buying - they’ve served me very well so far, I tend to keep the smaller ones in the kitchen for getting close-up views of the visitors to my feeders, the bigger pair I take with me on walks in the countryside. 8x42 is an optimal size, really, for general use, 8x32’s are a good size to put in a pocket, but obviously the brightness suffers on dull days.
I recently took up a birdwatching, course . The people running the course provided RSPB 8 x 42s at under £80 a pop .I bought a pair they are perfect for what I want why pay any more?
We have a 10 x 50 pair of binoculars which never get used because they're big and heavy and a 7x42 monocular that gets taken around and used a lot because it's nice and compact.
I thought 7x would be rubbish but in reality it's excellent as you can find what you're looking for easier than with a 10x.
Advice from someone who lives upside down?
Most of the main points have been covered above, and when you start to spend more than £1000 it really is diminishing returns. I run a small birdwatching tour company where I take people out in my local area - I have a pair of Leica 8 x 32 that are about 20 years old and are still excellent. They’ve been superseded by a number of new Leica binoculars, with the most recent Noctivid bins selling for over £2000/pair. If you’re viewing things during the day, in good light, you’re unlikely to notice any difference in the images, but where the more expensive pairs come into their own is when the light is fading, or low light situations.
The 8 x 32 ones I have get the most use, but I also have a pair of 8x20 Leica which are tiny, and which I carry on the bike or when out for a longer walk. The image quality is excellent and they’re really portable.
The RSPB ones noted above get good reviews, as do Hawke, but within each manufacturer there are different levels of binoculars, with more advanced lenses, particularly the coatings, and less distortion as you get more expensive.
As with most pastimes, I’d recommend getting something fairly cheap to start with, but if good enough quality that it won’t put you off, and then if you’re enjoying it you can always upgrade at a later date.
Slight but related highjack. What about MONoculars?
Always found binoculars make my eyes go squirly plus they tend to be bulky. Got some £8 ones from Go Outdoors. Obviously they can be bettered.
Opticron have the best glass for the budget price range, they often get overlooked on the shelf as their branding and packaging etc is a bit shabby but it's beacause everything has gone into the glass.
+1 on charity shops - just after my wife bought me a really nice pair of Hawke 10x42's we noticed that a local charity shop had about three pairs in, all immaculate, all £20-30 instead of the £200 we paid...
Always found binoculars make my eyes go squirly plus they tend to be bulky. Got some £8 ones from Go Outdoors. Obviously they can be bettered.
Me too - 53 years old and I don't think I've ever been any good at using binoculars and getting the vision in both eyes to line up properly.
We found a woodpecker coming to see our bird feeder at our caravan - straight out to the local antique emporium (junk shop) to buy some binoculars, they had 2 sets to choose from, both £12. Both me and Mrs C have differently poor eyesight, was the matter of moments to set the eyepieces correctly. One of the best and cheapest things we've bought for ages!
Opticron 8x42 here, although they're an obsolete model now. Get waterproof ones, ideally
I've got a cheap pair of 15x70 as well, but apart from distant objects the more expensive 8x42 are better in every way. 15x is probably the limit for hand-held
I have an eye condition that makes it almost impossible to get a single image in binoculars (and without!) so my Hawke Endurance ED Marine 7x42 Monocular is perfect for me.
Because we spend a bit of time on the water (the bird and wildlife watching trip on a tiny rowing boat in the Gambia was excellent) the waterproof and floating aspect makes it especially good and the ED optics more than make up for the slight lack of magnification.
The major drawback with a monocular is what to call it. We've settled on "the scope".
On the 'cheap but cheerful' front, we bought a pair of RSPB Puffin 8x32s a few years ago, £65 at present. They mainly live in the kitchen for checking the birds on the feeders but occasionally come out on a walk with us too. Perfectly functional, not heavy, easy to live with. There's also a 10x42 option. And the RSPB have other, more expensive models too.
Sorry, can't post a link, pasting a url on my phone no worky for some reason. Google RSBP PUFFIN and you'll soon get there.
Werewolf. Obvs.
My late father bought me a set of Leica 8x30s that are still going strong but they have far too much sentimental value to be used regularly.
I do have a very cheap pair of tiny Vivitar 8x21s that I keep in my dog walking hip pack just in case i want to get a closer look at something and they have done a vaguely acceptable job.
@MoreCashThanDash there was a chap at Rowsley car boot this morning with some decent binoculars for sale including some with Zeiss lenses. Might be worth a trip over next week? It starts at 7 so wouldn’t interfere with your day to much and not far from Ilson!
@MoreCashThanDash there was a chap at Rowsley car boot this morning with some decent binoculars for sale including some with Zeiss lenses. Might be worth a trip over next week? It starts at 7 so wouldn’t interfere with your day to much and not far from Ilson!
That's interesting to know, didn't know Rowsley had a car boot, but might see if i can get there next week
You didn’t know! A friendly sale in a very pretty setting on the football pitch, a good mix of regulars and genuine one offs.
Always found binoculars make my eyes go squirly plus they tend to be bulky. Got some £8 ones from Go Outdoors. Obviously they can be bettered.
Me too - 53 years old and I don't think I've ever been any good at using binoculars and getting the vision in both eyes to line up properly.
One eyepiece is adjustable, the trick is to focus using the non-adjustable eyepiece, then use the adjustable one to focus the other eye.
£8 binoculars are really not going to be up to much, in fact, the lenses are almost certainly moulded plastic, and are fundamentally useless! You can get a fairly decent monocular for £50-60 or so, but I would suggest going to a shop that sells cameras and a range of optical equipment, and ask to try some, and ask to be shown how to set them up for your eyesight, most people have differing levels of focus with glasses, the same is obviously going to be true with binoculars.
My Avian 8x40’s don’t have an actual eyepiece that adjusts, the adjustment is done with the centre focussing wheel, by pushing or pulling it in and out; the advantage is that once adjusted, it’s unlikely to need additional adjustments - an eyepiece is easily moved just by handling or carrying around the neck.
71 years old, and never had an issue with adjusting the lenses in the last 60 years or so - using my dad’s 10x50 binoculars when I was little, I inherited them at 13, bought a pair of 7x50’s on holiday for about £10, but that was in 1969, and I’ve still got them, they’re excellent for very poor light, the exit pupil is huge, but they’re the old-school type, bulky and heavy.
I'm a big fan of the Nikon Prostaff 7 (8x42 or 10x42, depending on use case). Maybe a bit spendy at £200 but they're waterproof and incredibly well made.
Even looking at the moon is stunning.
I really wouldn't recommend that tbh
And why would that be?
Some people claim that it can damage your eyesight, presumably because they can't see detail in the dark for a short while after moving the bins from their eyes. (Because their eyes aren't dark adjusted any more.). It's complete rubbish. I've spent hours looking at the moon through big telescopes and it's not a problem.
Here’s a bunch of reviews of binoculars, many of which are probably outside the OP’s budget, but there are quite a few reasonable ones, and some just outside that might be worth saving up for, on the principle that it’s a worthwhile investment, with a bit of care they should last the rest of your life!