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For around 60 quid.
Asking for a friend sister.
Planning on some isolation peeping are we?
Yes No.
She would like to get some for her partner's birthday, I imagine for watching birds out their window. But could be for isolation stalking.
60 quid doesn't really get a good set.
You don't need to pay Zeiss prices but I would suggest spending at least £100.
I really like Steiner stuff but a bit over budget.
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/best-binoculars-under-100.php
Sorry can't be of more help, but this site is the one I'd read if I was looking at that price range.
Sorry for the predictable response, but £60 isn’t enough to get anything that would qualify as good.
Usual advice is to look at the RSPB offerings as the cheapest worthwhile options. But they won’t be £60.
Olympus 8x40 for that price cracking set
Can't recommend this place highly enough;
https://www.birders-store.co.uk/
The actual shop is tiny but they have a huge amount of stock and the customer service is top notch.
I bought a pair of Bushnells about 10 or 11 years ago and they've been superb. I paid about £100 but the they are now about £180-200.
One superb thing about them is they have a lifetime no quibble guarantee. 5 or 6 years ago I clumsily dropped them on a tiled floor and damaged them. I sent them off to their repair centre expecting to pay a whack for repair. They sent me a brand new set which were a higher spec FOC.
I now have the Bushnell Excursion EX 8x42. Linky if you shop around you can get them a fair bit cheaper than those in the link.
At that money, nothing.
For double that Bushnell or Konus.
Look for secondhand Viking.
An actual decent pair starts at around £600
You can get a very good pair for £60 ish.
Olympus Binocular 10 x 50 DPS-1 - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000AKGX3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kjhHEbHTC2NYW
Job done. They do the 8x42’s for just under £60 as well. Highly rated by the various binocular astronomers I know.
This is like a coffee machine thread, the budget is £60
I have the Olympus 8x40 and they are great. Looked through ones costing several times more and couldn't tell the difference.
I have a pair of those Olympus 10x50s above. For the money they're great.
I didn't realise the boyfriend had a set of binoculars but he produced them the other weekend to put in the van and take with us when we go around. I've been using them in the now office/back bedroom to watch the birds while working and observe the feeders we've put in. They're Olympus 10x50 DPS I and I can see the birds better than I can with the naked eye which therefore makes them good enough for me. I'm sure there's better for more money but for the use and budget they could be a decent enough set for home/occasional use.
An actual decent pair starts at around £600
That's not true.
I would say that £600 is where you hit the point of diminishing returns. The difference between a £600 pair and a £1200 is very small but the difference between a £100 pair and a £600 is quite significant.
This is like a coffee machine thread, the budget is £60
The OP asked what's a good set of binoculars and got the answer that it would cost him more than that for a good set.
No idea if the Amazon ones linked up there are any good but be wary, your sister could end up looking like this:
This is like a coffee machine thread, the budget is £60
Which once upon a time might have got a fairly decent pair of binoculars, but prices have gone up a fair bit.
I’ve got a pair of 8x40 Avian Trekkers, from a camera shop in Bath - it’s their own range - and they cost me £99, around ten years ago. They’re pretty good, nice and compact, nitrogen filled with a bright clear image.
They don’t do them any more, the cheapest model in their range is now £189, which I would consider to be the optimum price range.
For very slightly more (£80ish on eBay) you could get Avimo 7x42 ex MOD jobs - obvs you need to read the description carefully but they are great quality fixed focus jobs..
Have a scope here….
https://www.at-infocus.co.uk/product-category/ex-demo//blockquote >
I did, and I bought some wee Nikon ones that will fit in my handlebar bag for £50.
I suspect they'll also manage to magnify the bird life in my garden.
I like this thread.