Binoculars

[nearlywild]

I want to buy a pair of binoculars. Are there any good name brands to look for or any to avoid? I mainly want them for wildlife viewing. I have 2 small pairs but I was able to see better using the zoom on my digital camera(20x) than using them. I don't mind spending a few hundred dollars for a good pair. I did see some $2000+ pairs at the store. What on earth makes them worth that much? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[Bigdog57]

A couple of the premium German-made binos are ridiculously expensive - nice gear but you're paying too much for the name.

Look at those from the top Camera companies - Pentax, Nikon, etc. They know good lenses, and it'll come down to what feels good in your hand and looks 'right' to you. A good pair can be had for less than $500.
You're right about those cheap mini-binocs - they 'work' but quality is in the dumps. Reminds me of the old "3-D" View-Master toys we had as kids - everything is in flat 'panels'.......

[richardvg03]

Leupold!! These are the bino's I use.

[richardvg03]

Leupold!

These are the bino's I use!

[snatiep]

I am a HUGE fan of Leupold binoculars. I have several pairs. All Leupold's come with a lifetime warranty.

One of my favorites was also the cheapest. The Leupold Yosemite 6x30. At only around $75 they are a beautiful pair of binoculars.

At around $350 my second favorite pair is my Leupold Katmai 6x32. Very compact and an incredible view! Beautiful binoculars.

I have a few more Leupold pairs....Mojave 12x50.....Cascade 8x42....and the small Rogue compact 8x25

I also have a pair of Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 roof binoculars that are also a terrific pair of binoculars. They are quite a bit larger physically than any of my Leupolds though.

I absolutely love them all and I wouldn't get rid of any of them for any reason!

Have fun picking out a pair!

I do recommend any of the Leupold or Nikon binoculars as they come with a lifetime warranty!

I forgot to mention my Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 compact binoculars! Look them up online....a very fun and unique pair of binoculars to own! I love them!

[nearlywild]

Thanks for the recs. It'll probably be about a month before I can buy them now. I thought my tires would get us through the summer but after taking them off and actually looking at them, we decided to buy new ones now.

[Oldcoyote]

Birdwatchers are the experts

Birdforum.net is where the bino experts hang out.
http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=112

[nearlywild]

I checked out the bird forum site and those guys really like the expensive binoculars. I also, went by Sportsman Warehouse and the salesman was really pushing the Nikon Monarchs. They are more in my price range and I like their no fault warranty. I want to go back one more time and look through them again and make up my mind. Then I'll probably look around on the internet to see if I can find them cheaper.

[renodesertfox]

Good luck nearly...there's got to be a pun in there somewhere. Desert Rose uses Leupold and loves 'em! I use an old pair of 10x50 Nikon binos. But I usually leave home and just use Canon glass on the dslrs I carry. So what did you get?

[renodesertfox]

Once you have decided on magnification and how much your back pocket will suffer, then doing the research is the easy part. The best, least expensive and cheapest shipping with a good warranty rules and governs everything we purchase! Too bad about your tires...this spring I spent some bucks myself, replacing all four in the jeep! Even redid the 350Z too, ouch!:eek:

[nearlywild]

I just bought them. I decided on the Nikon Monarch X. http://www.nikonbirding.com/binocula...-x-105x45.html

I did a lot of looking around and finally found a place that was the cheapest and the shipping wasn't too bad. I wanted to get them from Amazon. They had the same price but free shipping. However, they have been out of stock for some time now and I need them by Sept. 19th. I did check ebay but the people on there wanted way too much money for them. Nikon is also offering $100 rebate on them.

[renodesertfox]

Great choice...Nikon! I'm happy for you! Way to Go!!!

What's so special about Sept 19th?