Binoculars $100-$200 help!

[04Stefan07]

A friend of mine wants to buy some Binoculars for some casual terrestrial and lunar viewing.

He is looking to spend between $100 and $200.

I have no idea when it comes to binos, can anyone help so I can lead him in the right direction?

What to look out for, features, power, build quality, etc.

Thanks!

[pw]

8x42 is a common size and is quite useful for a variety of purposes.
Vanguard's lower priced binocs seem to review OK - Bintel
Kowa has well regarded lower priced models such as YF 8x30 - Bintel
Celestron Nature DX also review well - Online I think

http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/best-value-bird-watching.php
http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/binoculars-best-value.php
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=2674

[rogerco]

I brought myself a pair of Pentax bino the other day, bit higher than your range. But I looked at Nikon Aculon series, the 12 x 50 were $199 while the 10 x 50 were about $180. Bit lighter than the next range up but still very good. As usual the people at Bintel (Sydney) were great to deal with.

[bcgorham]

I have set of Pentax PCF WP II binoculars. This is my third set of binoculars, and easily the best (and most expensive). They are good performers. Exit pupil of 5mm so not overkill for my older eyes. Narrow FOV at 5 degrees for this class of binocular, but I don't mind it. It probably means better edge performance, IMO. Lens caps don't fit that well. Best to try 10x before you buy - it may be hard to hold them steady. Ergonomics are good, they are well balanced. I bought them from Adorama, I think, about 5 years ago for about $200.
Cheers Brad

[SkyWatch]

The Pentax PCF are probably above budget, but their XCF range are good value. Probably best to go for porro prisms rather than roof prisms: better optics and value for money in that price range.
The other option in the same price range is the Olympus DPS I: good sharp optics. The 8x40 size is a good compromise for astro viewing (5mm exit pupil is good for most eyes at night) and daytime birdwatching: light and easy to carry around.
You can't really go wrong with Pentax, Nikon or Olympus for general viewing, optics and build quality.
Try before you buy is always good advice too! Get him to drop into a local camera store (Teds stock Nikon for instance, or Diamonds have a big range) and have a look.

All the best,
Dean

[Renato1]

If your friend or his wife wears glasses, the Andrews 8X42 semi-APOs are very good because of the long eyerelief. You can still see lots while wearing glasses. The Andrews 10X42 semi-APOs are also good, but one can't really wear glasses with them.

Kogan sell a reasonable pair of 8X42s with long eye relief for $65 during their specials (I even got mine with free delivery), but they aren't as good at the edges as the Andrews ones.

But if your friend only really intends to use them during daytime, a small pair of 8X20s or 8X25s will be fine. Best avoid 10X25s, they can be good but because of their lack of weight, they always shake.

Most important thing to tell your friend is that if he goes into a shop, he picks up binoculars, adjusts the left eye with central focuser, then adjusts the right eye with focuser on the right eyepiece. Then look at something in the distance through windows, and alternately open and close left and right eye to see if the image stays steady or jumps around. I've seen $200 pairs of brand new Tascos that failed that simple collimation test.

Also, as he compares different pairs of binoculars, he'll see one or more pairs where the image is clearer and "pops" (much better contrast). Those are the pair he wants. I even have a little pair of Bushnells that deliver nice images like that.
Regards,
Renato

[Larryp]

Bintel sell Gerber Deluxe 10x50 for $199.00 Excellent quality and nitrogen purged.

[04Stefan07]

Thank you all for your feedback, I will be sure to pass on the information.

[ausastronomer]

You can't just make a blanket assumption that because a product is made by Pentax or Nikon, that it is top shelf. Some of their medium to higher priced products are exceptional. On the other hand some of their budget lines are built to a price point and a very undemanding market and in fact IMO are very ordinary and not something I would ever own.

In addition I recommend you stick to porro prism binoculars as opposed to roof prism binoculars. At the price point < $500 roof prism binoculars tend to perform less favourably than porro prism binoculars, as they are infinitely more expensive to make well than porro prism binoculars. You can get some excellent porro prism binos for < $500. A decent roof prism binocular will cost > $1,000.

I would recommend you tell your friend to stretch the budget a little bit to $239 and get the 10 x 50 Pentax PCF WP II.

http://www.bintel.com.au/Binoculars/Pentax-Binoculars/Pentax-PCF-WPII-10x50/960/productview.aspx

These are an infinitely better pair of binoculars than can be purchased for $100 to $200. A bit extra money buys you a 300% better pair of binoculars and a pair of binoculars that doesn't give up very much, if anything to binoculars costing 3 times as much. I have yet to find any binoculars (and I've tried a few) that perform at their level at this price point.

They are waterproof, have a rubberised enclosed aluminium frame, are nitrogen purged, have 20mm of eye relief and very sharp optical performance. The FOV is slightly narrower than some other 10 x 50 binoculars but they are sharp to almost the edge of field. Other binoculars at this price level have a larger FOV, but get very soft towards the EOF.

Others have recommended 8 x 40 binoculars. IMO these are ok for daytime use but personally I find them to have insufficient aperture for decent astronomical viewing at night.

Cheers,
John B

[dannat]

The pentax pcf can be had for less than 329 online, other pair to consider is Nikon AE.
If you want to buy local, the Andrews 11x70 lightweight will be good for starters-just make sure the buyer checks alignment when they arrive