Buying Advice High Power Binoculars

[davey4000]

Does anyone have suggestions on a good quality, not super expensive, 20x70 binoculars? I see them anywhere from $50 and up. I know in a lot of cases you pay extra for a particular name brand which may or may not mean anything.

 

[tcreeley]

I have always liked Bausch & Lomb and Bushnell. I have not been impressed with nikon, pentax. Leica is excellent and expensive. Bushnell/Bausch Lomb Legacy are generally reasonable.

Binoculars and Binocular Accessories

Binoculars from Eagle Optics

Choosing the right binocs depends on how much you want to spend- what you want to afford, what you want to use them for, and if you wear eye glasses. (Prices keep going up as quality improves.) The two sites above have a ton of info to describe how to choose. The two basic types are porro prism and roof prism. The quality of the prism glass matters - Bak 3, Bak 4.
The coating on the lenses matter- type and multi-coating.

20x60 is a difficult binocular to hold steady and to actually use if you find one. Go into a store and look through them. 10x50 is a handful as well but manageable. Roof prism is lighter and easier to use. 9x40- 7x35, 8x40, 8x22 all good hand held sizes. Look for sharpness (resolution) and a well lit image (good in low light). Stay away from no name brands unless you love it and it is cheap.
Good luck.

 

[bullbreaker]

Does anyone have suggestions on a good quality, not super expensive, 20x70 binoculars?

They don't make 20x70's,but IMHO the way you have worded your question would check into the Vortex Line of bino's if I were you.
Big-Big Bang for the buck ! :thumbsup:


Vortex Optics - Binoculars

Boone

 

[Elkins45]

Optics are one of those products where you absolutely get what you pay for, and you never get more. 20 minutes of staring through cheap binoculars will make your eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out of your head!

Leupold markets a Chinese-made line called Wind River that is OK, but I still wouldn't want to use them for long periods of time.

 

[JB4310]

Optics are one of those products where you absolutely get what you pay for, and you never get more. 20 minutes of staring through cheap binoculars will make your eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out of your head!

Leupold markets a Chinese-made line called Wind River that is OK, but I still wouldn't want to use them for long periods of time.

Yup that is exactly what I was gonna say, I guess it's true about many products, but is such a glaring fact when it comes to quality optics.

I got a pair of decent quality compact binoculars from Cabelas clearance cave. A quality I would not of afforded if not such a discount.
I keep them in the truck to help inspect roofs or other higher structures.

JB.

 

[TripleR]

Optics are one of those products where you absolutely get what you pay for, and you never get more. 20 minutes of staring through cheap binoculars will make your eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out of your head!

Leupold markets a Chinese-made line called Wind River that is OK, but I still wouldn't want to use them for long periods of time.

I couldn't agree more, I owned a Leupold Wind River Spotting Scope and was disappointed in the quality. The last pair I bought was a pair of Leupold, but they were not wind River and were pretty pricey. I went to Cabelas and Bass Pro and spent a lot of time looking through them before picking.

I have owned/own Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell, Baush and Lomb, Minolta and a couple of others. Many will work OK for casual use, but once you use a really good pair you will really appreciate the difference.

Swaroski Ziess etc. are nice, but the price is a bit much for me.

When you get into the high magnification, you need something to steady them.

Again, don't just go by brand, try them out as I have had really good Nikon and not so good Nikon and the same with Leupold.

Good luck.

 

[Hiltz]

Does anyone have suggestions on a good quality, not super expensive, 20x70 binoculars? I see them anywhere from $50 and up. I know in a lot of cases you pay extra for a particular name brand which may or may not mean anything.

Save up your money and get a pair of Fujinon 16x70's. I own the 10x70's and they are awesome. Probably around $700.00 these days for the Fujinons. Check with Astronomics online.

 

[Storm56]

Does anyone have suggestions on a good quality, not super expensive, 20x70 binoculars? I see them anywhere from $50 and up. I know in a lot of cases you pay extra for a particular name brand which may or may not mean anything.

Are you planning on using a tripod? No way you can hold anything above 12X steady enough to be of real use. Even 12X is tough, 10X is about the limit most people can use without a steady rest.

A few good names that will not break the bank are Minox, Meopta, Kahles and Vortex. Cabelas also have a "Euro" line that is made by Meopta.

I have a pair of 12x50 Meopta's and when I bought them I spent a couple of hours outside doing comparisons with Leica, Zeiss, and Swarovski. The dealer that I use will let you take them all outside and spend as much time as you need. The Meopta's were within a hairs breath of the best available, at about 1/2 the cost. And I have glassed out west all day from a tripod without eye fatigue.

It is true you get what you pay for. Forget the $100-$300 stuff in that power range. A quick story: I can see more by far with my 12x50 Meopta's than a friend that has a 15x50 $300 glass. I will not mention the name. After about 1/2 hour of him sitting with me glassing side by side and doing comparisons, he was ready to chuck his glasses over the bluff.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Contrary to some posts here, I would suggest NOT spending a lot of money. You simply don't need to.

I have been a bird watcher for many years. Done lots of duck hunting, lots of sea duck hunting. I've looked through many a pair of magnifiers.

Here's my point....Have you ever visited friends or family and looked out over bird feeders.?? Did ever ask them...do you have binoculars.?? I have....more than once. And each time they handed me the binocs, I put them to the test.

Just a couple of weeks ago I went through this. I thought I was looking through the best pair of binoculars I had ever viewed. Asked them where they got them because I didn't recognize the name. They replied Reny's for $20.

There are a lot of good optics out there for very little money.

Why spend more.??

I have looked through $900 optics just to shake my head no. DON"T read the name....simply review the clarity of the lense that you are looking through. Waterproof or not...DON't get them wet.

Save your money...spend less and get the same result. I will never pay over $100 for clarity.

I prefer 8x40...you may prefer something different. I have never seen a pair of 20x70.?? 7x35 can be great, as well.

 

[hrcarver]

20x is more of a spotting scope magnification category. You will definitely need a tripod. Spend several hundred dollars. You can get good ones wet. Wouldn't advise it on a $20 set.

I personally dont like anything over 8x in a binocular, but 10x is very popular.