Binoculars

tcreeley · Aug 10, 2014

Used in binoculars means dust, oils, alignment, wear and tear, small scratches (scratches never come out), (never use a tissue, napkin, paper towel on a lense- scratches the coating - use a special cleaning cloth. Throw in 50-100 for cleaning and alignment.

Deerherd · Aug 10, 2014

If I were in the immediate need for a good pair I might just keep an eye (or two) on these:

Swarovski SLC 8X30WB Binoculars | eBay

MortalWombat · Aug 11, 2014

Take a look at the Best Binoculars of 2013: The Cornell Lab Review article here:

Online Binocular Review - Autumn 2013 Living Bird

They have reviews of dozens of binoculars in several price ranges.

If budget is a particular concern, I would be very tempted to get the Celestron Nature DX 8x42, which scored overall very competitively with much more expensive ones.

Also take a look at their Price vs Quality Index graph.

Binocular Review - Price/Quality - Autumn 2013 Living Bird

Bigfoot62 · Aug 11, 2014

I have a pair of these:
Burris Landmark 8x32
Please excuse the flea bay link, but they don't make these anymore.
Great binos for the buck. IIRC, I paid about $100 for mine.

Also, check out the Nikons. Again, lot of bang for the buck.
As a rule of thumb, just about any of the quality rifle scope or camera optic makers, can produce pretty good quality binoculars. (someone else mentioned Bushnell and Leupold early in this thread)

You can pay a LOT more, but not get a lot better optics. My cousin was given Swarovski binoculars as a retirement present. I've looked through them. They're nice. But, I'd rather have my Burris set and the other $1900 in cash. :laughing:

bullbreaker · Aug 11, 2014

Bigfoot62 said:
I have a pair of these:
Burris Landmark 8x32
Please excuse the flea bay link, but they don't make these anymore.
Great binos for the buck. IIRC, I paid about $100 for mine.

I also have same pair , got mine in a combo pack for buying Burris scope.
:thumbsup:

bigtiller · Aug 16, 2014

Gem99ultra said:
Dang! I was all set to order the Nikon Monarc's and you've shattered my dream Maybe that's why they've gone down a hundred dollars since Travelover bought them? Here's what I found on Amazon:

Nikon 7548 Monarch 7 All Terrain Fog and Waterproof Binocular with 8X Magnification and 42-Millimeter Objective Lens, Black Finish
by Nikon
----------------------------------------------------------------
List Price: $849.00
Price: $396.95 & FREE Shipping. Details

So, while the Monarch 7's look like the best deal so far, I think I'll do some hands-on shopping first. Thanks!

I just got back from Sportsmans Warehouse where I bought my second pair of Nikon Monarch 7. This time I bought the 8x42 and they sure are nice! $399 plus tax. I could have bought them on line but we had business in that town and I figured we would save the $20 for shipping. This gives me a pair in the house and in the truck. Maybe next year I will get a third pair for the shed.

Bird · Aug 17, 2014

You guys are talking about expensive binoculars.:laughing: My wife bought me the Nikon Travelite II, 7 x 20, so many years ago that I don't remember when it was, but I KNOW she didn't spend $50. And they're still all I need.

cartod · Aug 17, 2014

I have a pair of Pentax DCF's that are at least 10 years old. Very good optics for the money. I found them on that cornell university test chart and they look to rate about a 4.0. That's a pretty high score for $300