Binocular Recommendations

[Steve1956]

The wildlife were I live is in abundance,can anyone recommend me a decent pair of binoculars cheers

[Dyched]

The “wildlife” yeah, yeah Steve.

[gawthorpe_view]

The “wildlife” yeah, yeah Steve.

He lives in Burnley Wood.

[tim_noone]

The “wildlife” yeah, yeah Steve.

My thought exactly...

[bobinho]

Nikon have good glass.

Like owt else, more you pay, better they get. I would suggest at least x8 for wildlife watching. Maybe even x10.

I use 8x25 because they are very small. Or 10x42 for dawn and dusk use. The larger lens gather more light at those times.

[CJW]

Zeiss 10x42 Victory HT. No contest.
If on a budget, go with Opticron.

[CombatClaret]

Olympus 8 x 40 DPSI Binocular to throw another hat in the ring

Wildly regarded as good go-to 'starter' binocular @ £50, but you get a nicely made product for that, not something cheap you'll just throw away.

Fixed zoom, couldn't be called lightweight but not massive either. But most importantly, sharp optics!
Got a pair for my parent's who live in the country, been used at home and abroad, much liked.

[Vegas Claret]

what's your budget ? 30 quid or 3 grand ?

[LeadBelly]

Ive got 2 pairs of binocs: one specifically for watching heavenly bodies, one for taking to rugby/cricket and walking in the great outdoors (for which portability /compactness is essential for me).
For this latter usage, which I think you need, Ive got my 2nd set of Olympus compacts. First set lasted c 15 years and included them bouncing down staircases at a few rugby/cricket venues - so pretty durable.
I previously had 8X21 which are really highly portable- tuck into a jacket pocket easily, now got 10X25 which are a bit bigger but still fit into the palm of your mit. Prices of these 2 now 60-odd and 90- odd quid. You can pay more and get superior optics but these do the job for me (+ Im reluctant to pay much more when I know I'm not a very careful user & dont use a neckstrap).

Really dependent on price/portability/performance balance you want though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-Roamer ... rs+olympus
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-118701 ... mpus+10X25

[CombatClaret]

one specifically for watching heavenly bodies

Same for my long camera lens, but they've recently put trees up around the volleyball court

[Steve1956]

The “wildlife” yeah, yeah Steve.

Rumbled by the first reply

[Billy Balfour]

8X42 for wildlife. You need to get on your target without any faffing about and I find 8X42 the best for this. As for brands - you get what you pay for, though there are some reasonable standard of bins to be had in the £100 to £200 bracket. Leica 8X42 are something else, but they don't come cheap at over £700 a pop.

[Steve1956]

Olympus 8 x 40 DPSI Binocular to throw another hat in the ring

Wildly regarded as good go-to 'starter' binocular @ £50, but you get a nicely made product for that, not something cheap you'll just throw away.

Fixed zoom, couldn't be called lightweight but not massive either. But most importantly, sharp optics!
Got a pair for my parent's who live in the country, been used at home and abroad, much liked.

I was looking at some Olympus on Amazon at fifty notes down from 97...got excellent feedback

[Steve1956]

what's your budget ? 30 quid or 3 grand ?

Somewhere in the middle of that VG.

[FactualFrank]

Ive got 2 pairs of binocs: one specifically for watching heavenly bodies, one for taking to rugby/cricket and walking in the great outdoors (for which portability /compactness is essential for me).
For this latter usage, which I think you need, Ive got my 2nd set of Olympus compacts. First set lasted c 15 years and included them bouncing down staircases at a few rugby/cricket venues - so pretty durable.
I previously had 8X21 which are really highly portable- tuck into a jacket pocket easily, now got 10X25 which are a bit bigger but still fit into the palm of your mit. Prices of these 2 now 60-odd and 90- odd quid. You can pay more and get superior optics but these do the job for me (+ Im reluctant to pay much more when I know I'm not a very careful user & dont use a neckstrap).

Really dependent on price/portability/performance balance you want though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-Roamer ... rs+olympus
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-118701 ... mpus+10X25

How good are they at looking through windows?

[LeadBelly]

How good are they are looking through windows

Unless visible from my garden, the "heavenly body" set arent that good, they're big/heavy and need steady holding; not that easy if you're only using one hand and shaking a bit.
The compacts are a different matter.

[Steve1956]

Would £150 get me a decent pair?

[Steve1956]

How good are they at looking through windows?

[LeadBelly]

A few ideas on here for around that price (and upwards)
https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/in ... 29746.html

[Lowbankclaret]

The wildlife were I live is in abundance,can anyone recommend me a decent pair of binoculars cheers

This may seem strange but it does have merits.
Go to a shop that have lots of choice, try looking through a few sets.
When you have found some that suit you ask the shop how many they have in stock!

Like everything else there is variation in the manufacturing process. So get them to get all the stock they have and try them all.
I found a pair that were noticeably better for me than the rest of the stock and I still have them today 25years later. If I remember correctly they had 8 pairs in stock. I tried Nikon and others but left with a pair of practica sport 8 X 40’s. I have a pair of my grandads 10. x 50’s swifts which I find a bit heavy and not as clear.

[tim_noone]

Would £150 get me a decent pair?

You'd get 3 up Duke Bar for that... And change left for a chicken biriani.

[beddie]

Steve, when you've bought them let us know if you're happy with them/ make/ size etc. I'm looking for an upgrade to use whilst out walking in the dales/lakes.

[Steve1956]

This may seem strange but it does have merits.
Go to a shop that have lots of choice, try looking through a few sets.
When you have found some that suit you ask the shop how many they have in stock!

Like everything else there is variation in the manufacturing process. So get them to get all the stock they have and try them all.
I found a pair that were noticeably better for me than the rest of the stock and I still have them today 25years later. If I remember correctly they had 8 pairs in stock. I tried Nikon and others but left with a pair of practica sport 8 X 40’s. I have a pair of my grandads 10. x 50’s swifts which I find a bit heavy and not as clear.

What is a shop?

[Lowbankclaret]

You can get a good pair for less than that.

[Steve1956]

Steve, when you've bought them let us know if you're happy with them/ make/ size etc. I'm looking for an upgrade to use whilst out walking in the dales/lakes.

Will do mate.

[Bfc]

Steve1956, don’t rush into buying a pair.
As suggested on here, there’s so many things to take into account before you will find what is best for you. 8x42 are ideal as they’re lighter and good for bird/wildlife watching, rather than 10x50, which would be ok for horse racing.
Be very very careful of buying a pair from such as E Bay or other like minded sites, as there people who offer a bargain pair, but take your money and you don’t get your bins or money back.
Mine cost £1500, but I’ve had a few pairs before I could afford them.
Try and contact a bird watcher for advice, you will learn some good tips and usually they will let you view wildlife through theirs. You probably know someone who has a pair who would let you borrow them for a few days.
If by chance you live in the Coal Clough area, ask around about someone living up there, who buys and sells cameras and binoculars, whose very fair prices and would also offer you tons of advice free.

[Marney&Mee]

Save yourself a lot money. Simply move closer to the object you want to view...

[LeadBelly]

Save yourself a lot money. Simply move closer to the object you want to view...

Could be from the pages of VIZ

[Marney&Mee]

When Viz was funny Leadbelly. Woeful fare these days

[Accrington claret]

Hands free with a telescope

[JohnMac]

I have Hawke Endurance ED 8x42 and really like them, good optics and comfortable to use when walking around.

I also have a lesser known brand of 10x50 that are tactile, waterproof, nitrogen filled etc but were £140 less.
They are good when sitting in a hide but quickly become too heavy for walking around use.

For Sport I used Nikon 8x32 pocket size.

Edit.
To add, bought my wife some RSPB Puffin 8x42 and are a good quality for around £80

[Pstotto]

Good lenses, ease of movement, rugged, fit in a large pocket, reasonable price, wide enough angle to see and control and hold the subject in view and magnifying enough to see. Big enough to control, small enough to carry around.

Carl Zeiss Jenoptem 8 x 30.

45 years of satisfaction, using them.

They can still be bought, second-hand ones in good condition OK.

8 x 30 for bird watching in the field, Nikon are good cameras, they do 8 x 30 binoculars £159 or £259 at Jessops new, could be worth a look.

[burnleybonzo]

£1500? phew, they must have seen you coming

[durhamclaret]

Binoculars! you'll need a lunar telescope for the trip up to Newcastle!

[Guppyspotter]

Make sure if your budget is £150 that you don't start looking through Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski binoculars; you'll end up either forking out a load more or feeling generally let down by your £150 pair.

[FactualFrank]

Want to know what happens when you lose your binoculars? Look no further.