Binoculars Question

Robotack

Like everything shooting related, people I've spoken to have drastically different opinions. One such opinion I heard was along the lines of "if you don't spend €400 on binoculars you're wasting your time"

I know the difference a good scope can make. So I assume many of the ingredients of a good scope carry through to a good pair of binos. But I don't have €1000 (& the rest for Zeiss) etc., nor do I currently have €400.

Are these a waste of time?? (I want them for stalking)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-8-40-DPSI-Binocular/dp/B0001M3612/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1334797747&sr=8-6

Any advice on this topic appreciated.

De_Tomaso

In my opinion best binoculars (optical properties) for around 400€ or a bit more are:

Hawke Frontier ED 8x43
Kowa BD 8x42
Kaps 8x42

clivej

I was using the cheap Aldi 10x50 @€;20 for a couple seasons and they did ok. But had to keep the rain off of they would fog up.

Now have a pair of Bushnell Legend 8x40 and are great. Cost $100 of eBay.com and go for about £270 in UK

http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-8x42-legend-ultra-hd-binoculars-black-roof-198042.html

It wasn't me!

Use the Kaps 8x42 myself and find them superb. Fantastic glass for the money. In terms of whether you need them... Yeah, realistically, you need good binoculars. You won't get them without paying a bit of money, and if you can't find and see deer, you can't shoot them.

wicklow_hunter

Your Binos are more important than the scope, If you are just getting into the sport. Buy your binos first and check out your hunting ground first... imo buy once. Buy the best you can afford a good second hand pair of zeiss or swaros will set you back 600-800 euro. Think of it as a long term investment. Its a gud asset and you will have no bother mooving them on at the same money you bought them for. There are always ppl looking for good reasonably priced glass. Bought a second hand pair of swaros 10x50 of here three yearas ago- worth there weight in gold! At the time i hadnt much money and stretched my budget a bit. In hindsight its probably the best investment of all your stalkin gear.

Robotack

Thanks for the good info guys!

I've 2x questions arising from the feedback I've got:

Minox from crescent sports in monkstown at €199 were suggested... Any opinions? (I don't know which model)

And does anyone have an opinion on the ones at the link above in my first post in this thread?

I take on board the buy good / buy once theory but cash just won't allow it for this season.

rowa

When i was buying my leicas in conns cameras in dublin i asked if the japanese binoculars were worth considering , i was told it depends what you want to use them for , the jap optics are fine for a day at the races or birdwatching , but if you want to use binoculars in poor light such as dawn or dusk or in overcast conditions then the german/austrian makes are miles ahead. If you take a pair of zeiss/leica/swarovski's out in bad light and bring the japanese pair too , you would be able to see a lot more with the good makes, thats why they are able to charge five or six times the price.
The minox bins have lenses made by leica , and are a bargain imho.

silverfox1

I use a pair of leupold acadia 8x40 i bought off ebay a few years ago for around 150 euro. They were intended to be a stop gap until i got a better pair but they are great so i still have them. I wouldn't agree that binoculars are more important than the rifle scope. There is nothing more frustrating seeing deer in the binoculars that you can't see through the scope. The minox seem like a decent pair but id say your original post should be avoided. I don't think they would be much good in low light.

mrbrianj

I've a pair of minox. I find them great, anybody else who looked through them were equally impressed.

They are good. Not swaro or zeiss, but not over a grand either!

johngalway

http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/im_bga_se.htm

I have the 8x42's, but I don't stalk, yet.

Take a look through a pair if you can, I've shown them to a few people who do stalk and thought they were fantastic, in the very late evening.

Constab2

I have the opticron 8x25 & two Leica binos the Trinovid BA 10X50 & the Geovid 8x42 BRF-Y ,The old saying you get what you pay does ring true when optics are concerned.The Leica in my opinion are streets ahead in quality then anything else the Zeiss/Swaro would be the main competitor .If funds do not allow wait until you have enough & buy the best you can afford,they are a essential item for hunting Deer especially if the cover is heavy.Best of luck with it.

Robotack

Any retailers you'd recommend in Dublin?

Robotack

Oh yeah... and is 8x or 10x magnification a big factor for stalking??

rowa

Robotack wrote: »

Oh yeah... and is 8x or 10x magnification a big factor for stalking??

The higher the magnification the darker the image can be. This is the twilight factor.

http://www.birding.com/twilight.asp

silverfox1

8x is probably the best overall mag for stalking.

De_Tomaso

rowa wrote: »

When i was buying my leicas in conns cameras in dublin i asked if the japanese binoculars were worth considering , i was told it depends what you want to use them for , the jap optics are fine for a day at the races or birdwatching , but if you want to use binoculars in poor light such as dawn or dusk or in overcast conditions then the german/austrian makes are miles ahead. If you take a pair of zeiss/leica/swarovski's out in bad light and bring the japanese pair too , you would be able to see a lot more with the good makes, thats why they are able to charge five or six times the price.
The minox bins have lenses made by leica , and are a bargain imho.

Minox dont have Leica lenses any more and only really worth buying are APO HG and HG series. BV and BL are not really a good buy for the price.

Constab2

Bite the bullet(pardon the pun) & buy the best in optics be it Zeiss,Swaro,Leica.It is & should be a once off purchase but you will not regret it .

Chiparus

Some of the camera shops do second hand top make binos, ( the camera shop on Grafton street does) or there ar some on the " shooting for sale " forum.

either way getting a good pair of binos will be well worth it.