Best bins for under, lets say, 130 euro (1 Viewer)

[paul Robinson]

Hi
My niece has the birding bug & her parents are looking for a pair of half decent bins. She is 12 so I would guess something like 8 by 30 or 40 ish and robust. Looking on warehouse express that price range seems to be mostly Bushnall and Opticron.
So, does anyone have suggestions I can forward? - a couple of pros and cons is OK but don't you bin fanatics go mad now
cheers
Paul

 

[etudiant]

Hi
Try the Nikon Action Extreme, in 7x35.
It is a nice waterproof little porro, ( the non waterproof Action series is noticeably cheaper), currently selling for $105 on Amazon . The Nikon thread has lots of comments covering this glass and its competitors.

 

[NoSpringChicken]

I think the Opticron Discovery 8x42 is very good value for money. It has the advantage of being unusually compact for this format, not much larger than an 8x32, and is nice and bright. My other half has had a pair for a couple of years and she loves them. Opticron have just upgraded the design and the new version is not quite so compact. The previous smaller version is currently available for £95 from Sherwoods, which seems like a bargain to me.

Edit. Reading some of the other replies here it seems their suggestions might be more suitable for somebody her age.

Ron

 

[Billnor]

Consider the Papilio

Hi
My niece has the birding bug & her parents are looking for a pair of half decent bins. She is 12 so I would guess something like 8 by 30 or 40 ish and robust. Looking on warehouse express that price range seems to be mostly Bushnall and Opticron.
So, does anyone have suggestions I can forward? - a couple of pros and cons is OK but don't you bin fanatics go mad now
cheers
Paul

I'd suggest that you consider the Pentax Papilio because of their VERY close focus. Besides being quite good at traditional binocular tasks, they open up a whole new world of detail in flowers and bugs. Quite educational in my opinion.

Bill

 

[Martin Fagg]

Hi
Try the Nikon Action Extreme, in 7x35.
It is a nice waterproof little porro, ( the non waterproof Action series is noticeably cheaper), currently selling for $105 on Amazon . The Nikon thread has lots of comments covering this glass and its competitors.

I think these will be too big and heavy for a 12 year old.

Try

Leupold Yosemite 8x30 or 6x30
Vortex Raptor 8.5x32 or 6.5x32

All very nice porro prisms designed with kids in mind. The eyepieces come much closer together than most bins so they fit small faces and also they are small enough for small hands.

I have looked through the 8.5x Raptors and think that optically they are impressive for the price, around £100 or perhaps a bit less if you shop around.

Does your niece wear glasses because this will make picking the right binoculars a lot trickier. I can't use the Raptors with my specs on but with contact lenses they're fine.

Best wishes,
Martin

 

[Paskman]

Paul,

Look at either the Leupold Yosemite 6X30 or the Pentax Papilio 6.5X21. Both would be perfect for someone her age. They are both specifically designed for younger people, are both high quality and great value for money. I have both and my kids love them.

Paul

 

[John Dracon]

AS mentioned above the 6x30 Yosemite is a great value. They are so compact and light, not to mention versatile for both eye glass and non eye glass wearers plus they have 20 mm worth of eye relief. You can't go wrong. They also make them in a variety of colors to please almost anyone.
John

 

[paul Robinson]

Thanks everyone - nice selection there.
No specs & I'd lean myself towards an 8 by just in terms of getting a few more years out of them. Dublin also has a lot of coastal habitat so a bit of magnification is no harm. She is pretty tall too & sporty so no probs with something a bit bigger.
I'll run the list by the parents - dare say they'll insist on a top end pair of leica's for their little treasure!
thanks again
Paul

 

[NoSpringChicken]

Thanks everyone - nice selection there.
No specs & I'd lean myself towards an 8 by just in terms of getting a few more years out of them. Dublin also has a lot of coastal habitat so a bit of magnification is no harm. She is pretty tall too & sporty so no probs with something a bit bigger.
I'll run the list by the parents - dare say they'll insist on a top end pair of leica's for their little treasure!
thanks again
Paul

In that case, tell them that the new Swarovski EL Swarovisions are meant to be quite good. Then in a couple of years, when she has lost interest and the binoculars are languishing unused in a cupboard, you move in and .....

Ron

 

[paul Robinson]

In that case, tell them that the new Swarovski EL Swarovisions are meant to be quite good. Then in a couple of years, when she has lost interest and the binoculars are languishing unused in a cupboard, you move in and .....

Ron

:-O or perhaps |8)|
Paul

 

[Sancho]

Hi Paul, maybe consider a pair of Opticron Taigas? My daughter (aged 11) uses mine. FOV is about 6.3 degrees, I think. They´re 8.25mm reverse-porros, give a cracking bright and clear view, and cost in the region of 60 sterling online. Small and light, great for a youngster. Birdwatch Ireland should be able to get you a pair, they do a lot of Opticron stuff.

 

[paul Robinson]

Thanks Sancho, I was looking at those and thought "nah... 60 quid?" I'll pass the suggestion on.
regards
Paul

 

[Sancho]

Thanks Sancho, I was looking at those and thought "nah... 60 quid?" I'll pass the suggestion on.
regards
Paul

The paltry price is misleading. These are cracking bins, on a par optically (almost) with the top-end compacts made by Leica, Zeiss etc. They´re not waterproof or nitrogen-filled, but they´re well-built and very comfortable in the hand. If you want to see mine, I´m in Bray, PM me and call to see ´em!