Lightweight/compact binoculars for travel. (1 Viewer)

[sbpbirder]

Hi, just back off our summer hols - phew it was hot! Anyway, we've realised that taking our 'full-size' binoculars with us is a bit of a waste. Neither they nor us benefit from the travel...we tend to be doing other sightseeing, normally in hot, high season during the middle of the day and so rarely see many birds! So it is a bit of a luxury traipsing about with heavy (circa 800g) bins as we don't like to leave behind valuables in either our hire-car or accommodation.

Would appreciate some advice on brands/models for either new or secondhand lightweight/compact bins to look out for (maybe looking to spend up to £100 on new or used). Also how difficult is it to focus say 10x25 as opposed to 8x25 as I see that there are a few Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 (Olympic 2012 branded) about for as little as £30. Thanks.

 

[FrankD]

I know you specifically mentioned 25 mm models but my first thought when reading your post was an inexpensive 8x32. Not sure how light you want to go but 515 grams seems quite a bit lighter than 800.....

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

The Opticron Oregon 8x32 would seem to meet all of your criteria unless you want even lighter in weight. If you are then how about the Opticron Taiga?

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

I had a chance to try one several months ago and was impressed by the performance for the price point.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

You may want to consider these:
http://www.vikingopticalcentres.co.uk/this-weeks-offer/viking-6-5x32-md-binocular
Not really light but quite compact and very high quality optics. Suspect these might be the best bins to look through within your price range.

 

[typo]

Reverse porros like the Taiga Frank mentioned, Olympus PCI 8x25 or Nikon Travelite are likely to offer the best view in your budget, but you will need quite a large pocket. Most of the budget roof prism models I've tried I thought disappointing. The Hawke Sapphire ED 8x28 is rather good though, but somewhat over budget at about £175.

David

 

[sbpbirder]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll be searching for more info on them. It is weight that is a major decider - if they're not a fair bit lighter then we may as well stick with the Minox BD 8x32 BR (mine) and Nikon 8x42 Monarch (OH's) that we have. So somewhere around 250-350g (not sure of US oz).

What about the Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 - are they a good buy (even with the pink 2012 logo!)?

 

[sbpbirder]

The Hawke Sapphire ED 8x28 is rather good though, but somewhat over budget at about £175.

David

Hey typo! Is 8x28 a typo? Or are they 8x25? Is there anywhere in the SW UK I can try them out - maybe they could be a xmas (sorry!) gift as they won't be needed until next year.

 

[ibramr]

Greetings. Perhaps Nikon travelite series should be in your list to consider. They are functional for the purpose with sensible performance, and are reasonably priced. Good luck.

 

[typo]

Hey typo! Is 8x28 a typo? Or are they 8x25? Is there anywhere in the SW UK I can try them out - maybe they could be a xmas (sorry!) gift as they won't be needed until next year.

Yes my typo, 8x25. Looks like Ace Cameras in Bath doesn't stock Hawke. Bristol and Clifton cameras have them, but they are not particularly close to you. I'm not sure if there is anywhere nearer.

David

 

[Sancho]

I had a look through a pair of Steiner Predator Xtreme 8x22 recently. The name is scary, and the bins look a bit odd, but I was impressed by the view, which I thought pretty wide and sharp. However, I didn´t have anything with me to compare. I think they were well within your budget, and weighed (I think) about the same as my Ultravid 8x20.

 

[iveljay]

I do have a pair of Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 (Olympic 2012 branded) bins that are on the transfer list and possibly a Nikon 8x25 EX reverse porro that I need to dispose of too. As I am in the vicinity you may wish to pm me and agree a time to try them out.

 

[sbpbirder]

I had a look through a pair of Steiner Predator Xtreme 8x22 recently. The name is scary, and the bins look a bit odd, but I was impressed by the view, which I thought pretty wide and sharp. However, I didn´t have anything with me to compare. I think they were well within your budget, and weighed (I think) about the same as my Ultravid 8x20.

Sounds interesting & a good price, but a couple of recent reviews on Amazon pan them?

 

[sbpbirder]

I do have a pair of Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 (Olympic 2012 branded) bins that are on the transfer list and possibly a Nikon 8x25 EX reverse porro that I need to dispose of too. As I am in the vicinity you may wish to pm me and agree a time to try them out.

Thanks for the offer iveljay, I've only just started looking and so am not totally sure on our quality & price range yet. You know, start out looking for ones from Lidl end up buying gold-plated Leica's! :-O

 

[iveljay]

No problem, they are just part of this years annual cull of things that are taking up space and not really used. If anyone else in the area is interested they are available to try out.

 

[squidge]

Vortex vanquish 8x26 are another good option. I have a pair of these well they are technically my sons but I use them for the back garden and they are well worth their price point. They have nice ergonomics,waterproof and the optics are excellent.

Regards Gerard.

 

[PhilR.]

I would say to look into the Alpen Wings ED 8x20, which weighs 8oz, or the Nikon Travelite 8x25, which weighs 9oz.. The Wings provides a sharper view, but the Nikon has a brighter view. I chose the Wings because it folds, and was purchased specifically for travel use. I wouldn't recommend it for use at dawn or dusk, but I am very happy with it's sharp daytime view.

Another good choice is the Bushnell Custom Compact 7x26, but it's probably above your price limit. Also, the 8x mini-porros from Olympus and Pentax are quite good too. I can't think of any really good roofs in your price range, but the new Nikon Aculons might be worth a try, particularly the 24mm version. Lastly, I think the Bushnell Legend HD 10x25 is in your price range. I haven't used or even seen one, but perhaps it might be worth your time to investigate. The few reviews I've read were fairly complimentary.

 

[barazani1]

Lightweight binoculars recommendation

Leica 8x25's will do the trick. They will last you a lifetime and give you hours of pleasure. They fit into a pocket. You can use them for viewing birds, wildlife, sport or theatre so they're more than just a holiday item. They cost a bit more than you are planning at just under GBP400 but this is half of the Swarovski equivalent with a v good performance. Zeiss have a similar product at approximately the same price.

 

[CSG]

I think you'd be hard pressed to do much better than the Nikon Travelite 8x25 *for the money*.

Eagle Optics used to make an 8x25 porro called the Triumph. It was a great first bin for kids and I bought a couple of them for mine back in 2007. I used one the other day and was surprised at how decent they were. At the same time, I bought a similar sized Pentax UCF that also offered being waterproof. In looking at that at them sxs with the Triumph, the Triumph had a much brighter image.

There are a number of 8x25 porros out there and I'd expect many in the $100 +/- range could be decent choices.

 

[sbpbirder]

Thanks again everyone, especially barazani1 who has got my measure...but I fear reality will take over even my desire! I shall make a list and do some searching and keep an eye on eb*y - it will help while away the winter hours thinking of sunny holidays.

I'd forgotten about the 'porro - roof' debate, is there really that much difference at the lower price range, or is that where it's most noticeable? I do prefer the 'look' (oh how shallow) or 'pocketability' of the compact roofs.

 

[typo]

I'd forgotten about the 'porro - roof' debate, is there really that much difference at the lower price range, or is that where it's most noticeable? I do prefer the 'look' (oh how shallow) or 'pocketability' of the compact roofs.

A roof prism needs both mirror and phase coating to approach the transmission efficiency of a porro prism. At the low end, the mirror coating may be aluminium, which might reduce reflection efficiency by up to 10% compared to the best dielctric coating or a porro. Lack of phase coating will reduce efficiency by about 30%. Cheaper models may not be "fully multicoated" either, so some budget roof models can have significantly worse brightness and contrast compared to similarly price porros or reverse porros.

That Nikon Sportstar EX for example in only multicoated, and does not mention phase coating or claim high quality mirror coatings. I've not tried it so can't say more than that.

David

 

[ibramr]

Leica 8x25's will do the trick. They will last you a lifetime and give you hours of pleasure. They fit into a pocket. You can use them for viewing birds, wildlife, sport or theatre so they're more than just a holiday item. They cost a bit more than you are planning at just under GBP400 but this is half of the Swarovski equivalent with a v good performance. Zeiss have a similar product at approximately the same price.

Greetings. Perhaps it is a typo. Leica, in both trinovid and ultravid series, produces only 8x20 and 10x25. Your description of their performance, however, is accurate, with narrow preference to ultravid (in the 8x20 format). Neither are cheap, but then they will provide a life time of pleasure.

Please observe that despite that there is no comparison performance wise with the Nikon travelite suggested earlier in the thread, the travelite "despensibility" helps it to be included in many trips. Good luck.