Binoculars under 150.00 ? (1 Viewer)

[jersey]

Me and my wife are new to birding and are looking around for a pair under 150.00. I have a pair of Carson binos I paid 80.00 for. They are ok but would like some advice on a better pair,if there are any for that price. Thanks,Matt

 

[lilcrazy2]

There are many binos that I might recommend, but if this item is still available, I would buy it immediately. There is no better bino at this price, and it will be gone in short order. I had a pair of Apex's and they are a very nice bino for the over $200 price they normally sell for discounted. He had 3 pairs and I just bought one as I could not pass this deal up at that price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Alpen-493-Apex-...330529424531?pt=Binocular&hash=item4cf516c493

tom

 

[Graham Osborne]

Hi Matt

Slightly over your budget, but they are very good. Get them while you can (discontinued):

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/vortex/vortex-fury-6-5x32-binocular

 

[lilcrazy2]

Matt
While you have set a price target, are you more interested in roof prism binos or porros? You will get a little more bang for your bucks with the porros.

 

[jersey]

Thanks for the replys. Roof prisms, Porros.(as I scratch my head) I am really new to this and I really have not looked into to much. I just need something by spring that has good up close viewing. My carsons, I can see pretty clear at 6 or 7 feet. We will be attending the biggest week in ohio in may so it is alot of up close birding,so I am told. Thanks for the info,Matt

 

[looksharp65]

Thanks for the replys. Roof prisms, Porros.(as I scratch my head) I am really new to this and I really have not looked into to much. I just need something by spring that has good up close viewing. My carsons, I can see pretty clear at 6 or 7 feet. We will be attending the biggest week in ohio in may so it is alot of up close birding,so I am told. Thanks for the info,Matt

Hi Matt

Slightly over your budget, but they are very good. Get them while you can (discontinued):

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/vortex/vortex-fury-6-5x32-binocular

Matt, I bought two Vortex 6.5x32 because I'm so satisfied with it. For closer-up birding, it is perfect. Even for panoramic views at longer distance, because of its very wide field of view. There are several threads here at Birdforum where I praise it.
Good luck!

L

 

[jersey]

Thanks, I will check into them.

 

[brocknroller]

Thanks, I will check into them.

Here's a short primer on the differences between roof prism binoculars and porro binoculars. You should know something about what you're purchasing even if you're only spending $150 instead of $2400 like some birders have on the latest "alpha" roofs (yes, that's the correct # of zeroes!).

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars2_porro_roof.html

You didn't give the model or configuration (magnification and aperture) of the Carson, so it's hard to recommend what could replace it, you might be happy with the 6.5x32 Fury for close in birding and for butterflies, but might find it lacking for birding at medium to long distances where you may not be able to see certain field markings on birds.

For close focus, roof prism binoculars are generally better, because the barrels are close together and the field of view doesn't collapse as easily into two overlapping circles like porro do at close focus.

OTOH, what roof prisms, and midsized roof prisms in particular, lack is the better depth perception and 3-D views of porro prism binoculars, and they are usually not as bright as porros at around the same price point.

The lower power 6.5x32 Fury should be better in those respects than the 8x30 model (compare the reviews on Eagle Optics to see what I mean).

There are trade-offs between roofs and porros and between lower power and higher power binoculars at all price points. Just a fact of life you have to live with! Hence why you need to know a bit about optics to make the best choice for your needs.

Besides the optics, there are the ergonomics to consider, how well they fit in your hands and how well the ergonomics make the bin easy to steady the image.

You mentioned there will be a lot of "close up birding" at the event your going to... unless it's a nature center with birds in a cage, you won't be seeing too many birds at 6 to 7 ft, which is a good close focus for a binocular.

Birds are shy. Except for the chickadees, none of the backyard birds who see me every day feed them sunflower seeds, suet, bread, and water, won't let me get that close.

Birds in the wild are usually even more cautious. So unless you plan to watch butterflies and aren't fair weather birders who only go birdwatching when it's sunny out, if you want to try to ID birds at a distance or just want to enjoy how they look from farther away than 7 ft, you will probably want to move up to 8x42 binoculars eventually.

Some have ridiculously close focus for that configuration, but the trade off is usually poor depth of field.

So my advice, with just the tidbits of information I have from your posts, is to keep the Carsons for close in birding since they seem to work well for that and buy a pair of 8x42 bins for all around birding.

At $150, porros are you're only good choice for full size bins, you will have to dig a little deeper for a decent quality full sized roof prism bin. Roof prism bins are generally a bit more expensive, though there's not as much gap in price as there once was.

Here are two recommendations from what I've tried:

In porros, the Nikon 8x40 Action EX. Sharp, bright, with a wide FOV. Close focus is not that great at 16.4 ft, but you have your Carsons for close in birding. For sharp views at a distance and under less than ideal lighting conditions, the Nikon will prevail. Ample sweet spot but fuzziness at the edges. The one downside is the weight, which is 30 oz. Personally, I prefer a bit of weight to help me steady the view, but not everyone appreciates that much weight around their neck.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7238-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIJK

The one inexpensive roof ($154) that I could recommend is not full sized, but a bit bigger than midsized 30-32mms - the Pentax 8x36 NV. It has a better close focus at 9.8 ft. It's almost 8 ounces lighter than the Nikon (due to a polycarbonate body). It won't be quite as sharp or bright, but your wife may prefer them to the bulkier porros.

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PK8X36DCFNV#aReviews

The review doesn't sound good, but the guy isn't even a birder or hunter, he's a construction foreman. I wouldn't go by that. He needs a higher power bin but apparently doesn't know it.

There may be sample variation, but the unit I tried was easy to focus, comfortable to hold, and gave surprisingly good views for its price point.

One question. Why is your user name "Jersey" when you are from Ohio? Then again "Eddie from Ohio" isn't from Ohio either.

Brock

 

[jersey]

Thanks for the info Brocknroller. I will have to start researching them. I have just always used Jersey for my usernames because we were going to vacation there and that fell through and the kids were dissapointed so we got a Golden Retriever and named him Jersey. Thanks again,Matt

 

[lilcrazy2]

Matt
The binos you have - Carson JK842 - are a typical low cost 8x42 roof prism bino. In order to get a roof prism bino with a significant improvement, they will at a minimum have to be "phase coated", with silver prism coatings an additional bonus. The roof prism binos that fit this category under $150 are:
8x42 Zen Ray Vista
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics2/zenray.pl?page=zenray-vista0842
8x42 Atlas Radian
http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/atlas-optics/atlas-optics-radian-8x42-binocular
8x42 Columbia/Kruger Backcountry
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics2/kruger.pl?page=kruger_backcountry8x42

If you have an interest in Porro prism binos then these are 2 of the best:
8x40Nikon Action EX
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/319408-USA/Nikon_7238_8x40_Action_EX_Extreme.html
8x42 Bushnell Legend
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell-8x42-legend.html

The porro prism binos should be slightly brighter, with perhaps a little better resolution and contrast, but are a little larger and bulkier. In order to get any improvement in the roof prism binos, you will have to move up to $200 or more.

I have a pair of Leupold Katmais 6x32 which are very similar to the 6.5 Vortex Fury recommended earlier, but I find them somewhat limiting, and best for short range. You should get some more recommendations from other members once this is posted.

tom

 

[jersey]

Thanks, I just looked up those 3 roof prisms you suggested and I like them. I will do a little research on them and see which ones will be better for me and my wife. Thanks again, Matt

 

[NWBirder]

For under 150, you cannot go wrong with Leupold Yosemite or Zen-Ray VISTA

 

[jersey]

I think we are going with the Zen Ray Vista. Thanks for all the help and I will post when we get them to tell you what we think. Matt

 

[ceasar]

Here is an all time great deal! At least 1/2 price at 149.99 and it is an excellent binocular. I'm pretty sure your wife will like it, but I don't know if you will like their color!

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/nikon.pl?page=nikon8237

Bob

 

[NDhunter]

Bob:

I agree, a Nikon Monarch, at a great price, but better prices are available. The Nikon site is selling these for $129.99.
For those watching, I would go with the Nikon, but the "plum" color is the reason these are on sale.

Jerry

 

[jersey]

Just got the Zen Ray Vistas in the mail yesterday and I am very impressed. Thanks for the info everyone. Much better than my Carsons.