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I would VERY STRONGLY suggest you do not bother with any binoculars less than ~$350-400, especially for tropical birding. If you can swing it, the ~$600 and up is well worth it. The lack of light when in tropical forests makes birding with cheap binos really frustrating and can have a pronounced effect on your ability to get decent looks at birds and thus your enjoyment. The thing about a decent pair of binos is that they should be an acquisition for the next 10-30 years as most of the major brands have good warrantees.

Also, go for 8x42 or 10x42, the little ones like 8x30 and whatnot have small field of view (harder to find the bird) and let in less light ( equals poor looks at the birds). Some people like 10x magnification but most (including myself) prefer 8x for the tropics where much of the time the extra light and field of view are beneficial.

Vortex Viper HD (what I use) and Nikon Monarchs are a couple good options that won't break the bank.

<blockquote data-quote="AveryBartels" data-source="post: 4700258" data-attributes="member: 89434">I would VERY STRONGLY suggest you do not bother with any binoculars less than ~$350-400, especially for tropical birding. If you can swing it, the ~$600 and up is well worth it. The lack of light when in tropical forests makes birding with cheap binos really frustrating and can have a pronounced effect on your ability to get decent looks at birds and thus your enjoyment. The thing about a decent pair of binos is that they should be an acquisition for the next 10-30 years as most of the major brands have good warrantees.Also, go for 8x42 or 10x42, the little ones like 8x30 and whatnot have small field of view (harder to find the bird) and let in less light ( equals poor looks at the birds). Some people like 10x magnification but most (including myself) prefer 8x for the tropics where much of the time the extra light and field of view are beneficial.Vortex Viper HD (what I use) and Nikon Monarchs are a couple good options that won't break the bank.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="AveryBartels, post: 4700258, member: 89434"] I would VERY STRONGLY suggest you do not bother with any binoculars less than ~$350-400, especially for tropical birding. If you can swing it, the ~$600 and up is well worth it. The lack of light when in tropical forests makes birding with cheap binos really frustrating and can have a pronounced effect on your ability to get decent looks at birds and thus your enjoyment. The thing about a decent pair of binos is that they should be an acquisition for the next 10-30 years as most of the major brands have good warrantees. Also, go for 8x42 or 10x42, the little ones like 8x30 and whatnot have small field of view (harder to find the bird) and let in less light ( equals poor looks at the birds). Some people like 10x magnification but most (including myself) prefer 8x for the tropics where much of the time the extra light and field of view are beneficial. Vortex Viper HD (what I use) and Nikon Monarchs are a couple good options that won't break the bank. [/QUOTE]

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