Inexpensive Binoculars? (1 Viewer)

[swankyspoon]

Hi Folks,

So, I am brand-spanking new to this, and I'd love to pick up a pair of binoculars. However, money is an issue. I really cannot afford more than around $40 right now. I realize that you get what you pay for. Is it worth getting a pair at this price? If so, what do you suggest? Thanks!

 

[FrankD]

You could probably swing either a Nikon Action 7x35 or a Celestron Nature 8x30 for close to that price ($50-$60). You might find some smaller reverse porro compacts for that price that would be acceptable. I am thinking of the Olympus Roamer or Tracker. Good optics if you don't mind the extensive use of plastics.

Best I can do for the moment.

 

[flossiepip]

Get on ebay. $40/50 should get you some great binoculars. My Tasco model 110's cost me about $40US, 40 plus years old but wonderful.

 

[Airstreamer]

Of course you can enjoy this hobby cheaply!

It can be a bit frustrating when you read through the forums and see fellow birders fortunate enough to have $1000 plus budgets when like me $100 can be hard to justify....but I have found perfectly acceptable birding binoculars very cheaply indeed.

My first pair were found in a junk shop that specialised in house clearances. They had a few poor and tatty binos in store, but I chatted to the owner and said I would be interested if she had anything else come in. After a few weeks she called to say she had a box containing all sorts of binoculars, cameras etc. Lo and beheld a pair of Asahi Pentax (8x30) were amongst the pile in the original case, but not having seen use for many years, they were in very good condition despite their late 50s/early 60s vintage and needed only a good clean to bring them into serviceable condition. They are solid, compact, and provide a very sharp image, though the golden coloured coatings did seem to lend a slight colour cast to the image....but, the price...well I paid £7 for them. They really got me interested in birdwatching as a hobby, that was about 4 years ago, and they were the only binoculars that I owned until recently.

I know I was lucky, however, I recently purchased a pair of Opticron Vega II porros (8x40) to replace the Pentaxes as my main pair. The Opticrons were on sale at £35 in a local camera shop, and I was very impressed with the bright image, and the superior contrast (due to the modern full multi-coating I expect).

As a quick footnote I would add that in the UK LIDL supermarket chain occaisionally has binoculars of different magnifications. The ones they sell at present are under the brand name Auriol and are 10x50 (maybe a little too much size and magnification for most birdwatchers but I grabbed a pair after testing them in store as I wanted some 10x binos for use at the coast. I have to say that for the £17 that I paid for them the image is very good indeed. I am writing a review of them at present to post here later.

I hope that this gives you some hope that loads of $$$ do not really need to be spent to enjoy this great hobby.

Regards

 

[FrankD]

I would agree. You don't really have to spend an arm and a leg or even a foot to find satisfying optics these days. The handful of bins I mentioned in my original post above are perfect examples assuming quality control is good on the unit you purchase.

My original response was assuming a new binocular. There certainly is a good used market in the price range you are considering as long as you don't mind the older, non-waterproof porro design. I spent the last 6 months or so buying and selling a variety of these binoculars via ebay and found some true gems. A few stayed but most of them were resold as I found that I just didn't use them that often. My last two are actually up there now.

Let us know if you have any other requirements besides price and maybe some more suggestions would be forthcoming.

 

[swankyspoon]

Thanks for your help! It's nice to see you can enter the hobby for not-too-much. I have some Amazon gift cards, and will buy Olympus 8x21 Roamers soon. If I stick with the hobby, perhaps I'll buy something higher end in the future and keep the roamers as my compact pair. I'll let you know how it goes.