Opticron Discovery SP 7x28 vs Vortex Bantam HD 6.5x32 for children? (6 Viewers)

[Dazed & Confused]

Hi,

My children are looking for the next step up from their Bresser Junior 6x21. They will be used mainly for wildlife watching - birds and mammals.

They are after something that is lightweight, and easy to use, both in terms for holding them steady and also lining up their eyes with the image (they often complain of blackouts with the Bressers).

With that in mind I have narrowed it down to:

Opticron Discovery SP 7x28, 380g, £69

Vortex Bantam HD 6.5x32, 410g, £79

(8x seem to get bigger, heavier, more expensive, and are harder for children to hold steady).

Will they give us what we're looking for? (I've heard that the eye cups on the Vortex bantams means you have to hold them slightly away from your eyes, which is difficult for children.)

Does anyone here have any preferences/advice/recommendations on the above?

Are there any similar priced alternatives we should look at?

Thanks!

 

[Dennis Mau]

Kowa YFII 6x30 is a great little binocular for children and adults for the price. It is also available in a 8x30 size.

 

[Dazed & Confused]

Thanks. That’s quite a bit more expensive (£140) and a bit heavier, but I'll add it to the list.

At a similar price (£110) how does that compare to the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 ii? That seems a popular choice too.

Edited to add prices.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Thanks. A bit more expensive and a bit heavier, but I'll add it to the list.

At that price what about the Pentax Papilio 6.5x21? That seems a popular choice too.

I like the Kowa a lot more than the Papilio 6.5x21 because of the bigger aperture and the fact that it is a true porro and not a reverse porro like the Papilio. Also, because of the bigger aperture the Kowa has easier eye placement which is important for a kid, and it is brighter. The Kowa YFII 6x30 is also considerably better than the Vortex 6.5x32 because the Kowa is a porro and the Vortex is a roof prism. A porro prism is always a better value than a roof prism, especially when buying a budget binocular because they are much simpler to manufacture.

 

[Cest]

I gave one of the Vortex away to a child. It's a nice little binocular. I don't know much about the Opticron, but the Vortex one would do just fine.

 

[Dazed & Confused]

I gave one of the Vortex away to a child. It's a nice little binocular. I don't know much about the Opticron, but the Vortex one would do just fine.

Thanks. How was holding it up to the eye? Do you have to hold it slightly away?

 

[Dazed & Confused]

I like the Kowa a lot more than the Papilio 6.5x21 because of the bigger aperture and the fact that it is a true porro and not a reverse porro like the Papilio. Also, because of the bigger aperture the Kowa has easier eye placement which is important for a kid, and it is brighter. The Kowa YFII 6x30 is also considerably better than the Vortex 6.5x32 because the Kowa is a porro and the Vortex is a roof prism. A porro prism is always a better value than a roof prism, especially when buying a budget binocular because they are much simpler to manufacture.

Thanks. With that in mind it sounds like the porro Opticron would have the edge of the two I listed?

I appreciate it won’t be as good as the Kowa, but if it’s 75% as good for 50% of the price that might well be enough for us. Especially with the lighter weight.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Thanks. With that in mind it sounds like the porro Opticron would have the edge of the two I listed?

I appreciate it won’t be as good as the Kowa, but if it’s 75% as good for 50% of the price that might well be enough for us. Especially with the lighter weight.

The biggest difference will be the Kowa is sharp to the edge, but the Opticron is not and has softer edges, so it reduces an already smallish FOV. The Opticron is fine for a kid, but you may decide to use them yourself. The little Kowa YFII 6x30 is surprisingly good for a small, inexpensive porro.