Rugged general purpose binoculars (1 Viewer)

[lopel]

I enjoy hiking in mountainous regions in my state and with the lovely views of terrain and the clear skies I have decided that it would be worthwhile to carry binoculars. Having not owned a pair before, I was wondering whether the knowledgeable users of this forum might be able to steer me towards a good decision...

I imagine that I would split the use of the binoculars roughly equally between astronomy and terrestrial viewing. I've come up with a few requirements to narrow my decision, but even then it is difficult with the plethora of models available.

1. Waterproof and shock-resistant. The binoculars would be stored in a backpack and would need to be able to withstand some vibration without losing collimation. I also sometimes camp in snow (very wet snow in my country) which could expose the binoculars to shifts in temperature and extended periods of humidity.

2. Light weight. Lighter weight means I can be more willing to throw them in an already heavy pack. I recognise that ruggedised binoculars will incur a weight penalty, I am willing to trade some extra weight for increased durability. Perhaps an upper limit of around 1 kg (2.2 lb) seems reasonable to me.

3. Ease of use. I gather that magnifications above 8x become rather unwieldy for handheld astronomy. A wide field of view seems desirable. I'd like to be able to share the binoculars with companions.

So far I've been leaning towards the Oberwerk Mariner 8x40. This site gave them a good review http://www.space.com/27499-oberwerk-mariner-8x40-binoculars-review.html and almost had me ordering them, except I started reading on this website about some shortcomings. Some users report that the aperture is closer to 30 mm than 40? This seems particularly bad for astronomy, but if that is true why then did space.com give them such a good review? Also, are they identical to these: http://www.binocularschina.com/binoculars/Marine.html ?

Another binocular that seemed promising was the Nikon Action EX 8x40? But then I notice that it has a central focussing mechanism, doesn't this make them less waterproof?

The price of the Mariner or the Nikon Action represents roughly what I'd like to spend on these. No Leicas for me unfortunately Also for what it's worth I live in Australia which sometimes makes buying binoculars difficult, for instance it's hard to find anywhere that sells the Mariners.

Thanks in advance

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Lopel,
I have done a lot of backpacking in the mountains and my standard binocular was a 8x30 or 8x32. When you want a reasonable price and top quality performance I would go for the Meopta Meostar B1 8x32, but if that is still too expensive: take the Kite Lynx 8x30 or the Swarovski CL Compact 8x30.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[mfunnell]

Mr Van Ginkel's advice is decent enough - if you want to stretch to those price-points (and if you leave the Kite out of the equation, as that brand is almost impossible to get here in Oz - though there are similar-enough binoculars which are far easier to get here). However, I suspect from what you've mentioned, that you're not looking in the AUD$1000+/- range, which is what you'd be looking at for, say, the Meoptas or Swarovskis.

My guess is you have a bit to learn around this whole binocular caper, particularly with comments like

it has a central focussing mechanism, doesn't this make them less waterproof?

which apply, in many but not all cases, to centre-focus vs individual-focus when it comes to porro-prism binoculars - but not much to roof prism binoculars, which I think would suit your purposes rather better than porros.

Without going too much further in to it (and you'll have plenty of opportunity to do just that, around here), my immediate advice if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive, light-weight, rugged, waterproof and useful binocular for hiking, with terrestrial vewing as a major use but with a decent-enough sky-watching capability, would be to go for a set of Sightron SII Blue Sky 8x32s, as described hereabouts in The Thread Which Shall Not End:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=211793 (all 50-odd pages of it)

They really are excellent binoculars, and can be had on eBay or via amazon.com (likely from Japan in both cases), with shipping to Australia, for about AUD$300+/-. They will tick your boxes, stay within a reasonable price boundary and in my estimation will be a purchase you'll never regret (I sure don't regret mine). My only caveat to that would be that if you really aim more for the astronomical than the terrestrial then you might want to look for something with objectives larger than 32mm - in which case there are more options which are more arguable in various ways.

But my personal take is that the Sightrons should be a default choice, to be argued out of only if there's some factor suggesting you'd be better off with something else. And that would need to be a convincing argument.

...Mike

 

[lopel]

Thanks for convincing me that I don't need 40 mm objectives. With such a resounding endorsement I have gone ahead and ordered the Sightrons

 

[Aquaman]

Binoculars by their very nature are fairly rugged. I've used several inexpensive porros (non-waterproof tagged) down to zero F without issue. Focusing becomes stiff but that is the total of damage

There are many waterproof center-focus porro binoculars and numerous roof prism models not so rated, it's not a particularly exclusive club.

I've never knocked a pair out of collimation by carrying in a pack. A bigger concern would be repeated dropping them on a concrete or tile floor or using them as a hammer for tent stakes.

A wide field of view is indeed desirable. A large exit pupil is also desirable as it makes it easy to maintain view despite perhaps shaky hands from recent exertion. You might consider aperture as well as magnification. 50mm and up is better, and apparently one can see Jupiter's moons with 10x and up. I've not been able to see them with 10x22, FWIW.

All binoculars have shortcomings. You need to try them out before buying. I would suggest that a tripod mount will greatly increase what you can see with any binocular, astro or terra. Higher mag and larger aperture mounted on a tripod, such as a 15x70 would show much more than a 7x50 but not be generally useful otherwise. 7x50 will show a great view of the sky from a tripod and also be useful handheld day as well as night.

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Aquaman,
when hiking in the mountains you have to limit yourself with regard to weight, so a 50 mm binocular or even more is out of the question. Best choices are a 25 or 30/32 mm with 8x magnification is my experience and that was the original question by Lopel.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[Binastro]

Jupiter's moons are seen well with 8x30 EII if away from the limb.
I have seen them with 10x25 or smaller from town.
It mainly depends on your eyes and where the moons are.

 

[Aquaman]

Aquaman,
when hiking in the mountains you have to limit yourself with regard to weight, so a 50 mm binocular or even more is out of the question. Best choices are a 25 or 30/32 mm with 8x magnification is my experience and that was the original question by Lopel.
Gijs van Ginkel

Not to be pedantic, but the OP requested a bino less than a kilo, of which there are several in 7x50 configuration. That said, I wad simply pointing out that porro designs are perfectly acceptable for the OP's intended use

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Aquaan,
I do not think that you are pedantic, but less then a kilo could also be 900 grams and that is, for me at least, stil far to much when hiking in the mountains. Half a kilo is better to my liking and if it is absolutely necessary I will go to 600 gram but not heavier, since a binocular is not the only thing one has to take on a mountain hiking trip.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[edwincjones]

I would suggest the Pentax Papillo-6X
-meets all your requirements except
- not waterproof
- a little small for astronomy
-much better for those little things
(flowers, bugs, rock structure)
needing closeup study

edj

 

[Ratal]

Thanks for convincing me that I don't need 40 mm objectives. With such a resounding endorsement I have gone ahead and ordered the Sightrons

The Sightron is a little stunner of a binocular, and upon purchasing one set, had to order 3 more for family and friends.

I've had Swaro users in the birding group I frequent order a pair as back up binoculars. Sharp, contrasty, incredibly light.

A buy you won't regret.