Binoculars?

[katynewbie]

 ???

I need to buy some for watching wildlife. Anyone know what's good? Budget is about £80 max...I have no idea what to look for so thought I would see if you smart peeps know?

;)

[katynewbie]

[kenkew]

There's more to this than weets the eye!
Recommendation is OK but don't buy purely on that. First they have to be comfortable for you. Try them before you buy, if possible borrow a pair for a day. They shouldn't 'bother' you if you use them for a long time.
If you wear glasses then your eyes are further away from the front eye piece and you'll only see the centre part of the image. In that case look for a set with 'Long eye relief'...that should be 14mm or more.
If you're after wildlife in general rather than concentrating on birds, you'll be better off with a wider field of view as this takes in more area rather than focusing on smaller detail. The wider field also allows more light to enter the 'working end' and is better when the light isn't too good.
I copied this bit some time ago from some place and stored it in 'Word'...it might help.
Power and Light
Every pair of binoculars is engraved with a formula, such as "7 x 35" or "10 x 42." The first number in the formula is the power, or how many times the image is enlarged. With hand held binoculars, as with most things in life, there is a practical limit to power beyond which it is not useful. Depending on the individual, as the power increases, hand tremor begins to degrade the image. Binoculars over 10 power usually require tripod mounting.

The second number in the formula is the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. The bigger the objective, the more light can enter, and the greater the potential resolution of the image.

Low-light performance is largely dependent on the exit pupil. Exit pupils are the small, bright circles you see in the eyepieces when you hold binoculars away from your eyes and up to the light. They are the actual beams of light coming out through the eyepieces. The exit pupil is calculated by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the power. A 7 x 35 binocular has an exit pupil of 5 millimeters (35 ÷ 7 = 5). A 10 x 32 binocular has an exit pupil of 3.2 millimeters (32 ÷ 10 = 3.2).

At noon, the pupils of your eyes contract to 2 to 4 mm, and at night they may open to 7 mm. If the beam of light exiting the binoculars is wider than the pupil of the eye, the excess doesn't get in: the eye can't see it. During daylight hours things look just as bright through binoculars with 4 mm exit pupils as through those with 7 mm exit pupils. In fact, if they have better coatings, binoculars with 4 mm exit pupils will be brighter.

It's in low light that the larger exit pupil is an advantage. For astronomy, an exit pupil of 7 mm is standard. For birding purposes a 6 mm exit pupil is usually large enough for even the most demanding low-light condition. For daylight viewing, even smaller exit pupils may be more than enough.

As we age, the eye loses its ability to dark adapt. While a 20-year-old person's pupils might open to 7 mm, at 50 years the pupils may open only to 5 mm. Therefore, binoculars with large exit pupils may not help the older birder.

The best birding binoculars are bright as a result of their advanced multi-coatings and top quality optics, which provide brightness you can see all the time, even in daylight.

Will binoculars with a larger exit pupil improve your ability to identify birds at dusk? The best way to tell is to try them, using your eyes.

[SamLouise]

Hi Katy,

I've been a bird watcher for the past 20 odd years and I've just had to replace my binoculars (just before I went away last week, in fact!) If you're interested, I'll post the details up when I get home (am still at work) My OH found me a great pair online with next day delivery and I think they worked out about £40.  I used them a lot whilst we were away and I had no problems with them at all. 

[bluebedouin]

???

I need to buy some for watching wildlife. Anyone know what's good? Budget is about £80 max...I have no idea what to look for so thought I would see if you smart peeps know?

;)

Not sure if I'm allowed to promote my own sales here,I'm sure the post will be removed if not allowed.
I have a pair for sale in my eBid store.I have tried them & they seem pretty good.I can read the time on the church clock which is about a kilometre as the crow flies. :)

[katynewbie]

 ;D

See? How wonderful is A4A? Info and possible source overnight! Thanks folks!

;)

[northener]

Savageblue can you let us know the website please

[SamLouise]

Savageblue can you let us know the website please

Hi Northerner,

The website is called www.Scopesnskies.co.uk and this is a link to the binocs I've just purchased: 

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/binoculars/Praktica/12x50.html

On holiday, our lodge was about 200-250 metres from the forest infront and I could easily focus in on the woodpeckers in the tops of the trees  :)

[northener]

Thanks for that. £25 instead of £60 bargain. early chrissie pressie

[kenkew]

Here's a site with a bit of Bino-info.
Ken.

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html