What binoculars do you carry in your bag?

[Reaperman]

Search the Forum and couldn't find anything on this subject but it is an accessory I find invaluable. I know its not Canon.... If I could afford some of the Canon Bino's I would.

I use them to source locations and look for interesting subjects or objects. Stopping at the side of the road I can whip out the bino's have a quick look round and then back in the car. I've spotted some lovely churches and buildings that I may well have missed had I not had a pair with me. Also for bird watching and it saves getting my camera out and changing lenses to look at distance.

They go on holiday with me also as it means I can scan a very large area for photo ops without having to wander miles and to catch glimpses of the wild life.

To start the ball rolling I now have a pair of Pentax 10x50 XCF with me. I'm currently looking for something a little smaller also. I don't want to break the bank with Leica's et al. The Pentax are about as large as I would want to go, specially hand held although tripod mounts are available. That would take some of the ease of mobility out of it though for me. The Pentax optics are very good and not too heavy.... again hand holding is good. They are black rubber armoured so can take the knocks. Came with their own lined bag and neck strap. I've owned a few pairs of bino's in my time, including Nikon (Oppps!), Praktika and some unknown cheap Korean models. Now I'm happy with the Pentax.

Would be interested in what you guys carry.
:lol:Reaperman

[Win]

We keep a pair of Pentax 8x42s in the car. My wife will also take them on hikes. I carry a small Steiner monocular in my pack.

If you're not a nut case on optics you could probably find an inexpensive pair to suit your needs.

Win

[René Damkot]

Here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=323859) is a thread, as well as here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=288807&highlight=binoculars) ;)

[Bill Roberts]

I keep a pair of Olympus 8x42 EXWP I in the car (it seems the most logical place to keep them). They're quite good, decent optics without going over the top on price, waterproof, nitrogen filled etc. I seriously considered the Pentax ones as well, from what I've seen of them they look good.

I did have a look at Leica... superb. But to be honest for what I needed it was difficult to justify. Funny... I never seem to have that probem justifying a new lens.

cheers

[Needsnow]

I really like my Celstron Noble 8x42. They have a 5 ft minimum focus distance so it's really fun to even watch butterflies through them. Good value for the money too.

[DocFrankenstein]

Assuming the pentaxes are porro prisms, if I wanted something small I hear the cheapest reasonable binos with roof prisms are the nikon monarch series.

Their 8*42 give you a 5.3mm exit pupil - which would be my choice. If I remember correctly, they're about 300 bucks or so.

[gryphonslair99]

There are two things that never leave the truck.

1. My pair of Leupold Cascade 8X42 binoculars.
http://www.leupold.com/observation/products/binoculars/cascades-series-internal-focus/cascades-8x42mm-internal-focus/

2. My Walkstool.
http://www.amazon.com/Walkstool-Comfort-Portable-Tripod-Supports/dp/B000N2DHQ4

They certainly make shooting easier and more pleasureable.

[vkalia]

For general spotting, I can strongly recommend the Vortex 8x28s. Compact, bright view, fully waterproof roofs for around $200. A *lot* better than the $100 compact roofs that you see on the market, and noticeably better than my Zeiss 8x30 Diafuns. I even use them for casual birding. They are small and dont take up much space/weight in the bag.

For observation, I'd probably settle for a good pair of 8x32s or 8x42s with a broad field of view. Minox BDs are on clearance now and fantastic value at $300 or so.. they used to sell for $650 and you'd be hard pressed to tell a difference between them and Leicas. Otherwise, Eagle Optics Ranger SRTs and Nikon Monarchs are also very well regarded. The best current optics for $500 these days appears to the the Vortex Viper 8x42.

Good luck with your search,

Vandit (confirmed binoholic)

[freaking102]

Search the Forum and couldn't find anything on this subject but it is an accessory I find invaluable. I know its not Canon.... If I could afford some of the Canon Bino's I would.

Would be interested in what you guys carry.
:lol:Reaperman

Leica Ultravid 8x42. While they are expensive, they yield incredible viewing.
The Canon binos are really not very good - not sure why they are so bad, would expect better from Canon; but try out Leicas and Swarovskis and some other high end binos and you'll really see the diff.

[Colorblinded]

I've also been thinking about getting a pair for my camera bag. Nothing fancy, I've considered Pentax and Olympus as the models I've looked at perform well and offer good values. The Olympus 8x42 EXWP IIs seem like the pair that would be most ideal from the testing I did.

[harv3589]

Never go anywhere in the outdoors without my Leica Ultravid 8x32's...love them. Also usually have my Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotting scope in the vehicle, they can come in really handy.

[Reaperman]

Thanks guys for this. I'm still looking and I know what you all mean about having them with you in the car. I've lost count of how many times I wished I'd had bino's with me. Ver frustrating.

Rene- Ta! I did search but couldn't find those post's originally and your second 'here' states "page not found". Perhaps that's why I struggled.

vkalia- you know your bino's. Zeiss are out of my range though.... excuse the pun, it wasn't intended. I like the idea of 8 x 42's though. Looking into it... sorry another pun.

freaking 102- know what you mean about Canon. I was surprised when I tried them. They look very nice and futuristic but don't match up to quality very well. I would expect better from them. At least competition for Pentax and Nikon bino's.

emorphien- Pentax are excellent. I did try Olympus but didn't think much of them. It may just of been the pair I tried but I wasn't overly struck with them.

Has anyone any thoughts on those small 8x21 and 12x25 bino's? I know they are only pocket bino's but wondered if they were all of poor quality. They seem to be the ideal weight and size to carry anywhere in your pocket but are they worth spending money on or is there something else of that type you'd recommend?

Thanks for all the input it is appreciated.
:lol:Reaperman

[DocFrankenstein]

Has anyone any thoughts on those small 8x21 and 12x25 bino's? I know they are only pocket bino's but wondered if they were all of poor quality. They seem to be the ideal weight and size to carry anywhere in your pocket but are they worth spending money on or is there something else of that type you'd recommend?

Thanks for all the input it is appreciated.
:lol:Reaperman
If they're made nicely, then you'll be fine as long as your pupil is less than 2.5mm. You won't be able to tell the difference between them and 8/42 except for the weight and that the 8/42 are easier to align with your eyes.

[René Damkot]

your second 'here' states "page not found". Perhaps that's why I struggled.

Nah, that was because I somehow screwed up the second link. Works now ;)

[vkalia]

vkalia- you know your bino's. Zeiss are out of my range though.... excuse the pun, it wasn't intended. I like the idea of 8 x 42's though. Looking into it... sorry another pun.

Avoid the cheaper Zeiss binos like the plague. About $100+ of the $300-500 price range comes from the label alone. There are much better buys.


Has anyone any thoughts on those small 8x21 and 12x25 bino's? I know they are only pocket bino's but wondered if they were all of poor quality. They seem to be the ideal weight and size to carry anywhere in your pocket but are they worth spending money on or is there something else of that type you'd recommend?

A simple thought: DONT.

8x21 gives an exit pupil of 2.5 or so. That may work in daylight, depending on your eyes, but you'll struggle with them in low light. And such a narrow objective means you have to be very precise in your eye placement or you'll have blackouts and kidney-beaning. There are a few exceptions but they bear the tags "Leica", "Zeiss" or "Swarovski" and cost between $450-600. High quality compacts dont come cheap - miniaturization and retaining quality = $$$.

12x25 is a joke. High magnification, light weight, small objective. A total tu$d. Avoid like the plague. Really.

If you want compact binos at a reasonable price, look into reverse porros. I have a pair of Opticron Taiga 8x25s and they are really nice and sharp. Read up their reviews on BirdForum and you'll see they offer most of the performance of $600 roofs. At lower price levels ($250 or less), reverse porros offer better optical performance as their design allows high quality to be made cheaply... a similar quality in roofs costs a lot more. You lose out on waterproofing on most of these models, however.

I've also got a pair of Vortex Fury 8x28s roofs and they are quite pocketable and very nice quality to boot. I like the view from the Taigas a little more, but the Furies are waterproof and can be used as a birding/viewing bino in daylight. In low light, all compacts are useless.

Keep in mind that compacts are a supplement to the main bino and don't really replace them. Think of them as the compact camera you carry around when you dont want to take a DSLR.

As a primary viewing bin, go with an 8x32 at the very least - you'll get much better results from it. And larger objectives = better resolution, all else being equal.

Vandit

[Win]

I mentioned that we always have a set of Pentax in the car. Well, Sat nite we do our usual dinner in Springdale, UT outside Zion, and the wife suggests we go up thru the East side during a thunder storm. Storm didn't pan out but there were a few Big Horn up high.

To wife: where are the binos?

Wife: in the other car

To wife: that's a good place for them.

Of course, I didn't have a camera either. LOL We had a nice quiet ride home.

Win

[richardpcrowe]

I am packing for Alaska and almost forgot my binoculars! I use a pair of Minolta glasses!

[Bill Roberts]

... LOL We had a nice quiet ride home.

Win

Been there, done that... :lol: :lol:

It doesn't work though. Even when you're right the wife is NEVER wrong!
Logic has nothing to do with it.

cheers

[freaking102]

dude, you wanna learn about binos, you gotta hang out at the bird watching websites, and visit your local telescope/optics store. the camera gear heads don't know first thing about binos. at least, that's what i learned when i last shopped for binos.

[cfcRebel]

I have a Glacier NP trip coming up and i need a pair of binoculars. Actually two pairs, one for wifey. I bought a pair of no-name 15x60 porro prism (Bak4 grade) on eBay for my wife and it is pretty good. Needed some colimation when arrived. After it's done, works great. Then i saw her having too much fun with hers, i bought myself a pair of Barska X-Trail 15x70 (http://www.opticsplanet.net/barska-xtrail-15x70-binoculars-w-tripod.html)(Bak4 glass as well). Oh boy, it's much much better than my wife's (sssshhhhh, don't tell her that). 231ft@1000yards is AMAZING! I accidentally compared it with the FOV of my Sigma 50-500mm, difference is night and day. I wish i could mount that Barska on my Canon body.
Oh BTW, I didn't know Barska works great with my Amvona enDurance tripod + ballhead. :)

[Reaperman]

dude, you wanna learn about binos, you gotta hang out at the bird watching websites, and visit your local telescope/optics store. the camera gear heads don't know first thing about binos. at least, that's what i learned when i last shopped for binos.

Hi freaking102.... yeah I had a look at the birding sites.... but those guys are like extreme. They really are into their bino's and I can understand that but they spend huge amounts of money indulging in their hobby and.... oh crap!... who does that remind you of? Mmmm Canon fodder.:lol:
:lol:Reaperman