Any recommended Binoculars?

I'm thinking about getting a good pair of binoculars to take along when photographing Wildlife---any suggestions?

Well, you must get L glass of course!

http://www.usa.canon.c​om …egoryid=128&mod​elid=11092

Budget? Weight requirements? Time of day? Size?

Budget: Can't really go wrong with a pair of Nikon Monarchs, I picked some up from Amazon when I had a gift certificate, I carry them all the time with my camera gear, they are fab!!
No Budget: Any Leicas or Swarovskis. Please Santa, be nice

You might check out some of the bird watching sites: for example http://www.birdwatchin​g.com/optics.html

We have a pair of these at home for watching birds at the feeders and they are excellent - extremely bright http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ghType=category​Navigation

Good luck, Dennis

Thanks for all the info---very helpful---it is difficult to choose/decide to spend a lot or a little---I'm probably either going with Nikon Monarch 10x42 as it's so reasonably priced or spring for the Vortex Viper in the same size for more money and better quality----decisons, decisions.......

Can't really go wrong with the Monarchs Jim. Being completely paranoid about making wrong decisions I researched them for a long long long time before purchasing.

Good luck

I do quite a bit of Deer Stalking and use a pair of 8x30 Swarovski bino's they are some of the best, However one of my friends has recently bought a pair of Leica (not sure of the spec) and they are better again.

The 8x30's I have are a nice size to have while out walking round and they're not to heavy (very important when I'm carrying round a load of kit and a rifle)

HTH, Davy

I've got a pair of Pentax that have held up well and are always with me when travelling. I went with 8x42 in the older model of the DCF-WP. WP meaning waterproof. When you get up to 10 power you better be steady.

Win

Hmmm, mine are 10 x 42 and I have no problems with being unsteady, although my wife has smaller Nikon Travellers as she says the Monarchs are too heavy for her, I can carry them and look them all day though.

A friends pair of Leica's blew me away.... Their ability to gather light was amazing, and sooo sharp. I don't know what model they were but they were dark green and rubberized.

Leica is the cream of the crop, no doubt. Extremely pricey but you get what you pay for.

I've got a pair of Zeiss 10x40BGA (rubber armor coated) that I paid the princely sum of $500 for. I got them from B&H.

Ready for this? I bought them in 1980. To this day, they are in perfect condition and I've used them too many times to count.

A friend just got a pair of Canon IS binocs and he loves them.

Anything over 10 power and IS is worthwhile. They're just a bit large for my taste, and I believe they use batteries if I'm not mistaken.

mark

I have a pair of 18x50 Canon IS that are truly wonderful. Not all that compact, but I really believe in the IS part for higher levels of magnification. Makes their use amazing. Also strongly in favor of roof prism in Leica for compactness or other if good quality (harder to get right than porro prism).

Stew

Russian military stuff is decent enough to consider if you're shopping on a budget. IMO it beats the Monarchs. They are T* coated and the overbuilt as usual.

Bushnell make some super glass, the ones I have tried have been very sharp. After that Nikon, must admit never used Canon in this area.