Nikon
The 8x32 Nikon Superior E is one of the best porro prisms I’ve had the pleasure of owning (and still own). Unfortunately, they are no longer readily available in the States. They are so good, they have a cult following and bring almost as much used as they cost new. My husband gave me mine years ago when they first came out, and we still have them, even though my daily use binos are Zeiss Victory FL’s, which are smaller and waterproof.
The 8x32 Premier’s MSRP is now $1600, with a street price of around $1100. Eagle Optics right now has some 8x42 Premier demos for $770. If you’re not bothered by the extra weight of a 42 comnpared to the 32, it’s a great deal. Demo sales are a good way to get top of the line binos at much reduced prices - that’s how I got my Zeiss.
Disclosure - I do not work for Eagle Optics, but have patronized them in the past. Their 30-day money back guarantee makes buying optics on-line much less of a pig in a poke. They don’t work for you? Send’em back.
As much as I appreciate birds, if i’m
going to spend over a grand,it is going toward an Epic ski.
Your quoted prices are retail -
both of these glasses are available in the US right now and the street prices are typically in the 600 to 800 range. You won’t see prices like that at Eagle - that is true.
2nd the monocular
A lot easier in anything beyond flatwater.
8 x 42
Are pretty standard if you are looing at smaller birds like warblers, vireos, etc.
Buy the best you can afford. Binoc snobs (like me) sometimes forget what that means. If you can only afford $100, buy the best pair in that range. If you afford $2K, the same.
Waterproof is real handy if you bird in the mist or get caught in a downpour.
Finally, something that is often overlooked is close focus range. As a pretty serious birder, I have recently gotten into butterflies also. Often you are looking at things at under 10 feet, and unless your binoculars have a close focus range, you won’t be able to see them. (Think of looking at a dragonfly on the end of your kayak/canoe.)
“String” is appropriate! My advice.
Hey String, I have one piece of advice for you, assuming you’ll be looking at birds from the seat of a kayak or canoe: Whatever binoculars you buy, tie them to the boat or to you with a bit of line. I say this as someone who has dropped her Leica 10 X 40s overboard twice – once in the Everglades and once at the local lake. Both times I fished the bins back out and went on my way. I could not afford to replace these binoculars at today’s prices – or even at the 1997 price! They are fabulous – you can see a mallard’s green head a couple hundred yards away in low light. But that’s another story.
If I carry my bins in an open deck bag, where I can easily grab them, the binoculars’ safety-line is tied to the kayak. If I carry the bins stuffed in the top of my life vest, then the line is tied to the shoulder strap of my vest. And I do wear a knife sheathed on my vest in case of any kind of entanglement.
Good luck to you! I have been doing bird counts from a kayak for more than a decade and monitoring eagle nests for the last 7 years. Lot of pleasure to be had out there on the water looking at birds – with almost any-priced binoculars.
G in NC
Casual birder here,
constant wildlife observer. My Eagle Optic Rangers 8X32 with focus at 3 ft have served my purposes very well. They’ve been dropped on the pavement, dropped in Mosquito Lagoon, dipped in Wekiva River, with no harm done.
Currently on sale for less than $300. More than that invested, I’d worry about them too much.
Caveat
One thing to look out for - if you find a new, non-demo pair of Premiers for those prices, there’s a good chance they’re grey market units which do not have a US warranty. If the warranty isn’t important to you, go for it.
Close focus - very good point
Yes, my Pentax 10x50s focus down to about 10 feet, and at that distance they are wonderful for spotting and then observing hard-to-see chorus frogs and spring peepers. How many of you have zeroed-in on the sound of a particular calling frog so that you knew right where it was, but then looked and looked but couldn't see it? Close-focusing binoculars are the answer. Also, by accident I've discovered that when looking down at pond water from a modest height (to create a sharper downward viewing angle which reduces reflections), I can spot all sorts of tiny life forms (insects, water fleas, mites) moving around in the water that I'd otherwise have to have my face right near the water to see. It's pretty cool to be able to see underwater critters, some of which are no bigger than a pinhead, from 10 to 15 feet away! The previous poster mentioned butterflies, but dragonflies are another family of insects that are much more spectacular when viewed up-close, but many species of them won't usually let you approach that closely, so binocs are great in that case too.
I agree watch out for grey market
I think with expensive binos you do indeed want the us warranty. But I’m fairly certain these prices I am seeing are with US warranty. Could be wrong - but I do know mine were in that range with US warranty several years ago.
Agree 8x42 standard BUT
my pitch for 8x32 is because the higher end 8x32 - at least the Nikons which I know - are very very close to the 8x42 in every respect and certainly will serve 99% of serious or causal birders very well and they are significantly smaller and lighter which is a significant thing for paddlers especially if you are doing multi day trips. If I am tied to my truck - or on a sail boat or power boat - with no storage and weight issues then maybe I would select 8x42. But if I am hiking or paddling my choice is 8x32. Most people who pick up a pair of Nikon Superior or Premier 8x32 glasses in low light are blown away by how much better the view is than with lesser quality glasses. It really is remarkable. If you are out on a bird "walk" with a group of "serious" "birders" you will see that everyone seems to have $1,200 and up 8x42s. But I really do not understand why they carry that size and weight given the incredible view you get with the good 8x32s - ever when watching tiny little warblers etc.
Amen
A good waterproof 8x32 is just about the most versatile set of optics around.
exit pupil and ease of use
The other aspect of a large exit pupil size is that it is easy to align the binocular to your eyes and see the whole field, rather than constantly fussing with adjusting the width of the eyepieces to avoid blacking out of the image.
If you wear glasses, make sure the eyecups can be retracted or folded back so you can get the binoculars up against your glasses; otherwise you will lose a great deal of the field of view.
I would recommend 7-8x power, with an objective lens size no smaller than 30-32 mm and not much larger than 40-42 mm. Pretty good compromise between compactness and optical quality for a general-purpose binocular. I have an old pair of Nikon 7x35 E series – I know many newer mid- and high-priced binoculars now have better optics, but these are “good enough” and are very easy to view with.
3rd on Monocular
I like the Orion waterproof 10X42. I also use a cheap Nikula monocular I got from Deal Extreme for $20. Not waterproof, but very handy.
Or get a chest harness
I got a stretch-strap chest harness for my binocs. They’re GRRRRREAT! No flopping around, and quick access.
Orion, Eagle
I think they are part of the same group as Vortex. Some of the binocs are made in Japan (the most expensive ones), the rest in China? The Razor is Japanese, and probably the new Razor HD also.
Let your eyes tell you what is good, then let budget or other factors restrict that set of choices.
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Edited for correction:
Eagle and Vortex are owned by the same family (in Wisconsin) but are two separate companies. Eagle Optics does sell Vortex products.
Orion is a separate company based in the U.K.
chest harness good but not in a kayak
Pika, I use a chest harness on land. But I’m so short that in a kayak the binoculars dangle into the pool of water on my sprayskirt. That’s why I park the glasses in my lifevest or in an open deck bag when I’m in a boat. Everyone in the world is taller than I am – at least, from the waist up!
G in NC
Agree
I don’t use the chest harness while kayaking. The binocs ride in a drybag even though they’re waterproof (supposedly).
I don’t like looking through magnifying lenses while moving anyway. Makes me feel sick pretty quickly, even though I normally am not prone to motion sickness. Something about getting a restricted field of view does it to me. I cannot read a book while in a moving car.
Google goggles…NO WAY!
focus free models, because
the view might only be for a few seconds,
and they are right on, right now.
Are there any focus free binos
with top flight optics and low light performance similar to the high end field binos? Low light performance and a big bright view are extremely important to me and you get really good a quickly finding focus with practice and a good pair of binos.