Binoculars

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BigDirty

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Alberta
Looking to get a better pair of Bino's, i currently have a $20 pair of bushnells from costco that work but are a bit bulky. any recommendations for a decent pair for $500 and under?
 
Shop site sponsor CameraLandNY first, at least for a good scan of what's out there at price points. Unfortunately the dollar exchange is against it now, but they are great to deal with.

Bushnell sells some good stuff, but not for $20, even at Costco. Many people will say "You get what you pay for" but it's not that simple. Paying a lot doesn't guarantee high quality the way paying low prices gets you low quality. You have to do the research.
 
... A couple of months ago I bought a pair of compact Steiner10x25s, on sale at Canadian Tire.Sale price was, I think, about $150. Very pleased with them ! Compact, rubber coated and very clear. Certainly worth looking at and without a doubt, a step up from what you're using. .... David K
 
I've got some Vortex Diamondbacks that I bought on sale, not knowing beans about binoculars (still don't), but I'm crazy happy with them.

I'd buy Nikon, if I was buying today, but I won't buy anything. Those Diamondbacks really work.
 
I have Bushnell Elites and they are excellent. Fluorite ED glass, made in Japan, rugged build. They are not your usual Bushnells as these are the most expensive pair Bushnell puts out, but they are worth it and you'd have to spend 2-3x to get something marginally better.

Patrick
 
I picked up a pair of Zeiss terra 10x42 at Wholsale sports in Winnipeg last week on sale for $419. That is $200 off their sticker price. Not sure if the sale is still on but might be worth a look.
 
BigDirty said:
Looking to get a better pair of Bino's, i currently have a $20 pair of bushnells from costco that work but are a bit bulky. any recommendations for a decent pair for $500 and under?
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Without knowing the purpose/use it is kinda like saying " I want to buy a firearm, which one should I buy?"

Are they for hunting?
Do you need good low light performance?
Does size matter?
Are they more for open country or bush?
etc etc
 
I'm a bit of a binocular nut, and my best (favorite) pair yet, bushnell Elite 8x43. I paid 275$ used on Ebay, but I believe the current model can be had for less than 500$ new.
Hard to go wrong with Nikons. My Minox 8x33's fogged.
 
Bought a pair of Monarch 5 ATB's (8X42) about ten years ago and can't be happier about my purchase. Do not baby them but they're still like new and myself as well as all my hunting buddies I brag to about them, just marvel at the clear glass. I'm a cheapskate when it comes to spending on glass, but I will NEVER go back to sub-$100 glass again. Are there better choices out there? Absolutely! But at under $400 I doubt that my tired eyes can see the difference from the Euro optics that cost three times as much. Not knocking expensive glass, I'm an infrequent user but for the money I could have done a lot worse.
 
Tjv787 said:
Are the cheaper binoculars THAT bad? I see 12$-50$ ones at sail all the time
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Yes they are. Once you look through a decent pair of Bino's you'll for get about that 20 dollar junk in a heart beat. There's is a world of difference in even just the mid-range ones. And the high end stuff is simply amazing.
 
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