Suggestion for a new pair of Binocs

Sly Old Fox

Sly Old Fox

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In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
I would appreciate advise on what is the best value in binocs while not breaking the bank, keeping the cost below $300 if possible. Or, are there any milsups out there still?

Needs 6X to 8X, fair size oculars and sturdy enough not to go out of misalignment.

Many Thanks
 
get some cold war russian 8x30's.. can be bought for about $100 if you are lucky..

they are basically old Zeiss binos. made by the russians on Zeiss machinery and glass they stole in the war..

ive got a pair, and they are better than anything under $1000... i tried them side by side with lots of $1000+ binos and they were clearer by far...

the only ones that are better were $1500+
 
crunchiespg said:
get some cold war russian 8x30's.. can be bought for about $100 if you are lucky..

they are basically old Zeiss binos. made by the russians on Zeiss machinery and glass they stole in the war..

ive got a pair, and they are better than anything under $1000... i tried them side by side with lots of $1000+ binos and they were clearer by far...

the only ones that are better were $1500+
Click to expand...

Any idea where they may be available?

Thanks
 
I picked up some Vortex Diamondbacks 10x42. They are sub $300 and excellent optics. You can find them on opticsplanet.com. They also come in 8X42.
 
Sly Old Fox said:
Any idea where they may be available?

Thanks
Click to expand...

UUSR company in the US stocks them i believe..
USSR
PO Box 722
Burdett, New York
14818
phone 607-546-7700 between 1800 and 2200 est.

or just google russian 8x30, you will find loads of info about them. be warned though, shop around as some places are charging $500 for them...
 
If you want dirt cheap VERY GOOD binos, the Nikon Action EX Extreme 8X are really very good for $100ish.

Not saying they are a good compared to $100 binos. I am saying they are good compared to binos costing MANY times more.

Ebay might be the best place to find them. Specs will be listed too.

Jerry
 
I've been using a Minox BL 8x42 for close to a year... pretty happy with them.

62147.jpg



Cameraland (a site sponsor :)) has some demo units for $289.
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62147

The GF has the 8x32, she really like the extended eye relief (she wear glasses)

The only thing I didn't really like about them are;
- The case is kind of cheasy... then again, so are 95% of all factory case
- I'm not to excited about the lense cap...
 
I just bought a set of Vortex Viper 8x42 off of Doug at cameralandny.com.

With shipping and a few other extras (harness and lens pen) it came to about $480USD... which is about $470CDN. :) Got a pair of the ShotShow demos he has on sale.

I've done some extensive research on the web, and found that these are likely one of the best 'bang-for-buck' in the midrange price.
 
Have a look at the Leupold Yosemite 6x,30...should be well within your target budget .. and pretty good bino's... also one of the few 6x (for the discerning gent) bino's around.
 
6 power

AP said:
Have a look at the Leupold Yosemite 6x,30...should be well within your target budget .. and pretty good bino's... also one of the few 6x (for the discerning gent) bino's around.
Click to expand...

6 power is good but I didn't like the Yosemite much. It felt cheap, there was something odd about the field of view, not sure how to explain it. I may have had something to do with a narrow inter-pupillary distance or something.

If a person wanted a 6 power the Leupold 6 power Katmai is much better and still under $300.
 
I may have had something to do with a narrow inter-pupillary distance or something.
Click to expand...
could be ... Leupold quotes the max IPD as 70mm on the Yosemite... I am 69mm and they appeared fine for me which would support their claim. If your poor experience was related to an IPD too narrow for you - you are in the minority and should obviously be cautious of this spec when selecting binoculars.....the Katmai you suggest have (again according to Leupold specs) an IPD max of 72...which would be good for some people. per http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~nad10/pubs/EI5291A-05.pdf




On the subject of being cautious with the specs employed by Leupold products - I find that the Leupold scopes are very poor (for me) at focusing properly ... I use 1.75 reading glasses and I am never really happy with the sharpness I get on the the Vari X III scopes....whereas all the Euro scopes I have with the fast twist ocular adjustments work fine .. some while set right on the "centre" dot... which tells me that the Zeiss/Swaro/S&B (mid power scopes at least) are factory set to "my" infinity (eg approx 50-75ft)... whereas the Leupold are not.

In any event ... more people should spend some quality time with 6x bino's...I think they are too often overlooked ...
 
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