Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Budget Bino's

Friend of mine asked me what to buy for bino's,said I'd try to find out. He doesn't have a lot of money to spend, probably $200. With the canadian dollar being in the tank, deals from the US are hard to come by for us, but might get lucky.Any advice?

buy a $60 pair of bushnell from walmart,spend the other on ammo and go hunting.

I use my binos more than any other piece of hunting equipment I have.

Thats the last place I'm going to skimp.


Shop around for a good used set.

Check these out on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171939314563?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.opticsplanet.com/sightron-sii-blue-sky-8x32-binoculars-rubber-armored.html

I have these and they are a good value in binos. Nice clear images thru these binos with good detail for $180

Those 10x42 VISTA are great for the money

After reading the thread on here regarding Zen Rays warranty.Thats the last brand I'd be looking at

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ur_Opinion_on_Broken_Neckstr#Post9640490

Haunt the Classifieds here. $200 will get you into some pretty decent binos.

Something doesn't pass the smell test in that thread. I've used Zen-Rays warranty once before and couldn't have asked for better results.

Leupold Yosemite 6x30. Nothing under $200 I would rather have.

David

Thats what I suggested to him, and I think I want a pair myself. He's looking at Vortex and Scorpion ones locally, and I haven't been able to find the Yosemite's here. Could order from the US but likely get killed on the exchange right now. Will keep searching to see if someone carries them.

My son and I each have a pair and still use them frequently despite having more expensive binos. Even taking a beating on the exchange rate it's gonna be hard to find anything better. Good luck!

David

Vortex Diamondbacks are right in that price range.

Steiner 8x30's, Marine. Liked them so much bought a second pair to keep in the truck. Light weight but not too light, small size, but not too small.

I keep Leupold Cascade's, and Bushnell Legend in the cars. No big deal if they get stolen, and they are pretty nice. Both are 40mm and that give a good image with second tier glass. I dont know if I would get 30 or 20mm objective on budget glass. I also keep a set of Swarovski 10x25 in the car for dog walks. I hope they dont disappear, but I have a ton of use on them.

I have legend ultra HDs. They're quite good. Optics planet has some deals right now, plus a coupon for %10 off.

xxclaro- do you know if he want compact size or what weight might be too much etc...?

I have been obsessing on a new pair and doing a LOT of digging. I can tell you the SII Sightrons mentioned above get praised as real steals on many forums for size, price , brightness and ergonomics. I would compare those to the Celestron Trailseekers which I might personally prefer. These are 4.6x4.6 and only 16oz.

I have stuck to porros, and have owned the yosemites, because the view was better and the cost was less but some new features have me thinking of shedding the bulk of my 8x42's. I know any roof I buy will have dielectric coatings for one. I would prefer ED glass but it depends on the price jump over non ED models.

Not having specifics but trying to take in all considerations the Bushnell Ultra Legend HD already mentioned would seem like a very good pick. I would take a hard look at the 8x36. All the features -including rain guard right at around $200 and not too big or heavy for trekking.

One of the most common configs for hunting bins are 8x42. Lots of choices. Both the Legends and the Trailseekers come in 8x42 configs at just a little over $200 for example.

Hope this helps.

vanguard endeavor

When spending less than $200 on binos if one stays under 8 power magnification its pretty easy to find a set with decent clarity. Lower magnification doesn't amplify imperfection of inexpensive glass.

For instance I have Nikon 12X50 and Nikon 8X42s. The 12X50s cost more but the 8X42s blow them away. Relatively same quality of glass just a huge difference in clarity due to magnification.




Shod

Hard to beat these for the $ in my opinion. If I had to use just one bino, it would be 8x.

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62034

I've had really good service out of these Minox's

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62034