I am looking at buying my first set of binoculars. I was trying to stay away from something made in China, however I have found it tough to find anything in my price range not made in China. So neglecting that I have listed what I am considering below. Please give me your opinions or other suggestions. Thanks for the help.
1. Minox BV II BR 10x42 $219.00 for open box
2. Vortex Diamondback 10x42 $229.00
3. Zen-Ray ZRS 10x42 $215.00
4. Redfield Rebel 10x42 $149.00
5. Leupold Acadia 10x42 $219.99
FYI-You can get the new Nikon Monarch 3 ATB's in 10x42 for just a bit more at $230.
The best advice I can give you is buy some from somebody that will refund your money if you aren't happy. I know Doug and Cameraland and Cabela's will do this as I have done it with both.
Compare what you buy yourself, especially from field positions and at the distances you will be using them. Inside a store or in a parking lot is not the same as trying to see something in the high country at 1-3 miles. E
The reason i didn't put the Nikon's on the list is the 299ft FOV. All of the others listed are around 350ft with the exception of the Zen-Ray's @ 315ft. I'm not sure how much real world difference this makes but decreasing FOV by 15% seamed noticable.
I'm not impressed with the cheap Nikon binoculars. I think you can do better for the money. However, if the field of view is smaller, that usually mean more eye relief and usually a less critical eye position, eye box. Nice to have in the field. E
ditto on the nikon ATB's they are a decent unit, while a tad more than you want to spend, my dad's owned 2 pairs of them and so have I. for a person on a budget but still wants something decent, thats what I tell everyone to get.
Couple pretty good deals here in your price range:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/minox-bf-br-roof-prism-binoculars-10x42-waterproof~p~95481/?filterString=search~binoculars%2FMinox~b~1786%2F&colorFamily=99
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/bushnell-infinity-series-binoculars-85x45-waterproof-fogproof~p~2328r/?filterString=search~binoculars%2FBushnell~b~2398%2F&colorFamily=99
Mr. E-For what it is worth, I think you will like the new Monarch 3's if you get a chance to try them. Hard to beat for $230.
The ZRS is clearly the best unit on the list. That is the best $200ish binocular I have ever seen. It bests many more expensive binoculars, especially the Nikon Monarch. I owned two Monarchs for about eight years total and they are decent, but that is where it stops. If you can go to the Monarch price level, then I'd look seriously at the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD. You can easily get that for about $260. The Vortex Diamondback is a good unit too. The Redfield Rebel is not phase corrected (I looked at one the other day and have seen no mention of phase correction anywhere) and I'd advise leaving any non phase corrected glass alone. I've not seen that particulat Minox on your list.
Seems like you have some 8x and 10x fov's turned around. A 350' fov is huge for a 10x and none of those listed go that high. The Legend tops the 10x pile at 340'. Some 8x in the discussion have only a 330'fov.
You can get the Legend HD's for $250 right now, and there is a $50 rebate until the end of the year . . . great set for $200.
I have a set of the Bushnell Infinity 10.5x45 binoculars that are great,I compared them to the Bushnell 8x42 Legend HD and they were Much better to me in Low light and clarity.
I bought several pairs a while back and am keeping one pair and have another Pair new in the box that is listed on the classified if you are interested.
Ditto on the Legend Ultra suggestions...and the ZR ZRS HD as well. I have both in 8x42 and would certainly recommend either.
Sent the OP a link to a good buy on used Zen-Ray 10x43 ED2's.
get the Bushnell. Rainguard makes it even better.
In that budget, I'd go with the columbia binos doug has. You can get them for $60, and they'll stack up very well with the rest of those.
Why a 10x42 binocular? For general use a 8x40 or 8x42 has advantages. 10x is about the most magnification the average user can hold steady enough to get a good view with. When you move up from "blister pack" optics you don't really need to use more magnification to see what you're looking at.
Consider a good poro prism binocular. Poro prism binoculars can be manufactured for less money than the roof prism type with the image being equal. Yes, the poro prism type has more bulk but that's subjective. I bought a NIB Bushnell Legend 8x42 binocular on the classifieds here at the campfire for $70. I grabbed them because I knew what a good deal it was. I sold them to a friend for what I paid and he's very pleased.
Call Doug at Cameraland and ask him or one the employees to go over the binoculars in your price range.
I bought a pair of the Columbia Kruger 8x42 from Cameraland for my friend's daughter after reading the glowing reviews. A few weeks ago I finally got hands on them when I met up with my buddy from CA on a Wyoming deer hunt. I stacked them against my Vortec Diamondback 8x42's. They might be close but IMO ... the Diamondback's had better resolution and it didn't take more than quick glance to see the difference. For $60.00 the Krugers are a good value though.
I'll say this too. The one thing my Diamondback's fall short on is resolution. You get what you pay for. Other than that they're a very decent bino. I compared the Vortec and Leupold Acadia before I bought them and they were very very close but the tint in the Diamondback's provided a slightly brighter view. I wish I could have compared the ZRS to these two. From everything I've read though they're in the same ballpark.
I called cameraland and ended up purchasing the Minox BV II BR. I also ordered a set of the bushnells legneds and plan to send back the ones that I like the least. I got the Minox this morning and am very impressed. The bushnells should be here this afternoon.
jonathant,
Keep us posted.
I have been very impressed with the Bushnell Legends I got a couple weeks ago. My biggest concern will be durability. I've banged my Swaro's around pretty good and they haven't missed a beat.
Can the Bushy's handle it? The plan is/was to just use them as a truck bino but they are nicer than I expected so field use is a given.
After spending some time looking through both sets I believe the bushnells are brighter and have just a bit more clarity. I like the body on the minox better and they appear to be built tougher. The bushnell seem to get a little fussy toward the edge where the minox seem to be more consistant. I really don't think I could go wrong with either pair and both are great for the money. Another plus for the minox is the no fault warranty and I have read some negitive things about bushnells customer service.
I ended up keeping the bushnells and selling the minox to a buddy at work. I'll post back after I've had them a while.
Another vote for the Nikon Monarch ATB.
I got mine to use until I saved up for the Leica's I have lusted after and haven't found a reason yet to replace them. I have the 8X42 model and they have been clear, easy to use, dragged through the mud when crawling into position to shoot and used as a rear rest for my rifle to make the shot, numerous times. I have recomended them to several people with no complaints.
A friend bought the Redfield Rebels to keep at the house for looking at deer in the back yard and has been impressed with them at that price point. He runs Leica Geovid's in the field FWIW.
Bob.