 I have to admit to paying more than 300ukp for a pair of bino... Leica 8x20's and the contrast with the cheap bino's we've had before are... well no comparison. Just another world. The 8x20's sit in a pocket, so we take them places. The picture is clear all the way across the image. Get the centre in focus, and so's the edge. There are no edge distortions. Next is resolution - it's simply stunning. Detail just stands out it doesn't hide. Poor light performance is way better than even a reasonable pair of 10x50's of 30 years ago. As the sun goes down you find the image is brighter through the bino's than the naked eye. And being small the focus, 'circle of confusion' is less apparent, fantastic depth of field means "what's that?" is very fast as you hardly need to fiddle with them. As R_Mac says: not all glass is equal, and neither are the coatings that allow each glass/air or glass/glass boundary to transmit the maximum amount of light through the glass rather than reflect it. We bought the Leica's because I got a recruitment bounty that Paul helped with. So it was a shared pressie, with 'free money'. We looked through some other Leica models with bigger objective lenses and the difference in image didn't make the substantial difference in price or package size worthwhile. There is a 'diminishing returns' issue with expensive glass. Are they worth the money we paid. Absolutely. Without question.
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 but beth.......it depends what you want to use them for. like a plastic bag and an expensive waterproof, they both do the job. the really cheap ones i had were fine for just looking at things in a what's that over there kind of way. with better binos you do tend to start to look at more things because you can because the image is that much better. whether that can justify the cost is another matter but then...... (it's your fault i bought the leica 8*20's from your comments on an earlier thread and they are quite superb!!!) lol mal. i'm very, very nearly 55. worn well haven't i! ---------------->
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It's true... Sitting watching the view takes on a new dimension when you can see details from miles away. The Leica's make it soo easy to just keep on sitting there with the bino's glue to ones eyes. Glad you like them. Phew!
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lol. so right beth. i've never looked through binos so much before.
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 Oh Gawd! I feel an unjustifiable (according to TOH) purchase moment coming on! This forum will be the bankruptcy of me.
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 Was just thinking the Same thing Offroad tho dont think i will be spending 300 quid.... 50 max i think less if possible 
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lol mal. serves you right for asking! yesterday's walk (berwick to seaford via cuckmere haven) would have taken much, much longer if i had remembered to take my binos. it does give me an excuse to do the walk again though with binos and tripod next time. crikey, the leica's have shot up in price!!!!! i was trying to find who i bought mine from but the email has been "filed".
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Are these any good? They don't say whether they're waterproof or not.
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i think the trivnovid ones were the predecessors of the ultravid ones. the blurb says they are watersrpay resistant! whatever that may mean. blurb bird forum if you weren't already confused oh, just realised, the trinovid's are splash reisistant whilst the ultravid are waterproof.
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 I'm in the process of deciding on a pair of small bino's, 30th b-day seems a good excuse. Having parents who are Twitchers and have top spec binos i could not use lower specs as the difference is so noticeable i wouldn't use the, I'm 90% sure i'll get these as i like the packabiliy, focusing wheel position and price! Zeiss Compact others to look at (same price simmular spec) - opticron DBA Oasis British, 30 year guarantee Nikon 10X25HG L DCF More expensive better optics but more than i need swarovski Pocket LEICA TRINOVID (these would be my first choice but i can't justify the extra £100 above the Zeiss) Zeiss Victory Oh - i think you can tell if they are waterproof buy whether they are Nitrogen filled or not!
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| Edited: 21/09/08 18:24 |
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i never got on with a monocular. i kept squinting one eye which became uncomfortable after a while. but if i were a pirate........
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Binos for me are a must when im out as long as you have a small pocketable pair. Mine fit in my shirt pocket, they are tiny and very lightweight with a full spec, they are opticron 8x24 BGA TPC OASIS. Fully multi coated lenses, waterproof, nitrogen filled with phase correction and a 30 year guarantee. For around 150 clams they are unbeatable optics, normally, optics of this spec will cost twice as much. They also focus down very nice to about 2 metres with great eye relief, crisp, clear and bright right to the edge of field. IMO these are the best full spec compacts around for the price, and beautiful to use, nice position of the focus knob. They can be used with one hand. Ive used cheap bins and most have terrible eye relief and will strain your eyes to the point were you will miss valuable seconds when trying to focus and when pulling them away as your eyes strain to re focus (not a nice feeling) and are very uncomfortable to use. IMO good optics are an important part of any kit and a must for any outdoorsman. DO NOT buy cheap bins, buy the best you can afford.
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 I've got all sorts of optics as I birdwatch but if I'm just out for a walk I take a pair of Pentax Papilio'sThey focus to about 18" so you can use them as a microscope for flowers or butterflies.... they are small, light & bright, have adjustable eyecups for glasses wearers. I have the 8.5 mag version but the 6.5 mag will suit most folks as they are easier to hold steady plus the magnification increases as you focus closer anyway. Lightweight bins are difficult to hold steady. As mentioned buying bins is not as simple as it might seem - Supermarkets often have seemingly wonderful offers but they can be worthless for actually looking at things. Common assumption is that you will want to look at small things far far away - more often you will want to look quite close to you and most bins don't close focus. Cheap bins don't have adjusting eyecups so if you wear glasses - tough. My eyes a very close together - lots of bins don't fold in enough for me. I spent a lot time this summer pointing people at basking sharks, dolphins, sunfish, rare birds..only for them to not be able to appreciate them as they had no bins.
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Chris, I agree not enough people carry bins. Its only when you have a good pair that you really appreciate using them. Alot of people are put off with carrying big heavy bins, but there are plenty of good pocketable bins which IMO are perfect for outdoor use and much better for everyday use. I dont think small lightweight bins are difficult to hold steady, unless they are cheap ones. On good pairs the FOV is balanced well and will still be comfortable to use with minimum shake in all conditions. I have 10x50s and yes they are abit brighter but for an all round optic, id take my 8x24, more portable and ease of use wins everytime. Thats why i stress, if you are looking in the compact department you need to look more closely at the specs etc and only buy top end compacts or you are wasting your money. I have bushnell 10x50s for 25 clams which are good optically but the eye relief is awful, and for that reason alone, and the fact that they are too big, i would not use them as my primary bin. Eye relief is very important when choosing optics so stay away from cheap ones.
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 Thanks for the input on choices, technicalities and upgrades. I couldnt justify splashing out on top spec as I just need to watch relatively static scenery and have then waterproof etc. I prompted for the Bushnell H2O 8x25 ordered last weekend from http://www.campkinsonline.com which were the cheapest delivered from stock (many places seem to need 10 working days, these turned up after 3days). Initial impressions are theyre solidly built, give a good image out my office window and pack up compactly. They are a bit heavy though at 370g or so. I might get round to a better review once Ive used them properly. I should add these are my first binos to own so my thoughts are not based on wide experience! Rog
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