Topic: Binoculars.....?

[Cbowers]

I need a pair of binoculars, kinda getting into the hiking thing. I hiked to Mt. Cammerer NC last week and It was awesome! Just looking for something I can look peak to peak with probably going to hike to a few more fire lookouts so I figured a decent pair of binoculars would come in handy. I am lost, I think I need about 10x magnification and about mid 30s lens but I'm not sure. I have been looking at the Nikon trailblazers atb. I need something rugged, waterproof, semi-compact and under $200........

Thanks for the help!

Chad

[dave500]

i impulse purchased a pair of russian "tento" 7x50 about 15 years ago,not expensive but bloody good field of vision and sturdy,the opening line in the handbook says "rules for use"!i dare not break these rules.not really a compact pair though.

[Bob Wessner]

Based on my own experience anything over 8X tends to get into "jitters" territory unless you buy a pair with built-in image stability and they are pricey and bulky. The larger the objective lens, the wider the field of view.

[flybox1]

i've got a pair of Vortex crossfires (10x42) from basspro.
we'll worth the $150
IRC, ~6" long / 1.5lbs.

[BeSeeingYou]

Echo what Bob said.  Stay with a 50 lens for light gathering ability and anything over a 8X is harder to hold steady without a tripod or image stabilization.  Also look for coated optics to reduce glare.

[tramp]

don't go for magnification
go for the amount of light the lense lets in

[gerhed]

Still use vintage Bausch & Lomb "Zephyr" 7x35.
This was a very large and heralded family purchase in 1960 !
They  went to the Rose Bowl in '62 and saw the
Huskies beat the Gophers!

[Cbowers]

Thanks for all the input Guys! I'm going to keep digging. I like to research everything I buy.....but sometimes this gets tedious. I usually put more time into research that I do using the items. But I feel that if I buy a functional item it won't let me down when I do use it.....

[BeSeeingYou]

There are two main designs.  The porro prism design is probably the most common and is identified by the lens being offset from the eyepiece.  The other is the roof prism design and with these the eyepiece and lens are in line.  They are lighter and more compact that the porro prism but will transmit a bit less light due to the design, maybe 10% or so.

[BobbyR]

i impulse purchased a pair of russian "tento" 7x50 about 15 years ago,not expensive but bloody good field of vision and sturdy,the opening line in the handbook says "rules for use"!i dare not break these rules.not really a compact pair though.

I picked up a pair of Russian glasses. They are pretty good. Bought them from a GI who told me the owner had no more use for them.

[Cbowers]

I'm Screwed!....I started reading the porro prism vs. roof prism arguments. Now I will never be able to decide.

Most people say that the casual user can not tell the difference. They also state that the roof prism design is more comfortable to hold.

They say the prism in a roof design must be precision aligned though......If I drop the roof design will I ruin them? one said that missalignment smaller that an human hair could cause clarity issues

I don't really think much bad was sad about the porro. but most of these people are purist.

[Bodi]

Go and try a bunch.
Weight is an issue if you're hiking. The compact ones that birders use are quite nice.
Price can tell you a lot too. There is a HUGE difference between $40.00 ones and $200.00 ones. The difference between $200.00 ones and $2000.00 ones is less obvious and affects mostly night use. Bright things flare less and the "fogging" loss of contrast from them is pretty much gone.
For me around $200.00 is the sweet spot. You don't get waterproof or image stabilization or such but the image is sharp and clear without colour artifacts. You should get high quality glass in the prisms and fairly shockproof construction. Shocks usually misalign the two lenses by bending the frame or shifting the prisms, this can give you a headache as your eyes work to correct it or if bad the two images will not line up for you.
Magnification and objective size are the usual specifications. magnification is pretty obvious, objective size is the diameter of the front lens and relates to the light gathering ability of the system. There are lots of other properties that affect image brightness though and cheapo sets with huge objectives are usually much dimmer than better ones with smaller obljectives. You really need to go to a store with lots of types and try out a few in various price ranges and styles. Field of view is also shown, this is mostly a product of magnification (morer magnification =m smaller field of view) in more expensive sets... the cheap ones often have a tunnel vision effect. Magnification above 7X or 8X is a problem for hand holding, you'll have to find something (a tree?) to hold them against for a watchable level of stability. 7X is the classic handheld magnification and is good for a hiking set of binoculars. If you're doing long range perving at night ... errr stargazing I mean... you will want 10X or 12X and a large objective to have a bright image.

[Peterbylt]

I found these on 1 sale a day. http://family.1saleaday.com/
Two pairs for 9.99
But you got to get them today or they are gone.