I'm afraid to ask....binoculars
 

Just need a decent pair, to be used in full daylight at less than 150 yds, small is good. Now restrain yourselves....recomendations?

I used some Bushnell auto focus Bino's that weren't bad. They were cheap but did the job. I suppose it depends on what you want to glass.

These in 8 power are about as cheap as I'd want to go. Binoculars are one of those "get what you pay for" items. Steiner has a good reputation, but a good price as well.

BX-1 Yosemite 6x30mm Porro Natural : LEUPOLD BX-1 YOSIMITE BINOCULARS | Shop Brownells

8x42 is a great all around size and everybody has a pretty good pair. I like Swift, Nikon, Celestron, Polaris for quality views under $200.

This is a pretty good guide:
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/2016_affordable_8x42/review.html

Budget. Vortex diamondbacks.

That's because you're a "Meateater" fan! :)

Nikon Monarchs are another good binocular.

I'm going to second Vash's recommendation. You can buy better glass, but you'll have a difficult time getting better value for your money. Bright and clear. And their warranty is excellent.

Methinks we have winner :)

Thanks all!

I did a bunch of research for good smallish light weight low cost binoculars to take to Kruger (leaving tomorrow). The Opticron Savannah R 8x33 was the final choice.

Review

B&H

Ian

^^^^ Thanks! Still shopping around :)

How much do you want to spend. Give us a range or a cap and we'll give you the best value under your cap.

As stated, 8x42 is a good size, not too big, easy to hold and not too terribly affected by motion. 10x50 is also a good size, but I think 8x42 is a bit better.

I have a pair of Nikon 8x42 Monarch 5s and they are pretty stupendous for the price which is still not cheap at $300 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/910856-REG/nikon_7576_8x42_monarch_5.html

Here's a nice selection of 8x42 that range from $100 up to $1000. the difference will be the focuser, how sealed they are, how water resistant they are, and the quality of the optics and coatings.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Pentax&ci=1010&N=4083534123+429 4955796+4294956493+4291315846+4291123588+429136919 0+4291284238

If you wanted to "go big or go home" ($$ not size) look up Swarovski binoculars. You're talking up to $2k-3k for those.

Yep, both of those are good, but even in those, there are a range. Vortex makes 3 or 4 different 8x42 (but I think only one is the diamondback) in a range of prices from $100 up to several hundred). Nikon makes several versions of the Monarch (3, 5, 7) and they range up to about $500, I think.

I've used Bushnell Legend Ultra HDs for a few hunting seasons. They do a pretty good job for minimal price. I have the older rubberized version and the new M-series.

I've got about 4 or 5 Carl Zeiss binoculars. My favorite pair are 10x50. They are excellent optically compaired with most new stuff and are considerably cheaper too being second hand and old off ebay.

From my boating days I hung onto a pair of Fujinon 7x50 binocks that are heavy but oh so good. Had a nice but cheap pair kept at hand for most use, but in low light the Fujinon pair were just night and day better. Really good at making the most of the available light. Remarkably better.
That quality may be usefull in hunting a application, but am not sure what the specs are that indicate superior low light capability.

Cheers Richard

I have a set of Bushnell 7x50 that I bought the first time I went to Hong Kong in 1970 and are just as clear today as they were then. I can spot shots with my 50 cal muzzle loaders at 300 yards with them easily.

Used on Ebay is probably the way to go

The average person's pupil can dilate to 7mm in the dark. From what I understand, as you age, that usually decreases. The "ideal" binocular (for low light purposes, like astronomy) has an exit pupil that matches what your eye can dilate to. 7x50 is considered pretty ideal in the astronomy crowd for a good all-around binoc because the exit pupil is roughly 7 (50 divided by 7). In bright light, that's clearly not as important, but if you had something that was 10x25, those would obviously give up a lot in low light performance to something like a 7x50 or even 10x50 or 8x42.

The only problem is that if they've been treated roughly, dropped, banged around or not cared for, they can be out of colimation or whatever. Caveat emptor.

I have a Mayflower 7x35 set that I used as a kid and got when my mom passed...standard size and a bit of heft. I prefer to use them when I'm around the farm.

On travel or hunting, I have a Bushnell compact 8x21 set. I keep that set in the Gator or my truck.

$97 buck gets you this: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Binoculars-SGODDE-Recorder-Camcorder/dp/B01N5LW543/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1492037096&sr=8-17-spons&keywords=bushnell+8x21+binoculars&psc=1

in the eye piece anything over 8 is wasted. The human pupil can only open to 7. The bigger the foresight the more light gets in. Bigger is better. Higher power is harder to hold steady.

8 what?

8x? or are we talking exit pupil size? most sub $200 binos dont even give you the specs for pupil exit size...it's almost voodoo for us laymen..

like mine have 5mm exit pupil with 10x50binos...

Yes exit pupil size.

I've been looking for used 10 x plus for looking out on the lake and the quality ones don't come up.

For high powered binos look for Celestron and mount them on a tripod for comfortable viewing. Something like this might work:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546148-REG/Celestron_71020_25_125x80_SkyMaster_Zoom_Binocular .html

Never mind cleavage, I'd be spotting nipples with that thing!

Nope, easy peazy, exit pupil = objective size (50) / power (10)

7x35 = 5
8x42 = ~5
12x50 = ~4

etc...

I've been doing some comparisons and though the 8 x 42s seem great, with lots of choices, I want something smaller after physically handling a few. Based upon this, I'm leaning towards the Vortex Diamindback 8 x 32...I realize I may not be making the "best" choice optically...but size matters :). Around $190....what say ye?

Vortex makes some decent stuff. 8x32 will give you a 4mm exit pupil. If you're older, you're probably not topping out at 7mm anyway. 8x32 is probably a decent set of binos as long as you aren't out trying to find stuff at night in the dark. Even in a low light forest during the day, your pupils will probably not be fully dilated anyway.

Thanks Steve...to be used during the day.

I have bought cheapo binocs at Big 5 back in college. They were OK when that's all you can afford. Later I bought a pair of Nikons, which were awful. Now, I have 10x40 Zeiss Classic which are so superior, I think I'd have trouble buying lesser binoculars. I like the Swarovski and Leica, which we got at a yard sale, believe it or not. They are fantastic quality.

If you don't need low light 8x32 will be fine. Always a tradeoff between size and low light ability. In full sun my little 8x21 pocket Nikons give a decent image.

$200 binocs will meet my needs just fine ..... I don't eat $20 hamburgers either... not 'cause I caint....just 'cause I ain't :).

Which Nikons?

The Vortex 8x32 are 4.5" by 4.6" fwiw...

Mine are pretty old Nikon Sprint II. I got them for hiking because they were super small and light. Probably $60 12 years ago and they go with me any time I need to travel light. No match for my larger glass when the sun goes down but "good enough" for the daypack.

https://www.cnet.com/products/nikon-sprint-ii-7331-binoculars-8-x-21/specs/

These are pretty similar:
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7277-25mm-Travelite-Binoculars/dp/B00382DZQI/ref=pd_cp_421_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00382DZQI& pd_rd_r=NE07WE7T20CGA5D8CZBK&pd_rd_w=zb2fy&pd_rd_w g=6ZhYb&psc=1&refRID=NE07WE7T20CGA5D8CZBK

^ Yup, I got some sort of crapbox Nikons for a trip to Yosemite with the local PCA chapter. They looked better than they worked. I would say the roof prism ones are OK, but no comparison to the Zeiss glass.

Nikon make binoculars from pretty darn cheap to fairly expensive (but they don't touch Swarovski). It sounds like you got the cheap ones.