I suggest you check the difference between 8x, 9x and 10x. I found
binoculars of 10x difficult to hold steady - but this is clearly a
matter of personal preference, and powerful biceps...
regards
Con
David McDonald wrote:
Sound advice. Do not buy bins with a magnification over 10 power.
The Nikon Monarchs are excellent value for money; highly recommended.
Bintel gives COG and Birds Australia members a 10% discount if you ask
for it.
Another good outlet is The Birding Shop http://www.thebirdingshop.com/
- ask them for a member's discount, too.
Regards - David
Dan & Heather Buchler wrote:
Fantastic info, Sue. Thanks very much, and also to Bron.
regards,
Heather
On 01/10/2009, at 5:47 PM, Sue Lashko wrote:
I usually use The Binocular and Telescope Shop in Glebe
www.bintel.com.au <http://www.bintel.com.au/> . If you phone, ask
for Don and tell them that you are a beginner and her will recommend
something suitable. However, if they recommend Bushnell Excursions,
don't buy them - they have great optics but the straps break easily
(I know from experience and so do many others). You need to buy 8 x
40 or 8 x 42 or 10x 42 or 10 x 50. Do not buy anything less than 8 x
- or anything less than x 40. The general rule is that focal width
(objective lens) should be 4 or preferably 5 times the magnification-
thus 8 x 40 or 10 x 50. You should not have to pay more than about
$350 for a perfectly adequate pair of binoculars. I'm not sure
whether you are likely to do quite a bit of bird watching but if you
are it is worth buying a harness for about $25 - that way you don't
have a strap around for neck. Instead you attach your binoculars to
straps which go under your arms, over your shoulders and cross at the
back - they are wonderful inventions - and Bintel sells them.
It is possible that Camera House or Ted's in Civic have some
binoculars but I am not sure. If they do, ask to take the
binoculars outside the shop and test them out in daylight. Try
focussing at different distances - you should be able to find a
pigeon to look out. You could compare their prices with Bintel's -
the latter post them very quickly and tend to give the best prices in
Australia.
The other option is to get them from the USA - I have just bought
Nikon Monarch 10 x 42 which would have cost around $800 here for
about $430 including postage - from www.bluebazooka.com
<http://www.bluebazooka.com/> - they are very well known and very
reliable. I had my binoculars within 10 days of ordering. So models
that cost around $350 here may well be only about $200 there - stick
with brands like Pentax, Nikon, Gerber and you should find something
to suit you.
Sorry this is a rather long winded answer but hope it helps.
Sue
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:59 PM, Dan & Heather Buchler
< <>> wrote:
Could anyone possibly recommend a brand/model of binoculars for
an interested newbie? Aslo where is a good place to buy them from?
thanks,
Heather
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