Hi Brian,
I have been using Swarovski SLC 10x42 for about 14 years and I think they are outstanding. However, they are outrageously expensive. The good news though is that unlike in northern europe where light conditions are often difficult and birds usually quite uncooperative, in Australia light is awesome and birds quite tame! So a lot of cheaper binoculars will work fine. I tried many models in the 300 euros range and I would definitely recommend the Bushnell legend ultra HD 10x42. They are in my opinion better than the Nikon Monarch 10x42 (which used to be the reference for "low" budgets). For example I find the focus to be faster to adjust on the Bushnell than on the Nikon, which is quite an important feature when you start birding, I think. But it is obviously also a matter of personal preference.
To order, B&H in the US has really good deals and they ship throughout the world - but I don't know for how much. Fro example the Bushnell legend ultra HD 10x42 only costs 202 US$!!
Bins can be quite an investment, but great bins will make your birding so much more enjoyable!
Good luck and happy birding!
Cheers, Vivien
Brian, There are big choices to be made around how much you want to and/or are willing to spend. People may offer all sorts of advice, but if that amount to an set of binoculars which is several times more than you are willing to pay, then it's not very helpful advice. For instance I recently got a pair for traveling which I really like: http://www.bintel.com.au/Binoculars/All-Binoculars/Nikon-Prostaff--7-br--10-x-42/1252/productview.aspx For me they are powerful, clear, light weight, highly rated and a pleasure to use, and much cheaper than my 'good' binoculars which I use in Canberra which are better quality but are bigger, weight about a 1kg! Looking at the Nikon Prostaff 10x42 in the link, do they seem too expensive or surprisingly cheap? Depending on what sort of price range you end up in will help with what sort of advice we need to give. John As a person newly interested in watching birds, would anyone like to give me some advice on purchasing some suitable binoculars.
What sort of binoculars, whether there is a particular brand or model you recommend and where best to buy them.
I'm not expecting to use them too regularly and therefore don't want a top of the range expensive pair. |
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