I think the first thing when purchasing binoculars is to decide where
you are going to be doing most of your birding. That is in high light or
low light situations etc. If in low light (e.g. rainforest) you need the
most light you can get through your binoculars i.e. a high light value.
To work this out, multiply the magnification by the exit lens and square
it e.g. 7x42s gives a light value of 36 which lets in alot of light;
10x40s gives a light value of 16 - moderate light; 16x50 gives a light
value of 9 - difficult in dark situations. The higher the light value,
the better your binocs will be in low light situations - and they will
be excellent in other situations as well. I think this is far more
important than comparing brands - Leica against Swavarosky etc and also
more important than magnifications - 7, 8, 10 etc. I would sacrifice a
little bit of magnification for alot more light every time. Weight is
also another very important consideration - often weight goes up with
higher magnifiactions.
I am not an expert on seabirding but I was told by someone who regularly
does pelagic trips that 7x42s are great for seabirding, being very wide
angle which gives a steadier image on a rocking, moving boat than higher
magnifications - which I can understand.
I recently bought a pair of 7x42s (Minox) which have proved superb in
low light situations such as rainforest - and excellent elsewhere as
well. I can clearly see a dark bird such as a Fernwren in light too low
to see the bird clearly with the naked eye other than its movement. If
you will be birding mostly in higher light or need more magnification,
then 10x would be fine but then with higher magnification they may not
hold as steady on the subject. I have had many binoculars over 50 years
of birding from 7x to 16x. A few years ago I bought a pair of 7x42
(Swift - which were great but fell apart with use) and was initially
quite impressed - I had had 8x40s for some years previously. I can
honestly say that the Minox 7x42s is the best pair I have owned by far.
They are nice to hold as well and have a very close focus - you can
almost focus on your feet!
Minox is a brand not sold commonly in Australia. They are German made
with a 30 year guarantee and compare well with other higher priced
brands such as Swaravosky etc. The only retailer I could find in
Australia handling Minox was asking $1500 for a pair of 7x42s plus
freight. I hunted around on the internet and found the best price from
one of the big stores in New York (Digital Foto Club). Total cost landed
at my local post office was $900 (AUD) which included freight by Fedex
and GST (those came to over $200). Another surprise was that I had the
binocs 6 days from ordering and they were insured and trackable all the
way. The only turn-off was that Digital Foto Club wanted to know every
last detail from a new international customer. Anyway, it was worth the
$600 saved.
(Their website is www.digitalfotoclub.com - they have a gigantic range
of optical and other equipment)
Lloyd Nielsen
Mt Molloy Nth Qld
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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