Thread: Good Binos

what would you recommend i have been looking on B&H photo

Another strategy would be to save to get heavy duty glass in a couple of years time and now go for something small and cheap like the $50 Tasco 8x20 I used for many years. They do 80% of what a thousand dollar pair of 8x30 or 10x40 will but weigh 20% as much so you'll always have them with you. If you're mostly hunting bush, flats, riverbed slips or farmland then they will be OK - spot deer up to 500m in most conditions but not all. For serious south island open tops early dawn the extra quality will be better. The main problem with cheap binos is alignment of the two sides - can make you go crosseyed if its out. So look for ones with a solid bridge/hinge structure. Stick with low power like 7x or 8x - much easier to make them good on a budget. Don't pay more for rubber armour or waterproofness if you're looking for value.

Originally Posted by Shearer

I have some Bushnell H2o 10 x 42. They were under $300 and are ok. Cant complain about their performance in reasonable light.

I've been happy with my Bushnell H2Os, but got them drenched in the Tararuas this morning and now one side is all fogged up. They are about 8-10 years old now, so that's not bad service. Hopefully they will unfog themselves, or else I'll be looking for a new pair too. Thinking of Leupold BX-1 Mackenzies.

Originally Posted by David

I've been happy with my Bushnell H2Os, but got them drenched in the Tararuas this morning and now one side is all fogged up. They are about 8-10 years old now, so that's not bad service. Hopefully they will unfog themselves, or else I'll be looking for a new pair too. Thinking of Leupold BX-1 Mackenzies.

@David. If my experience is anything too go by, get hold of Bushnell (not the shop you bought them) and they will give you a new pair.

Bushnell Legends are good gear and if you can find them the Bushnell Elites are just that

How about this best compact binoculars, binoculars for birding, best birding binoculars for sale just dozens of dollars

Don't be tempted to spend more on Leupolds expecting to get better, I got a mate to buy Cascades which were really nice but he wanted to pay an extra $100 expecting to get better binos but they weren't as good, think they were acadia's.

Don't be tempted to get cheap roof prism's over good porro prisms, but i'm not an expert