Best bins...

[Ken31]

Oops! I found this in my diary: apparently an eyecup screw came out before, and I superglued it in (Dec 2007). This suggests another one has since fallen out. Anyone with these or considering purchase might want to consider preventative measures.

[bendiddley]

i use a pair of olympus dspi 8x40's which you can get for about £60, they retail much higher in some shops. they have an excellent build quality. views are very crisp edge to edge. they are not too heavy but have a very well made feel so arms don't ache very much for extended viewing and the fov is nice and wide, making it easier to find things. i tried 10x50's but much prefer the 8x40's good luck with whatever you decide.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

One general word of warning: the Lidl Bresser bins are a bit hit-or-miss, some being in collimation, others not. Bresser makes (or rebrands) all sorts of 10x50 bins with different names and prices, and my old 10x50 are far better than some of the cheap Lidl ones I have held (they are about 18 years old by now, and were much more expensive). If used purely for astronomy, and if you want to go slightly upmarket, go for ones with individual focusing, usually branded as "Marine" types.

[Torin]

Reporting back from my local Lidl. Bought 1 pair... opened box in the car park and examined them closely. Well actually I didnt' get time to look at them closely because as soon as I held them up to the light and looked down the objective lens (the big end) I saw a whole mess of bits on the lenses / prisms. Sooo walked straight back in and got my money back. At this point I asked one of the staff if I could open another before buying to check - which they kindly said yes to.

I opened the second pair and checked them over - no bits this time so went a bit further - followed Astro Baby's guide (http://www.astro-baby.com/reviews/binocular%20review/binocular%20review.htm) which someone on here pointed out (sorry can't find link but thanks to whoever it was!). All was looking good until looked a the eyepieces and saw at full extension they weren't level. Rejected that pair.

Pair number 3.... no bits and eyepieces level. But focus wheel wasn't smooth (stiff and then went loose...) and when focusing and moving around quite quickly got the sea sickness feeling and could get them to settle well. Could only assume they were out of collimation. Rejected.

I could have gone on and opened all 10 boxes and may have struck lucky but after 3 pairs I decided to walk away. I do have to thank the Lidl staff for being so patient though!

Soooo I think at this point I'll walk away from cheap Binoculars. Summerstars - did you come to any conclusions with more expensive ones?

[Ken31]

Headline: New Lidls Not Up To Scratch

OK folks, I've taken a hit for the team and bought the latest Lidl's. Although the carry case and binoculars appear very similar, they are no longer branded "Bresser" and are Lidl's own brand "Auriol" instead. The carry case is of marginally cheaper manufacture, and the detail of the binoculars is not the same - again of an overall cheaper appearance. The engraving says 10x50 114m/1000m, no mention of glass type (although it states BK-7 on the box).

Running the tests again, in comparison with the Bressers:

1. There is a speck of dust visible inside one of the objectives.
   
2. The full field of view is not available at spectacle distance.
   
3. Fold-down rubber eyecups not applicable; twist-up eyecups do not lock in place.
   
4. The exit pupil is slightly grey at the diagonal edges (BK-7).
   
5. The in-focus exit pupil is 4mm. The diamond pattern is particularly noticeable with the screen defocussed inside the focal length.
   
6. Colour fringing, if anything is fractionally better than the Bressers.
   
7. The in-focus field is worse than the Bressers.
   
8. There is a slight image displacement, but not so much that would cause a problem.
   
9. Pincushion distortion is much worse.
   
10. Out-of-field light source produces only a slight flare, much better than the Bressers.
    

Conclusion: sorry folks, these latest Lidl offerings are not up to snuff, overall the Bressers are much better. My recommendation: DO NOT BUY (I'm going to take these back and might investigate the £40 Meades).

[Ken31]

Reading Torin's report (posted while I was preparing mine), I must have got lucky with my sample because I didn't have any of those problems. It has shown me how good a buy I had in 2006, and I'm sorry to have added to any enthusiasm for the new batch.

This does reveal a problem: it is very difficult to assess the performance of a pair of binoculars (or I suppose anything else where the senses are involved) in isolation. It would be good if I could now (before I forget) examine a real quality pair in the same way. How though?

[ollypenrice]

Given the very reasonable cost of a set of nice Porros from FLO, who will replace unsatisfactory ones should they appear, I have to wonder if all this 'Liddling about' is worth it! I have two pairs of these Bressers. You can see through them and they are handy to have kicking around for spotting this and that but they're not really binoculars... Get a decent pair, nothing barmy, and you'll enjoy them for years and years.

Olly

[Ken31]

Given the very reasonable cost of a set of nice Porros from FLO

Specifically? Link?

I have to wonder if all this 'Liddling about' is worth it

Don't you love a bargain?

Any pair of binos (almost) is better than none at all, and under £20 is pocket money - if this recent Lidl offering had been as good as the ones I bought for £10 in 2006 they would have been worth having for anybody not already equipped. Torin's link (click) agrees. I'm willing to spend more on a good pair, but the selection process is rather difficult and if I waited until I had made up my mind I still would not have any. It appears I was lucky to get a good set straight off.

[Torin]

going back to SummerStars op, S@N mag give these a good review (and under £100) - anyone have any experience?

http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/review/binoculars/strathspey-marine

or

http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/review/binoculars/helios-fieldmaster

[ollypenrice]

Specifically? Link?

Don't you love a bargain?

Any pair of binos (almost) is better than none at all, and under £20 is pocket money - if this recent Lidl offering had been as good as the ones I bought for £10 in 2006 they would have been worth having for anybody not already equipped. Torin's link (click) agrees. I'm willing to spend more on a good pair, but the selection process is rather difficult and if I waited until I had made up my mind I still would not have any. It appears I was lucky to get a good set straight off.

I do like a bargain but fifteen quid in the bin isn't a bargain. I'm minded of the Python sketch in which the Princess goes around 'hopefully kissing frogs' . To me a hundred or a hundred and fifty quid, divided by however many years of enjoyment, is a real bargain. This kind of thing;

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/helios/helios-naturesport-plus.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/hawke/hawke-frontier-pc-open-hinge.html

Ten years' use, a tenner a year, sounds like a bargain.

Olly

[Ken31]

We're not on opposite sides here, I agree with buying for the long term - it's just that if these had been good they would have been a bargain, and as they were not I got my £17 back and can tell everyone. I could buy the £39 Meades and send them back if not delighted (at my cost of postage), I just need to know whether it's worth my time. I don't want to spend £150 unless it's on the best possible set available for £150, and they are significantly better than ones for £40.

While all that goes on in my head, I have had 6 years use out of £10 binos, £1.67 a year (and dropping) - sounds like even more of a bargain!

[ollypenrice]

We're not on opposite sides here, I agree with buying for the long term - it's just that if these had been good they would have been a bargain, and as they were not I got my £17 back and can tell everyone. I could buy the £39 Meades and send them back if not delighted (at my cost of postage), I just need to now whether it's worth my time. I don't want to spend £150 unless it's on the best possible set available for £150, and they are significantly better than ones for £40.

While all that goes on in my head, I have had 6 years use out of £10 binos, £1.67 a year (and dropping) - sounds like even more of a bargain!

Can't argue with that. I went a bit crazy this year and bought some second hand Leicas for about half the new price, but that's still a lot. By the devil, though, they are sooo good and they were lterally as new, the strap unopened, for instance.

Olly

[knobby]

Wish I'd read this before I stopped at Lidl on the way home... The pair i got are complete cack

The left and right is so far out I've now got a headache!

so... I can take them back or have some fun ripping them apart to try aligning them... Or , I dunno... Help?

P.s. I'm not in any way blaming anyone, made my own mind up

[Andrew*]

I too bought a pair of Lidl 10x50s years back when they were £10. Got rid of them at some point along the road because I didn't use them. Don't know why because there was nothing wrong with them at all.

Been meaning to replace them for a while. Bought a pair of Opticrons porros which everyone seems to love on SGL, but just couldn't get on with them. Firstly they didn't focus with my prescription. The focus wheel was stiff, the views were different colours in each eye, and very significantly out of aligment. Not had any of these issues with any other binocular I've tried. Too many problems to consider a replacement, so I sent them back and am still on the hunt. Didn't like the idea of the Pentax porros due to weight.

I've bought a pair of Vanguard roof prism 10.5x45 EDs at significantly greater expense, so we'll see how I get on with them.

So no regrets about buying Lidl binos, just about not holding on to them... Shame the quality has dropped....

Andrew

[Space Dragon]

The pair I bought last year were cack too, kinda ok- ish for daytime but no good for astro.

I dare not look through a pair of Leicas in case i decide that I need a pair.

The enemy of good enough is more betterer.

[Ken31]

Wish I'd read this before I stopped at Lidl on the way home... The pair i got are complete cack

The left and right is so far out I've now got a headache!

so... I can take them back or have some fun ripping them apart to try aligning them... Or , I dunno... Help?

P.s. I'm not in any way blaming anyone, made my own mind up

Take them back and get your money - they'll never be any good... Or, if you like playing, there's a fair amount of glass in there for £17.

[MadAlbert]

I have Pentax xcf 10x50 and Celestron 15x70, both are very good. I an understand going for the really inexpensive pairs but surely this is a false economy?

[knobby]

I'm leaning towards pulling them apart for the fun....

[Ken31]

I have Pentax xcf 10x50 and Celestron 15x70, both are very good. I an understand going for the really inexpensive pairs but surely this is a false economy?

Only if the view through mine is less than a tenth as good as the view through yours, and if I would have spent that much on my first set of binos and therefore had some to use all this time. These Auriols would have been a false economy as they were so obviously unacceptable and I wouldn't have been happy this far - but as Lidl have a good returns policy all that is lost is a bit of time (and a small amount of petrol).

I have had good use out of the Bressers, and probably will continue to, so no they were not at all a false economy.

[knobby]

@Ken31, you seem to be taking a bit of stick over these Bins... I have stressed earlier that in no way do I blame you or indeed anyone else for the extreme cackness of these bins

Just thought I'd stick up for you mate.

If they had been any good, then I'd be laughing wouldn't I... But nothing ventured nothing gained

[Ken31]

Yeah, I don't understand it - we looked, we saw, we walked away!

Meanwhile, if there are any suggestions how I should go about auditioning a prospective future (quality) purchase, I'll be glad to hear them.

[Torin]

Meanwhile, if there are any suggestions how I should go about auditioning a prospective future (quality) purchase, I'll be glad to hear them.

I think after this episode (again sorry SummerStars that your thread seems to have wandered!) the best thing to do is try and find a decent local telescope / bino shop and go and visit. Then (as others have said in other threads I've read on here) look at a few pairs in your price range but once you have a pair which is good don't let the shop assistant swap the pair you've tested with one in an unopened box. That way you will walk out of the shop (minus the correct money of course!) with a pair of binos you have confidence in.

[Ken31]

If there was a decent local binocular shop that would be a good plan. My lament is that there isn't (that I know of).

[LukeSkywatcher]

Good advice here. Lidl's 10x50 bins are really good for the price. I have 2 pairs of the Bressers. Every year they seem to be rebranded thaough. The look like the Bressers but i cant be sure if they are optically as good. I also agree that anything over 10x should be mounted on a tripod etc.

For under £100.................you could do worse then buy a set of Strathspey 10x50 Marine binoculars.

http://www.strathspey.co.uk/

They were voted the best of the 10x50 bins by Sky At Night magazine a few years ago.

I bought a set of 20x90 bins from Strathspey about 6 yrs ago and have had no complaints with them.

[Ken31]

Were really good for the price. See posts 29 & 30.