Another sub £100 binocular advice thread

[Ventolin]

Hi all,

I have been looking for binoculars under £100 for a while now and have read and searched extensively in this forum and other sites on the net and am still having trouble deciding what to get.

I'm a newbie, don't have a scope, live in brightest London with very little room for a scope, so need to go to the park to do any real viewing, so ideally would like a handheld, occasionally will use it for daytime use while hiking. I'm also on a tight budget, so the very cheapest bins are very attractive, but I'm also seem to be fussy about quality.

Here's my shortlist (all 10x50 porro prisms):

Lidl 10x50 - £17 (bought these a few days ago, but quality must have dropped from previous years and I have to take them back)

7Dayshop 10x50 sport series - £21

Meade 10x50 special offer - £39

Strathspey 10x50 General Purpose - £45

Helios Fieldmaster 10x50 - £47

Olympus 10x50 DPS-1 - £53

Helios Weathermaster III 10x50 - £59

Helios Naturesport Plus 10x50 - £79

Strathspey 10x50 Waterproof - £100

(have I missed any?)

Current top of that shortlist is the Helios Naturesport Plus, but I am very tempted at the cheap end of the scale.

I'm wondering where the best value for money point is - i.e. at what point does the step up in quality become less noticeable as the price goes up? Sounds like there's a graph of quality vs price for this kind of thing.

As far as I can search, I have not been able to find direct comparisons of these bins apart from maybe the skyatnight website, but I guess what I'm really asking is if the Naturesport Plus is much better than the Fieldmaster (for instance) to justify the price?

I've read positive reviews from members here who have the above bins, so it's difficult to decide.

I have also thought about getting the Celestron Travelscope 70 at £54 from Currys, but feel this might be too cheap and a waste of money.

I have had the benefit of seeing through some 40 year old 8x30B Carl Zeiss dialyts and some modern 8x25 Minox roofs and can certainly see the difference between them, surprisingly the Minox have a much better image probably due to modern optics, so I may have been spoilt on quality bins.

So what would you recommend? I feel as though I have spent far too long on choosing and seem to spend most of my time reading binocular reviews on the net rather than doing work, but it's so difficult to decide!

Thanks in advance,

Vent

[TheQuietEarth]

I can vouch for the Strathspey 10x50s. Fantastic binoculars with great contrast, surface brightness and clarity. The found main moons of Jupiter are clearly observed through them from my location. I can also peer into the middle of the city from the edge of Glasgow.

Are they not currently £37.19? That's the £30.99 price plus VAT.

[garethmob]

I wouldn't choose any of them. I would go for optricon aspheric 8x42. Or the next one up. I love mine seen more than I have in a telescope:)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk please ignore any spelling typo thingys

[Ventolin]

Thanks for the response TheQuietEarth.

I think I have mixed up the prices a little by including P&P with some and not others.

The Strathspey ones all include P&P (6.50 ex vat) and are the prices from Strathspey themselves, the Helios prices are from Microglobe in London where I can pick them up, Lidl pickup from store, Olympus from Amazon with free delivery, 7DayShop has free delivery but the Meade is available from various places with P&P from £3.

I'm not really sure if all apart from the Olympus bins are actually made from the same place - United Optics to their own specifications. Come to think of it, the Olympus might also be in that category (Coleman?) The difference would be in the coatings, glass and QC I think.

Vent

[Damo636]

I had the Olympus DSP-1 up until recently & it was a very capable binocular for the price.

[Ventolin]

Thanks for the recommendation garethmob, though I seem to have trouble finding that model. Might it have been discontinued? How much is it? Do you have a link?

TIA

[TheQuietEarth]

Here you go...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-N1240482-Binocular-10x50-DPS-1/dp/B0000AKGX3

Those Opticron binoculars sound fantastic, but are they 8x40 as I can't find anywhere that sells an 8x42, and on the Opticron website they're listed as 8x40.

[Steve777]

Here are excellent opticrons I have, really sharp:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/porroprism/opticron-aspheric-wa-zwcf-ga-8x40.html

[Ventolin]

Thanks for the link Steve, but it looks like that has indeed been discontinued in March 2012 according to the opticron website:

http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/aspheric_wa.htm

which might have been why it was so cheap back then and why it's very hard to find now.

From yours and garethmob's recommendations, it looked very good though, but not sure there is a replacement opticron in my price range that is of the same quality.

Thanks for the link TheQuietEarth too, though I had already found those Olympus bins from Amazon (and from others). They are very tempting though, but would really need to compare them with the Strathspeys and Helios bins.

The exciting thing is, all of the models above were recommended by members here who recommended them to others. That means they are all bound to be very good, which is a "Win" straight away!

Trouble is there's too much good choice, but I think it's coming to buying the best I can afford. This way I won't keep wondering if I had just spent a bit more... but then the money I save from buying a cheaper pair could go to a tripod or telescope in the future... my head hurts from all these decisions!

BR,

Vent

[BinocularSky]

I have had the benefit of seeing through some 40 year old 8x30B Carl Zeiss dialyts and some modern 8x25 Minox

And there's the rub. I haven't used the Minox, but none of your list that I have used has an image quality that approaches that of the Dialyt. YMMV, but my experience is that it is difficult to accept lower quality once I've tried better.

Your best bet, if your budget is limited, might be to get a good used binocular.

On the batphone, so expect typos...

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Just get something. I spent ages like you suffering paralysis from analysis. Any of the above will show you MUCH more than your eye, and typically the price:performance scales well in that range, you wont really see diminishing returns until much more expensive.

So, just pick how much you can afford, bare in mind that they'l see A LOT of use over the years, and pick the one that matches pricewise.

I went with the naturesport plus and love it.

[Ventolin]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have now purchased some binoculars!

I went to Microglobe in London (thanks to their service) and compared:

Helios Fieldmaster 10x50

Helios Weathermaster 10x50

Helios Naturesport 10x50

Olympus DPS-1 10x50

I did basic checks on all with regard to the excellent checklist at The Binocular Sky (thanks tententerre!); they all passed most of the basics though all had a slight amount of obstruction when looking through the big objective lens end at arm's length. None of them showed a complete circle. All of them were solid and well made, with all controls smooth, slightly stiff but not too tight, none of them felt cheap.

Started off with the Weathermasters, these were quite large and heavy, built like a tank and felt like a tank. This was probably because they were fully sealed, waterproof, nitrogen filled bins made for all conditions. The view from them were very good.

Moved onto the Fieldmasters, these were about half the size and weight of the Weathermasters! Well, ok, maybe not half, but certainly a big difference. The view seemed exactly the same as the Weathermasters, but the lighter weight made them much easier to use.

I then looked at the Naturesports. These were about the same weight as the Fieldmasters, but seemed to operate easier - hinge, focus wheel, eye pieces all seemed to move easier than the others. They felt good in the hand. The view was a real Wow moment. Brighter straight away and very easy to use. Was able to focus quickly and accurately and saw detail that I didn't pick up before with the others.

Then I looked at the Olympus DPS-1. Very well made, felt better in the hand than the Fieldmasters and about the same weight. No Coleman branding. The view was about the same as the Fieldmasters and Weathermasters.

I went back to the Naturesports and looked at a "No Entry" sign in the distance. I picked up a reflective patterning on the horizontal white strip in the middle of the red circle. I had not noticed this before so went back to the Olympus DPS-1 and looked at the same sign. After a bit of focusing, I made out the patterning, but it took a while to see it.

Going back to the Naturesports, the patterning in the sign was clear to see and brighter. Other objects were very easy to see and focus in on and I was able to go back to the sign, refocus quickly and see the patterning very easily. That was the decision making view and so I bought them.

So, this wasn't really a technical test at all, I didn't spend much time as I felt I was making a nuisance of myself in the shop trying 4 different binoculars and there wasn't room to move as the shop was small and quite congested with boxes so I didn't get to check everything I wanted like focus across the field of view and the other excellent points from the Binocular Sky guide. However, I didn't really need to, I knew that I wouldn't be able to live with the others after seeing through the Naturesports; there was a clear difference between them and the others - easily enough to warrant the extra cost.

I should note however, that the other binoculars all were very good and I would have been very happy with any of them had I not seen through the Naturesports. I daren't look at any more expensive ones however, as I feared I wouldn't stop and I was at my budget limit already. I resisted the urge to look at some Opticrons!

On the minus side, the neck strap for the Naturesports is very cheap and poor. It will need replacing before use as it's just a thin nylon strap. The box it came in had made no mention these were the "Plus" version (I only knew they were as they had twist up eye cups rather than rubber ones as described in another thread) and the box looked very cheap indeed. The box for the Weathermasters was very nice however, a dark green box which had little writing or images and looked more like an expensive perfume box than a binocular box. The bag that comes with the Naturesports is a nylon, padded bag, but with a similar nylon strap which will also need replacing soon.

I'll live with the Naturesports for a while and hopefully test them on the next clear night and report back, but I'm finally out of my "analysis paralysis" and am happy with my purchase - good advice jimmyjamjoejoe!

In summary, I would rank the Naturesports first, then the Olympus, then Fieldmasters, then Weathermasters. The last three were very close in image quality. The Weathermasters came last as they were heavy, but were the best build quality wise. I wasn't expecting the Olympus to be so good actually as it had BK-7 glass whereas the others were all BaK-4 fully multicoated. Similarly, the Fieldmasters and the Naturesports have the same specs on paper, but the Naturesports were visibly better. It just goes to show that the type of glass is just one factor in the design of a binocular and paper spec isn't everything.

Of course, I am just a newbie amateur with no experience really so please take my report as just one person's views, where others are just as, if not more valid.

Many, many thanks to all your help and advice, including those who have posted in other threads, even about other binoculars and equipment. Certainly makes purchasing easier knowing others here have the same binoculars as those on my short list and all had recommendations. I have also learnt a lot about binoculars!

Best Regards to all,

Vent

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Good stuff, hope you enjoy them as much as i do. You should get a chance to try them over the next few nights. Take a swing through cassiopea or even cygnus if you're up late...

[TheQuietEarth]

Enjoyable review, Ventolin. They do look like very nice binoculars. Glad you were able to make a choice as it can be tough given the number of 10x50s that are available. I'd be interested to see how they compare to the Strathspey 10x50s. They performed beyond my expectations for a binocular under £50.

I've currently got a choice to make between the Helios Quantum 4 15x70s and the Strathspey equivalents. There isn't too much difference in final price and I'd be getting a nice aluminum case with the Helios bins. Reports like yours make me very eager to try the Helios brand out.

[pete_gamby]

Just FYI, there is a variant of the Aspheric WA 8x40 still available from the RSPB - http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/binoculars-scopes/binoculars/rspb-8-x-40-binoculars.html

Sadly it is a fair bit more expensive than the Aspheric was.

Cheers, Pete

[Ventolin]

Hi all,

Have now managed to have a look at some stars with the bins...

The Orion Nebula was stunning, so much more visible than a slightly fuzzy star seen with the naked eye. I didn't get to look at it for too long as it set behind some houses in my street.

Also had a look at Jupiter, was really nice to see 3 moons around it! Difficult to get my head around that the planets are so close and that it's possible to actually see moons orbiting a different planet. Really felt like the early astronomers must have felt seeing these things for the first time. My Neighbour was also suitably impressed and we both were just in awe of the planet with the moons.

Simple things such as these really fill you with an incredible sense of wonder at how Mother Nature can be so beautiful and how stunning the universe really is.

One thing I did notice about the bins were the off axis focus was a bit out. Certainly not by much and not enough to interfere with the view, but it does go to show what more expensive optics can give you and why there is a price difference between the cheap end and the more expensive end.

TheQuietEarth - really think the Strathspeys are made by United Optics as the Helios are. I think the £45 Strathspeys are equivalent to the Helios Fieldmasters, and so I think the 15x70s from Strathspey and Helios would also perform similarly.

Pete - thanks for the link, I didn't realise how many binoculars the RSPB sell! The ones you linked to look like another United Optics binocular, though couldn't see a mention of aspheric lenses on the specifications. Anyway, would have been nice to purchase through the RSPB and support them if they had the Helios range I might well have done.

Looking forward to more observing over the coming days, will be looking for a monopod and L bracket to stabilize the image much further. Broom isn't quite big enough, but certainly works well enough to know what to expect.

Best Regards all,

Vent

[stevetynant]

I'm giving serious thought to these Celestron 20 x 80s - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0007UQNTU/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d9_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=035G5GQ3X4JRPX32B0VT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358549767&pf_rd_i=468294 at £101 just about in your price bracket as well - appreciate any comments. (I already have some pretty decentt 10x50s and 8 x 42s -these would be for the odd night when I pop over the local farmers field for a spare half an hour or so)

[garethmob]

The revolution model are exactly the same bins as the celestrons. And telescope house usually run a sale with them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk please ignore any spelling typo thingys

[tjr]

I've been thinking if getting a pair of sub £100 bins for taking away on hols etc. If I do decide to take the plunge then I think you've made my decision on which pair to get for me. Excellent reviews Vent. Thanks.

[SkyGibbon]

I have some Leupold 8x50s that have a 6.5' fov. Paid $119.00 u. s. dollars for them. Tried them against the $40.00 more Nikon 10x 50s and they had a much more pleasing view with outstanding eye relief. Any person I have let use these, have raved about them.

If at all possible, try before you buy. Especially with binos.

[Artemisia absinthium]

I have a pair of leupold 8x50s and I am very pleased with the optics. The left eye cup doesn't snap into place like the right one but in use it is unnoticeable. They are very bright and clear and they have a tripod mount under the cap. I haven't had them out observing much but I did spot the globular cluster in Hercules, M13 if I remember correctly.

[GHarris]

It's no longer very relevant as the OP has made his decision, but I have briefly owned both the Opticron Aspheric 8x40 and the Helios Naturesport 8x40 and I believe they are very, very similar. Perhaps they are made by the same people, or in the same factory, or at least to a very similar spec, in the same way as some other binoculars are (Chinese BA8s for example, found under numerous brand names, or the Orion Vista and the Helios Ultimate HR some years ago). I did not possess them both at the same time (first the Helios, then the Opticron) so I can't be certain they are quite the same but the Helios 8x40s really worked very well. There were relatively minor cosmetic differences/shapes in the rubber armouring but that's all I noticed.

8x40 is a nice specification, I find it considerably more comfortable to use than 10x50s thanks to both the lower magnification and lower weight. That said I don't own an 8x40 any more (both of the ones I had were bought as gifts for other people, I only used them for long enough to know I wasn't giving the recipient a lemon). Instead I use a 10x50 quite a bit and it does work well. The main reason is that it's my own and I had it for a couple of years before I saw these... but 8x40s are still tempting when my arms feel tired! They're a very valid option, I know people fixate on the bigger numbers but 8x40s do work well. What you lose in magnification (nothing catastrophic) you gain in field of view, and then there's the bonus of the ergonomics. They're very good general-purpose binoculars for carrying around given their weight.

Why did I change from the Helios to the Opticron for my 2nd purchase? There was simply a blip in the market at the time, the Helios were out of stock in the original shop and prices were higher than they had been before. I took a risk on the similar-looking Opticron and it worked out.

(I discussed my original choice of the Helios 8x40 on the Cloudy Nights forum some years ago, for what it's worth)