Just bought a cheap pair of bins to leave in my car as I didnt want to leave my more expensive Opticrons in the boot!.

Spent £135 on Vortex Crossfire 8x42. First impressions when trying them in the shop was very goodhowever after trying them in the field for an afternoon my thoughts changed. They are absolutly brilliant !!! They give a very bright image and are very good in low light conditions. They also have a good field of view.

If anybody is thinking of getting new bins, I would recommend the Vortex range. For my £135 I have got a good set of waterproof bins that are also guaranteed for life(not even Leica or Swarovski offer that!!) they come with a neopropolene neck strap,stay on lens covers that drop when you raise your bins, a rain guard and a fitted case. I am well impressed-the Opticrons are staying in the boot and I will be using the Vortex for best!!!!!!!

Geoff,

they do work, im am amazed at how good they are, optics are crystal clear and a FOV of 410 @ 1000yds is great. As an overall package fom Vortex i think it offers great value, bins came with usual stuff - carry case & neoprene strap but it was nice to see they also include on extra pair of flared eyecups all in all £398 well spent. Funny thing is ive only used in the garden as not had time to go birding this weekend

Cheers

Andrew

Well, do they work Andrew?

I have the same bins as Dean.

After a month of looking round and a bit of testing i have selected my new Bins.

Im going for a Pair of Vortex Razer 8x42 and im picking them up in the morning.

woohooo

Andrew

True, though sadly, the "fare" isn't always available for the ride.







The optical equipment used in this post was sponsored by Robinsons & Andrex

I will second thathaving seen what he can see through 2 milk bottles and a kitchen roll tube for the last 10 yearswith new optics all round he is sure to see some good stuff in '08 And as I am his private taxi, I am sure to see them as well

Thanks Geoff but not even the bird-limers would want these! We're talking recycled components here or burial at sea with full honours for long service in the field.... and the woods, the marsh, down a ravine in Corsica.............!

mike ,check out the main website there,s currently an appeal for old optics for malta,s bird protection people

cheers geoff

Anybody know the most environmentally-friendly way of disposing of optical equipment that canot be passed on? Forgot to ask at the shop where I bought my new stuff and I don't think our council recycling scheme covers this sort of thing.

Hi Phil

10x50 bins are very heavy and for your son and will weigh him down, they even weigh down adults.

Opticron Vista 8x40 are an excellent binocular costing just under budget £49.00 (my son has these)
These binoculars produce a clean, crisp image and are an ideal weight and very easy to use.

Details of this binocular can be found here Focalpoint Optics

Cheers
Jason

ps. give me a call.

Need a new pair of bins for my son. Thinking of a cheap pair say £50.00.

Bushnell European/Falcon 10 x 50s are on various websites.

Anybody any ideas.

Just want a cheap pair for him as he is only 11.

Many Thanks

Phil

Hi Andrew

I'd agree with Neil about the RSPB 8 x 32 roof prisms. I got a pair secondhand for half the new price - I couldn't understand why I'd been lugging my heavy old things around for so long. I think the same bins can be bought with the Minox name rather cheaper.

I'd also agree with everyone who says "go and try them all out" - chacun a son gout as they say over the channel.

Steve

Andrew - have to agree with the advice to go and look through a few pairs. But, dont buy straight away. Compare prices online first. Some dealers will do a price match with online prices, which is always handy as it means you can take your bins back to the retailer if the worst happens and you have a problem with them. Otherwise buy online.

The Minox brand are pretty good (but might be a tad more than £400), and there are Zeiss Conquests in the 8&10 x30 models available for less than £400. If you can manage a bit more you could splash out on a pair of Nikon 8X32HGL's (about £560 on a well known online retailer).

Alternatively, if you're not that fussed about roof prisms, that same well known retailer is selling Nikon 8x32 SE's at £439. Many people believe these are the best birding binoculars available. I've looked through a pair and they are excellent, but obviously arent waterproof as they're porro's.

-- Edited by Craig H at 11:38, 2007-11-15

I agree with Geoff, it can be a nightmare when you start reading reviews especially in the £300-£400 range as there are so many. Remember, reviews sell magazines
I went to In Focus at Martin Mere, tried some out, got some good advice without being "sold" particular models. Then shopped on line for the best price.
I bought Opticron Imagic 8x42 Oasis. Good optics,waterproof, good close focus, light and comfy for me. Got them for £295 from Fotosense in Bolton, they price matched and i got a good deal.

www.fotosense.co.uk

Cheers Dean

You'll get a second hand pair of Leica BN's for about that on Ebay. Make sure its a seller with a good track record and you can't go wrong.

Also try west pennine in Rochdale, they sometimes have some good second hand optics.

i faced the same nightmare earlier in the year,and the best advice from forum users was to go and try some out in the shop,i went to martin mere and a purchased a pair of summit bins@100 and they are fine,plus you get to try them out straight away oddie spotting

cheers geoff

get over to Focalpoint at Higher Whitely - near Northwich - there's also an online shop but you can test things out in their shop and see what suits your eyes - one persons favorite can be totally useless for someone else - all our eyes are different.

http://www.bid4optics.com/shop/

They have a good range and some secondhand stuff, and are very helpful.

The RSPB 8x32s roof prisms are good quality, they are around the £300 mark, they nicked a load of design ideas off leica which can't be a bad thing. There's also some 8x or 10x42s but are about £100 more and will be heavier.

http://www.rspboptics.com/rspb/rspb/binsnew.htm

Hope this helps.

Neil

right everyone i need a little bit of help, im looking for a new pair of bins and should have around £400 to spend, ive done a bit of research so far but would welcome any recomendations you lot could make or things you haev used and are a deffo no no. cheers in advance Andrew