Just to say I bought the pair (that I presume Mike was referring to a few posts down) from Focalpoint (Hawke Frontier PC 10x25). It was my first visit to the shop and I'm really glad I made the trip over, which admittedly I only decided to do as I also wanted them to take a look at my Opticrons which I had a small problem with. The lady who served me (Yvonne I think - sorry if not right!) sorted out my Opticrons while I was trying out a couple of pairs of compacts. Independent shops like this with such readily given expert help and advice are unfortunately becoming a thing of the past, so I was more than happy to spend my money there and will definitely do so again in the future.

Thanks, I'm going to try to get over to Focalpoint and try a few pairs out.

Just to add a couple of pointers.

In my early years, I've made a lot of mistakes in getting compact binoculars that were no good for my eyes. Everyone has a different level of what they view as comfortable bins to use, so it would be better to try before you buy and make sure your comfortable with them first. I personally like Opticron and I rang them up at that time to find out what x-demo models they had on offer as these are as good as new ones at a smaller price. However, it must be noted that in general, the more binos are worth ( in retail price), the brighter and sharper they will be. Cheeper binos I found to be not very good in certain conditions below £60 (I couldn't see the details on the back of a juvenile great northern diver in Dec 2000 whereas others with better binos could- this was a pair at £40). I would avoid 2nd hand ones unless they come from a professional sales people as they could have had a knock and they could be out of alignment. This can hurt ones eyes if it's only slightly out and cause migraine.

Ta!

-- Edited by Richard Thew on Saturday 2nd of December 2017 02:14:47 PM

Afternoon everyone
Just been to Focalpoint looking at telescopes and noticed that they have a brilliant offer in their sale cabinet.
Some pretty decent binoculars reduced from £125 to £65 - well worth the cost of a phone call

Thanks Mike and Julian. Yes going somewhere to try a few pairs out would be ideal. I did this when I bought my main pair (Opticron Verano HD 8x42) by going to In Focus at Martin Mere, but a trip there isn't likely at the moment. I live in Manchester so will try out LCE as you suggest.

I tried a few pairs of compact binoculars at an RSPB optics day at Leighton Moss. I actually found that I preferred the 8*25 ramblers (£95) to the "better quality" (more expensive) 8*20 HD Compact (£225 at the time). I found that I was not comfortable holding and focussing the smaller binoculars - and I certainly didn't feel that the marginally improvedimage quality of the swarovskis justified the massive price hike. I later purchased the 8*25 ramblers and they're great for putting in the rucksack when we're out for a ride. The case could be a little better, it's a very tight fit to get the binoculars in, but it does add a little extra protection

fwiw I bought a pair of Hilkinson 10x34 NatureLine open hinge binoculars at BirdFair this year - primarily for keeping in the car - currently sub-£90 on eBay.
Very light and pretty bright for the price and objective size. These are a significant improvement on the £50 8x32 bins I used to keep in the car.

Opticron (a better known brand) do a similar spec pair called the Savannah (10 x 33) also very light, available on eBay at about £95.

I suspect trying to get somewhere to try them out might be the issue. Is there still a London Camera exchange shop on Cross Street in Manchester - you might be able to get a feel for the Opticron bins and then buy cheaper on-line (assuming that you live and/or work in Manchester).

Cheers Simon, yes am thinking of sticking with smaller, truly compact bins and not being tempted by higher spec that aren't as light/not quite as practical for carrying in pockets etc. I wouldn't expect too much performance-wise for the money I want to spend, but there are plenty of occasions where I wish I had some (any) binoculars with me, and it's much more likely I'll have them if they're smaller and lighter. I'm still justifying the purchase by pretending they're for my wife...

Hi Chris,

I bought a pair of Barr and Stroud 8x25 compact bins for about 40 quid, with the aim of being able to put them in a coat pocket and not notice they were there until I wanted to use them. Would suggest that 10x42s will always be a bit big for what you originally indicated you needed. The small ones do a job, in that you can get onto small birds at close range and ID them, or clarify a raptor is a Sparrowhawk or Kestrel if they are pretty high up. Beyond that though, the size of the image and the amount of magnification are quite limiting when you're used to a bigger binocular. Also the general rule applies that you should always try and get the best you can afford; trouble is Swaros at this size still cost hundreds of quid!

I would think carefully about the likely usage of these bins I guess, because they could become quite frustrating to use in certain circumstances. If you can see the benefit then you could well be OK with a 50 quid pair.

Hope this helps?

Simon

Thanks Geoff, will have a think about this option.

Chris,I have a pair of Helios Aero 10x42ED currently £100ish on flea bay,high spec low cost very robust ,best bang for your buck in my opinion.

cheers geoff

Hi, does anyone have any recommendations for decent compact binoculars for under or around £100 (new or second hand)? Weight and portability would be top criteria, so am hoping it's possible to score well on that front while having decent performance at something like (max)8 x (min25). These would be a spare pair for my non-birding partner to use, and that I could carry / have in car etc. when not lugging around bigger bins. Thanks.