Binocular... source for good binoculars... low prices....??

[Us 5 Camp]

Hello,

I suspect this crowd may also be a good resource for BINOCULARS.

 

I am looking for a good (not $$$ top shelf) pair of binoculars (~ $100 to $300).

 

I am looking for an online source where I could better the most for my $.

 

I looked locally and they don't have the quality/$ that I am looking for.

 

I am thinking a 10x binocular with good light gathering, stable in a small, but not necessary extremly compact size. Name brand like Nikon, Minolta, etc....

 

Thanks for any insight on suppliers and/or the optic choice itself.

 

"Never have a philosophy which supports a lack of courage..."

[+briansnat]

Sierra Trading Post is a good source for all outdoor products. They are on the web at www.sierratradingpost.com. Check here for binoculars.

 

"Men don't stop playing because they get old, they get old because they stop playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Cache Canucks]

...(as would seem to be the case with most NATO armies) and own a pair of their 'Safari 8x30's:

 

Steiner Safari 8x30

 

If you shop around a bit, you should be able to find them for under $200USD.

[+bigredmed]

I have had good luck with Cabelas. http://www.cabelas.com

 

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

[+leatherman]

I buy all my binoculars from Pawn shops. I've bought four pair. Two of them were brand new in the box.

I've picked up Steiner Military and Marine 8X50 $30! Pentax UCF 10X24 $50. Tasco 10X55, I don't remember the model. However when I picked them up they were 65% off the price I found on the internet. The newest pair I found is Canon Image Stabilizer 10X30 for $150. The cheapest I could find them on the internet was $350, most commonly listed for $450. These were new in the box.

If you can't wait. I find the prices on binoculars, and everything else, cheap at The Sportsmans Guide.

 

Preparation, the first law to survival.

Mokita!

[basher_boy]

I am not sure that $350 binocs are high quality. I would classify these as mid range. But then I am a snob who recently bought a pair of Leica 8x30. They are the most fantastic binocs I have ever ever used (they should be for the price). In my extensive research as to what binocs I would buy, the two best rated binocs in the 8x30 range was a $350 pair of nikons, and the Leicas. They were both rated equally in optical quality, but the leicas were shock, and water proof. The nikons were neither, and did not do well under regular use. As for ideal power, most think that 8x is about ideal for general purpose hand-held aplications. 8x30 has the about the same exit pupil as the maximum size a human eye can dialte. Therefore under perfect conditions a 8x30 will deliver as much light to your eye as it can handle. For a 10x binoc you need a 10x52, which is a big binoc, to hold and carry. The bigger the glass the harder it is to build quality lenses, therefore the more expensive it becomes for the same optical quality. A 10x30 binoc is really only good for the highest light conditions, even in very high quality binocs.

 

Do some research on birding sites, as these people take their binocs very very seriously. Sixe, weight, quality and handling are all very important to folks in this hobby.

 

As for best prices. I found it at the grey market stores in NYC. Remember I bought bbinocs that are more than 4x the price that you mention when purchased through normal retail channels. I think I paid about twice what you want to pay.

 

Hope this is helpful

[+leatherman]

I would love to get a pair of Leica, Zeiss, or Swarovski.

I really like Steiner too. I want a pair of Night Hunters.

I would rate Nikon below Pentax though.

 

I would not admit that I owned a pair of Bushnell. The Tasco I bought were a gift for someone else. Someone that doesn't understand the importance of good optics.

 

Preparation, the first law to survival.

Mokita!

[Salvo]

I've been hunting and HUNTING for a pair of binoculars like the one used by Sgt Stedanko in Cheech and Chong's movie "Up in Smoke".

 

Gotta have it!

[+briansnat]

Check my Sierra Trading Post link above. They have the 9x40 Steiner Safari's for $199 and the compact Steiner 8x22 Safari's for $99

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm

[Cache Canucks]

...can be found at:

 

Steiner Dealers

 

For example, BinocularSource sells the 'Safari 8x30s' for $177USD:

 

BinocularSource