Binoculars for birding. Recommendations?

[Nick5]

Very nice.
As they say here in the U.S., “Christmas in July”

 

[Kurtru]

It came!

It´s half as heavy and big as my old army surplus binoculars and has 10 times better optics. Very happy with it.
The case is very cute, small. But not much room for the neck strap.
There's also a harness. Not going to use that. I think I will use the neckstrep for the bag and then use something else that I have lying around for the binos.

A few crappy iPhone pics:
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Levina, the Vortex are not world class, but they are a good value for the money, I hope you will be happy with them!

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Levina, the Vortex are not world class, but they are a good value for the money, I hope you will be happy with them!

Thanks, Kurt. No, my new Vortex is no doubt not “world class” but it is more than sufficient for what I use it for and leagues better than my old army surplus binos that I picked up for 25 euro years ago. I’m very happy with my purchase.

 

[Lester Wareham]

We have some Pentax ones, good eye relief and close focus capability so can be used for things like dragonflies too.

 

[anwarp]

You may need to also get a gym subscription to handle that 18x50!

Actually, you can cancel your gym subscription!

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

Well, finally it is here! The Swarovski NL 10x52
binoculars! A few days late, but never mind, now it is here! Nicely packed with a nice instruction booklet in different languages included! (Now, that’s something, instructions for a pair of binoculars! I have never seen that before!). At a cost of almost €3100, (I guess the packing alone must have cost €100!) but it is expensive to grow old! Now let us see if it gives value for the money!

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Well, finally it is here! The Swarovski NL 10x52
binoculars! A few days late, but never mind, now it is here! Nicely packed with a nice instruction booklet in different languages included! (Now, that’s something, instructions for a pair of binoculars! I have never seen that before!). At a cost of almost €3100, (I guess the packing alone must have cost €100!) but it is expensive to grow old! Now let us see if it gives value for the money!

Congratulations! That truly is a world class pair of binoculars.

I do wonder though what causes the € 2700 price difference between the Swarovski and the Vortex. Is the Swarovski really 2700 euro worth better?

 

[West Coast Birder]

Congratulations! That truly is a world class pair of binoculars.

I do wonder though what causes the € 2700 price difference between the Swarovski and the Vortex. Is the Swarovski really 2700 euro worth better?

Like all top-end things, if you feel it is €2700 better, then it is €2700 better!

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

Like all top-end things, if you feel it is €2700 better, then it is €2700 better!

Just wondering what could make it so much more expensive. I mean, I could understand a few hundred euro but 2700? What accounts for that? The brand name?

 

[West Coast Birder]

Just wondering what could make it so much more expensive. I mean, I could understand a few hundred euro but 2700? What accounts for that? The brand name?

Absolutely the name, prestige, etc. The markups are insane for the top-end brands. It definitely costs more to make Svarovski optics than a Vortex but not €2000 more.

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

Congratulations! That truly is a world class pair of binoculars.

I do wonder though what causes the € 2700 price difference between the Swarovski and the Vortex. Is the Swarovski really 2700 euro worth better?

Well, that’s a good question! I guess not, but that was the price. And yes, it is better than the Breitling that I bought first. But € 2700 better? No!

 

[Nick5]

Just wondering what could make it so much more expensive. I mean, I could understand a few hundred euro but 2700? What accounts for that? The brand name?

Just like “L” lenses….

 

[Lester Wareham]

Worth having a look at some of the reviews:

The Cornell Lab Review: Affordable Full-Size 8x42 Binoculars

We reviewed more than two dozen pairs of 8x42 binoculars—a popular, versatile choice for most kinds of birdwatching. Here's what we learned.

www.allaboutbirds.org

Best Binoculars: The Cornell Lab Review 2013

Note: In early 2023 we published a review of affordable 8x42 binoculars where you will find more current recommendations on purchasing optics. In our Autumn 2013 issue we reviewed more than 100 pairs of binoculars, narrowing them down to a total of 28 top picks in five price ranges. Our reviewers

www.allaboutbirds.org

Finding the Best Binoculars for Birding

Selecting binoculars is a lot like tasting wines. It takes most people years of experience to be able to notice subtle differences in quality and articulate preferences using just the right lingo. Personal preference plays a large role in picking favorites. You could sip one of the world’s finest ch

www.allaboutbirds.org

In this review the best in class was the Zeisss Conquest 8X32 @~$1000 at the time of the review, although you could pay 3x that for a less rated product. There is arguably diminishing returns above $600 but again you could pay the same amount for something that was not so well rated.

This review does say "Full disclosure: ZEISS and Optics Planet are sponsors of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.".

When I picked my Pentax ones they were very good quality for the price in the review at the time (and Pentax were not sponsors).

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

Interesting! Well, I have tried my Swarovski pair of binoculars for a few days now, and I am very satisfied! They were pricey, yes, but everything in Norway is expensive, and money is not an issue for me! I ordered it online without testing, so I took a long shot and a chance there, but it turned out to be successfull! So it is highly recommended if you can afford it!

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

In this review the best in class was the Zeisss Conquest 8X32 @~$1000 at the time of the review, although you could pay 3x that for a less rated product. There is arguably diminishing returns above $600 but again you could pay the same amount for something that was not so well rated.

Interesting. Thanks for posting this, Lester.

So one of the best binoculars tops at around $ 1000.

This review does say "Full disclosure: ZEISS and Optics Planet are sponsors of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.".

And this brings those results into question again...

 

[Tom Reichner]

Little update: I have just ordered the Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42!

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I just found this thread and when I saw the title I was going to make a post recommending Vortex. But you came to that conclusion already!

I have used Vortex binoculars since 2014. They work great for my purposes, as a photographer, not a birder. I just need to see what species of bird it is in order to know if it is what I want to shoot or not ..... or I need to see what a buck's antlers are like so I know if he is a buck I want to pursue or if I should hold out for a bigger one. And for that type of use, the Vortex I have used are quite adequate.

.

 

[Levina de Ruijter]

.
I just found this thread and when I saw the title I was going to make a post recommending Vortex. But you came to that conclusion already!

I have used Vortex binoculars since 2014. They work great for my purposes, as a photographer, not a birder. I just need to see what species of bird it is in order to know if it is what I want to shoot or not ..... or I need to see what a buck's antlers are like so I know if he is a buck I want to pursue or if I should hold out for a bigger one. And for that type of use, the Vortex I have used are quite adequate.

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Thanks, Tom. I too am pleased with the Vortex. It does everything I need it for, which is basically what you use binoculars for too: Is that white bird at the other end of the field a spoonbill or just a mute swan? And are there any raptors in yonder trees, where I saw one the previous time I was here? I had expected to spend around 500 euro but the Vortex was only 239 euro; that was a bonus.

 

[Garnerfoto]

I just wanted to thank all the contributors to this thread. My wife wants a new pair of binoculars for Christmas. I went to the local sporting goods store today and looked through some Vortex Diamondbacks. I am very pleased. And they are on a Black Friday sale for $100 off.
While there I also looked through a Swarovski. WOW!! Certainly nothing I can afford, but very very nice.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Yep, you've got to peer through one to see the difference. The brightness and clarity are amazing. But the Vortex is really nice. I'd say 80% as good as the Swarovski at a tenth of the price. That's a good tradeoff!

 

[wxjef]

Been using a pair of Nikon monarch M5s 10x42 and they are definitely a step up from the Celestron 8x42 eds I first got. A little pricey but views seem to render depth to them especially looking at the whole of a landscape scene (when the atmosphere isn't trash that is).

Birds, deer and a few astronomy objects are it's primary objects. Thought about going up a step from them but larger roofs are hard to find and expensive. Roofs seem to fit my face better but then again I haven't been much of a binocular user.

Focuser is pretty easy to operate, can somewhat one hand these little binoculars but obviously not sturdy, mostly to see if I'm looking at a bird or vegetation shaped bird lol.