How much did you (or would you) spend on your binoculars?

[Dave7]

Just something I was recently talking about.
We used to do a fair amount of bird watching so good binos were 'relatively' important for us.
I am going back a few years now but I paid £400ish for my 8x40s.
I could have spent more but the difference to my eyes was so little it just wasn't worth it.
A mate of mine is a VERY keen bird watcher and spent well over £1K on his. And yes, they are better than mine but not sufficient for me to pay that much.
Just wondering what other CCrs were happy to pay.

 

[Dave 123]

Years ago I did a lucrative private job for someone.
With the money I bought a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42. They were amazing, especially in low light.
I sold them about 10 years later for the same price I bought them for, which was about £1300.

I now have a nice pair of Opticron bins, bought with my Corpus Christmas bonus. £400.

 

[Fat Lars]

If you are a keen enthusiast then always get the best you can afford. I bought some Celestron 71018 SkyMaster 20 x 80 Binoculars a couple of years ago to study the sky at night. They are so heavy that they have to be perched on a tripod. I also bought Digital Night Vision Binoculars which are a lot of fun and take photos and videos. They both retail at about £140. The only problem is that I'm an early morning person and usually in bed around 9.30pm.

 

[Dave7]

Years ago I did a lucrative private job for someone.
With the money I bought a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42. They were amazing, especially in low light.
I sold them about 10 years later for the same price I bought them for, which was about £1300.

I now have a nice pair of Opticron bins, bought with my Corpus Christmas bonus. £400.

My £400 ones are Opticron.
My mates are Swarovski ......Same ones now will set you back £2,800.00

 

[gavroche]

Nothing. I have two pairs and inherited them from a friend when he passed away. His wife gave them to me. No idea how much they cost.
One is Prinz 10x50 and the other PSM Fiesta 8x40.

 

[Amanda P]

If you’re using them a lot (like, because it’s your job) then it’s well worth having the likes of Swarovski or Leica, although things like Nikons and even Opticron aren’t so far behind these days. The trouble is, once you get used to the best, it’s very hard to go back to anything less.

Leica and Swarovski both sell their £1000+ binoculars with unconditional lifetime guarantees. Even if you bought them secondhand with no documentation (as I did mine), if there’s a problem, you can return them via a dealer and they’ll come back in a week or so like new.

This is well worth knowing because among rabid birders there are ‘dudes’ - people for whom having the latest greatest kit is vital. They’ll happily be a first owner for top-flight gear, then sell it on as soon as a new model comes out, usually in like-new condition (because it’s important to them that their kit not only IS new but LOOKS new), having absorbed about 50% of the price. Well worth setting up an Ebay search for what you want, especially after a manufacturer has just launched a new product.

I also like the way the instruction book for my old, bought used bit still perfect Leicas says ‘if your binoculars get dusty or dirty, you can rinse them under the tap or in a bucket of clean water…’

 

[Chief Broom]

I have a drawer full of Swarovski together with my shotguns which i use to mug birdwatchers down at the reserve
Isnt it always the same with high end gear whether bins a cycle or a fishing rod, if you desire to possess something superlative/exquisite etc you'll know it and hey why not, go for it But middlin gear is fine and for a skint ****er like myself 2nd hand is finer.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Just under 300 on some Nikon Monarchs but tbh I think now I'd be going to Ali Express and paying c20% of that.

 

[Mo1959]

I have my dad's old ones. They are a German make called Optolyth. Fair age but seem decent.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Around £350. I have some astronomical binoculars Helios 20x100's. They're achromatic and nothing special but for astronomy at low power they're fantastic. Star clusters, comets, galaxies etc. It bags them all...

 

[MichaelW2]

We 3 children clubbed together to buy my parents some Leica 8x20 Trinovids for their global travels. I got a staff discount on the binos. My parents really enjoyed using them and I inherited them.
The small size makes them easy to carry.
The optical quality of premium binos is astonishing in comparison to good ones. You notice esp in poor light. The small exit pupil of 8x20 means you have to use them carefully

The bestest Leicas I have tried out are 7x50 mariner ones. The massive exit pupil works on a heaving deck and contrast and clarity is unmatched.
Leica make a better small bino 8x25.

 

[antnee]

We had half a pair each between my Brother and I. WWII German Tank commanders 8x50 Think dad "won them" I think they were complete until Our father split them to stop us fighting over them I seem to remember even using them in a monocular state They weren't so bad Zeiss lenses As we use to roam about the fields and hedgerows Bird watching though not much wild life there now ( though perhaps there is lol) and all been built on. Still got a pair of 10x 50 somewhere though must dig them out.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I only occasionally use them but the ones I had were really cheap and nasty. I thought I'd look at a reasonable pair for taking on walks and plumped for these Vortex 8 x 42 which were within my budget at £199. They're very good but with noticeable chromatic aberration, most obvious on outlines of rocks or hill outlines in bright light conditions. The other thing that swung me towards them is their unlimited lifetime guarantee. If I drop them and they smash, or I drive over them, Vortex will replace them.

 

[Dayvo]

Funnily enough, I bought a pair at the weekend.
I have a small pair, can’t remember the make or power of them but they were handy for day-trips or sports events (mainly cricket), and cycle touring.
I have a large balcony at home, and now with darker nights I thought I’d buy a more powerful pair for star-gazing, but it’s been cloudy for the last few nights, although dark, cold, clear nights are guaranteed here.
Bought them at an army surplus store (brand new) and seem to be standard issue to the mighty Norwegian military.

They are 7x50 and made by Alfa Gear and cost about £35.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I'm dithering over a £4k scope. Should I, shouldn't I or will the £1.3K one be OK? Will I actually use it? Maybe I need I need a test at the telescope shop.

As for bins £400 is about right I think. Unless you have 20:20 vision