Binoculars help needed plz!

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Blacktop

Senior Member
I just got an unexpected reward from work, for attaining the best fuel milage for the month at my job.

I was thinking of getting binoculars for our upcoming trip to Florida for the Missus. We have one that is like 20 years old , and is not in very good condition.

What brand do you all recommend and what are all those numbers mean, like 8X42.
I have a 175 dollars to spend on these.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
Dawg Pics said:
Magnification and lens

Let me see if Cloudy Nights is recommending binoculars around that price. Are you thinking bird watching?

Take a look at this article.
It isn't much different than cameras.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/outdoors/tips-and-solutions/guide-birding-binoculars
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Thanks. As I'm reading upon it it looks like an 8X40 would be a good choice for my wife.
Not sure what brand though. There are a few Nikons, but but I'm already giving Nikon much money for my camera gear. LOL:)
 
Dawg Pics

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Blacktop said:
Thanks. As I'm reading upon it it looks like an 8X40 would be a good choice for my wife.
Not sure what brand though. There are a few Nikons, but but I'm already giving Nikon much money for my camera gear. LOL:)
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Ha Ha, and you could get some marked Canon.

It has been a long time since I used binoculars, but I had an issue with shake and resolving the image into one image, which just may have been the width of the eyepiece or something.
It may be of benefit for her to try some out at the local sporting goods store. That way you can see if the weight is good, and the shake is tolerable. You can always order something similar elsewhere or buy some there if you like them.

Binoculars were one of the things on my list of items to buy when I was doing more star gazing. There are lots of binocular objects out there. It has been a while since I researched the different brands.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Blacktop said:
I just got an unexpected reward from work, for attaining the best fuel milage for the month at my job.

I was thinking of getting binoculars for our upcoming trip to Florida for the Missus. We have one that is like 20 years old , and is not in very good condition.

What brand do you all recommend and what are all those numbers mean, like 8X42.
I have a 175 dollars to spend on these.
Click to expand...
I'm no expert, and not too sound like a Nikon fanboy (you know better!), but I love, LOVE, LOVE my Nikon ACULON binoculars. They're easy to find but one source is Am-a-zon:

Nikon ACULON bins'
 
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Dawg Pics

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Awesome, I hope they work out for you.
Let us know how you like them, they look like a nice pair, and it was meant to be since Horoscope Fish came in with that same recommendation. :cool:
 
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Roy1961

Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
i am almost ready to buy a pair of Nikon Monarch 5, 10x42, i originally looked at the 8x42 but after looking thru a few pairs at the Audubon meet ups its the 10x42 for me, i have a pair of Bushnells 20x50 but i really need them on a tripod, a little shaky in the hand.
 
Dawg Pics

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Roy1961 said:
i am almost ready to buy a pair of Nikon Monarch 5, 10x42, i originally looked at the 8x42 but after looking thru a few pairs at the Audubon meet ups its the 10x42 for me, i have a pair of Bushnells 20x50 but i really need them on a tripod, a little shaky in the hand.
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No trouble with shake at that magnification?
 
B

Blacktop

Senior Member
Don Kuykendall said:
ok, The question no one has asked yet. Does she actually WANT a pair of binoculars?
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No, she really wants a D500.
laughing-hard-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
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weebee

Senior Member
I have a Celestron 15x70 Skymaster binoculars. Clear and great low light viewing. I bought a metal tripod adapter, the included one wasn't very stable. I also got the Carson HookUpz 2.0 smart phone adapter. Though I haven't had the chance to use that yet.
 
Bob Blaylock

Bob Blaylock

Senior Member
Blacktop said:
I just got an unexpected reward from work, for attaining the best fuel milage for the month at my job.

I was thinking of getting binoculars for our upcoming trip to Florida for the Missus. We have one that is like 20 years old , and is not in very good condition.

What brand do you all recommend and what are all those numbers mean, like 8X42.
I have a 175 dollars to spend on these.
Click to expand...

The first number is the magnification factor, and the second is the diameter, in millimeters, of the objective lens. 8×42 would mean that the binoculars have a magnification of 8 times, and that the objective lenses are 42 millimeters in diameter.

Higher magnification is good, up to the point where it becomes difficult to hold it still enough to see clearly. I think 10× is considered a practical upper limit for most people, for handheld binoculars.

Larger objective lenses mean a brighter image, and possibly a wider field of view. Think of it as being somewhat related to the ƒ/ number of a camera lens.
 
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Blade Canyon

Senior Member
Blacktop already made his purchase, but I'll throw in my opinion for future readers: Years ago I read an article that said the Objective (second number) should be seven times the maginification (first number). So I bought a pair of Nikon 7x50. Wow, great purchase! They let in so much more light than any other binoculars I've ever used. The magnification is not as high (7 times), but the extra light and field of view makes a huge difference. I've had them at events where other folks had their binoculars, and everyone agreed these were the best.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
My binoculars arrived today. It's dark out now, but I can clearly spy on the neighbor's house in low light.:loyal: Seriously, the moon looks very sharp. I was going to take a picture, but I can't find the shutter button.:indecisiveness:
 
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