I too have a bias caused by lab work with microscopes - I am very happy with my
Zeiss Terra ED 10x42 binoculars. Made in China, but the glass is German. They
are more than $250, but significantly less than the other Zeiss lines.
John
SW Portland
On Jul 17, 2021, at 1:58 PM, Dan Gleason <dan-gleason@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Vortex makes excellent binoculars, all waterproof and fog-proof and with a
life-time warranty, which no one else now offers. Their entry level model is
the Diamondback, and while not the quality of their top of the line (Razor),
or something like Swarovski, it is still a very good and clear binocular and
will provide you with many years reliable and comfortable use. Opticron also
makes excellent binoculars and has a good variety of models. They are also
waterproof and fog-proof. Nikon are good but use caution when buying them.
Not all Nikons are waterproof and fog-proof but most of the top models are.
Stay away from inexpensive binoculars (Swift, Tasco, most Busnell, etc.) as
some of them will lose as much as 50% of the light that enters. I would also
stay away from optics with red coatings. This will remove some red light, but
reduces the overall amount of light and shifting the image toward a bluer and
colder image that no longer represents true colors. This is simply a cheap
way to remove the red fringe which is most obvious around the edge of
inexpensive optics. Better made binoculars solve this problem opticallly
without degrading or color-shifting the image. At $250 your options are
somewhat limited but still very good binoculars are possible to obtain if you
stay with brands that have a good overall reputation for quality.
(Just a side note: Many people are misled by the logo and name on Swift
binoculars. Because it says “Audubon” and has the NAS egret logo, many people
think these are the binoculars approved by the National Audubon Society. But
that’s not the case. It simply means that they have purchased the right to
use the logo but it is not an endorsement. The name Audubon can be used by
anyone, and is used on many different products, and usually has no connection
with the Audubon Society as their logo does. I apologize if you detect a bias
against Swift on my part. This is from many years of working with very
high-end optics -microscopes - for many years at the University of Oregon
Biology Department and later with selling optics in my Wild Birds Unlimited
shop in Eugene. While at the University, for over 30 years, I maintained and
purchased all of the teaching microscopes in our department and Swift could
never meet our standards of quality or provide the features neeeded for even
our student microscopes and in my many years of teaching Ornithology at the
University, I had two students whose Swift binoculars fell out of alignment
in less than 4 weeks of use. So, yes, I am biased and expressing my opinion.
Perhaps others have had better luck than I have with them.)
Dan Gleason
Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited of Eugene
Ornithology Instructor, retired, University of Oregon
dan-gleason@xxxxxxxxxxx
On Jul 17, 2021, at 12:18 PM, Craig Tumer <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
A friend is looking for good, birding/nature observation binoculars,
preferably under $250. Do any OBOLers out there have recommendations? I
haven't shopped for binoculars in a very long time, so I'm of limited help.
Thanks in advance.
Craig Tumer
Portland
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