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that no longer represents true colors.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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