I'm considering an upgrade from the Simmons binoculars that have served me so well for so long (I can hear you laughing). I've been considering Nikon's Switch Power binoculars but am open to other brand suggestions.

Grab a pair of the Minox binos that Doug at Cameraland has, best bargain I have ever seen

Those 250 dollar Nikon Monarchs ain't half bad for the money. You can spend $750 on a better set, but no wheres near a 500 dollar increase in quality. Coming from a guy who never spent over 100 bucks on binos though.

Almost all my hunting buddies have bought the same binos after using them once. Kinda a close out in Cabelas.

Whatever you decide to get, I would look at Porro Prism binoculars also. They are not as popular as they used to be because of the shape but Porro Prisms have better quality for the dollar and are usually lighter. The Roof Prisms have to have "Phase coating" in order to correct the color spectrum which adds cost but the Porro prisms do not.

For example I had a pair of Steiner Predator 12x40's that I made the mistake of loaning to my brother and now I can't get them back


they have individual eye focus which you adjust to your eyes and they are in focus at all distances. They can be had for less than $350.00.

However, those Nikon Monarch's are phase coated and light also.

which size do you look for? 8x20 or 15x56´s??? Makes a big difference...

... and what is your budget??

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
... and what is your budget??

- mike

My budget...

I don't want to pay just for a name but, if there is truly a significant increase in quality, I'd go to maybe $1,000. I could even go a bit more but I would have to be convinced of the worth of it.

As for powder, I would want at least 10X. I think 10X or 12 X would be quite usable. If I went for more power than that, I would think they could be a bit tiring to use.

10 is quite a lot of magnification and many people find that something in the 8 range is about as much as they can hold. However, you may well have a specific need for 10 times magnification.

My vote, in view of the budget and so on, is another one for Minox. These binos punch well above their weight and in 12 months time you will not find yourself wishing you'd gone for Swaro or similar

http://www.cameralandny.com/op.../minox.pl?page=62157

These really are top tier euro optics, even if they were assembled in Japan if they are old stock, that will meet euro standards for being able to see in the dark and image quality.

I've posted this before but some time back I lay on a Scottish hill in fading light with a stalker. I could identify the stags and see their antlers with my 8.5X43 Minox HGs after his Swaros had given up. I'm not saying they are better than Swaros but what I will say is that even in a side by side comparison you might never notice the difference and just maybe they give you a few more minutes viewing time than even the Swaros. That couldn't be bad for $580.

@Grumulkin: You never just pay the name - the name of at least some companies have been build by significant more of quality... Trust me, You will see the difference when comparing - You get what you pay for!

I am now hunting with a Swarovski EL 8,5x42 Swarovision, but that is a totally other price range.

For Your budget, try a SLC Modell - You won´t regret it...

Something like this would be nice:

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/site.pl?page=40261

or for less weight:

http://www.cameralandny.com/op...emo-swarovski8x30slc

The Minox binocs are also good, although probably not quite where the "Big Three" products are (i.e. Zeiss, Leica, Swaro).

- mike

Take a look at the ZEN RAY binoculars, they seem to be very good for the price. See the comparison at this link:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/...nd_Zen_E#Post3122976

The website for these is:

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/i...18109201973d8e5abccc

Also take a look at the ZEN ED2 series which seem to be even better. They are newer at least. I would stick with the 8x43 ED2, don’t go to higher magnification since the normal shaking people have will be magnified and in my opinion you wont get any benefits in most uses.

Hoppe this helps you.

Well, I ordered the demo Swarovski 8x30 WB SLC binoculars from Cameraland. I guess I've never heard anything bad about Swarovski products and now I'll see for myself.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

You'll be very happy. I have a ten year old pair of 10x42 slc's, wonderful binoculars.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
Well, I ordered the demo Swarovski 8x30 WB SLC binoculars from Cameraland. I guess I've never heard anything bad about Swarovski products and now I'll see for myself.

Good choice, you won't be disappointed. With proper care the SLCs will take care of you for decades.

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
Well, I ordered the demo Swarovski 8x30 WB SLC binoculars from Cameraland. I guess I've never heard anything bad about Swarovski products and now I'll see for myself.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Good choice!
I don't have stores close by to do any comparing of binox, so I just did as you, went to Doug and bought a pair of Sawro 7x42 SLC's with Swarobrite. They are excellent, but heavy. You'll be able to carry yours all day as they weigh in at about 20 oz IIRC.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
Well, I ordered the demo Swarovski 8x30 WB SLC binoculars from Cameraland. I guess I've never heard anything bad about Swarovski products and now I'll see for myself.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

excellent choice!