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I am brand new to all this and the binoculars I am using are great for viewing a concert not so much  for watching birds. Any suggestions?

That would all depend on how much $$ you want to spend.  I've been using Nikon Binoculars for years and they work VERY well for me.  I currently use the Sportstar 10X25 6.5 degree water resistant.  The cost about $75.00.  The more you spend the better you get, some have multiple coatings to reduce glare and flair, some have built in Stabilization, some even have built in Camera's ( I wouldn't reccomend the Camera combo).  To me its all dependent on how prosperous a newbie you are :-)

 

For many years I used the Nikon Monarch binocs ( about $250 ). In order ti get a better pair I had to spend more than $700. I highly recommend them for newbies....BTW welcome to the fraternity!

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What is not forbidden is inevitable.

I bought a pair of 10x50 Bushnell binoculars with the optical coating and, they say, extra lighting for $36 at a Longs store in the Bay Area, California. I love them. They're kind of heavy (they're coated with rubber), but I can see water dropping off individual feathers of an egret, or scan a shadowed bank about 1/2 mile away. I think they lack dimensionality (they tend to flatten out what I'm viewing), but I'm not complaining!
 

Would like to second the recommendation of the Nikon Monarch.  My wife and I have 2 pair of the 10X42 6 degree models and find them very good optically and not too heavy to lug.

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Twin Lakes Ranch
Central Texas

Do you have a price limit?

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New Additions to Life List: black-bellied plover, whimbrel,solitary sandpiper, common nighthawk, American redstart

I have the Nikon Monarch 8x42s, all-weather.  Compared to top-of-the-line binocs, these are relatively inexpensive, and I'm happy with them as such.  I don't have much to compare against, but the image seems nice to me: bright and colorful.  They're susceptible to chromatic aberration when viewing against heavily backlit, or bright objects.  The extreme edges are a little out-of-focus, but to me, this is minor and hardly noticeable since it's natural to simply center the subject matter in view.   I imagine one can spend a $1000 to eliminate these shortcomings.

 This is my first post on this forum,but I've always loved binoculars.I have a pair of celestron 25x100 that are great,except they are real heavy,and require a tripod.But the views!!!Anyway,the trouble with binos are,for me, I can never hold them steady enough.I invested in a pair of canon's 12x36 image stablized and have never looked back.A little pricey,but you can have the best binos in the world,but if you cant hold them steady its frustrating.

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canon 50D,100-400L,10-22 wide angle,Tamron 17-50f2.8,28-75f2.8,and a bunch of other stuff

I have a pair of Simmons 10x50 that came from WalMart for around $50 (I think) that work jus fine for me.  I recently bought a pair of 16x something and I HATED them, took them back the next day.  I couldn't get them to focus.

I'm so glad you asked this question because I have been shopping for a new pair also.

Last spring I purchased a pair of Bushnell 10 x 25 with built-in digital camera. At first I was excited because I could see the smallest of hummingbirds in my backyard tree from 50 feet away. I used the camera for a tennis tournament. Unfortunately after I adjusted the diopter setting for my right eye I haven't been able to get clear photos. I'm okay with the camera not working though for the most part I'm really rough on my equipment. They were on sale at Target for $13.99, and at that price if I lose or drop them in water - who cares.

I tried a pair of Canon binocs w/ ruby UV coated lenses but returned them after failing to ID birds that appeared reddish-pink. Also I had red hash marks around my neck from hiking with them on during a four-hour outing.

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"Watch the birdie."
Latest: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk (Dark Morph).

For $50 you can get Nikon Action 8x40 which are the best binoculars under a $100 in my opinion.

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2008 Yard List: 126
Recent: White-winged Crossbill, Pine Siskin
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HI, I recommend Nikon 10-22x 50 binoculars. They are at Dicks Sporting goods store, for $150.00. They are so easy to adjust from close to far. They aren't coated so the birds are true to color and are taking the abuse of our 400 acre working farm very well. Snow, rain, -20 to 90* they are still great after 4 years. I just bought my elderly mother a pair and she likes them for the lightness. Good luck!!

I was so glad to see this post today!  I'm new to birding and  just want to be able to get a really good look at the many birds at our feeders (and under them).  I have a very old pair of Bushnells that must weight at least a couple of pounds so holding them to your eyes for any period of time gets old fast.  I was thinking that because we live in a fairly rural area I'd have to order on-line.  It never occured to me to try Walmart or Target.  I'm going today.  Thanks.

I have two B&L Customs, a compact 7x25 and a conventional 7x35

Also an Olympus 8 x 40 conventional.  I'm guessing at the objective sizes, but these are approximate.   All are wide field, with large oculars and a lot of eye relief. 

 The eye relief is especially important if you wear glasses. 

It is always a good idea to test them.  One important test is to look at something in the distance and then put the binoculars up and see how fast you can find the object.  Also take them back down and see how fast you can find the object again.  If they are good, it should be pretty seamless, both ways with  no eye strain and no refocusing of your eyes.   With good binoculars you can look through them for a long time and not feel any eye strain.    When you test them, be sure you have corrected the adjustable eyepiece to match the focus in the other eyepiece.  If your eyes are normal, it should be very near the "0" diopter setting.  If it is very far off, it probably indicates poor quality assembly

 Lots of poor binoculars have poor collimation between the two sides, so you have to strain to put the images together.    It is hard to find good binoculars for less than $150 to $200  Some where after that the law of diminishing return takes over and the quality improvements are less significant.

 Any thing over 7 or 8 power will probably require a tripod or image stabilization to use effectively.  I haven't used stabilized binoculars. It works well on digital cameras but it is more complicated to do with optics than a CCD.

 Incidentally, the coating is to reduce reflections, both internal and external.  It improves clarity and brightness, and should have no impact on seeing true colors.  All quality optics have coated lenses, although sometimes it is not obvious.