Looking for good binoculars
 

Am looking for binoculars and am willing to make an investment. We are taking an alaska cruise and I would like a good pair of binoculars not only for looking at the scenery from the ship but also the wild life and our excursions. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I was researching binoculars for my husband recently and found that there is a wide variety. What is your budget?

Go to www.eagleoptics.com, and read the guides, or call them for personalized advice. They are hands-down the best place to shop for binos, in selection, price and quality of products. You need binos that will have the correct range and magnification for what you plan to view, which is what they will help you to determine. Many people choose based on size, price or appearance, and are disappointed.

I am an avid bird watcher, and so binoculars are critical to me.

The main thing to remember when you're looking at them is just because a pair might make things BIGGER it does not mean that it will make the object CLEARER. For a clearer object you need great optics, and that's where cost comes in...

A good dealer will let you take them outside to look at them, and you most certainly should!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is one of the best sources for unbiased binocular testing. Go to this link:
http://tinyurl.com/yvmhmg


Many years ago I splurged on a pair of $1000 Zeiss binoculars. To this day they are sheer magic. Objects are bright even in dim conditions. They are stable, clear, shock proof and water/sand/dust proof. They are one of the finest things I have ever spent money on. Seriously.

wliwl, you're exactly right. I used to sell binos at a a nature preserve gift shop, and when I got them to go outside and look through the Zeiss, they all said things like "Who turned ON the lights?!" They made things brighter and sharper, really amazing.

I guess I'm assuming lund97 won't want to spend $1,000 if the Alaska trip is the only use for the binos, so I hasten to add that you can a good pair with quality lenses/prisms for $300 or so; Eagle Optics house brand is an excellent choice in that price range, they use a high end lens, though I can't remember the manufacturer. I'd go with 8 or 10 X 40's for wildlife viewing.

Thank's everyone for your input. I am willing to make an investment for the binoculars. I was looking between $400 to $700.
The links were of great help!

Spending that kind of money, I would 'test drive' a pair for sure. Zeiss, Leica, Minox are all excellent and you would not be disappointed. But how they feel in your hands and around your neck and most importantly how they feel held up to your eyes are all important considerations.
Personally, I like Swarovski's - the optics are unmatched. They are absolutely bombproof, precision made and work extremely well in low-light conditions which often is what we have here in Alaska. They, like the others, are pricey but a lifetime investment - I have had mine 17 years and they work as well today as the day I bought them.

I once worked as a volunteer assistant to a research biologist who was studying Painted Buntings. His binoculars were Zeiss 10x40. I subsequently bought a pair for our last trip to Alaska and they were excellent. As I recall the price was $800; bought them on line from Cabela's.