shawn9914 Posted June 19, 2018 Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 (edited) I am looking for a set of binoculars I want these for keeping in my motor home for looking at everything from wild life to boats out at sea etc, the thing is I don't want to spend a fortune £50 ish second hand will do but not sure what to go for there are 1000's on ebay etc. Do I go for a cheaper new set or older 2nd hand, what mag do I go for sometimes I am looking at stuff way out at sea or on top of a mountain. There are cheap Chinese new ones out there but how clear will they be also what make of 2nd hand do I go for with decent clear optics the choices are endless. Would I be better of with a spotting type scope on a tripod as these seem more powerfull and cheaper ??????? Any help appreciated as always Cheers LB Edited June 19, 2018 by shawn9914 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted June 19, 2018 Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 (edited) I would reccomend you go to a shop and try some out instead of buying blind. I have quite a few pairs of binoculars. From cheap to more expensive .. And the ones i grab nearly 90% of the time are a cheap nikon copy pair of 8 x32 than my dad gave me years ago . They are light to carry and very clear .and fit into a pocket. Hence i have them with me when i need them .. Bigger is rarely better when it comes to optics. Edited June 19, 2018 by Ultrastu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltings Posted June 21, 2018 Report Share Posted June 21, 2018 old carl zeiss for me I prefer really good optics and because they are old nobody wants them £30 to £60 on evil bay if you need to a refurbish and clean etc is not expensive cant go wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted June 22, 2018 Report Share Posted June 22, 2018 Shawn have a look at your local charity shops. They often have some old gems for little money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robertt Posted June 22, 2018 Report Share Posted June 22, 2018 (edited) Try a pair of Helios 7 x 50. About £50 ish, new and ideal for the motor home. Edited June 22, 2018 by Robertt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn9914 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Thanks for the replies I still have not purchased any binoculars since I posted this as been using a cheap pair I had but I have blummin lost these yesterday and can't find them anywhere they were a cheap Chinese pair and were 30 x 40 mag What mag would you suggest I go with now I have to replace the ones I have lost I have seen some on flea bay for under 40 quid they are 40 x 60 mag from china so similar the my old pair Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 8x42 or 8x50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robertt Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 It depends what you want from a binocular. 7 x is great for spotting stuff and 10 x for studying stuff. I prefer 7 x as it has a deep field of view, which means less fiddling with the focus. + 1 for 7 x 50 Helious, great value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Have a look at Keppler stag 8x42 or 7 day shop 8x42 both under 50 quid new i have both and were fine till a big birthday got me some Leicas.As already stated old zeiss 8x30,s are excellent and theres always charidy shops Burton/Derby is awash with them and u get to view before u buy atb ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 hello, if your in a hurry check out Chris Goodheads shop IN BURTON, they might have second hand, new £50/60 or ? you can find some good good used japan and german made ones in charity shops, antique markets. i just bought 2 early japanese 8x40 9x40 oncle cleaned up work well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn9914 Posted December 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Thanks will try take a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 I was looking through a pair of £20 jobbies in Lidl the other day. I was quite startled how clear they were, couldnt get beyond 300 yards through the windows in the shop, but worth a punt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 7 minutes ago, Rewulf said: I was looking through a pair of £20 jobbies in Lidl the other day. I was quite startled how clear they were, couldnt get beyond 300 yards through the windows in the shop, but worth a punt. Yes I was pleasantly surprised by those, extremely good value, but no expensive lable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 On 21/06/2018 at 23:39, Saltings said: old carl zeiss for me I prefer really good optics and because they are old nobody wants them £30 to £60 on evil bay if you need to a refurbish and clean etc is not expensive cant go wrong Hi Saltings, If you can put me in touch with someone who can do this work at reasonable cost I would be grateful! I have a pair of GDR Zeiss, in need of a clean!........But Zeiss prices make it uneconomical! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wb123 Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 (edited) 23 hours ago, shawn9914 said: Thanks for the replies I still have not purchased any binoculars since I posted this as been using a cheap pair I had but I have blummin lost these yesterday and can't find them anywhere they were a cheap Chinese pair and were 30 x 40 mag What mag would you suggest I go with now I have to replace the ones I have lost I have seen some on flea bay for under 40 quid they are 40 x 60 mag from china so similar the my old pair Cheers If you want 30-40 x magnification (a lot!) a spotting scope and tripod is probably more appropriate. I have a set of 8x42 leicas which are fantastic but out of your price range, a Chinese 7x50 which are much lighter and nicer to carry but since getting the leicas the image feels awful. Edited December 22, 2018 by Wb123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltings Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 3 hours ago, panoma1 said: Hi Saltings, If you can put me in touch with someone who can do this work at reasonable cost I would be grateful! I have a pair of GDR Zeiss, in need of a clean!........But Zeiss prices make it uneconomical! http://binocular-repair.co.uk/ does a really nice job full service and alignment well worth doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 7 minutes ago, Saltings said: http://binocular-repair.co.uk/ does a really nice job full service and alignment well worth doing Cheers Saltings, I'll contact them in the new year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalahari Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Your local auction is worth a look, I got a pair of Leitz 10 x 40s for £28 + the commission. David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabel25 Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Like most things the better the optic the more it costs If you can stretch your wallet take a look at the Bresser pirsch 10x42 on www.birders-store.co.uk Cheapest i can find at £179 plus free bird book worth £16.99 plus free delivery and life time warranty I've a set of these and they are brilliant made in Germany Well worth a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewluke Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 52 minutes ago, sabel25 said: Like most things the better the optic the more it costs If you can stretch your wallet take a look at the Bresser pirsch 10x42 on www.birders-store.co.uk Cheapest i can find at £179 plus free bird book worth £16.99 plus free delivery and life time warranty I've a set of these and they are brilliant made in Germany Well worth a look are you sure they are made in Germany? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabel25 Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, andrewluke said: are you sure they are made in Germany? The Company are based in Germany run by Rolf Bresser Set up in 1957 and make binoculars, microscopes, magnifiers, laser rangefinders, spotting scopes and are one of the largest manufactures in Europe and the world Edited December 23, 2018 by sabel25 addad more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewluke Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 13 minutes ago, sabel25 said: The Company are based in Germany run by Rolf Bresser Set up in 1957 and make binoculars, microscopes, magnifiers, laser rangefinders, spotting scopes and are one of the largest manufactures in Europe and the world i would say that they are made in China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabel25 Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 1 minute ago, andrewluke said: i would say that they are made in China Look them up on google " where are bresser binoculars made" you'll get the full sp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewluke Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 17 minutes ago, sabel25 said: Look them up on google " where are bresser binoculars made" you'll get the full sp Bresser are a European distributor of binoculars not a manufacturer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 hello, a few years back i bought some bressers from lidl 10 X 50 for about £16 a pair, so good they are used by the TVP country watch team, and five year warranty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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