Binocular recommendation
 

What binoculars would you recommend for game viewing in Africa? Am looking for a mid-priced, light weight pair for my wife as I will be mostly carrying the SLR camera.

What web sites do you recommend for information and the opportunity to buy or rent a used pair?

A friend said to stay away from high powered binclars because of shake and narrow viewing field. He suggested a maximum magnification of 7. I was thinking about an 8 x 42. Should I stay with a 7 and avoid the 8? I cannot afford the stabilized lenses found in some top of the line models.

I agree. 7 or 8 is ok. so is 8.5. a favorite bird watching bino is the swift 8.5 x 44(called the audobon).

If user wears glasses, must have big "eye relief" or some such thing. the exit glass has to be big.

I bought all of mine on ebay. we have about 6 pairs, so guests can also look.

the person I purchased most of them from seems to no longer sell on ebay(he was quite old).

you want a pair which divides down to about 4.2 - which is the optimal ratio. Hence the really great brands (Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski for example) are 10x42. However, unless buying a top brand pair (and by top brand, we're talking anything up to £1000), 10x can be quite heavy. Also, the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view - and if you are not really used to using binoculars, a larger field of view is better, as you can locate things much more quickly. I personally think 7 is too small, unless you are prepared to pay mega-bucks - a Swarovski or Leica 8x is the equivalent of a 10x magnification in a cheaper brand.. but I've never yet found a pair of 7xs out side the top brands I've thought were worth using. For some reason, the 8xs just seem to be a step up in performance. I suspect it's because serious users won't go below 8, so they demand better performance at that level.

I'm better on European brands than US brands - over here, there are very few US brands widely available. However, Bushnell may be US, and do some very good low-mid price range bins, with excellent optics for the price - I used their 10x Nature View for many years, before stepping up to Swarovski SLCs - as 10xs go, they were not particularly heavy. They do both porro-prism and roof-prism types as well - roof prism can be more robust and less prone to being knocked out of alignment. Opticron are another generally good recommended make - one of my colleagues recommends Minox, but I didnt rate them that highly, I thought the optical performance was not hugely fantastic, and it would give me a headache to use them for long. OTOH, I'm a spoiled Swarovski user :o

I've never been a fan of stabilised lenses - they may have improved in recent years, but the original systems were very clunky. Frankly, you should be able to hold most pairs of 7x or 8x dead easily, and not need additional things like that. Also, ignore all blandishments for adjustable magnification binoculars, with zooms or stuff like that - it tends to be gimmicky which detracts from optical performance. Don't be prepared to sacrifice objective lens size for weight - a 8x25 will be lighter, but have very poor performance in low light - e.g. early morning, late evening or nighttime drives.

Might also be better to specify what is mid-priced as well - for me, that would be something like the opticron bins at around £400-£500... which might be slightly more than you are looking to pay.

Don't buy without trying. See if they fit the shape of your hand well and seem comfortable. I use Swarovskis, which are marginally worse optically (it's a hairs difference, but if you are trying to see the colour of a feather centre, then a hair can be important!), because Leica are a tad heavy for me and I don't find Zeiss comfortable to use. Swarovski fit my hand like a glove! When trying, take them outside... look at things using the edge of the lenses - there should be not much colour distortation right up to the outside edge. If you do get a lot, it's indicative of poor optics, which means you've got poorer resolution, and ultimately you could risk headaches from using them a lot. Ask if the lenses are coated (improves light gathering) and check if they are nitrogen filled (waterproof). Remember and set up the diopter setting correctly as well - one eyepiece will be adjustable for the users own eyesight. Close the other eye, and use the eyepiece focus to bring that eye bright and sharp. Do not touch again, unless you think your eyesight has changed, or the setting has been moved!

And finally, when you do get them, carry them around outside the carry case, and take all lens caps off. Fine for transporting them, rubbish for using them. You don't want to be faffing with lens caps as the leopard cubs are scuttling off into bushes, never to be seen again. Besides, it's just sooooo dudish ;)

Hope that helps - shout if you want any more advice! :)