Teach me about Binoculars

[azfiddle]

A couple of suggestions-

Don't buy bargain binoculars- they will go out of alignment easily (which will give you headaches, at the very least) and cost more to repair than replace.

Avoid compacts, 8x25 for example, as your main pair- they are okay as a back up pair or to take with you on your bike or hiking, but the field of view and amount of light is too restricted for birding.

Expect to pay $200 or more for decent optics. More expensive binoculars will have better coatings, better lenses, let in more light and hold up better in their overall construction.

In my opinion, 10X power is best unless you just don't have the strength in your hands to hold them steady (unlikely). 8X power is okay- 7X power, you just don't get enough detail for birding.

I just purchased a pair of 10 x 42 Nikons Monarch 5 binoculars at REI for my DH. They also come in a slightly more compact version but they were on back order, so he got the larger ones.

My Zeiss binoculars are 30 years old ($600 in 1981) and were great until last week when I dropped them. Fortunately, a telescope store here does alignment and I should be getting them back early next week.

Let me know if you have further questions.

[bmccasland]

In addition to what Azfiddle said, would suggest you go to a camera or optics shop, and try out several pair. See if you can take them outside to see how they are in bright light. Inside and outside try focusing on something up close (less that 10 ft from you), and then focus on something far away.
Try to avoid mail order - you can't try out the optics. If a pair seems comfortable, but the optics are wonky, then ask for an additonal pair of the same type.

[TsPoet]

Most/all birders I know have 7.5 or 8x. 10x is usually recommended against, AZfiddle is now officially the only birder I've ever seen recommend them. The ~8x have a bigger field of view and better light gathering.
A really great med-range brand is Swift.
If you've won the lottery, get some Ziess.
While I agree that you have to think hard about compacts, I really like them, because the best pair of binoculars are the ones you have on you!
Generally, think about the exit pupil size - this lets you know how much light and color you'll be able to see. Simplistically, you can calculate the "exit pupil" by dividing the lens diameter by the magnification, so in the examples given
8x25 = 3.13 (a little low)
10x42 = 4.2 (OK, but big and heavy)
8x35= 4.4 (Good and will be more compact) - so the last example will give you the best light gathering/truth in color... and, I think, a moderate size.
I just looked at the Cornel link (funny, I use that site all the time to aid in bird ID, didn't think of looking for bino recommendations)
This sums up what I was saying, but probably better
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAbou.../document_view

[PamNY]

While I agree that you have to think hard about compacts, I really like them, because the best pair of binoculars are the ones you have on you!

I agree with TsPoet. I have compacts because I'm always either walking, or on a cycle or Xootr. Compacts do have limitations, of course -- you'll need to think about how you will use the binoculars when making a choice.

[pinsonp2]

If you have a Cabellas or Bass Pro near by, you could try out several brands, styles and sizes since they have fairly well stocked optics departments. I also think the Nikon Monarchs are a decent bino. They have the great Nikon warranty, light weight, readily available, moderately priced, and good optics (not great optics, but you would have to give up your first born for those).

Happy birding and biking,
P2

[goldfinch]

I think that the Nikon Monarch 8 x 42 is an excellent mid price binocular.

[azfiddle]

My reason for recommending 10X: I personally prefer the amount of detail I can see with 10 power binoculars, especially for difficult identification situations (i.e. sparrows, fall warblers, shore birds etc). If the interest in birding is more casual then the greater amount of light and bigger field of view with a lower power would have a benefit.

Although I have not been an active birder for quite a while, my experience includes 10 years working as a field biologist, avid recreational birder and graduate student in ecology/ornithology.

I think your level of interest (obsession) would affect the choice as well.

Good advice to try several pairs of the same model if possible. I noted that Tucson Audubon Society carries the following brands (will accept phone orders, but does not sell them online). Also, they keep prices competitive but profits are used for conservation of bird habitat in the southwest.

Nikon
Bushnell
Vortex
Kowa
Zeiss
Swarovski
Leica