[Anonymous]

5 April 2019 at 16:46:56 #820787

Hi

I would like a decent general pair for hiking that are capable of zooming in on the mountain summits.

They must be compact, light and cost no more than £100 but preferably closer to £50.

I have looked at many reviews and specs and am no wiser so would welcome a few recommendations from Alps fans

Thankyou

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[AlanPrice]

Reply 1 of 4 • 6 April 2019 at 0:20:18 #908446

Hi

I’m not familiar with the current crop of binoculars, but i do own 5 different pairs and can give you some tips to help you decide.

Firstly, for travelling binoculars I’d pay attention to the field of view, that is, how wide is the image. This is more important than magnification.

Stick with a single focal length and don’t worry about the zoom feature as this tends to narrow the field of view and at the higher magnifications will be very difficult to hold steady. It’s no good being able to zoom in on the Steinbock on top of the mountain if you can’t keep him in shot.

I think for travelling a pair of 8×25s would work well. The first number is the magnification and the second is the diameter of the front lens. The higher that ratio is the brighter the picture and the wider the field of view.

For travelling, I’ve owned a pair of Nikon Travelites for many years and they have served me well. I wear glasses and they have a folding rubber cup that sets the eye relief to the correct distance.

I hope this helps a bit.

Cheers

Alan

[User]

Reply 2 of 4 • 6 April 2019 at 7:43:17 #908447

Alan

Thanks for your helpful reply

The Travelites (which I hadn’t looked at) seem to fit the bill and having read the reviews this am seem very well regarded too.

Do you think its worth going slightly over my £100 budget to purchase the Travelite 9 or even 10 magnification version ?

Many Thanks

David

[AlanPrice]

Reply 3 of 4 • 6 April 2019 at 18:46:19 #908448

Hi David.

If possible, try the binoculars and see how steady you can hold them and how wide a picture they give you. Personally, i always go for the lower power ones. There’s really not much difference in magnification between the 9 and 10 power, just a narrower field of view. My personel favourites are the Steiner 6×30, but they are too heavy to travel with and definitely outside your budget. Also have a look at Pentax, Bushnell and Saxon.

Cheers

Alan

[User]

Reply 4 of 4 • 6 April 2019 at 20:28:39 #908449

Hi Alan

Like the look of the Nikons but will consider the other 3 makes you suggest and whittle it down to maybe 2 pairs to go and try.

Will only be using them for holidays and maybe watching the planes coming into Manchester from our garden in the Peak District and maybe the moon if its clear so cant justify spending too much.

Thankyou