NFR Good binoculars

Non-fishing related
Budget friendly, I second (third?) Vortex Diamondback HD (10x42) - I am a huge fan of Nikon optics (had their confocal microscopes in my lab for years), but when I was searching for binos, did a side-by-side of Nikon (comparable price range) vs Vortex, no comparison for clarity, I was very surprised.
 
Depending on your budget, you might was to check out Leupold. The company is based in Beaverton Oregon though I think they no longer assemble binoculars in the US. I believe their higher end ones are made in Japan.

I've had a pair of Leupold 10x42 Gold Ring binoculars for about 30 years. They went to work in the field with me every day and survived getting knocked around in a government pickup along with extreme heat, cold, mud and water. I lost an eye cup a four or five years ago, sent them an email and three days later a pair of eye cups showed up in the mail free of charge. Their customer service is amazing.

My bino's are retired like I am and much of the time sit at the end of our dining room table where I use them for birding in our yard and on Devils Lake along with occasional whale watching forays to Depoe Bay. They are simply wonderful.
 
I would consider your/her steadiness. For me, I don't go above 8x, as I just can't hold 10x steady enough without some kind of bracing or support. The smaller they are, the worse this gets IMO, as mass actually makes them a little steadier.

If you're going to spend hours and hours staring through them--like serious bird watching or hunting--I would be inclined to buy up a little. If you're talking about to a minute or two at a time, there are a lot of decent options for three hundred or less. If you haven't shopped for them in a couple of decades, you might be surprised at how advanced optics are these days. You used to have to spend several hundred just to get something that wasn't garbage. Nowadays that will buy you a surprisingly good pair. You might find this useful (and note the several links to other categories), and Audubon also has a bunch of articles/reviews/guides.
 
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I've had a set of Steiner 10x42's for over 20 years that still look as crisp as they ever did. I highly recommend them. They'll run you about 5-6 hundred but if you take care of them you'll definitely get your $ worth out of them.
 
I have a couple pair of image stabilized Canon binos (10X & 12X). IS is a complete game-changer....totally put the Swarovskis I used at work to shame.

IS makes the image remain incredibly steady without any support.
 
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my experience with 'decent' binocs, has been, nikon, and then leupold, and now newer leupold. i live in pdx area, and went up to the audubon center (they are renamed now), and while there, you can take a few of them out on the back patio, and scan the woods/hills. great way to compare. my budget was not at the swarvaski (sp?) level - i purchased the Leupold bx-4 Pro Guide HD, 8x42. i am very happy with them. i think i paid for a membership, and then got a discount on the binocs.
 
I have the Athlon Midas G2 8x42 because it got a good rating by birdwatchers. I like how bright the image and easy to focus plus the range of distance is better than my Vortex and Nikon binocs in the same price range $350.
 
Nikon Trailblazers. Compact and Inexpensive. I carry them all the time, in my fishing pack and pop them out constantly. Mainly, using them for looking at risers, trying to figure out what stage, of what bug, is on the menu, on my two, local, Spring Creeks. I cant say enough good things about them for the price, about $100.00. Excellent for camp and for birding also. If I still Archery hunted, I'd carry them for that also.

Next up in price is the Vortex Diamondback model. My adult son uses them extensively hunting and shed hunting. He beats the shit out of them dropping them on rocks, dropping them in creeks and they never have faltered. Last weekend, at the Coast, he dropped them in the shorebreak. They got carried about 100 yards down the beach, until I found them after a wave receded. They were submerged for about 45 seconds, in salt water. We rinsed them off in fresh water and dried them out. Next day, they were good as new. I was very, very impressed.

Here's the kicker, he has and uses a bino harness. He just forgets to clip them in at times.

Have fun.

Bob
 
I am a birder (though not a very one) and generally spend at least five hours a week walking around looking for wildlife. For my purposes the Nikon Prostaff 10x30 is more than good enough. Lightweight, easy to use, compact to fit easily in my pack, easy to focus and plenty sharp, clear and useful in low light conditions to identify and look at birds, coyotes and whatnot. Nikon says that they are waterproof. I think they about $150 now. I have had these for about twenty years.

We own a higher magnification Nikon as well and don’t much use it. Because the magnification is so strong that trying to find what you spotted with your eye is very hard. If we are in Yellowstone watching a bear half a mile away though the bigger the magnification the better.

I think this whole question becomes about like Sage, Scott, or TFO or Echo. Most of the binocualrs mentioned in this thread may be better than the Prostaff. The starting point needs to be what are you trying to see, how far away will it be, how important is it to you, what are you wanting/willing to pay?
 
It depends on your budget. You do get what you pay for. Glass can be sort of luxurious.

I have Leupold BX-4's. I got them on Optics planet for 450ish. Worth every penny. I use them to hunt on the westside. They are probably as good a bang for the buck as I could get given what I use them for.

I bought Vortex bino's at Costco for 230-ish for my buddies kid. They are worth it at that price point for sure. Not much difference from mine.

My buddy has Zeiss, made in Germany (not costco ones). They were 3x what my bino's cost. . If I were hunting the rockies, they would be worth it for sure. Amazing in low light. Stunning actually.

Personally, I would find a way to try out different bino's first and then determine what I wanted. You can look through vortex and Leupold at cabela's or sportsman's warehouse.
 
When you see the CAT FACE thru the high end EXPENSIVE binoculaurs its WAY HA and WO!!! You get taken aback!! These high tech bins getting good!!
 
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I have monarch 7 and like them for hunting. In the first and last hour of light the difference between cheap and expensive is most drastic. For looking at birds in the back yard cheaper ones should be fine.
 
I have a pair of Leupolds and a pair of Vortex binoculars and like them both. They are not high end models. If you are very hard on your gear, I would recommend Vortex.

They have the best warranty. Unlimited Lifetime warranty. Full transferable. No receipt needed.

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