bino questions

[dougster]

so im getting ready to get a new pair of binos and have some questions... first what is the difference between roof prism and porro???? second, what is a good brand or make for about 100$, i was looking at grouse river and they have a nice bushnell H2O bono for 109$... any advice on what would be best??? i typically hunt clear cuts and want something that gives a clear image of the tree line.... usually within 300 yrds.
thanks in advance

[shawnwells]

dunno about the prism thing but i do know you should save your 100 dollars up and try to get something that will give you good quality. i went moose hunting in terrace b.c with three 100 dollar pairs of bushnell binos. it rained for 6 days straight and after day 1 all three pairs of bushnells were fogged on the inside and i went the rest of the trip with no binos. i mean if you only wanna spend 100 it is what it is but now that i have my leupolds i would never go back...and if i ever bought another pair id probably spend more than i did on my leupolds...

[325]

dunno about the prism thing but i do know you should save your 100 dollars up and try to get something that will give you good quality. i went moose hunting in terrace b.c with three 100 dollar pairs of bushnell binos. it rained for 6 days straight and after day 1 all three pairs of bushnells were fogged on the inside and i went the rest of the trip with no binos. i mean if you only wanna spend 100 it is what it is but now that i have my leupolds i would never go back...and if i ever bought another pair id probably spend more than i did on my leupolds...


x2...save and get some quality glass

[todbartell]

$200-400 gets you a 50x more quality pair of binos than a $100 pair

food for thought

[Elkaddict]

In the lower end of things, dollar for dollar a porro prism binocular will give you a better image than a roof prism will. Because of the way the roof prisms bend the light on its way to the eyepiece the lenses need to be phase corrected to maintain a nice crisp image. Many low end roof prism binoculars will not have phase coated lenses and so may appear a little dark or blurry. Porros don't look as cool but they do render a nicer image (dollar for dollar).

I agree with those above in that you should spend as much as you can afford on your optics. You will not regret it in the long run. Having said that I know that the money isn't always there. My first binocular came out of a pawn shop, it was an 8X40 porro that cost me 35 bucks. It did an admirable job until I had the cash to buy myself some better glass. Buying used glass out of a pawn shop could be a bit of a crap shoot, maybe I got lucky, but it might be worth a try too. Good luck with your quest.

[reach]

I bought the Bushnell Legend 8x42 porro prism for about $140. They're physically a lot bigger than the roof prism version but also cheaper and lighter. They have the Rainguard coating and I've had no problem with fogging in wet weather, or with durability.

For the money I believe these are a good compromise. If I had more $$$ I would probably look at Vortex or something, but mine do the job so far.

If I went sheep hunting it would be a different story.

[Mr. Friendly]

closest thing that fits your budget would be the Leupold Yosemite's...but their aperture is so small that you can't see squat when the light is fading. as everyone else has said, save till you have $200 - $300, then buy. $100 is wasted...borrow until you can afford would be best. :) with our dollar being as good as the US, the Garrett Optical 8x42 Triplet's are excellent value. just copy and paste this link in to see what I'm talking about:
garrettoptical.com/Garrett-8x42-Phase-Coated-Waterproof-Binocular-p/c0842dcf-twp.htm
they're the same bino's as what Williams Optics, Vixen, not sure about Meade, but for sure used to be Celestron sold. I've gotten 20x80's off Garrett for astronomy and he's solid and well regarded on CloudyNights.com for his equipment.

[spreerider]

if i only had 100 to spend i would go buy a really cheap pair to last me a couple years while i saved up to get a decent pair.
i am in the same boat last year i got a $40 pair and its better than not having them at all, but i wouldent spend 100-200 as you wont get that much more quality than the cheaper ones.
You should also check pawn shops and mil surplus stores, sometims i see binos for good prices there.

[happyhunter]

I have nikon monarchs 10x42. Cabalas canada shipped them plus shoulder harness and taxes for $340 and they are worth every penny. They are so sharp even at long distances. The difference between good optics and cheaper ones are the animals your gonna see. Also just before dark I could see these elk clearly, then put my scope to my eye and couldn't see squat-everything was just a blur. I sat there watching in frustration as these elk walked off seeing them perfectly with my $300 nikons but not seeing anything through my $100 bushnell scope. IMO good optics, boots, and an accurate gun are the most important must have items.

[The Hermit]

As most everyone has said, it would truly be better for you to save up and buy a better set than $100 would get you.

Site Sponsor, VantagePoint Outfitters has a sale on right now on KOWA binoculars. Kowa is in the same league as Ziess, Lieca, and Swaro except that they are less expensive. I have last year's brand new glass in camo on deep deep discount. You will probably never need to upgrade...

BINOCULARS
BD42-10-CAM DISCO 10x42 Regular $685.00 Sale $420.00
BD42-8-CAM DISCO 8x42 Regular $655.00 Sale $410.00
BD25-8-CAM DISCO 8x25 Regular $320.00 Sale $175.00

Bill
250-588-4720

[Shooter]

I bought my son a pair of Vortex 8x42 Crossfire Bino's from WSS. They ran around $150 and they also come with an unlimited lifetime warranty. I also find the glass to be exceptional for the pricepoint and a pricepoint or two above that for that matter.

[TSW]

As the saying goes, buy nice or buy twice. Just know that you WILL spend more than $100 on binos. You either do it now or later. If the money isn't there, and you still need binos a guy has to do what he's got to do, but as other said, a little more money will get you a lot more bino.