PETE'S PICK OF THE PACK - BINOCULARS
Pete Dunne, Director of New Jersey Audubon Society’s Cape May Bird Observatory is an authority on the optical needs of birders. Known for his many articles in a host of birding magazines, he is the author of Pete Dunne on Birding, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion (as well as many other books), and founding equipment editor for Birding Magazine’s “Tools of the Trade.” In addition to serving on the committees that designed the venerable Bausch and Lomb Elite and celebrated Swarovski EL, he has been a consultant to Bushnell, Kowa, Leica, Leupold, Nikon, Pentax, Steiner, Swarovski, Swift, and Zeiss. In 2001 he received the American Birding Association’s Roger Tory Peterson Award for “promoting the cause of birding.”
Dear Birder,
The binocular is the defining tool of birding
and choosing the binocular that is right for you is the most important
decision a birder ever makes. Choose well and your days afield will
be marked by discovery and wonder. Choose poorly and frustration will
be your companion.
The good news is that there are many fine
binoculars that perform, even excel, in the birding arena. The bad news
is that not all of these instruments work equally well for all people
and that for every one binocular that meets the high performance demands
birding places on binoculars, there are ten instruments that fail.
Only you can pick the binocular that fits
your hands, your face, and lets you find and focus on birds with ease.
But we can help. It’s part of our mission. It is something we
take pride in. It is something you can feel confident about.
Staying on top of the optics industry is
challenging. New products are always emerging. Sometimes older models
are improved or, because of changes in design or production standards,
lose their performance luster.
Periodically the Optiksmeisters at NJAS
run their hands through the river of glass and test all the top brands.
The instruments found in this brochure are the instruments that have
edged the competition out in their price categories and won our countenance.
We won’t tell you that there are not other instruments worth considering
(in fact, we can show you some). We will tell you that you would certainly
be remiss not to give these instruments your considered regard.
Sincerely,
Pete Dunne, CMBO Director
UNDER $300
LEUPOLD YOSEMITE 6 x 30
When they finally take stock of the greatest human achievements of
all time, the Yosemite 6x30 binocular will rank among the top ten--right
up there with the wheel, the Guttenberg press, democracy, and ice cream.
A real birder-worthy binocular, built to fit birders young and old,
that retails for around $100. It's the perfect get-started binocular
offering a sharp, distortion free image, a generous field of view and
excellent depth of field, close focus to 16 feet and an interpupillary
distance so terse that a kid in its second trimester can use them. The
6x magnification is perfect for backyard birding and woodland birding.
If you are a beginning birder on a budget this is a glass that doesn't
cut performance corners just to meet a price point. (It makes the perfect
gift for birders-to-be, too).
NIKON 7 x 35 ACTION
For as long as I can remember, the most commonly asked question in
birding has been: “Can you recommend a good binocular for under
$100?” For years, the answer was “no.” Well, Nikon
changed that. The Action offers the key performance attributes birders
demand: quick focusing, super-wide field of view, close focus 16 feet,
commendable optical quality and manages this at a cost that reads like
a pricing error. It is, in short, a BARGAIN. If you are a beginning
birder (even an incipient beginning birder) on a tight budget it’s
tough to go wrong with this instrument. Comes with neck strap and case.
NIKON MONARCH 8 x 42
Sometimes you wish a product wasn’t so good, so light, facile,
functional and attractively priced that even people who can afford more
expensive instruments look you in the eye and say: “What do the
$1,000 binoculars do that this one doesn’t do?” And we say:
“uhhhh...”
Okay. At 330 ft/1,000 yards, the Monarch offers a functional (but
not generous) field of view. But the image is good, the quality high,
and the weight (at 21 oz.) as attractively low as the price. One out
of every two people who come in searching for an entry level birding
binocular leave with this glass. Are you next?
Between $300 and $500
VORTEX STOKES “SERIES” BROADWING 8 X 42 (and 10 X
42)
Vortex is the new kid on the block when we tested the line up. The
Broadwing brings a very nice and bright image to the table in an affordable
package. Both the 8 X and 10 X have a commendable field of view but
where these binoculars shine is in the close focus. In fact, you can
focus on your shins, closer than the 5 feet close focus that the factory
quotes. Another major advantage (unlike many other manufacturers offering
a lower end optic) is that Vortex offers a No Fault Lifetime Warrantee.
Given these qualities, coupled with a silky smooth focus, these optics
are well suited for birding and butterflying alike.
LEUPOLD KATMAI 6 x 32 (and 8 x 32)
Sometimes it takes an outsider to start a revolution (even a retro-revolution)
– not that Leupold is an outsider. An optical leader in the hunting
market for decades (you got a Leupold scope mounted on your rifle, bub,
you get instant respect) more recently this American company set its
sights on meeting the demands of birders. The result was the Katmai
– a super light (18 oz), super portable, super-close focusing
(about 4 feet) rugged, performance-minded binocular and...
IT COMES IN A 6x!!! Long overlooked in the U.S. (my very first binocular
was a Zeiss 6 x 24) a 6x binocular is a stellar performer in woodlands,
in the backyard, in the hands of birders suffering from age (and caffeine)
induced handshake. And, for looking through glass at feeders (even window
feeders!!!) less magnification means less distortion. At just over $300,
it won’t distort your budget, either.
MINOX 8 x 32
Originally designed for one of the top German optic’s companies
(now independent), this compact, close-focusing (5 ft), utilitarian
instrument offered a nice, reasonably priced package – but it
didn’t really distinguish itself from many other fine instruments
until one day we discovered its hidden secret. The thing is magic. People
who have trouble finding any binocular that will work for them, at any
price, bring this instrument up to their eyes and say: “Oh!”
It’s that easy and while “Oh” might not sound as
great as “WOW!” for those people who cannot find any binocular
that works for them, “oh” sure beats AAARG or DARN or #$%^!
No, we don’t know why this glass is so universally easy to use.
We just know that it is. Good for all-around birding; great for butterfly
watching.
Between $600 and $1,200
BUSHNELL ELITE 8 x 43
I was on the committee that designed the first Elite--a glass that
was at least a decade ahead of its time, the glass that helped define
birding in the late 80's. Then came the Elite II, a sports car of a binocular
that focused on a dime and won converts into the next millennium. Say
"HI" to the third generation--the superbly light, ergonomically luscious,
silky-smooth focusing Bushnell Elite 8 x 43. Bargain priced among premium
binoculars, it's a nice place to start your search for a well-crafted
and well conceived instrument (and end it, too).
NIKON 8 x 32 PREMIER LX
You’re serious and you are bummed. You want a premium binocular
that is high on performance but you just plain cannot afford to chunk
down an obscene amount of cash. Now (you think) you’ll have to
compromise.
No. Now you should look at this glass. Optically, it will out-resolve
almost every binocular in the case (one exception is the Nikon 8 x 42
model). Or as Paul Guris, Captain of the four time champion Nikon World
Series of Birding team put it: “Why would anyone want to buy another
binocular?” We don’t have a satisfactory answer and if you
are looking for a stellar instrument that compromises price, not performance,
you can walk out with an 8 x 32 Premier LX and smirk at the next owner
of a Leica or Swarovski you pass.
ALSO CONSIDER THIS! If you are searching for a high quality, high performance
instrument in the under $1,000 price range you would be remiss not to
give serious thought to buying a used instrument – a Leica, Swarovski,
Zeiss or high end Nikon or Bausch and Lomb. High end optics are made to
last a lifetime and many are traded in after several years use. Don’t
settle for less when you can take home an Alpha binocular for up to half
the price of a new instrument. With the money you save, you can buy a
spotting scope.
$1,300 and up
LEICA 8 x 32 BN
Some things just feel good – river polished stones, the gear
shift knob of an Austin Healy 3000, a lover’s hand. You can add
to these the Leica 8 x 32 BN. It just plain feels good. Good and precise,
good and comfortable – and it performs even better than it feels.
Leica precise; Leica rugged. Drop them, dunk them, use them to chuck
a tire if you have to change a flat on a hill. At 22 oz., they won’t
break your neck or keep you from adding them to your kit if you’re
on a business trip (or the birding trip of your dreams). For many years,
this was the glass of choice among professional bird tour guides. Comes
with an unconditional Lifetime, Passport warranty.
ZEISS VICTORY FL 7 x 42, 8 x 32 and 8 x 42
The venerable Zeiss Classic binoculars helped re-define the birding
world. They were the glass of choice among a generation of young Turks
(like David Sibley, Jon Dunn, Debbi Shearwater). They proved themselves
around the world – from the plains of East Africa to Monterey Sea
Canyon. The Classic Line is dead and a worthy successor has taken its
place. If there is a brighter binocular on the market than a Zeiss Victory
FL, I’ve not seen it. If there is quality glass that offers a wider,
flatter image than
the Victory FL 7 x 42, I’ve not seen that, either. Expensive? You
bet. No more and no less than the price of optical quality and performance
as it’s defined in A.D. 2007.
The New and Improved ~
SWAROVSKI 8.5 x 42 (and 10 x 42 EL)
The committee consisted of Paul Lehman, Shawneen Finnegan, Claudia
Wilds, me... and the optics engineers of Swarovski. The result was the
EL binocular – in A.D. 2000, the finest binocular ever crafted
except....
Except we told the engineers “just one revolution of the focus
wheel - one; only one.” Somehow this key piece of information didn’t
make it back to Austria with the result that the EL’s stellar
performance was undermined by a slow focus. No problem on the hawk watch;
vexing in tight woodlands.
Swarovski de-vexed them. Re-engineered the gear ratios; got the focus
down from 2 ½ resolutions to 1 ½. It’s a whole 'nother
glass – everything the committee hoped for; everything a birder
could dream of, with one exception, which is....
SWAROVSKI 8 x 32 EL and 10 x 32 EL
As promised the box was on my desk (beneath three months accumulation
of mail). I exhumed the binoculars, let my hands enfold the barrels,
brought them to my eyes and...
It was so easy, so effortless, so facile it was almost as if the instrument
and I were one. I’ve tested and admired many fine instruments.
I have never been so instantly impressed and since their introduction
in 2003, I have seen scores of buyers seduced the same way. Women, in
particular, find this glass irresistible. Men must ask themselves why
they should even begin to consider a larger glass. Comes with Swarovski’s
blanket warranty – you break it; they fix it. No charge.
LEICA ULTRAVID 7 x and 8 x and 10 x 42;
8 x and 10 x 50 (also 8 x 32)
OK. I saved this one for last. You understand drama. What does that
suggest to you? Long a leader in the optics industry, Leica’s
new, premier line stands at the high water mark of rugged, optical performance.
All the accolades apply: light, ergonomic, quick, responsive. Of course
they are supremely bright. Of course they are superbly sharp. Of course
they carry Leica’s no-questions asked warranty (you break it;
they fix it). Is this the planet’s finest binocular? It’s
a contender. And if you are searching for the glass that is perfect
for you, you would be remiss not to look at an Ultravid. Comes in leather-covered or rubber-armored.
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