Best hunting 10x42 binocs under $200

True.  They still try to push it though.  Anyhow, they still review it as a pretty decent binocular for the money.

I've seen Audubon Equinox binoculars.  I do not think that they qualify as quality binoculars.  THe cheapest roof prism binocular that I would recommend is a Sightron S3 (almost as good as Pentax SP).  Cheaper roof prism binoculars can't hold a candle to comparably priced porros. 

 

Audubon Equinox (I tried an 8x version) gave me a monster headache in just a few minutes.  Also they seem to have a reputaion for not being especially durable or particularly waterproof.

 

Both eagleoptics and optics4birding are in the business of selling optics.  Have you seen any bad reviews on their websites?  To listen to them, every binocular they sell is the best thing since sliced bread.

 

Ilya

Best under $200?  From mentioning the Trophy's, I'm guessing that you're interested in Waterproof Roofs.

IF you look for a while, you can find Bushnell Legends in 10x42 for about $210 to $220 on e-bay.  They are a HUGE upgrade over the Trophies and feature laden to boot.

One of my birding friends who just got out of college bought a pair of Audubon Equinoxes in 10x42 that are waterproof roofs with nice twist up eye cups and 16mm eye relief.  They were pretty lightweight and I'm guessing probably started life in the same factory as Celestron and Leupold.  They were very crisp and bright for the money--$200 on eBay or $209 from Eagle Optics.

You'll occasionally find the Nikon Monarchs available for under $200 on a sale somewhere.  While they're nowhere near as good as some binocs that sell for $300, if you could get them for $199 they'd be a better picture than the Trophies.

I love the Bushnell Trophy riflescope series--the amber lenses are bright, the eye relief is good, they hold center even after being drug through the woods and dropped a few times.  I can't say that I like the binoculars near as much as I like my 3x9x40 scope.  It's a GRRRRRRRRRRRREAT buy for a hundred bucks or so.  The Trophy binoculars aren't quite as good a product for the money as the scopes are.

If you're tempted to buy the Trophy's and you HAVE to have a roof, just save the money and buy the Bushnell Explorers that Chris runs for $49.95.  They're waterproof (or at least as waterproof as the Trophy), twist up eye cups, and the same as the old 28 series Bausch & Lombs.  I own a pair of the Bausch & Lombs and they're my number one "loaner" pair to family and friends who want to borrow binoculars.  The view is good but not great.  They're solid built, they focus easy, they come with caps you won't lose, and they can take a lickin'.

Which makes them about the same as the Trophy's for 1/3 the price or less.

Just my two cents...

Take the long way home.

PS: AFTER I POSTED THIS I SAW PENTAX DCF HR'S ON THE SAMPLE LIST FOR $199.95.  RUN, DON'T WALK, TO SWFA IF YOU WANT THE BEST ROOF BINOCULAR UNDER $200 AND SNAG ONE OF THESE!


Edited by gremlin

Do they still have the 8x42 in the XM series?  With only two power magnification loss you shouldn't loose much.  Plus since its the same binocular with the same size 42mm objective the 8X should in theory be a little brighter.  I have the 8x42 Carson XM's and love them.  As far as the YK series, I dont have first hand knowledge but some people say they are good but a noticable difference between them and the XM series. 

 

I looked through the Bushnell Legends and I thought they were pretty good, I liked the Carsons much more.  The other glasses that I considered was the Pentax DCF HR II's.  I have a Pentax rifle scope that is great.  A few months back Pentax offered a mail in $30.00 rebate on those binoculars dont know if its still available. 

 

I really like the Carsons but if they dont have the 10x and 8x dosent work for you, you might want to look into the Pentax DCF HR II. 

 

I found this link for about the best price online.  I never ordered from this place and dont know anything about them but they did seem to have the lowest price for the Pentax Binoculars at $219 for the 10x42 (Page 2)  Most places want around $270-300.  Keep me posted as to which binoculars you pick.

 

 

http://www.17photo.com/subcategory.asp?catid=&scatid=31& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp;page=2&manuf=Pentax&sort=4&om=Pentax&rpp =10     

 

Also found on E-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3 1711&item=7127932149&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

Edited by Acenturian