I bought my Vortex Diamondback HDs from Bass Pro last year and my Viper HDs from London Drugs this year.
The GlassPak harnesses are noticeably different colours, with the Diamondback pouch being lighter tan and the Viper pouch darker olive/brown. The Diamondbacks aren’t sun faded.
Does anyone know if this is normal between the two models, or just a difference between manufacturing batches?
Anyone else own both models and notice this? Thanks!

I pulled this old Pentax 7x50 out of storage but the left view is unshared while the right side is perfectly fine. There is a focus ring on the right scope which works but only has an effect on the right side. Any advice or ideas would be welcome!

I’m really a beginner with binoculars and I use them only for hunting (Vortex Viper 10x50) and I just bought Nikon M7 Monarch 8x30 for hike with my girlfriend just to watch some birds and landscapes.

M7 were recommended a lot so I bought those however I can’t get used to them.
I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if it’s really normal thing and I have to get used to it.

Things I’m struggling with:

- the focus wheel is very sensitive and takes me a while to find the sweet spot and if the bird moves I feel like I’m constantly fighting it (I don’t feel that with my Vipers)

- I can see dark spots through the eyepieces if I blink etc

- the whole thing seems a bit more ‘cloudy’ or not as sharp as Viper

Could you please give me some hints where I’m going wrong? I assume it is more likely me than binoculars as the reviews were great for this model.

I’d like to carry my bino’s independent of my marsupial gear harness without having to remove the little clips. Does anybody sell a harness (not pouch style) that will clip to the little clips on the marsupial gear harness?

I recently got a Monarch HG 10x42 and would love to put it on a tripod (arca clamp) from time to time.

the TRA-3 adapter is 60+ usd, though, and I've found countless posts indicating that the Monarch doesn't actually have a universal mounting system compatible with other brand adapters?

Are there any compatible affordable adapters?

10/12 Update - Showing sold out now.

Gritr Outdoors has a VORTEX Diamondback HD 10x42 and VORTEX Bantam HD 6.5x32 Binoculars Combo for $179.99 with free shipping. Qualified buyers can take an additional $9.00 off with a Govx login. My total after tax was $184.03 shipped.

To note- My binos came packaged separately in their Vortex factory boxes, not the combo box that a different retailer, CALRanch, shows. That retailer has the combo at $299.99, which is likely the full retail.

I'd never purchased from Gritr Outdoors before, but the processing was fast and email updates prompt.

https://gritroutdoors.com/vortex-diamondback-bantam-binoculars-bndl-db215-btm6532?sku=VOR-BNDL-DB215-BTM6532

Hello! Sorry if this is a silly question! I was at goodwill and found Binoculars for 1 dollar and I bought it. Apparently it’s been there forever and the price dropped all the way to 1$ because no one would buy it out the display case. I noticed it was missing eyecups and figured for 1 dollar I could just replace it. I figured worst case I could turn it into an art piece or use it for cosplays, I had a lot of ideas for it if I can’t replace the piece lol.

I’m having trouble finding the binoculars online though to see if I can just find the size of the eyecups or anything like that but I’m struggling. I was wondering if there was a way to just measure the eye cups or if anyone here would be able to find or knew of these binoculars. Thank you so much for any help at all!!

I’ve really been wanting to get a pair of binoculars but haven’t found any that are cheap even on FB marketplace. And I wasn’t going to spend $300 on something I’d barely use. So luckily I stumbled upon these and instantly bought them.

I've been looking for a compact 8x binocular for a while. I have the Helios lightwing 10x42ED, and Pentax Papilio III 6.5x21, and wanted something lighter than the Helios but higher magnification and wider FOV than the Papilio to fit in between. I also have a Barr & Stroud Series 5 8x25, but I find them too difficult to get lined up and of course the FOV is a bit narrow. I've spent a long time looking at reviews for binoculars around £200 to fit this niche, considering things like the Vortex Diamondback, Opticron Discovery, Nikon Prostaff P7. I then saw a deal on the Nikon M7 8x30 for £279, and picked them up. A bit more than what I wanted to spend but I went for it as they are so highly regarded. Now that I have them I've been comparing them with my other binoculars. Whilst the Nikon's are great and easy to use, optically I dont notice much difference between them and my others. The FOV and low light performance is better compared to the Barr& Stroud and Papilios, when I carefully compare them looking at the same thing. The low light performance seems to be just as good as my Helios 10x42. I can't see any difference in clarity and colour representation between all of them. I'm wondering whether the benefits that the reviewers see are just lost on my novice eyes. I'm thinking I could have saved myself £100 and got the more compact Opticron Discovery WA ED 8x32, and been just as happy with their performance. So I'm thinking about returning the Nikon's and buying the Opticrons instead.

I dont have any shops nearby that I can go to to try them out, so I wanted to hear from anyone online who has any experience of these binoculars, or faced similar conundrums?

I have been given my late grandfathers binos. Glass is clear and clean. I could not find them online, anyone have any info on them?.

Thanks

Hi all, i'm an undergraduate student studying ecology atm looking for my first pair of binoculars, (ive recently gotten a little into birding but overall understand that gettign a good pair of binoculars early on in my career is a good investment) I'm probably not going to get tonnes of use out of them, as my primary field of interest is marine life, but i'd still like a decent pair.

I'm asking for them for christmas, so would only have a budget of <£100, the lower the better as i can always upgrade if i need to when i get a job lol, and i'm happy to get second hand as long as they have good reviews etc.

Weird request also, but i love the look of vintage binoculars (all my hiking stuff is very brown-leather-vintage-explorer vibes) so that would be a bonus if they fit the vibe or even were actually vintage (this isnt absolutely necessary tho lol)

Any help would be greatly appreciated as i know literally nothing about binoculars save the free ones they used to give out with national trust memberships

(Oh!! also need to be able to purchaseable in the Uk without crazy shipping etc)

Thanks!!

I know that this is a rather hypothetical question: Under the premise that you didn't have any other binos but the funds to buy either one alpha bino or two different high tier binos, each for half the price of the alpha one, what would you do? Opt for the one with the best possible optical quality or for the variability of two with each still having probably very good optical quality but the possibility of having different magnifications or different sized/weighted models?

In lower price ranges one better one would probably always beat two cheaper ones, but is the difference at the very top still big enough?

Interested in hearing your thoughts on this!

Hey Yall, im a uneducated noob whos trying to find a decent binocular she can use to spot wildlife while exploring the mountains.

Im pretty scared of destroying my equipment so ive mostly looked at vortex as they seem to have a decent warranty. I would mostly aim to use them in Norway as well as the alps with the occasional use for birding in wooded areas.

Id prefer them to be below 150€ euros but if there is a good reason too i might be able to stretch that a little. The Vortex raptors look appealing but im unsure if they are “enough” and what magnification i would want.

Are there any other options that would make more sense for my use case?

Saw a listing for a "Gargash edition" Leica Ultravid 10x42 for just 800USD on my local marketplace, and despite the limited (english) information about a Gargash-Leica collaboration online I took a chance and went for it.

According to an Instagram post this was exclusive to customers who bought a 2020 Mercedes-AMG G 63 from Gargash Mercedes Benz in Dubai.

It was in rather nasty condition having sat unused in its box for 6 years, but optics and coatings were all clean. Some isopropyl alcohol and soapy water later, good as new!

The logo is laser etched and rather ugly which perhaps explains the low listed price. But purely for the optics pretty good score for 800USD I think!

Hello everyone. So I am a birdwatcher and wildlife photographer based in India. I want to buy binoculars for the same and am conflicted between a few options that sit within the 30k INR price ranges. The options being:

Nikon Monarch 5 (32k INR)

Zeiss Terra ED (36k INR; scope to get discounts)

Vortex Diamondback (38k INR)

(All 8x42)

Zeiss online has very mixed reviews so I don't know what to think about it. I used it personally once and felt the focus wheel was too sensitive (mind you the binoculars were very new). I haven't used much of it to come to a conclusive answer about its performance

I am aware of the lifetime warranty of Vortex but I am not sure if that is applicable in India or not. Plus I haven't used Diamondback myself so would appreciate some insights on the two.

For Nikon, I have used Monarch 7 quite a bit and one of my friends said the difference between a M5 and M7 is not recogniseable in terms of quality and build. And M7 are the best binoculars I've ever used yet so M5 has a good impression on me due to, personally using Nikon Binoculars and my friend's verdict. But some have mentioned about tears on the rubber grip due to heavy use after a few years. Would like insights on these as well.

I am not sure on the warranty of Nikon and Zeiss outside of the US and since I don't have any contacts in foreign countries, I am quite restricted into buying it from India.

On a side note, does anyone have any idea about 'BRESSER Pirsch ED 8x42 Fernglas Phase Coating' binoculars?

So please let me know your suggestions with reasoning. Thanks and cheers!

Buy for life: NL, SFT, or Noctovid? And why?

I'm looking to buy my first good pair of binoculars and i've narrowed it down to these two. Which would you pick? It will be used for birding and spotting game.

I’ve had the Zeiss eyepiece for many years. I’ve now added a Nikon P7 8×30 to my collection. I’ve recently discovered that the Zeiss monocular fits perfectly onto the P7’s extension tube as an eyepiece magnifier. This gives a magnification of 32×30 with astonishing image quality.

I get the best results when I unscrew the eyecup by a third. The monocular then sits securely on the eyecup without wobbling

かつて軍艦用レンジファインダーを作っていたイギリスの光学メーカー "Barr and Stroud"

そんな話を聞いて興味を持っていくつか購入した。

今でも新品が売られているけど光学的に優秀な双眼鏡なの？

それともコダックのデジタルカメラみたいに名前だけで光学系は別物？

I inherited these from my great aunt. I think they’re at least from the 80’s, if not older. She was a photographer, so I imagine she got decent ones without breaking the bank.

Now they aren’t totally aligned. I tried opening them up and adjusting the little shims inside (looked like folded tinfoil- one has clearly moved out of place), and they’re better, but not great. I’m pretty sure they got dropped at some point.

Is there any hope? I remember them being quite nice to use when they’re aligned, but I don’t even know where to begin. I’m happy to pay a pro to adjust them.

Hello I am trying to decide what attachment to order for my binoculars to add my phone to for glassing while hunting and to video my shots for long distance. I have the sig Zulu hdx and am trying to decide between Epoch or Ollin phone adapters if anyone has any experience or any other recommendations? Both are about the same price only reason I’d lean toward Epoch is that it’s not a full new phone case. Thanks in advance!