Shopping for Mom's birthday. She requested binoculars for backyard birdwatching - she's homebound, but has an entire 2nd story of clerestory windows overlooking nature preserve. Good choice? Or are these better for longer/far away distances? Her viewing would be within 75 yards. She doesn't need bells/whistles, just crisp, clear view and ease of use for a 75-year-old who frankly, is gadget challenged! Any advice is most welcome. Kind of urgent, as her bday fast approaches. Many thanks. MGS in FL Shopping for Mom's birthday. She requested binoculars for backyard birdwatching - she's homebound, but has an entire 2nd story of clerestory windows overlooking nature preserve. Good... » Read More Shopping for Mom's birthday. She requested binoculars for backyard birdwatching - she's homebound, but has an entire 2nd story of clerestory windows overlooking nature preserve. Good choice? Or are these better for longer/far away distances? Her viewing would be within 75 yards. She doesn't need bells/whistles, just crisp, clear view and ease of use for a 75-year-old who frankly, is gadget challenged! Any advice is most welcome. Kind of urgent, as her bday fast approaches. Many thanks. MGS in FL « Show Less
1864778
Marnee,We are not experts on this issue and this is the first set of binoculars we had purchased in a few years, but we use them to view birds in our tree tops, 40, 50, 60 feet up. We also view birds further away, of course, but these binoculars are well suited to close viewing.
1864779
Perfect for bird watching. Very clear. Wide field of view. Anything over 8x and you can't hold them steady enough for a clear image.
1864780
I would recommend these. I found them simple to initially adjust and you could help her with that. Once set, she could easily just grab them and look-see the birds. Since I was bird, monkey, sloth watching in the Amazon, the distances varied and turning the center focus knob was easy. I found these to be heavier than opera glasses, but lighter than serious hunting binocs. If she won't be hiking, I wouldn't think the weight would be an issue. However, I would suggest that you check the weight in the description, find something equal to that and test the arm lift factor. I hope you find this helpful. Happy Birthday to your Mom! I would recommend these. I found them simple to initially adjust and you could help her with that. Once set, she could easily just grab them and look-see the birds. Since I was bird, monkey, sloth watching in the Amazon, the distances varied and turning the center focus knob was easy. I found these to be heavier than opera glasses, but lighter than serious hunting binocs. If she won't be hiking, I wouldn't think the weight would be an issue. However, I would suggest that you check the weight in the description, find something equal to that and test the arm lift factor. I hope you find this... » Read More I would recommend these. I found them simple to initially adjust and you could help her with that. Once set, she could easily just grab them and look-see the birds. Since I was bird, monkey, sloth watching in the Amazon, the distances varied and turning the center focus knob was easy. I found these to be heavier than opera glasses, but lighter than serious hunting binocs. If she won't be hiking, I wouldn't think the weight would be an issue. However, I would suggest that you check the weight in the description, find something equal to that and test the arm lift factor. I hope you find this helpful. Happy Birthday to your Mom! « Show Less
1864781
I purchased these specifically for backyard birdwatching and could not be more pleased!
230494
Great! In fact if you need corrective lenses--you should have them on when you use these binoculars for viewing. The salesman at Bushnell Outlet described these as multi-person grab and go binoculars--no real adjustments needed. He said many binoculars are really single person use as you do intricate focusing for your particular vision and magnification, ie, as with birding. With sports--you need to see something quickly and don't want to spend time focusing. My husband and I love them and switch back and forth and I wear glasses and he does not.
1260997
That's a great question, The Talon Hd's run about $250-350 more than the Diamondbacks, I Currently own the Diamondback 10 x 42, I'm extremely pleased with them. I would recommend going to a local retailer, like maybe a Cabales? or a store that is very big, and tell the sales clerk you want to compare the Diamondback to the Talon Hd. Then pick something to focus on in the store as far away as possible, and switch back and forth between the two. You may be able to determine if the extra money is worth it? Vortex has a lifetime VIP warranty. If I had the extra money to upgrade to the Talon HD? I would, just because each step up with the Vortex bino's, gets better and better, but I have many different outdoor Items I purchase, so I have to set a budget on each item. Excellent Optics! Good Luck! Enjoy the outdoors
1535956
They are certainly better than the no name brand binoculars that you can buy for 10.00 at your local sporting goods store. For an adult they are perfectly serviceable (though there are likely better options) but for a child they will work fine. I use mine all the time and though they aren't the sharpest image producers, they work fine for the occasional user.
1406516
Not sure, but I used 7542 at Augusta just last week, and it was terrific. Could follow Bubba's ball flight from 13th tee around the corner of 13 easily. It was definitely one of my best ideas to take binoculars, and these were excellent for that job. I could stand wherever, and bring players and the swings, even their grips, up close. Highly recommended.
1923612
I purchased these for wildlife viewing on a fall Alaska cruise and I am very happy with the quality and clarity. After comparing several brands and models, I don't know of another bino that compares at this price point. They were recommended on a few bird watching web sites as a best buy and now that I own a pair, I agree. Image quality is sharp and clear, even at close range. Eye relief is excellent with and w/o glasses. Weight is as expected with quality optics and lens covers are easy to use. I think the 8x is great for bird watching, 10x may have been better for the cruise. I've had no issues or problems. I purchased these for wildlife viewing on a fall Alaska cruise and I am very happy with the quality and clarity. After comparing several brands and models, I don't know of another bino that compares at this price point. They were recommended on a few bird watching web sites as a best buy and now that I own a pair, I agree. Image quality is sharp and clear, even at close range. Eye relief is excellent with and w/o glasses. Weight is as expected with quality optics and lens covers are easy to use. I think the 8x is great for bird watching, 10x may have been better for the cruise. I've had no... » Read More I purchased these for wildlife viewing on a fall Alaska cruise and I am very happy with the quality and clarity. After comparing several brands and models, I don't know of another bino that compares at this price point. They were recommended on a few bird watching web sites as a best buy and now that I own a pair, I agree. Image quality is sharp and clear, even at close range. Eye relief is excellent with and w/o glasses. Weight is as expected with quality optics and lens covers are easy to use. I think the 8x is great for bird watching, 10x may have been better for the cruise. I've had no issues or problems. « Show Less
230442
They are not as powerful as a full set of observational binoculars. I use them for viewing in my yard or across the street. You might want to go to a sporting store and just try some out to see what you think.
2024435
I can see across cold spring harbor, I would guess that to be at least 1/4 to 1/2 mile and see windows, street lights at the facility from west neck beach in Huntington. I couldn't identify a face, but car, window or chimney pretty clear. at fire island, I could see ship outlines pretty clearly from the beach to the horizon which might be around 2 to 3 miles. also good for birding within 50-100 yards (big birds) it my first binoculars for birding, so im just trying them out. hope this is helpful.jb hope you are thinking friendly targets....
1062514
I have the 10x25 power binoculars, I just looked at a tree branch at 15 feet away and it focused well, I was almost at the lowest focus. At 8 to 10 feet,the 10x is too strong, could not focus. Maybe with the 8 power, you may be able to focus at 10 feet, I'm just guessing. By the way, these binoculars are very clear for the price. I hope this answer can help you out.
1606223
Don't know, it was a gift--she can watch birds in the trees in her backyard which is fairly large. Sorry couldn't be more help.
298684
While we're not full-time bird watchers, we use them to watch various forms of wildlife including birds and they work very well, focus in quickly, and let you track easily with the subject's movements. That, combined with their compact size, would make them perfect for what you are looking for in this price range.
1473017
This was a present for my mom and she says she gets many birds using it. She just recently told me she has seen bluebirds, cardinals and wrens at it this week. I'm sure she'll get a lot more as the season progresses. I know that some people reported that it doesn't glow at night but my mom's does. It all depends on where you position it. Hers is in shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon.
1350563
My wife typically uses them without her glasses and rests them on the bridge of her nose. She tried them today with her glasses on and said she rested them on the glass of the eyeglass lens and it wasn't as comfortable. She felt she could see the objects being viewed "closer" w/o her glasses. Said she doesn't need her glasses when using the binocs - she just focuses and "observes" She uses them for birdwatching - so far in our backyard - birds are about 50-75 feet away at a feeder.
2136162
I would recommend these binocs very highly to you as an excellent gift for your son's needs. They are the best scopes I've ever owned, even compared to a pricier Nikon pair. Excellent clarity and detail enjoyed by us as bird watchers.
426448
Excellent for bird-watching. At 20x, it's fine. At 40x (long distance) you may want a strudier tripod, and because it's daylight, you can look through the smaller 42mm hole (take off the little cap) in the dust cap and that will improve the sharpness at high power. If you want a better spotting scope, simply buy a fancy wide-angle/high-performance 1.25 eyepiece (super-plossl, etc), around 15 mm focal length.
1159085
The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are getting a lot more light gathering power to see faint objects. Many people into stargazing will have both binoculars and a larger telescope. The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are... » Read More The site http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/25 has a very nice comparison of all of Canon's IS binoculars for stargazing. In summary, these are not the authors favorites (he prefers the 10x42 Ls or 15x50) but they will certainly work. I am considering these due to their combination of high magnification, decent (not great) optics, and light weight.By going to a telescope (and I mean a decent sized reflector, not a tiny $50 refractor from a department store) you are not necessarily getting a large increase in magnification; it depends on the eyepiece being used. But you are getting a lot more light gathering power to see faint objects. Many people into stargazing will have both binoculars and a larger telescope. « Show Less
42590
I don't have an exact answer, but I was curious myself so I gave it a test. First off, I wear bifocals. I purchased my Bushnell Spectator Sport binoculars specifically for San Diego Charger home games. I wear contact's as well for distance. I wear the contact lenses at the Charger games because I do not find using binoculars with eyeglasses a good experience. I put in my contact lenses this morning and grabbed my Bushnell binoculars and headed to my living room. I found that objects 20' away were in focus and those 10' away weren't. I don't know if it would make a difference if I had (still had) 20/20 vision. Being that these binoculars were designed for spectator sports I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't focus up close. For the purpose I bought them for they work better than I imagined. The field of vision is outstanding. While I haven't used them at any other venue so far, I have no reason to believe they wouldn't work great at a play, concert, etc. If you want to see more of what's in front of you without panning back and forth then these are great binoculars. If you want to focus on a particular player or person far away and don't care about what is happening elsewhere on the field (or stage) then they are not.