I have a pair which I love and which might meet your criteria. The brand and model is Nikon Mountaineer 8X25. J. Scott is right about a larger objective lens gathering more light and thus being better for birding, but I am a serious birder and I find that these do a fine job. I chose them because I needed something relatively light, waterproof, and comfortable to use (they fit well in my hands, and they work with my eyes, which are close enough together that some binoculars don't work for me). I can use them one-handed or two-handed, and they work well with or without glasses. I seem to remember paying around $150 for these some years ago; now they're making the Mountaineer II, which are selling for around $200 on the web (though the list price is $318).
In general, I feel that Nikon makes very good quality optics for the money. They have also been very good about repairing my binoculars which have been dropped on a rock and run over by a car.
It helps to try different models out at a store, but there are also good places to buy on-line (I like www.eagleoptics.com, which has a great selection and a buying guide which explains the various features and helps you figure out what you need).
Wendi
At 07:10 AM 5/14/04 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Hi: We're looking for advice on buying binoculars, as we're struggling with
what we've seen so far: the smaller pairs don't work with my eyes, but the
larger ones are heavy for Rie, (and we really only need one pair). So we need
some help. Any off-list advice or resources would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Naomi
Naomi Segal Regent Square ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
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