On Sat, 2 Jan 1999, Mary Shane wrote:

> Can someone give me a few tips as to what to look for in a pair of
> binoculars for birding?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>

Mary--

Whew!! We've been down this road a lot.. it's really a complicated
choice and has a myriad of factors for consideration.. I'll
try to oversimplify and do it quickly..be assured, others will
chime in with their druthers..

I like to watch hawks..they're always wa-y-yyyy off somewhere,
so I like 10 power. My field of view is a little narrower
but I like the power.. I also wanted the best glass I could
afford, so I bought Zeiss roof prisms.. (not as easily knocked
out of alignment as porro prism..which is the design most
of us are familiar with) Many birders like 8 power...I have
a set of those as well..they're great for around the house
stuff.

Christopher's in Oklahoma City
(they have an #800) used to have freebie literature they would
send you which gives you a crash course in mini optics..
call them and tell them you are contemplating buying a good
pair of binoculars and ask them to send you their pamphlets
on optics, price lists, and booklet on full size bins.

try not to have a stroke when you see the prices for these
bins..they are fine intruments and you can pro rate the cost
over 40 or 50 years of active birding..i.e., every time you
look through them, they get cheaper..

the BEST bins are priced around $800 and higher..

if you really can't swing that, the best deals I've seen
lately are made by Swift..they now have a binocular called
Kestrel, which is reasonable priced...+/- $250.. a local
friend bought some and likes them a lot..

if you have Internet access, go to Yahoo and search for
Better View Desired.. Stephen Ingraham has a lot of
information and reviews on line for anyone who's interested
in buying bins..

good luck...

tom