I need to get a good pair of binoculars for viewing wildlife at long distance.... what type of magnification do I need for it and any suggestions.... wildlife like bears deer and others at long distances..... Suggestions and info on magnification.... I know nothing
THANX

To get binoculars to do what you would like would cost $$$$$$$$
I would be interested in any cheaper myself.

I picked up an alright pair at costco. Think they were about 30 bucks. I saw them regular at some stores for about the 90 range. I liked them as they were really quite light - both weight wise and on the wallet. Not sure if they still have the small ones there, but I have seen another pair that look nice.

hikeinbc, I would look at MEC 8x42 waterproofs if weight isn't an issue. They are the cheapest of the waterproof roof prism I've seen at $325. Otherwise, if you mean okay binos, there are some very lightweight Nikons mostly for around $150-$250) and such that are pretty good and weigh less than a pound. Then there are small compacts, none of which are much good for viewing wildlife at a distance.

The MECs really work well for actually viewing things for the long haul rather than a 15 second look. They don't have much field of view so they are a little hard to spot birds in flight.

You can get a decent pair of Bushnells for as cheap as $20. I think it is worth getting fog proof and water proof. You can get those for about $70.

You might get a lightweight pair, but they aren't much good for wildlife viewing for extended periods. There are a few lightweight pairs that have wide field of view and are reasonably water resistant for around $100-200. Less than $100, most of it is junk, although I did find a pair of Bushnells that were small, water repellant, and had a pretty good field of view for $30 for my niece. Can't find any more like that for that price, but I think there is a set for around $70 that is pretty good. And fairly light for packing. You'll have to look through 20 or 30 pairs before you find a set that are sharp and work with your eyes.

how much are you willing to spend? that is what it comes down to. for wildlife viewing at a reasonable distance, i agree with the suggestions for an 8x magnification.

figure how much you can afford, before you start looking into it. binoculars are similar to wine in that regard... the more they cost, the better they tend to be.

I tend to agree that you get what you pay for..with some exceptions to do with the quality of well designed full sized binoculars with the Bak4 porro-prisms. Now and then a company puts a good coating on the lenses, waterproofs them, and makes a wide-angle pair like the Wind River 8x42 porro-prisms or Swift 8.5x44 that are wonderful for wildlife viewing. Unfortunately, they also weigh 26-30oz as well as cost $300. A good roof prism binocular like the MEC 8x42 will cost you $325 (made by pentax, almost like their DCF-WP series) but also be quite heavy.

It is really tricky to find a good pair which is also lightweight and usable for extended periods.

Like every piece of equipment there will always be a compromise between quality/weight/volume/cost. Binoculars are no exception. I have used a pair of Leitz 8x32 Trinovid's for about 20+ years and I will be replacing them soon. I intend to replace with them with either another pair of 8x32 Leitz or Zeiss of similar design. In doing so I will drop the weight by 8 ounces, reduce the bulk to about half and spend about $380. Given that I will no doubt get another 20+ years out of them means that it'll be a good bargain.

Why 8x32? The first value is roughly equivalent to 8x's the power of what the eye sees; in this case it's equivalent to about a 400mm lens in 35mm wildlife photography which is one of the most utilized lenses for that purpose. That's the reason (among others) I chose that power, because I could preview the photograph easily with the binoculars BEFORE making the effort of haulng out the "big gun". Also the higher the value the more powerful (magnification), which means the more the object appears closer. But that also means they are more difficult to keep steady especially after trudging up a long steep trail, typically bulkier and higher cost.

The second value (i.e., 32) gives you an idea of how bright they are. The higher the value the brighter they generally are which means less eye fatigue under low light conditions and the ability to actually use them under low light conditions (shade, evening, morning, etc.). However, the bigger that number is the heavier, bulkier and usually the more expensive they are.

For me an 8x32 is the closest to the weight/quality/cost/bulk ratio I'm looking for. Hope this helps.

You know I have to apologise. I just re-read your post and I realized that I may not have really asnwered your question. In order to truly do what you want, that is, view wildlife close up -- I mean really close up!, say, count the tail feathers on a Golden Eagle from half a kilometer away across a canyon, binoculars may not be the best option. A spotting scope may be the better answer. While they appear bulky at first they will be less so when you consider their usually in the higher power range where binoculars don't even come close.

The 8x32's I suggested are for general use viewing (scanning the trail ahead, spotting a group of deer, etc); genereally getting closer but certainly not like actually viewing wildlife up close and personal from a great distance much like you see on the Wildlife channel.

You know, I was very happy with the MEC 8x42 compared with the Leitz 8x42 I tried on the last bird count I went on. They were an older pair, for sure, that I was comparing against. My feeling is that there are better bargains out there than Leitz. Better View Desired says that the best 8x32 is the Nikon Venturer LX because they have a great field of view and appear very bright. Not cheap, but nothing in the top end is cheap.

Long distance wildlife viewing may require a scope but you wouldn't want to add 4-5 lbs for a light slik tripod and 60mm scope like the B&L Elite unless you really needed it.