Re: Binocular purchase, just pick one!

[paul_reeves]

Hi James.

I used to sell Binoculars for Henry's over ten years ago. The best thing I can suggest is try both of them, preferably outside if the sales clerk will let you; when I sold binos I would escort the customer outside. Looking through binos is truly the onlynway to determine if they are right for you.

You might want to check out Efston Science too. http://www.escience.ca/ They are a great store for all kinds of optics.

Paul

[Brian Bailey]

Honestly, I wouldn't spend that much on a first pair of binoculars.  You can get very good binoculars for a lot less, and with a bit of time, you will figure out what features you ideal pair would have.  Aside from price and image quality there are some other important considerations including weight, field of view, magnification, eye relief and focusing speed.  No binocular is perfect.  They all trade off certain features in favour of another.  There are lots of helpful sites out there including this one:  http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html

Definitely go somewhere where you can compare a variety of binoculars side by side outdoors.  A trip to Pelee Wings is a good idea if you can manage it.  They have a huge selection of quality optics.  I went there a few years ago fully prepared to pay well over $1000 and ended up with a $200 pair that I'm still quite happy with.

BB