Binoculars For Birdwatching

[Chipchopper]

Hi Bird people,

I'm looking at getting a new pair of bino's of good quality and functionality, without having to get a second mortgage.
Image stabilisation and zoom lens would both be big pluses.

TIA for any recommendations...

[Tilly2]

Chip, have a look at the Viking Optical range on
rspbshop.co.uk/bins

[jakep]

The best thing to do is go to an RSPB reserve that sells them or to somewhere like In Focus who go to different reserves all over the country.
You need to get your hands on them and your eyes to them with the expert help.
In Focus let me have a scope and stand for one week to see how comfortable it was for me. It wasn’t so they took it back.
The RSPB own brand range, can’t remember who makes them now, used to be Viking, is very good and not prohibitively expensive.

[melv16]

I stupidly lost my original pair of Nikon Monarch that I bought 15yrs ago. I had no hesitation in buying another pair, although I could have claimed for a more expensive pair. They are lightweight, waterproof and the optics are excellent. They cost about £280-00.

[Chipchopper]

Thank you all for your replies and recommendations.
After some consideration, I've decided to plump for a relatively light and compact pair which boasts zoom lens, plus the additional option of capturing permanent images with digital camera for stills or video.
I find a lot of my wildlife watching is just fleeting glimpses, especially with birds, so with this, at least I should be able to check on the images later and on rainy days such as this, I will be able to build up a album on my computer and share the experience with others.
I'm looking forward to receiving it.