Looking to get a half decent pair of binoculars for my kit.

Budget up to £60, will be used for watching water and zig baits mainly (as well as a bit of wildlife stuff)

Any suggestions on what to go for?

In reply to Post #1
Bushnell h20 10x25 are what I use and they're spot on,not sure what they're selling for now

Check out second hand shops, you can pick up some good buys, over the years I have bought 3 good sets of binoculars, all 10 x 50. I do have some smaller " pocket" ones I take, but I rarely use them in prefence to the larger ones.

The larger ones excel in low light over the smaller pocket ones. I have never paid more than £20 for a set, tested them in the shop doorway and picked up some good brands, Nikon, Zenith etc.

My favourite set for fishing is a set of HOYA 10 x 50 Fast Focus, they have a small lever on the top which you work with your index fingers and focus's instantly rather than rotating a dial which is ideal for when you see a fish roll well down the lake etc

In reply to Post #3
Always found 8x40s better than the 10x50 due to the increased field of view. I got a second pair of Hawke frontier ed, which has lasted around 10 years of abuse.

In reply to Post #1
Barr&Stroud on Amazon👍

Daz

In reply to Post #5
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barr-Stroud-Sahara-Compact-Binoculars/dp/B002BTSGZE/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2I4XR6PR0FVX2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wICRZ_7LAgJOxN96C5Zd90rnzyOD0DQqEZmNgqOTJrbqFADHXpbu3LtE6OzLUlvPRo2zfbwQLUvDIA4sGBmjUfSp4pKHO5bELqAGLnbe6lfj1NAPURjo4_HH5U2I2Rrx4Fm48njox6mLotcpY0mKqly2ZWOWSng9AigwBljKn2L-Gf8jMg2gX8CglNDe60V43_krOgpyDZRnn7OEs5LmokdmbFOfGIHAez8upD6dsu4.9kIYEKlMNA0kOTS1o-gjtgCWQpjVxKQF0G2qFqcwMXg&dib_tag=se&keywords=bar+and+stroud+binoculars&qid=1745423037&sprefix=bar+and+str%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-7

I would look at Vortex or Bushnells at that price point

These are also fairly decent for that sort of budget:-

LINKY POO™ https://www.strathspey.co.uk/shop/front_page.html

I have a Barr & Stroud monocular as I can't see much out of my left eye and they are lighter and more compact than binos! Was watching fish topping hundreds of yards away at the weekend, worth every penny of just under £50

LINKY POO™ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324779033839?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=XWS9-KhfTbK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=qpbcb_gZRkW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Barr and Stroud

I remember old guy put me onto them few years ago

In reply to Post #9
Thanks for the replies

Was thinking about a monocular rather than binoculars, find myself shutting one eye using the cheapo bino's I have now, I put it down to years of using a proper camera

Is there any benefit to using bino's rather than monocular?

In reply to Post #10
Just ordered the Barr and Stroud monocular from the link, so will see how I get on with that.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and comments

In reply to Post #10
>>>Is there any benefit to using bino's rather than monocular?<<

Monoculars have a few disadvantages over binoculars. Apart from being more compact, and lighter that is about the only advantage a monocular has. For viewing purposes, it has none

In my army days we would use spotting scopes, monoculars and even take a pair of bino's and just use one half to cut down on weight and just constantly looking through one set of len's becomes tiring. You do not even get a good field of view and not easy to track moving objects.

Keep both eyes open though to avoid eye strain which can lead to headaches.

I have a friend who uses a pair of night vision ones but he rarely uses them as they are a pain to use for any period of time watching for fish rolling on a night

I would avoid monoculars, they are only good for quick looks at something and definitley not up for sat watching the water for long periods like you can with a pair of bino's

In reply to Post #12
Yeah, would agree.

Monoculars are also called spotting scopes for a reason. It's a quick look device.

Binoculars are for more detailed viewing over longer periods of time. That said, they will still induce eyestrain after a while.

You'll also loose your depth perception (in terms of range) with a monocular.

Valid points however if you are visually impaired in 1 eye as I am, I would assume the advantages of binos are wasted.

I used to carry a big heavy set of Canon binos around with me but rarely used them.

Nowadays I only carry a lightweight spotting scope that I bought about 10 years ago for shooting.

It's a Leupold like this, but was only half that price

LINKY POO™ https://www.leupold.com/rx-5000-tbr-w-rangefinder

At new venues I will often use it to:
a) find distance across the lake - so I know where halfway is to ensure I am not encroaching. Not that I want to fish that far out, but at least I know my boundary, just in case.
b) see how far away far margin rushes / tree branches are. Gives me a more accurate first cast than guessing. Often (because they are accurate to within a yard) a single cast is all that's needed which I like to think helps avoid spooking fish.
c) now I am old my eyes aren't as good, so it's handy to have the lightweight range finder to hand to double check movement