Hi,
I want to buy a pair of compact binoculars (either 8x25 or 10x25) and, naturally, the offerings from the RSPB are on my short-list, but I cannot find any reviews of either the Avocet Compact 8/10x25 or the HD Compact 8/10x25. Indeed, there is very little information or photos of either on the web.
So I was wondering if anyone has either of these binoculars and can provide further information and, ideally, an assessment of their optical quality compared to other compact binoculars. Also, what type of case, strap, caps for eyepiece and objective lenses, etc?
(Sadly there are no shops near me that sell RSPB binoculars so cannot try them in person.)
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Terry.
The best way to check out any opticals, is to try before buying, and preferably try in an environment that you intend to use the opticals. But sadly, that is not always possible, unless travelling to the nearest reserve that has optics to sell.
I understand that the RSPB binoculars are made by Viking, a good optical company with favourable prices, so a search replacing RSPB with Viking might help to broaden your review search.
I have a pair of Viking 10x42 and I'm very pleased with them for birding and general use.
Trying not to name drop too much, have a look at a big global market place, they are listed there, though the reviews are old.
regards
John
terence F said:Hi John, Thanks for your reply. I've had a look at Viking and they do some nice little compact binoculars, but none appear to have exactly the same spec as the RSPB compacts so the latter do not appear to be simply re-badged Vikings. In particular, I am mostly interested in the RSPB HD compact, which is single hinged, whereas the nearest Viking equivalent is the Kestrel ED, which is double hinged but much cheaper! The few reviews of the Kestrel ED I've found are very good. Thanks for your suggestions - I will continue to search for a little longer! Regards, Terry.
Happy to help where I can.
What I find very frustrating is everything seems to be going online, and things like binoculars, scopes and cameras are not ideal to purchase online unless you know exactly what you want.
Good luck and I'm sure you'll find what you want. Come back and let us know how you get on, because there will be others who have a similar issue.
Hi Terry, how did you get on with your quest for the compacts? I'm looking for some myself, so any advice would be great
Hi Tony, sorry for the delay in replying. The only decent (mid-price) compacts I had the opportunity to try before buying was a pair of Zeiss Terra ED 8x25 binoculars. Optically I thought they were very good for the price, nice smooth focus wheel and good to hold. They feel reasonably good quality, but not as solid and well-finished as other Zeiss binoculars (made in China, versus made in Germany or Japan).
For me, the main negatives of the Zeiss compacts are that the dioptre correction is unusual as it is centrally located and not on the eyepiece it corrects and it is far too easy to accidentally change its setting. Also, I'm not too impressed with the accessories - the strap is just about okay for compacts, but there are no lens covers at all - not for the eyepiece nor the objectives, which I think is very poor, and I'm not keen on the hard clam-shell case, which is rather bulky for compacts, although some people may like it.
Afterwards I saw a pair of the Zeiss compacts at a discounted price so I decided to buy them. I would have liked to try the RSPB HD 8x25 compacts but unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity - I prefer the RSPB's single-hinge design compared with the Zeiss's double-hinge.
Hope this is of some use!