I don’t carry any binocular daily, but my birding binocular is still my Zeiss 10x40 BGAT*P that is 30 years old. The newer alpha class binoculars produce sharper, brighter images, but I’m still satisfied with what I have. And the build quality of the new models isn’t quite as tough as mine. This binocular was perfect for my use when I was assisting in a raptor banding blind years ago.
I also have an Opticron monocular that cost me less than 50 US dollars and produces a bright, sharp image.
NO darnit, they do not. I looked up the Canon’s with ES and I already have too many binocs to justify the high price. The canon camera lenses with ES are totally rad, and they have a great reputation…If I were to start again and had no binocs, that’s what I’d get first I suspect.
The Swaro’s were a trade straight across for a rifle scope that I’d got a great deal on but never bought the rifle. I’m $800 into them for the scope. Seller claimed to be the original owner, so I called Swaorski with the serial number to verify they were not stolen and they confirmed they were good to go.
Opps, I wrote 12x56, they are the 15x56 ones. They really reach out, but they are very heavy to hold for a long time.
Bummer 
I was trying to look at Jupiter tonight with my monocular (and the moon) and it was jumping around so much I couldn’t see anything even balancing it on the roof of my car
I’ve never used binos with my lights but I think I might try something like an 8x32 if you want handheld (no tripod for either item). If you don’t mind the tripod then any decent glass would be fine and mid-range like the lower levels of Vortex or the Nikon Monarchs you mentioned would be just fine…and larger objective lens is better of course. You might also consider a spotting scope…you can get a little more quality for the buck with those, usually. I guess just like daytime it depends on what you really need and how long you’ll be looking through the lenses, but although the high end optics are really nice to use, the mid-range and even some of the lower range optics these days are quite good. Vortex is a pretty good company. I’ve got some old Eagle Optics 10x42, and since Vortex bought that company some years back, they still honor the warranty and even offered to swap me to what would have been a free and nice upgrade. Nikon and Pentax are still very solid and in fact a little pair of Pentax 8x28 is one of my favorite compact models for casual birding/hiking where I don’t want to lug the nicer ones around. But for night use with lights…I think lower magnification and a moderate objective size might work best. 50 or 60 or larger…not sure if that would be super helpful when you’re staring at the far end of the light beam, but it might possibly make the “foreground” in the spill a little more noticeable if aberrations don’t get in the way. Roof prism is so popular now and it’s come a long way but there’s still a place for porro prism models and those are nicer on a tripod/mounted.
I’ve been using the Bushnell PowerView 20x50. Great value for the price.
My friend (in the USA) gave me his budget for a birding binocular, and I recommended the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42. They’re a great value, as they use ED glass even in the Monarch M5, while the Monarch M7 has even better edge to edge sharpness, color reproduction, and brightness. The focusing mechanisms and warranty also have a good reputation.
A monocular is going to be more difficult to hold steady than a binocular for most people, but favored for easy portability and light weight. I recommend a magnification of at most 8x in a monocular for that reason.
Once you go over 10x magnification even with a binocular, the smaller field of view relative to the field of view with a lower power makes it more difficult to hold the binocular steady enough. A higher magnification is often used for astronomy, but then a tripod is used to steady the binocular. Also, all other things being equal, a smaller field of view will bring in less light, so if you use your binocular in lower light situations, such as dawn or dusk, you might not want a higher magnification versus a little lower magnification.
Roof prism binoculars are better now than they used to be and popular, but the straight barrels that make them easier to hold require more prisms than in porro prism models. So the prisms and other construction elements must be of higher quality relative to porro prism models to produce images as sharp as a given porro prism design.
Pentax Papilio II 6.5x21 so I can look at my toes without bending over 
The butterfly and dragonfly viewing is great with those, according to all the positive reviews online. I’ve wanted to try those out for years. Too bad all the stores that used to allow that are closed around here.
^ The Monarch M5 and M7 and great choices. Unlike the higher end models (HG) they can have some pretty decent discounts depending upon the sale period and vendor.
Optica Exotica did a really nice shoot-out between those two models:
How about thrower mounted/integrated into a set of binos……
I do not carry binoculars, but i do have few at home, zeiss terra 8x45, celeston nature dx 10x50, and a cheap vivitar 8x25. as well as lomo spotting scope.
Another vote for the Canon Image Stabilizer model. I use a 10x on my boat, world of difference compared to regular binoculars.
Just picked up the Bushnell H20 10x25 . They are listed as sealed to IPX7 and fully multicoated. $42 shipped I can’t complain. Brightness is decent- obviously not as bright as my 10x42’s or even my Vortex 8x monocular but decent. Wonder if their “20 year lifetime ironclad guarantee” is worth a damn…
Strange as it sounds, my “EDC” when I was out in the deep woods (no trails, no roads, no phone service) were the cheap Brunton Echo Pocket 7x18 Monocular that I got from B&H Photo for $12.20/ea. Now that I’ve had a couple of injuries, that happens much less, and staying nearer to a car means that even on a logging road, I’m sporting a pair of binoculars.
I also tried the Vivitar (VI10X25GS) 10 x 25 monocular, which cost less, and it was it’s equal. They’re so light and handy. I have a few others, but the Vortex and the DDR Zeiss turned out to be too heavy to carry in that manner where ounces count.
For you guys interested in monoculars, check out a forum site called rokslide.com. It’s focused a lot on hunting and the gear to help make it happen, but scopes and other optical magnification are discussed in their Optics section. (example1, example2) I interacted there a bit regarding binoculars and people were very helpful. But… they’re not necessarily budget minded there.
It seems that 8x is the general consensus on what works best. 10x is a little harder to keep steady, but if you’re interested in more longer range viewing, then it has a purpose. Btw, the Vortex Solo 10x36 normally sells for $120, but it’s on sale at Sierra Trading.
I hadn’t heard of those until you mentioned them, but I ordered them and they just came in today. What amazing little binos! Binoculars and a microscope in one!
I’ve got Vortex Fury 5000 ABs in 10x, now these Pentax in 6.5x, and Vortex Razor UHDs in 12x so I’ve got my bases covered. Although I think I’ll pick up a Hawke Endurance HD 8x42 monocular before too long and then I should be set.
A Vortex Fury and Razor? Wow, that’s some serious kit. Solidly into the $1,000 ~ $2,000 price bracket.
Fascinating, about these Pentax Papilio II 6.5x. Never knew binoculars could have a minimum focus of 20”! That’s unreal.
Xevious, yes, they are pretty darn cool, especially for $100! I can’t wait to get out and really try them out.
I spent too much money on other things… but in the next round of sales for binoculars next spring, I think I’m going to pick up a Papilio. These would be great in a forest or at a beach.
I don’t carry ’em, but I got a set of Orion 10×50s that are astounding. Huge exit pupil, incredible clarity.
Got ’em mainly for planet-spotting at night, but in daytime they’re incredible as well. First time at the park, spied on a starling not too far off, and it was as if he were right in front of me, and every detail of his feathers, plus the iridescence, came out in full glory.
They’re geared towards astronomy (telescopes, mainly), and spotting Saturn or Iuppiter in stereo-vision and with great light-gathering ability, is a real treat.