when friends find out you have a camera...

[Av8tor1]

This place is known to have good prices on top shelf demo and open box optics
http://www.cameralandny.com/

 

[chibae]

I would be interested in Judy's advice too

But, FWIW I have a pair of Nikon Action Extreme 10x50mm Bins but they would get heavy if carried all day birding IMHO
10x is a little hard to hold steady after a while.... maybe some 8x35 would be more suited to the job, dunno
As far as quality goes though, hellva lot of bang for the buck

gott the same ones for field use..I have them on a pair of these

makes all the difference in carrying them, have a sweet pair of 8X12's for using close to the house at the feeders

 

[RL7836]

10x is a little hard to hold steady after a while....

Agree - I found that my shakiness offset any benefit of the added magnification. Some people do love the 10x - not for me tho ...

I'm not surprised about the Minox scope being a good value - my wife has a set of their binocs - I think 8 x 32 -- she loves them. I use B&L Elites - they combine decent glass with a 5 ft focus (for Lepping) - but they're no longer made. Most decent binocs do not have an adequate close focus for dual use (usually 8-12 ft) - which is fine for birding. These Swarovski's have ~6 ft close focus & are brighter & lighter & crisper than anything you can imagine. If you're in a shop with one in stock - spend a little time - you'll be impressed. Their big brother became the go-to binoc when they came out - but I'm really glad they added the smaller version a few years ago (& maybe someday I'll even crank my wallet open to get a pair)

...makes all the difference in carrying them, have a sweet pair of 8X12's for using close to the house at the feeders

My wife & I both have similar straps. The difference between that strap & a standard neck strap is huge after a full day.