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….Any recommendations would be much appreciated.
Anti-Shake (is it worth paying extra?) and the ability to use with spectacles is probably necessary.
Budget is probably around £300 max.
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Probably want a larger magnificaton mine are 12x so that you can follow the horses right around the course. Mine have a 50mm diameter which helps with the light and also makes them easier to hold.
Im not sure how much as they were a gift but they are made by Nikon
In my experience there isn’t much point going over 8x mag as this makes the binos unwieldy.Army binoculars are usually 6 to 8x and they know what they are doing. You want a wide field of view and good light as well so the second number should be about 40. The other advantage of 8×40 is that you can use them for general purpose and birdwatching, stargazing etc as they are mid to upper range on mag and field of view. Bino quality has improved dramatically lately so no need to pay more than £100 unless you want something really special. If you wear glasses look for long eye relief models with fold down cups. I have found actionoptics.co.uk good in the past for advice and value, but there are many places you can get good binos.
Hi There!
I use my binoculars for racecalling. Until recently, I used Zeiss 10×40’s. Way beyond your stated budget, pricewise. Simply, I find the 10x shake too much when I am calling.
I no longer use them even though they are excellent binoculars. Instead, I wanted a pair that I could use on a stand and hand hold at tracks where the commentary box is too small for my stand.
I settled on a used pair of Swift Audubon Porro Prism binoculars, 8.5×44. They have a very wide field of view and can be hand held with ease. They were designed for birdwatchers and make excellent binoculars for racing.
As a rule of thumb, a porro prism binocular will be of better quality than a roof prism binocular at the same price.
Here are some lower priced porro prisms, I have tried that I would be happy to use as a racecaller if I did not have my Swifts:
Nikon Action 7×35
Nikon Action 8×40
Pentax DCF II 8×40
Bushnell Legend 8×42 (My favorite)Or you can go the used route. However, if buying off Ebay, they may need collimation.
In the UK, I would recommend dealing with my friends at Monk Optics. They even come out to racecourses sometimes with their wears. I would also feel free to purchase used from them. http://www.monkoptics.com Give them a call.
I would be happy to answer any other questions you have. Binoculars are one of my "anorak" hobbies!
Craig.
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