Binoculors

Dear All,

I am planning to buy a binoculor, can any one please suggest me on the same .

I have fixed a budget of 5K for it .

Thanks in advance.
Cheers ,
Akshay

The Olympus DPS series 8x40 and 10x50 are both good value for money binocs well within your budget. They do not have any fancy features , but they will last a lifetime with some minimum care. More than good enough for occasional viewing.
Keep away from the zoom and compact binocs .

I have a Nikon Action VII series 8x50. Bought it for 6,000. Before buying it, many people told me it would be too heavy to carry around, but I have experienced no such problem with it. The light gathering advantages (of 50 over 40) are very noticeable and do make a big difference. The optical quality, needless to say, is outstanding. And these binoculars are very sturdy as well.
So if you can stretch your budget a little I would strongly recommend this model.
I had also tried the Olympus 8-16x40 zoom binocs. The zoom feature looks useful, but Im not sure how long the mechanism will last.

I agree with Vikram. Stay away from the zooms. Anything above 8x will need some support to keep it steady, especially after a long hike with the camera, lens etc. The longer the focal length, the more is the vibration. The max one can go is upto 10x. But beyond that becomes tough to handle interms of locating the subject as well as steadiness.

The only Nikon I wont be averse to using - apart from my Nikon photo vest - will be a Nikon bino. The Nikon binoculars are sturdy and value for money.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi
PS: Its a different matter that I had got the Nikon photo vest for free. :D