We don't have much info from the original poster about observing need, wt/size preference, mounted or hand hold etc. However, since this is the astro bino forum I'd assume the primary use is astronomy. Thus one would want the biggest bang for the buck. I assume the question is for binos only. Mounts will have to be addressed in a different thread.
$100: Burgess 15X70/Celestron 15X70. This pair has been favorably reviewed by Phil Harrington in Astonomy magazine last year. Prof Edz gave 2003 and newer Oberwerk 15X70s very high ratings but their price is $149. My recommendation is not an endorsement of BO bussiness practices, only the product. The Burgess 15X70 is list as "in Stock"
~$200: Oberwerk 20X80 LW or Stadard($229). Go for the LW if you want the lightest, most compact 20X80 available. Go for the Standard if you need the longer 18mm eye relief and don't mind a longer bino(~14 oz heavier than LW). 20X80 binos with 3.2-3.5 deg FOV is currently my favortie big bino. I have the Burgess 20X80 LW myself and am quite happy with it. I also have Orion 20X80 and ProOptics 25X100 but my Burgess 80 LW gets the most use. I am not sure about current stock situation with the Burgess LW though.
$500: New Oberwerk 25X100 IF or Burgess 25X100 Series II CF. My preference is for CF binos but again I am not sure about stock situation of the Burgess 100mm S II. I know when Oberwerk list products as "In Stock" they ARE!
Be aware that 100mm bino typically have 2.5-2.6 deg FOV. You can see dimmer objects with a 25X100 but you can cover nearly 90% more viewing area using a 20X80 binos with 3.5 deg FOV.
Fujinon 16X70s have rececived excellent reviews every where but the street price is close to $600. I believe the Oberwerk 20X80 Std come very close to the performace at a fraction of the cost. I'd be willing to pay a lot for a Fujinon 20X80 FMT-SX if they had one but they don't.
ERik D
PS. For those who are really averse to using a tripod and want to use the mat-pillow mount consider the Oberwerk 11X56. You can enjoy slightly more reach than the popular 10X50 and still keep the size and wt reasonable.
$100: Burgess 15X70/Celestron 15X70. This pair has been favorably reviewed by Phil Harrington in Astonomy magazine last year. Prof Edz gave 2003 and newer Oberwerk 15X70s very high ratings but their price is $149. My recommendation is not an endorsement of BO bussiness practices, only the product. The Burgess 15X70 is list as "in Stock"
~$200: Oberwerk 20X80 LW or Stadard($229). Go for the LW if you want the lightest, most compact 20X80 available. Go for the Standard if you need the longer 18mm eye relief and don't mind a longer bino(~14 oz heavier than LW). 20X80 binos with 3.2-3.5 deg FOV is currently my favortie big bino. I have the Burgess 20X80 LW myself and am quite happy with it. I also have Orion 20X80 and ProOptics 25X100 but my Burgess 80 LW gets the most use. I am not sure about current stock situation with the Burgess LW though.
$500: New Oberwerk 25X100 IF or Burgess 25X100 Series II CF. My preference is for CF binos but again I am not sure about stock situation of the Burgess 100mm S II. I know when Oberwerk list products as "In Stock" they ARE!
Be aware that 100mm bino typically have 2.5-2.6 deg FOV. You can see dimmer objects with a 25X100 but you can cover nearly 90% more viewing area using a 20X80 binos with 3.5 deg FOV.
Fujinon 16X70s have rececived excellent reviews every where but the street price is close to $600. I believe the Oberwerk 20X80 Std come very close to the performace at a fraction of the cost. I'd be willing to pay a lot for a Fujinon 20X80 FMT-SX if they had one but they don't.
ERik D
PS. For those who are really averse to using a tripod and want to use the mat-pillow mount consider the Oberwerk 11X56. You can enjoy slightly more reach than the popular 10X50 and still keep the size and wt reasonable.
