Optics Companies

Birding optics are almost as variable as birders. Having said that, over the last few years, the quality of both the lenses and the casings of both telescopes and binoculars have become rather more homogenous. That is to say that, in the past there were perhaps half a dozen companies that made first class optics and a bunch of people that made rubbish.

These days, whereas those large and expensive optics from the very prestige makers are out there and are best, there are a plethora of other companies who have caught up, certainly in terms of the quality of the actual optics themselves, and often in the quality of the casings and accessories.

As you will see elsewhere on the optics retailers and review pages, there are more considerations than the qualities of the lenses to consider. Weight, feel, look, the quality of interchangeable eyepieces, how scopes are connected to tripods, the controls on binoculars such as dioptre mechanisms; the number of things to consider when purchasing and who from are considerable. Therein too, lies the differences between top-of-the-range optics and everyday ones. Along with that, there’s no doubt that the guarantees and after-sales service given by the best brands are well worth having and often not available from the lesser companies. However, one always needs to consider cost and the difference between an acceptable pair of binoculars at around £150-$200 compared to the several thousand pounds or dollars you might pay for the top kit may well not warrant the expense. Don’t cosy up to a company just because everyone tells you to.

Sun Parakeets Aratinga solstitialis – ©Dubi Shapiro

When starting out, it is never a good idea to spend a great deal. Before I bought my first car, I was advised to get something second-hand and cheap, because it was inevitable that in the first 12 months of driving I would back into a bollard or scrape the side of the car down a narrow lane – and I did! The same advice might be said of optics. Lots of people start out with great intentions only to fall by the wayside, and it’s not worth getting out a mortgage to pay for a hobby, until you’re really sure it’s one for life.

I’ve owned many pairs of binoculars and several scopes over the course of my birding life, but in the last 25 years I’ve used the optics of whom I consider to be the best company with the best products.

Trouble with finding parts? Looking for the cheapest deal? Looking for up to date information on how those bins work? Sometimes it pays to go direct to the people who made them. This is why you find the companies listed below.

If you are thinking of buying take advantage of the modern trend of optics suppliers to go out in the field and show you their wares on your local reserve… it is definitely the way to see what suits you rather than just buy on reputation.

For guides to optics and reviews of many products see the ‘Useful Information’ section of the Optics – Retail page of Fatbirder. There you will also find repair services. If you want more detailed advice then take a look at that in the Birding Advice section of the main menu.

After many entries there are a country in brackets… this is the nationality of the company and, in most cases, where the manufacturing base is… although it has to be said that some companies in, for example, the US actually import all their components from China or Japan and, in many cases, this is where the products are designed, developed and even assembled.