Does anyone know if there are binos that are easier to use with eyeglasses. I know they may be pricy but I'm ready to give in and improve my hunting.
Thanks,
daddus1

I have 8x42 Nikon Monarchs that have the adjustable eye cups that work well with eyeglasses.

welcome to the forum daddus1,I also have a pair of nikon monarchs they have the twist out eye end for glasses they work fine.......Ted

What you need are binos with extended eye relief. Eye relief is the furthest distance one can get from the ocular lens and still see the complete slight picture.

I have spent some time with the Nikon Monarch ATB - good binos, good value, but the image looked "soft" to me.

Look at the Pentax line of roof prisms: DCF-WP II or DCF-SP. They both have twist down eyecups and excellent eye relief. I currently own the DCF-SP 8X43 and it is a fantastic bino that you can buy for around $400.00. I formally owned the DCF-WP II and it can be found for around $300.00. Both binos are excellent with a full lifetime warrenty, waterproof, nitrogen purged, BAK-4 prisms and fully-multicoated. The SP is a bit lighter (magnesium-alloy frame), has scratch resistant lens coatings, and slightly higher optical performance. These are both rugged, high-quality binos and should provide a lifetime of service.

Excellent advice above both in terms of the explanation of eye relief and the binoculars mentioned.

I would suggest looking at binoculars with at least 16 mm of eye relief if you are an eyeglass wearer. 16-17 mm is the typically recommended number that serves as a minimum for eyeglass wearers.

What price range are we talking about here?

I have the Nikon Monarch 8x42 as well. They work with my glasses. Just retract the eyecups with your glasses or pull them out if you do not use glasses.

I Second the PENTAX LINE SP and ED series........
Great place to start and compare .........

I agree with the poster that is asking your price range. Really need to know that to make a good decision.
I am an eyeglass wearer also and I really hate to say how many different binoculars I purchased because I wanted to save money. For all the money I spent on second class optics I could have bought at least 2 highend binos. I guess what I am saying is....spend the big bucks and don't look back. I have finally figured that out when I spent $1,000+ on a Lieca 8X42 bino. Excellent for eyeglass weares and the optics are the best in the world.

WW

I am very near-sighted and can’t see two feet in front of me without glasses. I used to try to lift my glasses up to look through my binocs, but haven’t done that for years. I have since learned that there are lots of good long eye relief binoculars out there that I can use comfortably with glasses. I agree completely with the previous suggestions of Pentax in the moderate price range and Leica in the upper range.

One important thing to keep in mind is that not all manufacturers measure eye relief the same way, so when you look at specs from different companies you aren’t necessarily comparing apples-to-apples. The best thing you can do is find a store that caries a good selection and start looking. (You can sometimes also accomplish this at a hunting show.) At first, compare only eye relief and viewing comfort – ignoring brightness, sharpness, price, etc. Once you identify the two or three models that “feel” best to you, then you can start narrowing your selection down based on other factors. You should be able to come up with something that fits your needs and your budget.

Daddus1

First, you have gotten some really outstanding responses (mine not withstanding) to you question. I thought of a couple more things I would like to add:

1. The two Pentax binos I recommended, along with the Nikon Monarch ATBs, are all roof prism binoculars. This means that they have straight barrels, while porro-prism binos have "elbows" which accomidate the prisms. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Roof prisms are certainly lighter and more compact. The roof prism design is also easier to make weathproof compared to porros. The older roofs were not as optically sharp as porros, but with the advent of phase correction coatings (which were first available on the Pentax DCF SPs) it brought the roof prisms up to par with the porros, but the fly in the ointment is that you have to spend more money to get really good roof prism binos compared to porros. Now all "good" roof prisms employ phase correction coatings and BAK-4 prisms. If your budget is too tight to allow you to spend $300+ then you may wish to consider porro-prism binos. Typically you can buy higher optical performance in porros at a lower price than equivilant optical performance in roofs. If you decide to buy porro prisms (which I know less about) make sure that they are completely waterproof and carry a lifetime warranty.

2. You will never regret spending a bit more money for better quality when it comes to binoculars. I tried to go cheap and regretted that decision because every "cheap" bino I bought didn't last very long under field conditions when hunting. They would either fog or malfunction in some other way. The decision to purchase the Pentax DCF-SPs was made only aftera longsearch for the absolute best glass I could afford under $500.00. While others may argue that there are other models under $500 that are better than the SPs, I am completely satisfied with my decision. I really enjoy using these binos and they go with me everytime I am out in the field scouting, hunting, at a ballgame, etc. They are an indespensible part of my hunting equiptment and I can't imagine not having them now. The little things that binos like these allow you to more clearly see is amazing.

Most everything I have learned about binos came from reading the binocular section of this internet discussion forum: www.opticstalk.com

They opened a Gander Mountain store in my town and they have a model of every bino and scope they sell available for you to pick up, examine, and look through. Other than the $1,800.00 Swarovski ELs and SLCs and another $1,000.00 Zeiss model on display I don't think the SPs take a back seat to any other model in that store.

Good luck with your purchase.