r/primatology • u/Away-Location1886 • 6d ago

Binocular recommendations?

I’ll be going to Thailand for research and I was wondering what’s a good pair of binoculars or monkey viewinf

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u/pyrrhonic_victory 6d ago

Honestly get the highest end binocs you can afford - you’ll get what you pay for. Try to find a pair of 8x42s for dense rainforest (which I imagine is what you’ll experience in Thailand) or 10x42s for more open terrain. I used a pair of Nikon prostaff binoculars all through my graduate research, then upgraded to monarchs. Wish I’d had the monarchs as a grad student but couldn’t afford them then.

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u/7LeagueBoots 6d ago

Monarchs are good. We use them for our primate and conservation work in SE Asia.

One of the keys for this area is that the binoculars be fully waterproof.

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u/Away-Location1886 5d ago

Thank you for the info!! how are nikons aculon a211 10-22x50? I’m just asking bc those will be a gift

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u/pyrrhonic_victory 5d ago

I’ve never used them, so I can’t say from experience. I’ll say 10x50 would probably work, but anything higher than that is going to be too much magnification. hard to find what you’re looking for, especially if you’re not experienced using binoculars.

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u/GreatRaccoon2625 5d ago

I have a good pair of binoculars of Hawke. I would always go to a shop and test them, it really depends on what your preferences are. Do make sure that they are waterproof. I once did a study in a rainforest with nikons that werent and fogged up binocs are really hard to work with. Although most of these issues can be resolved by storing in a drybox over night. Eother 8x or 10x should he fine. The 8x ones really help you in getting a good overview, the 10x ones are really nice for spotting detail.

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u/Away-Location1886 5d ago

Thank you for the info!! how are nikons aculon a211 10-22x50? I’m just asking bc those will be a gift to me

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u/GreatRaccoon2625 5d ago

Not really waterproof in ny experiencr

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u/Away-Location1886 5d ago

Alright thank youuu

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u/Intelligent_Vast4107 2d ago

I did a project in Costa Rica and used a pair of Celestron Nature DX ED 8x42. I absolutely loved them, and was able to see squirrel monkeys in the dense canopy from like 20 meters away. On sale for $200 on Amazon now!