#BikeBirding “Instagram Binoculars” Reviewed – NOCS Standard Issue

No matter biking or trekking, i'll prefer my NL Pure's !! Lol !

I appreciate the review. However, I think they are a tad to heavy for backpacking, e.g., when compared to say a set of compact Olympus’ I have that weigh 8 oz.

The price is the real selling point

It's not bad
Good warranty
And is not prohibitly expensive

Russ, thanks for this review. It was helpful for me to hear about the large minimum distance for focusing. Something I hadn't thought of. I wanted to buy these for someone who watches humming birds our her window (quite close) and I can see for these it would be too close.

I'm not sure about being a bike peddling bird man but I'm considering this to be part of my bugout rotation. Looks pretty interesting, thanks for sharing!

If lightweight and compactness are two big needs I'd suggest Vortex Diamondback 8×28 HDs. Sure they cost $50 more than the Nocs but the quality/image difference is stark. People riding around on multi-thousand dollar bicycles should get this.

Can you do a video on the Zoom tube?

Curious about a comparison between these and the mono. Both the specs and the general carryability. I see you carry lenses regularly, do you carry one more than the other or either more than the more expensive binocs?

I got into biking and birding (separately) during the start of the pandemic and literally just now seeing that bikebirding is a thing! Great review; went ahead and ordered the NOCS as I am a total beginner at birding and they are currently on sale at Nordstrom. I’m sure they will make great hand me downs to my son when I eventually upgrade one day!

try zeiss 10×40.. amazingly compact and crazy quality

Cute carrotoculars

I’ve been carrying a cheap monocular when riding and also hiking. Often to look at birds, but also nature in general. They are cheap enough I don’t mind letting my kids use them. I’ve actually been preferring them to my binoculars. I sometimes use them for archery, but I also have a rangefinder for that.

Your terms remind me of a favorite Dick Van Dyke episode. The Mr, Bond from FBI is checking the neighbors. Dick wants to be involved.
Rob: “Mr. Bond?”
Mr. Bond: “What?”
Rob: “Can I have the binos?”
Mr. Bond: “The what?”
Rob: “The binocs?”
Mr. Bond: “Oh, the binoculars.”
Rob: “Yeah, check.”

No. Absolutely not. I've been birding for over a decade now and found 8×32 the minimum for light gathering and resolution. Oh, and don't forget close focus for insects. Buy the most expensive pair you can afford ONLY IF you will be using them regularly. Personally, mine are Leica Ultravid 8×32 that I got for the bargain price of $700 brand new 10 years ago. Yeah, I know… but these now sell for $2000 new. Nikon Monarch's are fantastic for the price. Nitrogen purged and fully waterproof. It just depends how serious you will get. I've gotten calls from the former Audubon director to join her on adventures and feel so unworthy 🙂 Birding forces you to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN 🙂

I don’t carry binoculars with me, but I do have some! I think I’ll start now though! Also, *gravel specific….awesome

Bikes ✔️
Birds ✔️

Russ, your channel is now a few IPA reviews away from hitting all of my major interests.

Hey PLP. Last year i went to a gravel ride in the south of chile. A member brought a monocular and I was impressed how amazing birdwatching is. The image was so clear, it was amazing. Do you know if there are any compact ones for bikepacking?

Pretty cool. I carry a monocular with me when I go for a ride, for the same purposes. Much lighter than any of my binoculars.

so happy to see birding meeting with cycling on your channel!

Regarding the field of view (FOV) of the NOCS. While they don't list the FOV in degrees they do list FOV in Ft /1000 yds. That the 357 FT number on the focus knob. That number divided by 52.5 give you the FOV in degrees = 6.8. So you were pretty close with your guess of 7 degrees.

I've been using Nikon 8×25 Trailblazers for a long time on my mountain bike and gravel rides – and this model in particular because of the combination of qood image quality, light weight, extremely compact size, and an $80.00 price tag that makes it worth it to take them along in situations where they may get destroyed as the result of a crash. They come with a pretty protective case as well, but still make a point to put them in hydration pack or frame bag or pannier instead of a trunk on top of rear rack. Hard hits can knock the internals out of alignment – and this is my second pair as a result of one of those mishaps.

Nikon Monarch is in my bike bag. They are awesome.

Long time casual birder. My fave budget binoculars are NOS Nikon 8×30 EII . Beautifully built, really great glass and aesthetically lovely. I prefer them over any current production glass in their price range.

Hi, can u make a DIY tutorial about your little mirror?? I tried to do one but I couldn't