Optics Retailers

Take the long view…

Fatbirder regularly reviews birding optics… check out the archives before buying.

After reviews, optics retailers are often the best source of information about birdwatching equipment. It pays them to make sure you get equipment that suits you, not necessarily the most expensive option. Some of the sites have comparisons of equipment, league tables etc. Some manufacturers (see Optics Manufacturers) also thoroughly review their own products and are also good sources for spare part.

A couple of the sites below are just for information… including some no nonsense explanations of the technical terms most birders bandy about but few understand! Also, 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.

Most of the retailers listed supply worldwide but you may need to add local tax when importing (e.g. Europeans may have to add VAT to US prices etc.)

The mark-up of makers to retailers is often high, but almost all the top brands dictate the retail price leaving very narrow margins for discounters. This is done to keep ‘quality’ optics far more expensive than ‘cheap’ models. But, test everything out often the optical difference between inexpensive optics and the prestige brands is marginal – the difference may well be the after-sales service and guarantee length.