Despite condemnation, sneers, and up turned noses of very many, none of whom ever even looked through them, these humble binoculars were the best Christmas present that this (once) young ornithologists had ever received. Now well worn, after use in all weathers, and at around fifty years old, they're undoubtedly past their best, which all the sceptics would declare to have been an already low level. It's as with so many things, that some that buy an expensive item, or one that is claimed to be prestigious, feel they have to justify their choice (and hefty expense) by slagging off those bought by others... something that all too many photographers will have encountered at some stage. Get out and use it, whatever you have.

Some different second-hand binoculars for sale recently caught my eye, mainly because they were better sealed and lighter. But I'm not sure if I'd lug them about along with a camera, as the above has been very rarely used in the recent decades. Can only think of one day out with them in the past ten years, when assisting a friend with a Sutherland coastal bird count. I should dust these old ones down, use them for a while again, and then assess if I really need something that's genuinely better, or just am just wanting to have something that might be better... and then not use it.