The other day when we were out looking for the Rusty Blackbird, I left my office without my binoculars. Fortunately, my ever prepared father-in-law had another pair in his car. He had purchased these Barska Tacoma binoculars for my non-birding mother-in-law for Christmas 2008 with hopes of her some day enjoying the addiction he shared with me. I think she has enjoyed them a time or two in the last year.
Anyway, back to me...so I was borrowing the Barska Tacomas and I was surprised at how much liked them. The color resolution was pretty darn good. The field of view was not as good as my Eagle Optics Ranger SRT's, but the ease of focus and the close focus were both very good. They were comfortable in my hands and I never caught myself moaning about missing my real binoculars like I usually do when I have to borrow someone's pathetic performing optics. I was even able to quickly focus on the quick darting Virginia Rail along the creek.
The Barska website no longer lists Tacoma's on their website, so they may have been discontinued. They still are for sale from a few online sources for around $100. These are the perfect high-quality-low-budget binoculars for avid birders to keep in their vehicle or at their window sill. These are great binoculars for kids and new birders with thin wallets. I was really impressed at how well they performed for being so inexpensive.
great review of a great binocular... thanks to share!
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