I thought some readers of TLB might be interested in this. I've been casually searching for an inexpensive pair of ultra light binoculars for the past couple of years, but I see very little under the 8oz weights unless the glasses are very expensive, or extremely cheaply made. I've seen many of the really cheap binoculars and they are very poor. The best UL binoculars I've seen are the Leica trinivoid series, which weigh in around 6.5 oz, but they are very expensive. I understand about great optics and if I was rich I wouldn't hesitate a moment to buy the Leicas, but I'm not rich and I tend to misplace things, so I go with optics that are "good enough". I found these tiny binoculars at the Rick Steves Travel Store in Edmonds, WA., for $29.00. The name on the product is "Carson", which I'm assuming is a line of super cheap off-shore glasses marketed for places like Big 5, K-mart, etc. They weigh about 4.5 oz and fit in the palm of your hand. I was quite surprised at the quality of the views, which was much better than I expected. I went ahead and bought them this weekend and I've been watching a Stellar Jay defend his territory all morning from crows, robins, my dogs, etc. These are not a choice for people who appreciate good optics, but if you don't care for monoculars (like me) and are looking for "good enough" binocs that weigh very little, you might want to take a look.

I'm attaching a photo and a link to the place I bought it. I have no special interest in Rick Steves place. I'm traveling to Africa next month and just stopped in to get some things.

Cliff
Seattle, WA

http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalo...&id=367