Which Binoculars?

[Tycer]

I don't use them much. Hunting mostly in wooded/semi-open areas. The need is mostly for early/late glassing out to, say, 200 yards. My old hand-me-downs have grown fuss inside... I'm looking at the Nikon Monarch 3 8x42 and the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 Binocular
What do you like?

[AJMD429]

I like Nikons, but just for kicks at Gander Mountain the other day I was looking at the binoculars (the 'good ones' kept behind the counter).

The $100 ones were clearly better than the $50 ones (these weren't behind the counter).
The $200 ones were clearly better than the $100 ones, which I expected, and were 'good enough' for me, but
The $400 ones were clearly better than the $200 ones, too...!!! (that surprised me they'd be visibly clearer)

So I kept going...

The $800 ones were clearly better than the $400 ones, and yes,
The $1,600 ones were also clearly better than the $800 ones...!!!

They didn't have any $3,200 ones to test...

I had assumed that the higher-priced ones might be better made, more durable, better warranty, and more prestigious, but had not thought they'd actually be FAR CLEARER in their image, and that I'd be able to detect the difference just looking through them at things across the store.

[rjohns94]

I traded two guns for Swarovski 10x42. I am so delighted with them. Best move I made. Having good binos mean you use them more. I carry them in my truck all the time. I would say, spend as much as you can, the glass just gets better, and it's worth it. I would say I have gained visibility of 10-15 mins each end of the day while hunting. I use the for star gazing too. Good luck

[MrMurphy]

You get what you pay for in optics, especially the low light coatings on good binos. Between the two, i'd take the Nikon.


We deployed with 8X42 Steiners, and even at dusk they were so clear and bright we could hold off using night vision for positive IDs till actually after dark (with even a little moonlight, we could discern uniform, clothing, weaponry, etc from several hundred meters).

Not as good as thermal imagers, but also not $10,000.......

The Steiner 20X80s we had for tower work were just nuts.

[horsesoldier03]

I have the Nikon Monarch 8x42, they are the best binoculars I have ever owned. I have had them go from a heated vehicle to temps in the teens and single digits and they never fogged up. Picture is ALWAYS clear as a bell.

[44shooter]

I have a Swarovski 7x30 that I've had for about twelve years. They are awesome! Don't think they make this model any more. They cost $600 then. You can't get a Swarovski for any where near that now though.

[Blaine]

I have 10x50 Leupold Windriver.......Perfectly clear, very bright, and completely weather proof for over ten years......

[SJPrice]

As others have said when it comes to optics it is all in the glass and you really do get what you pay for. I picked up a pair of Zeiss Victory RF 10x42's a few years ago and have never regretted it. The low light performance is outstanding and these have a built in 1200 yard laser range finder. One thing not yet mentioned it the better the glass the longer you can glass before your suffer eye fatigue. Good glass will last a lifetime and when you spread the cost over 20 or more years, well you know what I mean. I can also swear by Zeiss customer service and repair. I managed to break the neck strap attachment saddle on the housing of mine. It was totally my fault. I sent them in for repair and when I explained to the lady at the repair center that I had an upcoming hunt, she overnighted a brand new pair for me to use while mine were being repaired. When my binoculars came back, they had gone over them completely replacing several parts that had just routine wear from five years of hard use. I call that great customer service. Almost forgot to say, no charge even though the damage was my fault.

[BigSky56]

Tycer at the range of of 200 yds a 6x30 or a 7x30 would work better for you and at that size they fit in your jacket pocket, minox and fuji make a 7x28 that has my interest I have been using a pair of steiners 8.5x25 for elk hunting and they are great for finding bedded elk in the shadows. danny

[Mescalero]

I am used to high magnification, for a little carry around pair; I use a Pentax 10x50.

[M. M. Wright]

Many years ago I decided to treat myself to some quality binocs. Ended up with a pair of Zies 8x30 that are very good quality but I know that there are newer coatings that are much better. I tried a new pair of Zeis at Academy recently that were the newer, slim bodied, half the weight and didn't cost as much as I paid when I bought the old ones. May have to update.
I like Kawhles optics too.

[BrentD]

Many years ago I decided to treat myself to some quality binocs. Ended up with a pair of Zies 8x30 that are very good quality but I know that there are newer coatings that are much better. I tried a new pair of Zeis at Academy recently that were the newer, slim bodied, half the weight and didn't cost as much as I paid when I bought the old ones. May have to update.
I like Kawhles optics too.

Lots of folks want to update. And the new glass out there is, indeed, incredible. But so is much of the old glass, which means that there is a lot of relatively cheap, yet absolutely excellent glass available on the used market at 50-70% of what the new top of the lines stuff is bringing.

Not long ago, I sold a nearly new condition set of Leica 8x42s and you can't touch their quality on the new market for what I got for them on ebay.

Shop hard and you will come out ahead.

[madman4570]

If you do not mind a fairly good sized pair, which I don't because of what it gives back in return.

I have been absolutely amazed for the $$$ with the Nikon Action Extremes.
I find the 12X50 least for me does it all and even works darn good for a 100yd spotting scope. I have a older Leupold fixed 30X60mm gold ring usually now left in the closet anymore.

What surprised me what how well they work for stuff pretty close up too! Usually can find a pair on sale for around $150
Shock, fog, waterproof!

[KirkD]

I would recommend heading to the local Bass Pro or Cabellas and trying out the two you mentioned and picking the one that looks best to you and produces the least eye strain. I had several binocs over the years and was not happy with any of them. Then I sold two vintage Winchesters and bought some Swarovski HD 10x42's. Outstanding! And they focus right down to six feet so you can stand at the kitchen window and admire the birds in the winter bird feeder.

[GonnePhishin]

BigSky56. The Steiners you have: are they the standard ones or the special coated Predator ones?

[MrMurphy]

Steiner 20X80's. We jokingly referred to them as the crew served model. You could not hold them up with one hand. We only used them in the rare times we posted tower guards instead of roving patrols, and you had to lean back against the tower using both hands or brace on the catwalk wall to use them.





Waaaaaaaaay off in the distance, those sand dunes? They were about 15X bigger in the binoculars. I was observing a Hilux driving about three klicks away in pretty fine detail.....considering the M240B had a 3X scope on it and couldn't even see the target except for dust, well, we just kept an eye on them.

[handirifle]

I have 10x50 Leupold Windriver.......Perfectly clear, very bright, and completely weather proof for over ten years......

I had a pair of Windriver's 10x25 compacts and the focus was never quite right. Finally sent them back to Leupold, along with my scope for another issue. They sent me back a new pair of Leupold Rogue 10x25. They are clearer than the others were (but they DID have a focus problem) and easier to use. My point is Leupold stood by the warranty 100%. They fixed the scope problem as well.

Even with the focus issue, the Windrivers were my preferred bino's for hunting due to weight, but I had gotten to carry my Burris binos for clarity, but the new Rogue Bino's have MUCH larger exit pupils even when set for eyeglasses.

I recommend the Leupold's. Now if I could afford the Swarov's I would have a pair of those.

[BigSky56]

UB they are multicoated wildlife series 8.5x26 not predator coating. danny

[Tycer]

Well, I ordered the Nikon M3s. These should be a big step up for me. I have an old pair of "Stellar" full size that are not cloudy, but not clear either. I have a nice pair of Redfield Aurora 8x25 compacts that are not suitible for twilight due to exit pupil. I just pulled out the 14 year old pair of my dad's that he got to watch birds on the feeder - Bushnell Powerview 7-15x35 that have grown fuzz. They were never the right tool, only the center of the view was crisp. FWIW, for $10 Bushnell will fix or replace them. I'll send them in.

Thanks for all the info guys!

[bdhold]

While I would love to own a set of Swarovsky binocs, I'm delighted with my Steiners.
I have the Navigator, which I bought for their great help navigating a kayak over coastal flats (you can read the compass right through the ocular), but the optics are excellent in bright light and low light as well. They are also seriously light weight for the image quality.

ps - they have factory-direct specials
http://www.steinerbinocularspecials.com/

[Washita]

I'm just guessing, but from what you say you probably don't want to spend a fortune on binoculars. What you want is a quality pair of binocs, moderately priced, light enough to carry in the field and with really good optics. I bought these 3 years ago for shooting cowboy silhouettes, where spotting scopes are not permitted. My requirements were similar to yours, I think, and I find these to suit very well in every respect. I was frankly amazed at how good the optics were, especially for the price!

http://www.amazon.com/Alpen-Shasta-Ridg ... binoculars

I don't doubt that there are better optics available, but I don't think there are any that can beat these for the price.

[bdhold]

http://www.steinerbinocularspecials.com ... -model-444
same price, and I think these might beat them

[jackruff]

"They were about 15X bigger in the binoculars."

Wouldn't they be 20X bigger since the binoculars are 20X80's?

[jackruff]

Tycer at the range of of 200 yds a 6x30 or a 7x30 would work better for you and at that size they fit in your jacket pocket, minox and fuji make a 7x28 that has my interest I have been using a pair of steiners 8.5x25 for elk hunting and they are great for finding bedded elk in the shadows. danny

The 6X30 is a great choice for hunting binoculars in the woods. They have a wide field of view, shaking is not a problem, they are smaller, and they are lighter than higher powered binoculars. I use a pair of Eagle Optics 6X30's and am very pleased with them. If I were hunting more open country I might go to my 8X42 Celestrons.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Some years ago I decided at 50 I could afford a descent Binocular.
The the Big Indianapolis Gun show a vendor was set up towards the rear. In the corner of his tables on Friday afternoon he had a stack of Steiner Predators (previous year model) new in the box for $150.
There was no one else there yet so I asked him all sorts of questions about the Steiners. His answer was simple. He had a sample (cabled to a table) of numerous good high end Binos I copuld compare with. I selected a Steiner from the stack and looked through it into the far dark upper girders looking at details of rivets, flaked paint, pigeon plops and so forth. The only other glass that was better ( I was there near 30 mnutes) was a 10 power Swavorski that cost 8x's.
I still use the Steiner. I am amazed at what I can see before sunup and after sundown. For the money it is the best $150 I have ever spent on any glass.
Mike in Peru

[KirkD]

Nothing beats actually looking through a variety of bino's when deciding.

[shooter]

I have Nikon Acculon variable zoom binos. I love them. They are small, light, and pretty clear. I think I paid less than $150 for them. They are 8-24 power. I rarely ever use them above 12 power, as the clarity gets worse and any movement is amplified, but they work great from 8-12 power. I've used Leupolds that were very good as well, but much more expensive. Like others have said, you get what you pay for with optics. The ones I got are good enough that I don't hesitate to use them, and they didn't break my pocket book either.

[Ray Newman]

For years, I have been staying what Kirk posted about looking through a variety of binoculars as well as spotting and rifle 'scopes.

Also need to buy from a store/dealer that accepts returns. More often than not, binoculars and 'scopes all look very good when looking through optics in a brightly store or outside in the sun. But the proof is in the pudding during low light, fog, rain, snow, and other adverse conditions -- and that is when inferior optics show their true colours. Plus more power is synonymous with more weight and bulk.

I have also looked through high power binoculars and optics that had less clarity than the older 7x35's, some pocket/small binoculars, or the old Lyman and Weaver 1.5X, 2X, 2.5X rifle 'scopes. Sometimes clarity and field of view beats power. It is all in the lenses....

[KWK]

I've never found my Zeiss 10x25 monocular wanting, but I haven't tried it for hunting in low light; the x25 is plenty for daylight, though. The 10x may sound high, but held properly, a monocular is rather free of shakes. Friends with lesser glass but with image stabilizers did no better than I did when animal spotting in Africa. Zeiss also has 4x and 8x, I recall. Today, they'll run between $300 and $400. I did find with mine that customer service is excellent. I figured that paying for half the glass lets you get better glass for the same money.