Trad Gang

Hi fellers,


My bino budget is $450. I mainly spot'n'stalk hunt in thick south louisiana swamps, so I don't think I'll be needing 12 power magnification.

So, what do you guys think?

Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 6X32 - $300. Perfect for the type of hunting you are going to do IMHO. If you want to go cheaper check out the Leupold Yosemite 6X30 or the Katmai 6X32 which is a little more expensive but still in your range. One other excellent glass in this range is the Vortex Fury 6.5X32 great warranty and quality for the price!

Ken

no brainer. Leupold Katmai 6X32

Nikon Monarchs.....

I bought these this past year. I love 'em.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/leupold-yosemite-8x30-black-red-natural-binoculars.html

I was sold on Leupold and still am, but, the Vortex brand of Binos are very impressive for the money! Lightweight, sharp and crystal clear! You can also pick up blemished ones for a lot cheaper and would be hard pressed to find what's blemished about them, they say the color is a slightly off!

I loved my Nikon Monarchs. Hope the person that stole them from me likes them.  

I forgot to add that the Vortex have got rave reviews on warranty and customer service! I'll be making a purchase this spring/summer, I'm torn between the Leuplod and the Vortex, tough call!

and minox are great also...you can pick up some new demo ones top of the line right now from Cameraland in NY in that price range maybe a little more.

Nikon Monarch 10X42, very clear especially at low light!
Samll and lightweight as well.
John

Another vote for the Nikon Monarchs.

Low power, large objective lense. Have a pair of Steiner 7x35's Wide Angles that work great in the thick stuff. Always wanted a set of 6x30's and when I finally decided to buy a set they quit making them.

SpankyNeil and John Nail hit it right on the money.

Purchased a pair of leupold yesomite 6x30 based on recommedation's on this forum and very pleased for the money. Might serve you well in louisiana, spot and stalk. Doesn't shake when you look with one hand and have the bow in the other, light-weight and compact.

I love my Nikon Monarchs. Recently had a pair of the Nikon Eagleview Zoom....just as impressive, if not more so due to the zoom factor.

Nikon Monarchs. I wouldn't go more than 8X42 though if you hunt in brush etc.

I agree with Spanky.  In close, thick cover, no need for an 8 power, and certainly not a 10 power.  6-7 power will work much better.  Eagle Optics makes an excellent glass for the money.  The others he mentions are also good.

Another vote for the Nikon Monarchs. I think I paid about $250 for a pair of 10x42's about 3 years ago. At the time I set a limit of $300 since I knew I would be knocking them around a bit while hunting. I've been well pleased with them.

8x should be just fine for brushy country.  

I have a pair of Vortex Viper binoculars I bought last year after much research and I'm very happy with them.  Great warranty(unconditional lifetime warranty!) and quality glass for around 500 bucks(maybe less for the 8x)...about as good as you'll get for that price.  Really, the next step up from this would be the big three(Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss) which cost around $1500-2300.

Monarchs and Leupold binoculars are also good options and are a good value for the money.  Many have used them and are happy with them.  

Remember, binoculars are one of those pieces of gear that is an investment.  Believe me, I know what it's like to have spending limitations, but  buy quality glass now and you won't regret it...buy cheap glass and you'll be replacing it in a few years and wish you had shelled out the cash for the good stuff.  Oh, and don't forget to go to the store, get the binoculars in your hands and compare them...especially under low light conditions.  
Happy gear hunting!  Matt

Zeiss conquest 8x30 gets my vote. They are only about $100.00 more than your budget. I hunt thick stuff in New England and, these are a great pair of glasses for the money. Good luck in your search.

Steiners, 8X30 or 7X30 should do the trick and stay in your budget. I love mine!!!

Sportsmans guide has 3 different Stiener 8X30 for around $250

Nikon Monarchs 10X36 !! Best for that money i have found!!

Bushnell Elite Custom Compacts, 7x26. You can get them for about $275.00. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Check'em out! Pretty sure they were marketed under the Bausch&Lomb name years ago. They are fantastic optics for the money.

I do the same kind of spot and stalk hunting in dense bush as you do. I am very happy with the Leopold Katmai 6x32. You can find them online for under 300.00.

You've got conditions such as low light, dense growth, heat waves, and humidity to deal with.
Any of the top brands--maximum of 7X with as large an exit pupil as you can get.
My $.02 worth

I agree with John Nail 100%. Leupold Katmai 6X32. In fact, I was suprised to see someone else who uses them, since 6x isn't a "popular" power. If you use the light gathering formula, there isn't a better binoc for light gathering.
For shorter range bowhunting, they are simply the best. And I have a 9x Leupold binoc too. The 6x32's are best for 150 yards and under.

I bought a pair of Alpen pro 10X42 this past summer and they work great.  Clear and crisp.

Nikon Monarchs.  Great buy for the money.

Nikon Monarchs   :thumbsup:

I like the Zeiss glasses. I have a pair of 10x25 compacts that I have used for the last 25 years and never had any problems with them. Small enough that they will fit in my pocket. The draw back to the compacts are that they do not gather light like the larger ones.

Another vote for the Leupold Katmai 6x32's. The cheapest place I have seen them was at optics planet but that was a couple months ago.

CS

Quotewish you had shelled out the cash for the good stuff.

The truth spoken. Given the rather huge optical difference, even from Nikon Monarchs to the Zeiss/Leica Binos im surprised so few mention them.
I have an old Leica Trinovid, still better than anyting short of the newest Leica or Zeiss FL line. Insanely expensive when i bought them (to me) but every look through them are worth it.

The new FLs from Zeiss are not clear or sharp - they are a revelation... And will last 30 years, at least.
More economical are the Nikon HGs, they are FAR sharper than the Monarchs, and half the price of the german stuff.
Maybe consider used German optics?

K

I'll tell you I bought Minox fixed 8X30s they are awesome. Instant focus means the second you put them up you see the game. I have a pair of Swarovski EL 8.5X42s that collect dust most of the time. Binoculars.com have good prices.

I'll second the Alpen's...lot of bang for the $$$
Tons of good glass out there but these are hard to beat for the money.

I'd do a "google" search reviews/x-binocular. You'll pull up a lot of birdwatching sites/reviews but that is a crowd that REALLY cares about optical differences and, as in any review, price vs value. The Monarchs receive a very good rating generally. No one will say that they equal the quality of the binoculars that cost twice as much. Many will say that you would have to pay twice as much to get a binocular that isn't twice as sharp etc. Some reviews put them ahead of more expensive binoculars. You said what you wanted to pay. You can spend a great deal of money on visual aids, some of a quality that will exceed their purpose. I'd rather spend the money on a hunting trip than pay $$$ for "deer woods binoculars" but that is just me. If I become an orthonologist or an astronomer-different story.

Thanks alot guys.

I'm going to cabelas wednsday. I'll let you know what I come home with.

Cornell (school of orthinology) does reviews. on the  www.thejoyofbirdwatching.com (http://www.thejoyofbirdwatching.com)  or something like that you'll find: "Cornell was disappointed with what was out there in this category. They noted that the binoculars for bird watching tested in this group did not rate any higher than the top-ranked, less expensive models.

You're better off with the Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars 8x42 than the Nikon 8x32 HG DCF which was at the top in this class. The HGs have a slightly wider field of view and closer focus, but image quality is not any better than the Monarch's."

Good site as an example.

I am with the others on the Nikon Moarchs 10X42.  I have had a pair for four years now and love um.  I hunt in some swamps in the MS delta and carry mine everytime i go hunting.  I had an eyecup mess up on me once and i called nikon and they told me to send them in.  When the package came back from nikon, they  gave me a new pair at no cost.  I am sold on nikon products from binos, rangefinders, scopes, digital cameras and my video camera.

It is a good idea to shop for binoculars at dusk.They all look good on a bright day.Compare some in dim light.I have been carrying the Zeiss 10X25's but they are a bit much in the woods and don't gather light like a pair with bigger objectives.A think the 6-7 power advice is right on.The larger the objective(up to a point)the more light gathering capability but also more weight.You may have to compomise between weight and light gathering,depending on what you want to carry.I like to shorten up the strap so they lay on my chest,then connect a piece of 3/8 wide elastic where the strap connects to the binos.This strap goes around my back,holding them against my chest so there is no swinging or flopping and I can still raise them to my eyes easily.It works great on lighter binoculars.

I'd give a long hard look at Vortex; they are not a new company so to speak. They've been making high end bird watching glass for 20+ years.

Dave,

I like the Vortex glass, but there is no one close by that carrys them. Deer season closes on the 15th here, so I need to try to find a pair by Wednsday. Plus the Vortex stuff is a little out of my price range.

Anybody here ever try out the Nikon Monarch 8.5X 56?

Seriously, you do not need to spend a lot of money to get good quality binoculars nor would I personally recommend them for the rough and tumble woods. As a hunter you want to spot animals and antlers and the mid-price range optics are MORE than adequate for that purpose.  A lot of research supports the infuence of price tag on people's evaluation of the quality of the product. In some cases they have even given people the same product but different prices. Guess which one's get rated as having the best quality? Look at the reviews on the HG's and the Monarch's: "You're better off with the Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars 8x42 than the Nikon 8x32 HG DCF which was at the top in this class. The HGs have a slightly wider field of view and closer focus, but image quality is not any better than the Monarch's."(Cornell). The Cornell folks birdwatch for a living where a detailed image is frankly even more important than you would need to hunt whitetails.  If I had money to burn I wouldn't burn it for that-not for binoculars used for hunting anyway. A better view of Saturn from your backyard yeah, buy that 5k telescope. How many tines, no.

Eagle Optics has the Vortex Fury 6.5X32 in stock for $299.99 with free ground shipping - hard to beat that!

Ken

Just a little update....

I bought the Nikon Monarch 8X42.

I looked at the Steiner Merlin 8X32, the Leupold Green Ring Olympic 8X42, the Nikon monarch 8.5X56, and the Leupold Katmai 6X32.

The brightest were the Monarch 8.5X56 but they were so big they were almost comical. Too big for my taste.

The Katmai and the Steiner Merlins were the least bright....but they did have smaller objectives. I had every intention of buying the Steiners before I looked through them...I was a little disapointed.

The Nikon 8X42 and the Leupold Olympic's were pretty much identical. Both were very clear, and nice and bright. Comfort was the only thing the Leupold's had over the nikons and, to me, it wasn't enough to justify an extra $60.00.

I am going to "date" myself here and ask if anyone out there still use or recall the Ranging 5-power binos.I have been using them so long I'll likely go into shock looking through some of these higher priced binos, and actually SEE things.

I own 8x42 Nikon Monarchs.  

Been following your thread.  I might have looked into whether the Leup warranty might have been worth the extra $60, but you made a good choice I think.  I recall the Nikon warranty not being very generous, although I forget the details.  And I know on Leup rifle scopes the warranty is unconditional, for the life of the product regardless of how many times it changes hands.  That's... well I don't see how you can beat that but I dont' know if it applies to their binocs as well.  Probably not, at least not the written one while they may have a more generous policy in practice, but to be honest I just don't know.

I worried probably too much over the choices when I bought my Nikons, and I'm pleased with my decision every time I use them.

I'll put a plug in for Eagle Optics Rangers. Mine are 10X42's. I was all set to get 8X42's but I just couldn't notice enough difference to not get the 10X. They are great optics at a good price.

DCM,

The warranty on the Green Ring Leupold is non transferrable. The warranties are both the same except the Nikon is for 25 years and the leupold is lifetime.

Nikon Monarchs in the 8 by 36, if you are hunting thick cover you will love these. Shawn

I would agree with the Nikon Monarchs--I bought the 10x42 last year and love them---just my 2c

Leupolds.  Great product awesome customer care.

In full-size binoculars, if you are not willing to spend at least $500, you would be best off buying a good porro prism glass.  

They are far more rugged than they are given credit for and they offer image quality that will rival (and sometimes even better) that of the so-called "Alpha" glass at prices that are much, much lower.  Good options can be had from Nikon, Leupold, Pentax, Bushnell, Minox, etc.

If you just can't stand the idea of a Porro prism binocular, but still have to spend less than $500, then your best bets are going to come from models like the Nikon Monarch, Bushnell Legend or Discoverer, Leupold Cascades, Olympics, Mojave, Brunton Eterna, Pentax DCF WP II, etc. Their optics are noticeably inferior to comparably priced Porro models, but they are (usually) a little more compact and people seem to like them better.

I have both the Leupold Yosemite 6X30 ($90) and the Katmai 6X32 ($350).  The Katmai are much better and seem perfect for whitetails.  I also have an expensive set of Nikon Venturer 8x32 which are superior optically.  However, they weight a lot more and are, therefore, less comfortable to wear.  Thus I almost always take the Katmai binos.  I have also owned Sworovski's but was not nuts about them.  For me, it is important that the binoculars are set up to fit flat against my chest for comfort.  I also wear glasses so I need high eye releif (>15mm).

QuoteIn full-size binoculars, if you are not willing to spend at least $500, you would be best off buying a good porro prism glass.

They are far more rugged than they are given credit for and they offer image quality that will rival (and sometimes even better) that of the so-called "Alpha" glass at prices that are much, much lower. Good options can be had from Nikon, Leupold, Pentax, Bushnell, Minox, etc.
 

Oft forgotten, but very true.
Probably the best bino i ever looked trough, save the new Zeiss 10x42FL, was an Opticron HR WP Porroprism thing at not 1/3 the price.

K

I sure like my Alpen optics. They have some reasonably priced bino's.

I purchased a set of Leupold Yosemite 6x30 mm and they are great, all I need in my part of the country.  They are just a hundred dollars, you can't go very wrong, I promise.

I purchased the Leupold arcadia 10x42 and they work great, about $200.

I purchased the Leupold arcadia 10x42 and they work great, about $200.