thinking about getting a decent pair of binoculars...
I live in the Texas hill country and mostly hunt hog, deer, and squirrel. So really not looking over too great a distance.
Im trying to decide between 6x and 8x
The specific pair im looking at is the Leupold green ring Yosemite
any help is greatly appreciated.
8x is the one i'd go with. what objective lens diameter are they?
What part of the Hill country? I'm moving to Fredericksberg in the fall. I have hunted the hill country and I love my 8x42 Nikon Monarchs. you can find them in the classified section on here for about $225... I love the 8x....
I have a couple pair of the 6x and don't think you can beat them for the money. I don't have any experience with the 8x Yosemite, but have read some reviews where they thought the 6x was a little clearer and brighter than the 8x. Best thing you can do is find a store where you can spend some time looking through both and decide which works best for you. I did buy mine without comparing the two, but I was buying them for my young sons and knew I wanted the 6x for the wider field of view and less image shake. I have no regrets, my boys love them. They hold up pretty well when I compare them to my much more expensive glass.
Can't go wrong with Nikon Monarchs. :thumbsup:
I bought a 8x40 because for me it's the right balance between brightness, stability and enlargements.
Bye from Italy
Carlo
I tried them all at Cabelas recently and found Bushnell's new Legend HD 8x42's are incredible bang for the buck. Very wide field of view and clarity to match. Very pleased. Bought them at B&H Photo online for $210. Includes a back harness also.
I have the 6x30 yosemites. For less than $100 you can't go wrong. I use mine for woods hunting in the northeast. I don't need anything stronger.
With 6x you may have an advantage trying to pick out bits of animals through dense foliage at very close range (wider field of view), but for glassing even moderate distances you'll definately appreciate the 8x.
Have you compared the Nikon Monarchs? They have a great rep for good reason. I really like their 8x36. Not too heavy and very bright.
Joshua
Thanks for the replies guys. My budget is very limited at the moment. So this $100 limit is all I can afford for now. I will be moving to montana in about 5-7 years so thats when I will buy me a pair of real good higher power glasses.
Most of my viewing is less than two hundred yards. I'm kinda of leaning towards the 6x because of the wider field and ability to search closer ranges easier. Especially because later I will definitly buying a more powerful pair.
I just wanted to make sure 6x isn't a waste of money and lens.
Oh yeah, Desertdude, I live just east of Burnet. I have a good friend in the Fredricksburg area that I hunt with. Probably the best hog hunting I have ever seen and I'm from east Texas. Beautiful area and some great fishing all around. I really like it because you are far enough away from Austin to get away from the masses. Keep in contact about the move, let me know if you need anything.
Stick with the yosemitie's in 6X. The work great for middle distances and up close they rock for picking out animal parts in the brush. They are brighter than the 8X models in low light conditions. I have had mine since they first came out and I love them. The wife and I both use them every day we are in the field. Great price, good glass, and tough as nails.
I have a pair of 6x30 Yosemities and they are excellent and just the glass I would choose for the use you have described. They will provide enough magnification and have a little better resolution and clarity especially very late and very early when they will gather a bit more light than the 8x30's
Will do..
Thanks
I have those binos in 8x...almost walked out of the store before realizing the guy behind the counter gave me 6x instead of the 8x I wanted.
If you're viewing is mostly 200yards and in I personally think you'll be fine with the 6x.
I'm happy with the 8x since I need them to do what you're gonna use them for, but also "make due" when I need to look across a bean field and watch deer or discern between dog and coyote on the farm.
I got to looking through my Father in laws 8x 42 this evening. Watching the cows across the field I know what you mean soilarch. I think the little extra power might make them a little more multiuse for me.
So what is the best 8x in the price range? $100- 150
I dont mean to hijack this thread but, i am currently looking for a pair as well...i always thought the better the magnification, the better it would be! i understand how the relation between the 2 numbers work 8x32 , 10x42 etc.. my question is tell me why i am wrong for thinking a 10x would be a better choice than a 6x? is the clarity better ? i hunt woods, and want for the occasional glassing of corn fields..
i was looking at nikon 10x 42's or the bushnell 10x's,,...
educate me so i dont spend money wrong, Thanks
Jason
I bought a pair of old Redfield 7X35 binocs probably 30yrs ago and more recently a pair of the Nikon Monachs in 10X42. The Nikons are excellent for the money but I find myself wishing I had bought the 8X42 instead, just a bit more magnification than I need for most of my hunting, a little hard to hold steady. I use my old Redfields most of the time. More compact, but still with an exit pupil of 5. They are excellent for picking things apart in the timber.
Iron, using 10x in the woods is a real challenge. You wind up looking at only tiny bits of area and it is hard to know where you are looking. 8x or 6x is better for near field magnifiation IMHO.
Here a link and from what some of these folk say they are very good bino.
http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/leupold/leupold-yosemite-6x30-porro-prism-binocular-black
DJ
Iron, I don't really know my stuff in this area but I'd stick with 8x.
Here's why: I find myself wanting 6x sometimes, and I find myself wanting 10x sometimes. This tells me I found the happy medium (For what I use.)
Kinda like picking a caliber of gun or draw-weight to buy. "Find a happy medium." I'm young, but I'm staring to learn that lesson...and it's treating me well so far.
Unless you're obscenely rich, then just buy one of everything. :thumbsup:
I mean TWO of everything, I'll take the extra off your hands! :D
Iron, it depends on how you use binoculars. 10x is harder to hold for a steady image and I find I get eye fatigue a lot quicker than with an 8x. However if you are mainly using them to identify something you've already seen with the naked eye, as a lot of people do, they will work fine and even give a little more detail than a comparable 8x. I mainly use binoculars to find game in wide open spaces and spend lots of time with the glass pressed to my face. People will tell you that you need 10x binoculars particularly for out west. I use 8x because I have found what you need is binoculars you can look through all day without getting eye fatigue and headaches. Of course a crappy, misaligned pair at any power will do that. I can't tell you the number of times I've been with hunters who do a quick scan with their 10x binoculars and say there are no deer out there and after 10 or 20 minutes I'll tell them that there are 3 over there and a group of 4 over there and another 2 down there. And believe me I know guys that can spot game a heck of a lot better than I can. To find game like that you need good glass at a power that you can hold steady for long periods. Some guys say they can do that with 10x, I can't. I find I spot more game with 8x.