Looking for recommendations on binoculars for Deer Hunting. I have looked at Steiners, leupolds, nikons etc. What works best for you all?
Thanks!
I had some leupold wind river cascades. Don't know what happemed to them....i think somebody took them from my truck. Loved those things.
I'd be interested in hearing some recs on an inexpensive pair
I have owned a bunch of different binoculars. Coming from a professional photography background, I have a fondness for great optics. I have been very happy with my Swarovski 8x30's and 8 x20's. Excellent construction and feel. Superb optics. I have found the Zeiss Victory series of binoculars to be very good as well. I have settled on Swarovski optics as my favorite. Great customer service as well.
There is a lot of "good" glass out there these days, in the lower priced binocs, and it is all pretty serviceable. However, there really is a difference in the " superior" glass found in the upper end binocs such as the Zeiss and Swarovski class of glass. That's not to say that the more commodity priced stuff won't suffice, but in the case of optics you really do get what you pay for. Spend what you can afford, but don't scrimp on a few bucks saved now, in place of the superior glass. Clarity, crispness, efficient transfer of light, contrast, warranties, etc..., this is what you gain in the higher priced pairs of binocs. In general daylight conditions, all "good" glass performs reasonably well. In the early and later parts of the day, the magic hours, is where the better glass will show its worth. Buy the best you can afford, and the old saying is true...buy it right, buy it once.
Lot's of good bino's to choose from & you will get numerous opinions on this forum. the only thing I will tell you is that you get what you pay for.
I'm not any kind of bino expert, but I got a pair of Leupold Yosemites as a Christmas present last year and love them. Light enough, and does everything I need them to do. Price was great, too, under $100. They're probably not the greatest, but I'm pleased with them.
Spend as much as you can afford. Binos are so important out West that a weapon is secondary to good glass. Back East, good glass lets you look into the shadows. As stated, you get what you pay for.
Power and exit optic are matters for your primary hunting tactics, as where I live now, i need resolution at distance
Take a look at the Vortex Viper HDs by far the best bang for the buck!
Vortex
Roadkill nailed it, spend what you can afford. i would almost rather forget my weapon than my optics. I have looked through a great may pair of binoculars and the best i have ever tried are swarovski, but the price can be prohibitive, I used to say that leupold was the best value for money and still think they are a great option and ave had several pairs, but recently I got a pair of cheap 200 dollar vortex diamondbacks as a pair of binoculars to keep in the truck, but I was so impressed with them that they are going to replace my current leupolds which were much more expensive, and the leupolds are going in the truck. plus vortex has a no questions asked fix it policy, if you send them in they will fix them for free no matter what. its hard to beat that with a stick.
I have a set of the first generation Leupold Rangefinding binos and love them. The new ones are supposed to be better. I have used mine for firearms and bowhunting although I'm getting used to not needing them as much since I'm shooting instinctive again, but for longer shots if I'm gap shooting they come in handy.
I'm one of those who has found the super-premium binoculars from companies like Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss to be money well spent if there is any way you can afford them. However, there are much less expensive binoculars like Vortex Vipers that still have very good qualities. I would not feel bad about hunting with a pair of 8x32 Vortex Viper HD binoculars that cost about $570 as opposed to the 8x32 Leica Ultravid HD binoculars that I own which are considerably better optically but cost almost 4 times as much.
Allan
Also check Natchez Shooters Supply for your binos. They carry alot of brands and some of them like Nikon they will get reconditioned ones in which are basically brand new. I've bought some of their reconditioned scopes and they looked new and never had a problem. They also always have optics on sale and even their regular prices are among the best around.
I like my Zeiss binos real well.
I usea pair of Leupold compacts and am happy with them
I have nikon monarch's that are sweet, but a year later I found some vortex, bino's cheaper with lifetime warranty, that has just as good glass. bushenell has come a long way too. Buy what you can afford, and a lifetime warranty. Bino's that are couple hundred with warranty will pay for themselves in long run, as well as, your eyes. Carson suppose to be good too.
I have had or still have Nikons, Leupolds, and now the Vortex HD's. They all are a good value for the money, in my opinion. Leupold Yosimite is impressive for under $100. I just got a some of the Vortex 6X32 HD's and I love em. The light gathering is great. The features are handy and the size is not burdensome.
The Vortex offers a lot of bang for the buck. If you can afford Alpha glass you won't regret owning them.
I really like my Leupold Yosemite 8x30's. They, to my eyes, seem to look more like a $250-$300 pair of binoculars but were much less expensive. I've used other glass that was noticeably better in poor lighting conditions but my Yosemite's offer more than enough quality for the areas that I hunt.
With that said, I'm in AR and a l hunt mostly hardwoods or hardwoods/with pines. My woods are fairly thick, not like a jungle but also not where you are really going to get a long distance viewing opportunity. The farthest out I'm going to see something may be a couple hundred yards across a field or down a power line but the majority of the time, my viewing is for animals under 75 yards.
The Cabelas Euro's are as good as you can get for the money, very comparable to the 2 and 3 thousand stuff. I would save your money if you can't afford a good set right now. Any good glass is a once in life time purchase. Wouldn't waste my money on 200 or 300 dollar glass. Just my opinion.
If you can swing it, a bino from Swarovski, Zeiss, or Leica is definitely a step up from anything else imo.
I spent a lot of time looking through binoculars when it came time to replace my old Leupolds, and in the end I bought Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs. I liked them the best optically, and the ergonomics of the Swaros, especially for one handed use, was by far the best. The Zeiss and Leicas were close optically but the Swaro Els were a little snappier and crisp, especially at the edge of the field. Anything other than the big three was a definite step down in performance.
The service that Swarovski is famous for is nice too. I doubt I will ever need to buy different binoculars. Looking at it from that perspective the high initial cost is easier to take.
If you are going to be putting a lot of time behind binos that is where great optics shine. You won't get eye fatigue and you will enjoy the clarity. If you just use them once in awhile and for short periods of time go with the next quality level down.
I appreciate all the great input. I have noticed that no one has mentioned Steiner's. I had always heard that they built a great product but maybe that is not the case.
There's lots of good glass out there. I like my Eagle Optics Ranger SRTs. I paid just north of $200 for them, they have all the good stuff, waterprooof, and they have a lifetime warranty.
Another Swarovski fan. I've had and loved my 8 x 30's for about 15 years now. No desire for anything different. They are easy to carry, bring in plenty of light and I can glass for hours without eyes getting tired.
One of the best things I ever did was purchase a Bino Buddy strap system for my binos. No weight on the neck! :thumbsup:
That being said, there are lots of great binos out there that may work better for different things.
QuoteOriginally posted by BrownA5:
no one has mentioned Steiner's.
I had some a few years ago with a warranty issue, it wasn't a pleasant experience. I would never consider them in the future.
Kahles...8x30's......a division of Swarovski, but WAY less money......
QuoteOriginally posted by Russ Clagett:
Kahles...8x30's......a division of Swarovski, but WAY less money......
I was wondering if anybody was going to mention Kahles. I have a pair of 8X32's that I have had for 10-12 years and I really like them, They were a division of Swarovski at the time I bought them, but I do not believe that is the case currently. I also notice the 8X32 Binocs are now $400.00 more than what I paid, but I expect them to last a lifetime.
I think if money is not an issue the leica's are the best there is...but so far on my 3rd season and for basic usage for regional deer I'm very happy with the STEINER preditor pro's,,, I also had a warranty issue more of a question and they gave me a brandnew pair which has been fine.
how about leopolds US made,, any good?
QuoteOriginally posted by BrownA5:
I appreciate all the great input. I have noticed that no one has mentioned Steiner's. I had always heard that they built a great product but maybe that is not the case.
I have a pair of Steiners.......8X30 Predators, They are the best pair I have ever had. Clear, good field of view and just darn good. I use them with confidence all the time.
I own a pair of Meopta 10 x 42 HD's that I love. Meopta makes the Cabela's Euro binoculars and like someone stated above, they're very comparable to stuff that is 2 or 3 times the money.
I agree with Amar. I, too, use 8x32 Leica Ultravids. Not a better glass around in my opinion, but they are expensive. Vortex HDs are also very good glass. I have 8x32s because Leica doesn't make a 7x32 or 6x32, but I think the lower power may be a better choice for the northeast or upper great lakes, where the trees and brush are thick.
I spent a lot of years in Germany and they tend to be more single-sport focused than Americans. They don't buy a bass boat, a quad, a jet ski and all the other goodies we spend money on. Within their one sport, they tend to buy the best available. I had an opportunity to compare my East German (yeah, it's been a while) Zeiss binos with the Forester's Swarowskis. I was pretty impressed with the optical performance of my big Zeiss (the mechanics were a bit loose)but just at last shooting light, those 10x42 Swarowskis made my 8x50 glasses look shabby. Do I own Swarowskis now? No, but wish I could afford some.
When I bought new glass recently, I first narrowed the field down to those which would close enough to fit my very small interpupilary distance. My eyes are VERY close together. Then I looked for optical quality and mechanical stability (some of them were pretty easy to knock out of focus by just pressing them against my eye brows). Lastly I looked at price. Sadly, I had to put a couple back just because of price and wound up with some Nikon X glasses. Super glass for the price. Maybe some day Michigan will draw my number in the lottery and Swarowski here I come!
'Till then, I'm very happy with what I have.
I have had Leica, Swarovski, Zeis, Leupold. I think for all around use I liked the 8X30 SlC Swarovski the best. The 10X40 Leica is great but a little heavier, and I find myself not taking them when I am actually hunting that much.
For the price, the Leupold Yosemite is a good bino.
I really do enjoy my optics and miss them when I forget to take them with me.
I agree 100% with everyone who pointed out the value of Swarovski, Leica, zeis, ect. I've held all of these and they certainly are in a league of their own. However, many guys like myself will likely never be able to spend the $ on such fine optics. That said, I must say that Alpen makes one heck of an optic for the $$ and they are every bit as good a pair costing 3 to 4 times as much. They are also MADE IN AMERICA, which I admit, gets a few bonus points.
I think there are previous posts on this with even more info and recommendations...I love my Ziess. Pricey but every bit worth it, especially if you are glassing long distances and or with dark timber backgrounds.
My 2 centavos
JL :archer2:
I agree 100% with everyone who pointed out the value of Swarovski, Leica, zeis, ect. I've held all of these and they certainly are in a league of their own. However, many guys like myself will likely never be able to spend the $ on such fine optics. That said, I must say that Alpen makes one heck of an optic for the $$ and they are every bit as good a pair costing 3 to 4 times as much. They are also MADE IN AMERICA, which I admit, gets a few bonus points.
I don't know what you are planning to spend but don't over look the Minox Hg Br's from Germany. I've looked through them side by side comparing to Vortex, Bushnell Elite, Swaro SLC's, Zeiss Victories, and Pentax DCF ED's and they whipped em all. Great glass for around a 1k.
All of this input has been very helpful. Several have asked how I will be using the binoculars. Primarily they will be used for Deer , Turkey and waterfowl hunting, scoping.
I have Swarovski and they will be my Binos for life. Expensive but for a once only purchase then not so bad. THink of $100 per year for 25 odd years and it doesn't seem so bad.
Maybe it is best for the OP to decide on a budget and then people will be able recommend the best options.
I absolutely love my Leupold Yosemite 8x30's. Fairly compact, durable, awesome clarity and light. Fairly inexpensive.
I have wind rivers and like them but for hard use [continual and long term glassing] NOTHING BUT THE BEST I CAN BUY....Swarovskis for me!
Another +1 for Vortex Vipers.