Optic - What Binocs to Bowhunting.

[STUMP THUMPER]

I also have been looking to purchase a "better" of binos. I have Nikon, Leupold, Burris, Bushnell HD they all have there place but I still would like something better.
This year I had the opportunity to use 10x42 Swarovski's and Meopta Star 10x42 along with mine(We were looking for a deer I shot).
I didn't see any difference between the 2 other than the price tag. Swarovski's +$2500.00 and Meoptas at around $1000.00 I'll be purchasing the Meopta's.

[Chuck from Texas]

I have some Stiner 8/30s Military Marine model they can be had for about $200 I have had them for over 10 years. I have bino's with better low light performance and are much more expensive but I will always grab the Stiners because they are compact, they are light and their design gives them better depth of field than amy binos I have used. Having binos that do not require constant refocusing means I can hold my bow with one hand and glass with the other. They never fogg and never broke despite my constant efforts to break them.
Chuck

[Bowhunter4life]

I've got a couple of sets at the moment... recently purchased a set of Swarovski 8.5x42 EL's with a 2x Doubler.  Very nice setup!  Haven't hunted them yet, but I've sat in the backyard in the evenings comparing them to my Pentax DCF 10x42 (which is a great glass at any price...)... but the $'s spent show up when the sun starts going down.  Crisp, clear and gather light like nothing else I've looked through!  

I see me using the EL's for years to come...

[Terry Lightle]

Leupold for 20 years

[Buranurra]

I have Swarovski 10x 42 EL. I picked them up new on an auction site for $1300, but the regular price of around $2500 is only around $100 per year for the next 25 years    :D   I can't see myself ever parting with them or needing to upgrade.

[T Sunstone]

Bjorn
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   Icon 1 posted December 02, 2012 06:47 PM      Profile for Bjorn   Email Bjorn   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  I use 6x32 Leopold Katmai-great for picking out patches of fur hidden amongst the underbrush.


Great bind's I have a pair and love them.  Great price also.

[Loy]

Any of you woods/brush hunters who are thinking about a good set of 6x32's might want to check out the following discontinued models at Eagle Optics.

As mentioned earlier by Mojostick, they have the $500 Leupold Katmia 6x32's on sale for $300.

They also have the Vortex Viper 6x32's marked down from $549 to just $275.

Read the reviews, they are both excellent glasses.

[AWPForester]

I think to determine several things you got to play on a level field.  For your uses about any of the glasses mentioned will tickle you pink.  But knowing a few things ia important.

Hillbilly description for everyone to understand:

First, as stated here by several, you need to have an objective lens suited for you purposes.  If you are glassing far in lowlight situations, the compacts are inferior due to not being able to gather the light needed due to a smaller objective lens.  The reason for that isn't because of the name, it is because the smaller objective gets the ratio of objective/magnification lower, meaning it translates less light.  So to get glasses that transmit light, the bigger objectives are the key

Magnification affects light transmission the same way.  If you are looking through 42 mm objectives, an 8 power will seem brighter than a 10 power.  Because the 8 power has a higer objective/magnification ratio than the 10 power.  It doesn't justify anything other than crisp clear images are a direct function of light.  More light makes a better image.  However, you can tell better glasses from one another by comparing the 2 under same magnification side by side with the same objective, in the same situation.  This is the most common mistake people make when buying glasses.  They look through a buddies Liecas suited for the conditions, then look through a set of Nikon later in a different situation that may not suit them as well due to differences in magnification, or objective lenses, and claim their is no comparison.  all they are doing is falling afool of what they don't know.

Bino's are catered for specific needs and different coatings will equip different models and brands for specific things better.  A better light transmitter of one company may not be as clear as anothers, but be brighter under low light conditions.  That is where money comes in.  The difference in $2500 glasses and $200 bino's is not all name.  About 80 percent of it is, but not all.

A high dollar bino has a compromise of all coatings to deliver the best glass, because cattering to lght transmission to much causes clarity of image to suffer in that same glass.  So the Big brands put the big price tag on them because they compromise to get their glass just "perfect".  For all day use, this is where they are superior.  Less eye fatigue.  However, for our purposes, It is very rarely worth it if it is even true with so many great bino's available.  Mainly because the differences, if any, are so hard to see because a lot of cheaper brands are doing the same thing now.  And a bino that tranmits light well is what a hunter needs because it determines the crispness of an image more so than coatings.  You'll often hear many guys who buty the expensive brands make claims they are better for long range glassing not causing as much eye fatigue due to clarity.  I disagree.  Mostly because I've compared my Pentax to theirs in that situation, but also because long range spotting is just that.  If you are trying to analyze an animal that far, it is better handled by a spotting scope, not $2500 bino's.  

So to compare and find the best glass for you, you got to determine what you are going to be doing.  If up close and personal is your thing and only intent, you'd better buy compacts.  If you are out west all the time, you had better buy an 10 by 42.  If you have mixed needs, better go with a set of 8 by 42.  All styles have their benefit but weight comes with the bigger glass.  If you buy a 10 by 42 to look at 50 yards in the brush all the time it will not be long before you leave them home etc...  So buy appropiately.

To summerize, price can be an indicator but not always, but quality is inheritant in them all.  But compare them side by side on the same basis and make your decision after deciding what will fit your needs best.  Because a brand name is just that.  Remember,  America and Japan make as good as glass as the Germans or the Sweds, but their price is generally lower by a wide margin.  God Bless

[MnFn]

I used 8X30 SLC Swaro's for years. Then I traded
for a pair of 10X42 Leica's.

If I had to do it all over again I would stay with the 8X30 SLC. Good all around glass and not as heavy.
Gary

[Zbone]

Great responses, thanx much..
Will advise what I end up purchasing.

[amar911]

I have lots of Leica and Swarovski optics, and also have many of the less expensive brands. I can tell you that you do not need the most expensive glass to see game, but the cheap stuff is junk and most of the time is worse than nothing because it is just extra weight. Like some of the others here, my first really good pair of binoculars was the 8x30 SLC Swarovskis. I have taken those binos to Africa, Australia, South America, and all over the United States, and they do everything well.

I also have several pairs of binos in higher powers and with larger (or the same size) objective lenses. When you get into bigger objective lenses, you increase the weight and size of the binos significantly. There are situations where that increase is justifiable because the binos perform better for a particular use. With a 10 power bino, it is very nice to have the additional light entering the objective lenses, and most of my 10 power binos have 42mm objectives. One such pair of Leicas also has a built-in rangefinder, which is very nice under the right conditions. I also have some 10 power binos with 32mm objectives, which is great as long as I need the extra magnification but don't need low-light capability.

The best overall binos I have are my 8x32 Leica Ultravids, because they have fantastic optical quality, have great construction and are almost a compact bino in size -- the best of all worlds. The Swarovski 8x32 EL Swarovision binos are comparable. I have never liked hauling around more in the field or in my baggage than what I need to, and as I get older, I am even more adverse to extra bulk and weight.

I highly recommend buying the Leica or Swarovski binos (Zeiss binos are great too, but I don't like the way they are built as much), but most people have trouble paying that kind of money, either because they don't have it or because they don't feel the expense is worthwhile. Over many years of hunting, an expensive but outstanding bino pays for itself with the benefits it provides.

The Swarovski 8x32 and the Leica 8x32 are small, fairly light, and best in class. I don't think you can do better for most hunting situations. The 8x42 and 10x42 binos from Swarovski and Leica are fantastic too, but just significantly heavier and bulkier, so they are not my first choice, except where greater magnification or light-gathering is required. Some of the other binoculars are close to the Swarovskis and Leicas, and various people will say some are just as good or better. I have outstanding binos made in the USA and Japan, and optically they may be 90% of the Swarovski and Leica binos, but they are just not comparable in the combination of optical and build quality.

I really like my Vortex Vipers and my Burris Signature Selects, both of which are among the binos that I would classify as best buys in a mid-priced binocular. The Burris binoculars are no longer being made, but they were from Japan, like the Vortex. The Vortex Viper HDs are very well made, have good optical quality, are fully warranted with great customer service, and are priced for family guys who are paying many other bills and don't have a lot of extra cash sitting around. For an all-around binocular, the 8x32 Viper HD's are a great buy at $560, about what a pair of Swarovski SLC 8x30 binos cost twenty-something years ago before the big price increases. The Viper 6x32 non-HD binos can be purchased for $275 and the HD model can be found for $550. A 6 power bino is very good, but certainly not as versatile as an 8 power.

In a 42mm objective bino, the Vortex Razor is remarkable at about half the price of a similar Swarovski or Leica. Likewise, a Bushnell Elite that also hails from Japan is a very fine optical piece that sells for about the same price as the Razor and is well supported by its manufacturer. Both of these are a jump up in both optical quality and price from the Vortex Viper binos.

There are lots of choices out there, and lots of good choices. You can't miss with the top quality models, but you also may not be able to pay for them. I can go to my cabinet and pull out binoculars made by Leica, Swarovski and Vortex, and I can easily tell the difference between the two ultra-premium binos and the Vortex. I wish I could pay a fraction of the price for equal quality, but that just doesn't happen. The old maxim holds true: buy the best optics you can afford. Remember this. If you could get optics that are just as good as the most expensive ones for a lot less, the expensive ones wouldn't sell, especially in this day of internet information. I get by with older, less acute eyes these days, but if I could buy a younger, sharper pair, I darn sure would, regardless of the cost, as long as I had the money. New body parts simply can't be purchased as easily as a pair of binoculars.

Allan

[old_goat2]

I carry a 10x vortex monocular that fits in my pants pocket, I only need to be able to tell its an elk or a deer, I don't need to count points!

[Bill Kissner]

amar911 is correct in everything he said about binos. I too, have run the gamut on them from Japan to Germany and always fall back on my Swarovski 8X32's. They are a happy medium between the large and compact binoculars. I have some compact Leica's that I like better than my compact Swarovski's that I use when treestand whitetail hunting.

[Zbone]

Very informative amar911, thanx...

When you and others speak of the Bushnell Elites, is  the Bushnell Fusion considered as quality as the  Elites?

Thanx again...