Binocular Suggestions, Hunting this year was a pain with the one I had

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My parents have three pairs of the Canon stabilized binos. Two of the 10x30 and one 15x50. They use them to look at birds on their feeders. The farthest feeder is about 75 ft away. The Canon optics work great for that. My parents are in their 80's and little shaky, so the image stabilization is useful to them. I couldn't imagine taking those binos hunting, though. For the price the optics are awful, and they wouldn't last long since they're not waterproof. Kinda a neat gadget, though. Based on Canon's mid-90's camcorder technology.
 
There are some who live and hunt in regions where long hours of glassing is necessary, thus the need for high quality glass and tripods. Then there are those who hunt from tree stands or blinds, thus any inexpensive pair that doesn't produce double vision, will do fine.

But true glassing can only be performed from a tripod, and absolutely requires quality glass.

GS
 
In 1989 my dear sweet wife gave me a Swarovski 7x42 Armored binocular for my birthday. I had been using a much less expensive binocular for years. Due to several factors plus eye fatigue, I was finally displeased to the point I was looking for improved glass.

Since receiving the Swarovski binocular, I have used it in all kinds of weather and terrain, hunting, scouting, and just general outdoor glassing. Today, 24 years later, it is still as problem free as the day my wife gave it to me. Rain, sleet, snow, dust, high temperatures and low, being dropped a couple of times, my falling several times with it strapped on my chest, some pretty rough abuse, and it is still clear and bright.

I've used it all over the Sierra in Calif., and the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, plus the high desert country of northern Nevada and southwest Idaho. The 7x42 power is all I've ever needed... and I've killed a lot of game.

In my opinion, save your money and buy a top end binocular and if you take reasonable care of it, it'll last you a life time. The brightness and clarity will reward you with great viewing of game out in the field without giving you eye fatigue.

Just my take on buying a new binocular.

L.W.
 
Thanks Everyone,
Interesting reading the various options. Do like what I see from Leupold and Nikon in the $300-400 range.
Didn't make it to the store to try some hands on, but hope to tomorrow. Will keep all th good advice in mind!
 
Check out the Pentax.
Around five years ago I wanted a good binocular and bought the Pentax 8x42 DCF HRII.(now discontinued)
Fantastic binoculars on par with glass costing twice or more than the $300 these retailed at.
 
Nikon 12 x 50

I love them, crisp, clear. They come in handy at dusk and dawn with the 50 mm. Not to expensive, not to big, not to much weight.

Just my 2 cents
 
I purchased the Nikon Monarch 3 - 10x42 just 2 weeks ago. I had been using Bushnell 10x42 auto focus and after using the Nikon's on my trip to the woods last week, My Bushnells are for sale. I think I spent right at $300 on the Nikons and it was well worth it. I have a friend that has a pair a swavarski's that are wonderfull but I can't pay over $1000 for binoculars and stay married.
 
Best part about me buying my Swaro's, it's been over 30 years now, and they are worth used, just about what i have into them when new!

Seems like a pretty good deal to me...

DM
 
Myu favorite hunting pair of binoculars are Brunton Epochs they rank right up there with all the high end binoculars but cost somewhat less. $1000 to $1500 but they have a great Halo warranty. Lifetime they will fix or replace them if lost, stolen or broken.

For somewhat less around $250 Vortex makes a reasonable binocular. I purchased one for my son in law's birthday.

Stay away from Cannon "all weather" image stabilized binoculars. While I like the Image stabilized part the "all weather" is a bunch of whooey. I got caught in a rain storm when they were less than a year old and I sent them back because of the fog in them. They told me they would fix them for $1568. Needless to say I don't purchase anything Cannon.

Good luck on your choice. The more you spend the better you get.
 
I have been very impressed with the Zen-Ray ED3 8x43 binoculars. I did a lot of research before buying them and almost bought a pair of Zeiss binoculars, but all the reviews said they were very good bang for the buck. I've used them in low light conditions with no problems. They are on par with my Zeiss rifle scope in low light. I recall reading that 8x binoculars with very good optics will out perform 10x or 12x with cheaper optics every time. I've found that to be true in my personal experience.
 
Binoculars are like so many other pieces of equipment we buy for hunting, but maybe even more so. The more you pay the better the binoculars will be. I would stick with name brands and expect to pay $500 or $600 or maybe even more, for a decent pair of glasses. I'm speaking of manufactures like Leica, Swarovski, Zeiss, & Steiners. If I was the kind of person to always spend the least amount of money possible I'd look at Leupolds or Nikons or something like that. I have four pair of binoculars and use a small pair of Nikons that I keep in my hunting pack, but my son's Leica's are so much better than mine. He paid almost $1300 for those binoculars and his thought was once you buy them and pay for them you have them for the rest of your life, and they are close to the best you can own. The real difference in binoculars comes into play after the sun goes down and just before the sun comes up. that is when good binoculars make a difference. One thing to keep in mind, usually the much better , more expensive binoculars are also heavier. Not the best thing to hang around your neck, that is the reason I've hung on to the small, light weight Nikons I use. Sometimes you have to compromise...
 
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An excerpt from my book on field glasses:

These are paragraphs cut and pasted, not in the order that they appear in the context of the books chapters.

Well, objective diameter is only part of the formula. There is a little calculation to determine exit pupil size. The exit pupil is what delivers light to your eye. About 6mm of exit pupil will deliver the most light your eye can absorb. How do we determine exit pupil? If you divide the objective diameter of your lens by the power setting on your scope you will have the "exit pupil" size. For example a 3-9X40 scope with the power set to 3 will have a 13.3mm exit pupil diameter. The same scope with the power set at 9 would have a 4.4mm exit pupil.
8 X 32 field glasses have an exit pupil of 4
8 X 42 field glasses have an exit pupil of 5.25
10 X 42 have an exit pupil of 4.2
10 X 50's have an exit pupil of 5

These are all close to the magic number of 6 for the light gathering.
There are two thoughts here on Binoculars, one is to have a pair you can clearly judge trophies with and the other is a pair you can find game with. You mean they are not the same thing?

Well let's pick out some numbers here that will be easy to follow along with. Let's say that the average distance you will be glassing will be between half and one mile. Or better yet let's use 800 yards. 880 yards is a half-mile but if we round it off to 800 the math will be easier to follow. With 10 power binoculars the animal you're looking at seems to be 80 yards away when viewed at 800 yards. With 8 power glasses he would appear to be at 100 yards. The animal, which is a half-mile away only, seems to have a 20-yard or sixty-foot difference with the 8 power versus the 10 power. At one mile away there is a forty-yard difference, at 200 yards there is only a 5-yard difference.

What does this mean to us? Well as you probably know the more magnification you have in optics the more difficult it is to hold them steady. With that in mind the 10 power glasses will be more difficult to steady in your hands then the 8 power glasses are, maybe much more. Depending upon your pulse, the wind, and your anxious mind set when closing the gap to your target.

Even if you have the highest quality glasses made in ten power, if you cannot hold them steady, the clarity will not help your unsteady hold. The 8 power glasses are much easier to see through with some movement and you only lose the little bit of magnification as mentioned above. The light gathering is also shown above and from that you can see that the 8X32 and the 10X42 have almost identical exit pupils. The 8X32 glasses are much smaller and user friendly to the hunter as well.

In Africa when your hunting with a professional hunter your binoculars are a burden at times and the PH will have a set to judge trophies with anyway. I think it is best to carry a set of compacts or none at all while in many hunting situations. It is a good idea to have a set of quality glasses for extended viewing in certain wide-open areas in the Eastern cape, the Free state or in Namibia. It is also nice to have a pair of glasses with you for general sight seeing and wildlife viewing. When your actually the one with your reputation on the line as is a PH or even an American hunting guide, the full size 10 power glasses really come into play because there is no margin for error on your clients trophies. I use 10X42 Leica's for my job, but have a tripod adapter to lock them in and hold them steady. For my personal hunting I use a pair compact 8X32 Kahales.

I see no use for "zoom" binoculars, or more then 10 power. I don't care how fantastic the optics are. If you cannot hold 12 power dead steady then they will not help you find that third point to make a legal buck, or to count the growth rings on a Sheeps horns to see that it's legal. That is the use of a spotting scope. Remember too that you spend lots of time looking through field glasses, but only a moment to look through a rifle scope. Consider the amount you invest in both. You only need the scope to shoot for the seconds you're looking through it. You're not studying or scouting for game with a rifle scope

Just as using a Rifle scope as a way of scanning the terrain is a huge and unethical mistake. Never point a gun at things your not going to shoot. That is the job of binoculars. I spend many hours a day looking through Binoculars. Without out good optics I would get a splitting headache having my brain work overtime to sort out the blurry or differential view for each eye. If you are only going to use them a couple hours a day you can get away with much less.

When you're using them to study a deer to see it's legal or worthy of your hunter to shoot it, or studying a bears hide to see that it's not rubbed for your clients trophy. Trying to see if the tips are broken or Broomed on a big Bull Gemsbok. the quality of optics is critical.

With all this being said, the difference between a 500 and 1000 dollar set of glasses has narrowed a whole bunch in the last decade. Since the Chinese have begun to build glasses now for many of the bigger companies to their design and with their specifications the prices have dropped. Ziess Makes a set of glasses now with chinese construction. You can get a great set of glasses now in the 500 dollar range. Glasses that would have been 1200 bucks 10 years ago.
 
Thanks JJhack,
Well put together and appropriate post. I liked your comments about the 8x vs the 10x.
Get your point about the scope versus bino's as well. Good point for everyone to remember. If you plan to shoot long range competition, spend money on the scope otherwise get something that is good enough.

Oldfoutyfive, I am leaning strongly towards Vortex already.
Was in comparing Nikon's Monarch 5's and the Leupold BX-3 to the Vortex Talon. For roughly the same money (especially with sales or rebates) The Vortex wins hands down.

Coming down to Vortex Viper or Talon. The Vipers are a bit better but I like the slightly larger size of the Talon's, A bit easier to handle for my larger hands.

Thanks again to everyone else. I did follow most of the links and looked up your suggestions.
 
Canon

was skeptical about the reports I'd heard and read on the image stabilized Canons. I now own not only the 10x30s for all-around use, but I have a 15x50IS for stargazing. Outstanding night binos, but big and heavy. The 10x30s are just right for field use.
Click to expand...
Absolutely.
I a set of Canon 10x30 IS binos. The optical quality is superb. They are durable and useful under quite extreme field conditions.
I have a dozen sets of binoculars - from inexpensive Bushnell 7x35s to a set of Swarovski EL 10x42s. Binos objectives from 30mm to 100mm....
The ones I grab most often as I go out the door are the Canon IS.
You look at something, press the button and the image just stops moving.
As to being waterproof...I had mine on a ten day boat trip down the Amazon River, a place where it has been known to rain a bit...lots of time in small boats...no problem with the Canons.
I also own a set of IS binos by Fujinon....14x40s. They are larger and heavier tha the Canons and more than twice the price. Great optics. Designed for marine use, they have an even greater ability to stabilize - you can take them on to a small boat and use them and have a stable image....and they are waterproof.
I see that Nikon has a set of IS binos on the market at 12x32 and 16x32. I am tempted. The reviews are good. Waterproof.
Pete
 
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If we consider the most used and needed items as hunters field glasses have to be at the top of the heap. No clothing item or boots although critical are equal. They are known wear items which will be replaced. Rifles should last a lifetime, but let's face it, sportsman are fickle and change their minds or collect lots of guns. Knives are a good example of something kept and used for decades, much like binoculars.

The point is, making the investment in good optics will last you a lifetime. It's the one item although expensive that if you scrounge up the money in your 20s they will still be used in your 60s probably your 80s!

I have a very expensive pair of European glasses. They are pushing 30 years old. As good today as the day I bought them. Under close examination there is dried blood in the nooks and crannies, dirt from across Alaska, Canada, many African countries, the mountains of Asia, the mountains of it Itialy France Germany etc.

When I look around at all the other hunting things I have today, there is not a single other piece of hunting equipment or clothing that I had when I bought these. It's hard to justify a big chunk of cash on binoculars. You can buy cheaper now, then again in 6-10 years and again in 15-20 years etc. the amount will be the same, but you will never have had the quality! Or buy a great pair now and your set for life.
 
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I use a set of Leupold Mojave-3's in 10x50. Optic quality is absolutely excellent. They are a little heavy and kinda big, but it's a trade-off. I got them for less than 1/2 price in the Cabelas bargain cave. If I were just buying normally, I'd have gotten something in maybe 8x42. Would be a little smaller.

I would REALLY suggest a good bino harness. I have one from Cabelas that has hoods over both ends. Makes carrying them quite easy and comfortable. Use them for deer hunting in the midwest, but particularly for pronghorn and PD's out west.

I hated paying that for binos until I used them in Montana. All the other guys on the trip ended up using them at times
 
Brunton Echo 10x42 binoculars are a good value, as are the Vortex line. Leupold of course as well. I hunted with Swaroski 8x30 loaners a couple of years ago and except for weight, they had nothing on the Bruntons. Good customer service from Brunton as well.
 
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