• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Binos

E

eightballwoody

Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
74
Ok. I’ve banged my head against this topic.

8x42 vs 10x42

I hunt in East Texas primarily. Brush hunting as some like to call it.

There are pros and cons for both. What say you guys when it comes to binoculars in the saddle?
 
Have used 10x42 for quite a while, always thought they were just about perfect. Vortex Diamondbacks are a nice balance in size and weight IMHO.

Sent from my SM-A526U1 using Tapatalk
 
I hunt SE OK primarily. It can be thick and it can be open. I have 8x32 and 8x42, they are more stable to look through for me than the 10s, especially if you are doing it unsupported by tripod or other structure or trying to find something in the brush quick.
Vortex Diamondback HDs I think. Need to get the eye cups on my 32s fixed.
 
crawford1775 said:
I hunt SE OK primarily. It can be thick and it can be open. I have 8x32 and 8x42, they are more stable to look through for me than the 10s, especially if you are doing it unsupported by tripod or other structure or trying to find something in the brush quick.
Vortex Diamondback HDs I think. Need to get the eye cups on my 32s fixed.
Click to expand...
Optics planet has the diamondbacks on sale for $170 right now
 
I'll take the 8x42 all day long for "close quarters" where I'm not glassing distance, I actually prefer 8x32 or 6x32... For glassing "big" distance I'm a fan of 10x50 or 12x50. It all comes down to light transmission, eye relief and ocular distance forgiveness, and physical weight/size. For whitetails I like a smaller pair of binos that is decent in low light and will allow me to determine objects and possible antler legality, etc.
 
With distances you’ve mentioned 8x42s would likely be fine. There are days I miss the 10x magnification of my vortex furys but they are few and far between. The 8x for here in Michigan are money, I’m not often looking over 200 and when I am it’s usually just scanning fields.
 
I’ve been looking at the maven C2’s. I think they’re like 12 ounces, just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
 
eightballwoody said:
Ok. I’ve banged my head against this topic.

8x42 vs 10x42

I hunt in East Texas primarily. Brush hunting as some like to call it.
There are pros and cons for both. What say you guys when it comes to binoculars in the saddle?
Click to expand...

If closer range low light hunting is a majority of your game, go with the 8X42’s. Since both have the same objective lens size, the slightly lower power of the 8’s will enhance your low light viewing. Typically anything with an objective lens size about five times the power will be a good low light binocular. If longer distance magnification seems to be a function you rely on more often every time you hunt, the higher power 10’s may fit the bill slightly better for you.
 
depends on your visible range, if you need the further distance go for a 10x but if your visibility is more limited, then 8x is fine and may save you some weight.
 
I use a pair of 10x32 Diamondback HD’s. They have been good for the money. I do sometimes wish I’d have went with 8’s instead of 10’s in the woods.
 
This season I’ve been using my middle of the road 8s over my high end 10s mainly because of easier target acquisition. It’s usually under 100 yards and just need to know the basics. I can see way more detail with the more powerful glass but I’m usually just taking a really quick look to see if it’s a buck or doe, coyote or Jake or Tom. I’m typically not needing to see how many points it has or too much detail.
 
Last edited:
My routine is unique. I use a thermal monocular to scan for deer. Once I locate a heat signal, that’s when I grab the binos. That’s kinda where I am in the process.
 
Exit pupil (the term for what woodsdog was discussing) matters a ton in terms of light transmission. An 8x42 is going to have a 5.25mm exit pupil, and a 10x42 is going to have a 4.2mm exit pupil. Exit pupil doesn’t matter a ton in bright light because a larger exit pupil is going to end up being larger than your pupil adjusted to bright light. During low light, as your pupil dilates, the larger exit pupil in the binoculars is going end up being able to send more light and a better image to your eye. Despite both objective diameters being the same and physically being able to collect the same amount of light, the 10x42s end up transmitting less light to your pupil and you end up losing out on detail.

There’s a limit to it based on the size of a human’s pupil (which gets smaller as you age), but all things being equal I’d take the binos with the larger exit pupil, particularly for hunting. I generally try to look for a 5mm exit pupil as it does a better job matching the size of your pupil in low light.

Obviously the quality of the glass matters, as does the type of prism in the binos.

For most whitetail applications, I’d recommend an 8x42. I have Maven B6 10x50s and I’m probably going to add a pair of the Maven B1.2 8x42s to the stable. The 10x50s are phenomenal, and when I’m hunting big ag fields and such they are great, but in the big woods VA hunting I now have to do the 8x42s probably make more sense.

I’ll say this about glass - you’re going to spend more money in the long run by buying cheap binos off the bat. Save for a while if you have to, but you’re better off buying a set of Maven B-series or Vortex Razors. Optical quality between the two I mentioned and something like the Diamondbacks isn’t even close.
 
I think it’s always tempting to always go for the higher magnification. I have 8x32’s and totally love them. The 10x binos are great too, but I feel I can see just as much as I need to with 8x, if not more. And the picture always looks so much nicer to me and there’s less shake with the slightly less magnification. For hunting I feel like 8x is the way to go, unless you’re hunting wide open western land then maybe you want higher magnification in that scenario.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top