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Thoughts on binoculars

I use them quite a bit while scouting and also while seeking out hot sign early season. I also use them quite a bit around the house. I was just out back a little while ago with the 8x25 Meopta looking at a large owl. I also think a set of binos are helpful in thick cover since you can peer into the brush and see a deer that would get lost in the bushes otherwise.

The nicest pair of binoculars I ever looked through were a midsize pair of Leikas. Man, I wanted those binos but they were about $1400.
 
I find myself carrying my binos into the woods every time I go. Love having them with me and seems like I’m always pulling them out. I have the maven b1 8x42. I really want to try some maven 8x30’s though.


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1simplemann said:
I would like a high quality MONOcular. I have the Vortex but I always end up taking my Swaro 10 x 42's. I dislike the weight but I can really see w/ them.
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I’ve had the same thought. I have a pair of Bausch and Lomb 7x42 that are a nice size, but they are roofs, and while they are amazingly crisp and you can practically see in the dark with them, all of that glass is heavier than a brick.
 
Buckhole75 said:
I always keep a set of Brunton Eternas in my truck and a set of Vortex in my pack Dont wont to be without glass I would rather go without a rangefinder
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I have a pair of the Brunton Eternas in 7x42. Great glass for the money. Heavy though. I don't usually hunt with them. Too bad they no longer make them.
 
I thought the Leica stuff was top notch when I checked it out (scopes are amazing too btw). If you really use your glass, that may be worth the money.

There is other nice glass too.

But my problem with such nice glass is I'm going to want to baby something like that, and binos aren't gear I want to have to look after.

In a lower price point, I liked the Steiner Predators. The 20mm range objective models were especially affordable but good to my eye once you got them lined up. In the 40mm range, the Nikon Monarchs were actually pretty decent for the price and I thought better than Vortex and Zeiss Terra when I checked them out some years ago, I don't know how they stack up now.

Personally, I haven't found I've really needed anything special for my use over a pair old Leupold Cascades, but the small Steiners have been an improvement in bulk/weight.

I'm mostly using them after the shot, scanning for blood or arrow fletches from the stand. It's been helpful especially in the evening when it's dark before I get down to track. Also, it helps me keep the details of what happened at the shot fresh in my mind.

I think you need the 42 objective for hunting scenarios where you're scanning blind or things are happening quick, but the smaller ones like 20, 24, 26 work well enough if you know where you are looking.
 
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I use them occassionaly. I just found my little Nikons I've been missing. Just enough without alot of weight.

Most hunts though......I don't carry them.
 
Plebe said:
I thought the Leica stuff was top notch when I checked it out (scopes are amazing too btw). If you really use your glass, that may be worth the money.

There is other nice glass too.

But my problem with such nice glass is I'm going to want to baby something like that, and binos aren't gear I want to have to look after.

In a lower price point, I liked the Steiner Predators. The 20mm range objective models were especially affordable but good to my eye once you got them lined up. In the 40mm range, the Nikon Monarchs were actually pretty decent for the price and I thought better than Vortex and Zeiss Terra when I checked them out some years ago, I don't know how they stack up now.

Personally, I haven't found I've really needed anything special for my use over a pair old Leupold Cascades, but the small Steiners have been an improvement in bulk/weight.

I'm mostly using them after the shot, scanning for blood or arrow fletches from the stand. It's been helpful especially in the evening when it's dark before I get down to track. Also, it helps me keep the details of what happened at the shot fresh in my mind.

I think you need the 42 objective for hunting scenarios where you're scanning blind or things are happening quick, but the smaller ones like 20, 24, 26 work well enough if you know where you are looking.
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Yes. Leica scopes are phenomenal. I bought one very reasonably a few years back brand new. It has the German #4 reticle in it, which I really like. I have a Zeiss scope also. Really good glass in a scope makes a huge difference.
 
Plebe said:
Anyone try Minox?

I have one of their scopes and love the glass.

I see they have some reasonably priced binos.
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No but I always wanted one of those little Minox spy cameras. Pure Cold War gold :)
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Yes. Leica scopes are phenomenal. I bought one very reasonably a few years back brand new. It has the German #4 reticle in it, which I really like. I have a Zeiss scope also. Really good glass in a scope makes a huge difference.
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I have a Zeiss Conquest 1-4 as a brush gun scope and even though it isn't a premium scope at all from them, it is crisp. I'm sure I could pick it apart comparing it to their full German production stuff or premium glass from other makers...that's the thing about glass.

There is what's flat out the best (build and optical quality) and then there are nice options where a few concessions are made.

My Minox is on the higher end, so probably it doesn't compare to their more affordable binos. Just like the Terra and Conquest series binos aren't going to be quite as good as the Victory line in Zeiss. But the lower level Minox scopes were well received so maybe the Minox binos are a decent buy, idk.
 
I like to have them but don't like to carry them. I like 8x for in woods and 10-12x for glassing open country. The bigger objective lens the better but obviously there is a tradeoff for size.

9 times out 10 whitetail hunting they stay in the truck. They just aren't necessary for close-range bowhunting from a stationary tree. More boredom relief than anything. Still hunting, absolutely I'm taking them.
 
Plebe said:
I have a Zeiss Conquest 1-4 as a brush gun scope and even though it isn't a premium scope at all from them, it is crisp. I'm sure I could pick it apart comparing it to their full German production stuff or premium glass from other makers...that's the thing about glass.

There is what's flat out the best (build and optical quality) and then there are nice options where a few concessions are made.

My Minox is on the higher end, so probably it doesn't compare to their more affordable binos. Just like the Terra and Conquest series binos aren't going to be quite as good as the Victory line in Zeiss. But the lower level Minox scopes were well received so maybe the Minox binos are a decent buy, idk.
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My Zeiss is a Conquest and the light gathering is amazing for a 40mm objective. There have been many times at last light that I have been able to see deer clearly through the scope when I could not see them at all with my unaided eye.
 
I've got a set of Nikon 10x (x50, I think) and another set of Leupold 10x (x32, I think) that are great and I like them a lot... but my cheapo Bushnell 8x are smaller, lighter, and have become my go-to. I'll acknowledge here that I'm primarily a woods hunter and am more interested in picking out detail within a few hundred (or dozen) yards than picking out critters on a distant ridgeline.
 
I got my first (somewhat) decent binos this year for a Theodore Roosevelt/Glacier/Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks trip with the family. We ended up picking up the Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32, 10x42, and 15x56. I was never a big bino guy before, but after using this admittedly lower end glass I find myself eying the Razor HD 8x42 or 10x42s. I will definitely be bringing the 8x32 or 10x42 Diamondback HDs with me on my hunts this fall. The 15x56s are amazing for the money, but definitely overkill in SE WI. They were great for seeing bison and wild horses on our trip.
 
For great light gathering I’ve found an optimal objective lens size around five times the power rating of the binocs works the best in most hunting conditions. There are always trade offs of course but for someone considering getting new binocs for the first time that’s a great rule of thumb. So 8x 42 or 7x35 etc.
 
OspreyZB said:
I've bought and sold a pile of binoculars over the last few years trying to figure out what works best for me in different situations. Everything from 8x20 to 18x56... $100 Leupold's to $2000 Leica's. Here's what's in the stable at the moment:

Leica Ultravid 8x20. These things are teeny tiny. They fit in the palm of your hand and weigh less than 9 oz, a true "pocket binocular". Build quality is second to none. They are truly a masterpiece of German design and no-nonsense engineering. Performance is 100% Leica. Tack sharp and bright with beautifully saturated colors and excellent contrast. Eye placement can be a bit finicky, as to be expected from a pocket binocular with a 2.5 mm exit pupil. The view is not "easy" but it is worth the effort. These are my EDC binos. They would not be my first choice for any kind of hunting (except maybe shed hunting?) due to there small exit pupil.

Leica Ultravid HD 7x42. A flawless binocular... You can't do any better than these for bowhunting whitetails in timber. Like their 8x20 little brother, the build quality is top notch, they have an industrial feel to them. 7x magnification gives you a wider, brighter image with better depth of field and less hand shake than 10x or 8x. Eye placement is as easy as it gets thanks to the large exit pupil and long eye relief. Low light performance and glare suppression are excellent. Contrast and color saturation is just legendary, and in certain lighting I can only describe the view as magical. These get the nod on nearly every hunt from September-January.

Cabela's Euro HD 12x50 (Meopta Meostar b1.1).
These are my "big eyes" for long range summer glassing. I've tried 15x56 and even 18x56, but prefer these 12x50 and a spotting scope. I'm considering letting these go and looking for a nice used Swarovski SLC 10x56 to replace them.

Optics are just like saddle gear, in that you can buy and try stuff (used), see what works best for you, and sell what doesn't for little to no loss. You just have to know what your looking at, and know a good deal when you see one. Rokslide, birdforum, and cloudynights forums are my go-to's, and there are some good deals to be had on eBay too.

If you're just hunting any deer, I could see how binos might be unnecessary. I want to know if the buck slipping out of the swamp with 3 minutes of shooting light left is a 120" or a 140". Good luck doing that with a rangefinder.


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If you’re looking to sell something in the 8X42, I’m interested and local to you! I had some small 6x25? I used as a kid in big woods gun hunting, central PA, and my old man had a nice set of Leica small ones that were 100 times brighter than whatever i had, look to be the same as what you have. I’ve never needed them my first 2 years in NJ, but have found some spots on new grounds this year where i really would like to glass some field edges or bedding areas across the hollow from a few spots. NJ has a lot more hunting diversity than people think, a reasonable amount of public, and some biggish woods in the northwest.
 
bigmike23 said:
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8.5 x 42s
I love them to death, but I don't bring them with me very often. Extra weight I don't need. I hunt nothing anymore but dense awful mountain Laurel and saplings. So by the time I see the deer they're often in range already.
As far as the quality they're of course spectacular, but I could have never bought them at full price.
I got them for a comical low price of 600$ basically brand new. Coworker bought them for a big hunt out west, then he found his wife slipped onto a banana other than his own. Divorce was ugly and needed all the money he could get. I told him all I could spare was 600 and he caved lol. They were still in the box untouched
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It wasn't your banana was it? LOL Great purchase. My Swaro's are crystal clear but heavy. I'm just like you. I dislike the weight. I carry mine to the woods because of the clarity. But if one ofthe high end companies made a monocular I would buy one in a heartbeat.
 
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