Thread: What Binoculars are you using?

Vortex Viper HD 8x40
Had these for a little while and I’m very happy , they replaced an old pair of Kahles that I had for years.
Not the most expensive by any means, but very usable and good in low light ,comparable to my old Kahles in that regards , which either shows how much cheaper binoculars have improved or how good the Old glass was back then .

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.co...binoculars.php

Originally Posted by Shearer

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.co...binoculars.php

What a strange review..... somehow the binos he rates at 83% overall win the main category... despite there being others much higher, and then (surprise surprise...) another pair from the same manufacturer wins the compact category despite being rated lower than others also... seems like a case of the manufacturer and reviewer being in each others pockets...

I have to agree with some of what @R93 said here. I never bought into the "alpha glass" thing and always thought the various middle of the road binos I had were as good as glass could possibly be anyhow, but since having a pair of ELs I have picked up heaps more animals even in bright daylight than I ever did before. Have had the same situation several times where you're trying to point out an animal and getting frustrated because the other person cant find it... have a look through their binos and yea.. literally cant see it. One situation in particular just went for a quick glass up Mount Hutt after work one evening in the summer and I picked up a few deer, out on a scrubby rocky slip, ranged them at 2100yds, there were two others with me that had $1000+ binos (I wont go into brands etc to avoid a pissing contest..) and I literally could not see those deer full stop, these were both the type of binos I used to think were "as good as binos can be anyhow"
I'm not a wealthy man by any means and I would really struggle to buy a pair of alpha binos again, but that's the beauty of them, I have them now and really dont think I will have any need to buy another pair for a very long time. I think they are the most important part of your kit if you're serious about hunting, more important than any rifle or scope or fancy stupidly expensive camo clothing. Have seen guys waiting at the chopper pad in head to toe Kuiu, fancy custom rifles etc, and then they have a pair of middle of the road binos hanging around their neck and I think to myself damn....priorities bro..

Buy once cry once - Swaro 8 x 32 EL's, awesome binos & will do everything you need & want

Originally Posted by Philipo

Buy once cry once - Swaro 8 x 32 EL's, awesome binos & will do everything you need & want

This
I used 10x for years guiding until I looked through Phil's 8x binos I would never go back, tops or Bush makes no difference ya just find way more animals.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

This
I used 10x for years guiding until I looked through Phil's 8x binos I would never go back, tops or Bush makes no difference ya just find way more animals.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you find more animals with 8x over 10x? @BRADS

Originally Posted by hotsoup

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you find more animals with 8x over 10x? @BRADS

I reckon it comes down to field of veiw mate but really no idea
We did some testing on the tops a couple of years ago with @Philipo and other 3 hunters
8x 10x and 15x all el Swarovski
We all found more animals with the 8x binos than the others even at over 1500 yards where the 15x should of shined.
Probably a personal thing like brands as much as anything but I'd never go back to 10x myself

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Originally Posted by hotsoup

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you find more animals with 8x over 10x? @BRADS

Maybe you take them more often because they are lighter and less bulky. If I were buying again 8x30 instead of 10x42s all the way

Originally Posted by hotsoup

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you find more animals with 8x over 10x? @BRADS

I think that argument is a personal thing too depending on how YOU like to glass, I personally cant stand using 8's, feel like I'm too used to 10's and I get really bad eyestrain trying to compensate for less magnification, it's not like you're going to miss an animal using 10's that someone would pick up using 8's, you're still going to cover the exact same ground with them, in saying that I wouldn't go much higher mag than 10x as when you start searching for animals at over 2000yds holding them still starts to become a challenge. Watch some of those american blokes hunting elk and Mule deer and they will use binos just to get a feel for the lay of the land then sit down with a 60x or even 80x spotting scope and spend hours picking the whole landscape apart looking into every little book and cranny and shadow and its pays off for them. Another thing I have picked up from YouTube etc is running your binos on a tripod - amazing the difference a real steady rest makes, you can glass all day no worries

I've gone through about 6 pairs of highend euro binos over the past 3 years @Ryan_Songhurst lol, but I've now settled for a pair of 50 year old Zeiss 6x30 porros. At the top end, I don't think glass quality has changed much throughout the years. Coatings and waterproofing have improved substantially, but build quality has been dropping like a stone. Even in the $3k plus range - they feel cheap compared to the older stuff which were made like swiss watches.

Every model has its niggles, no matter how much you spend. And my current old farts, while offering more field of view, and a more 3 dimensional image, aren't as impervious to weather.

I've had a Zeiss Victory FL which had the plastic logo fall off. Leica Geovid HD B with a squeaky hinge. Had a Swaro EL 8.5x42 with quite a lot of ghosting (image goes hazy) in bright light conditions (whereas Leica and Zeiss have better stray light control).

Nothing's perfect.

If I was going to do it again, I'd buy a pair of brand new Swarovski Habicht 10x42's. They're freakin amazing image quality wise and the build quality is fantastic. Better than any roof prism bino I've looked through. $1500 rrp. However, they lag behind in ergonomics and won't suit people who wear glasses (not enough eye relief).

Leica Geovid HD-R 10x42 2200 version.

My best hunting purchase to date, simply outstanding piece of kit.

I really like my 10x42s EL's BUT for what they cost the lens covers are quite simply a shit design. Lost 3 sets already and given up replacing them.
If I were buying again I might consider 8x instead as 10x are quite heavy round your neck and the lens covers fall off. I don't use a bino bivy as I am carrying enough stuff.

However after suffering a cheap pair of binos for 20+ years now the animals seem to look like they are "highlighted"thru the El's.

8 x 42 Swaro SLC's - love them and a great all rounder

Originally Posted by mikee

I really like my 10x42s EL's BUT for what they cost the lens covers are quite simply a shit design. Lost 3 sets already and given up replacing them.
If I were buying again I might consider 8x instead as 10x are quite heavy round your neck and the lens covers fall off. I don't use a bino bivy as I am carrying enough stuff.

However after suffering a cheap pair of binos for 20+ years now the animals seem to look like they are "highlighted"thru the El's.

I’ve had the same problem with my Leica’s lost the end caps easily and are quite bulky, especially when I spend +80% of my time bush hunting deer. Tahr, Chamois and quad bike or big open country its a different story that’s when the Geovid’s or Swarovski equivalent rule.
If I had some spare coin a nice small CL 8x25 Swaro’s would be nice for doing the bush hobbit thing.