Thread: What Binoculars are you using?

I'm wanting to buy my first pair of decent binos, and keen to hear what others are using.
I've done a fair bit of research and thinking I'll go for some 8x42 or 8x32.

It seems like 8x42 and 10x42 are the most common sizes for hunting, but I think the greater FOV of the 8x would be better suited to more hunting conditions, but I'm happy to be proven otherwises

Hunting the tops or the bush?

Originally Posted by rupert

Hunting the tops or the bush?

I'm hoping for a pair that can do both.
Realistically my shooting will be a mix of bush and open country and would be shooting 0-400m. I may shoot goats or other varmint a bit longer say out too 600, but that's getting a long way out.

I'd love a good pair of rangefinder binos but don't have $1500-$2500 to spend on them at this stage.

@Beetroot here's my take on Binos: I was very lucky to be blessed with great eyesight and natural spotting ability. Very ordinary binos did fine for me, I could out-spot anyone. Over time like I found, your eyesight too will deteriorate and you will be forced to buy better binos to compensate, so you might as well buy them now and shoot more game each year than you would with the poorer ones - meaning that they more than pay you back for the extra outlay.
Regarding magnification I have used 16 power Nikons (which I bought for reading eartags) for hunting with great success, a mates 15 power rangefinder leicas (impressive), 8 x 50 or60 east german jobs for hunting at night and now 10 power Swaro EL's. I wouldn't go below 10 power and in fact 12 would be fine. I don't need a big field of view because I am looking in the right place where I expect to see game, that is a big part of spotting game - looking at the country before you start glassing and saying to yourself 'where are the places that will hold game' and looking there.
What the Swaro EL and top leicas give you is colour definition and image sharpness, like R93 said the ability to see and identify a small piece of an animal like and ear or hoof.
They are expensive, so if at this point you can't justify that investment buy a pair of the top grade Deltas off Sarvo - I think around $400. They are not as good as the Leicas and the Swaros but they are better than all the in between binos that cost a lot more.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

I'm hoping for a pair that can do both.
Realistically my shooting will be a mix of bush and open country and would be shooting 0-400m. I may shoot goats or other varmint a bit longer say out too 600, but that's getting a long way out.

I'd love a good pair of rangefinder binos but don't have $1500-$2500 to spend on them at this stage.

My advice:
1. If you are not in a hurry, wait until the next Sika show. Go to the show and try every pair of bino's you can. You will be surprised at which ones you like best (I was, and it wasn't the $2k euro's)
2. Glass for glass, buy what best fits you and your face. The bino's I like and have purchased, my brother hates because they don't fit his face. The best glass in the world is of little use if its not comfortable when you are using them for hours at a time. Plus, poor fitting bino's will prevent you maximising the 'sweet spot' in the eye box, and this will result in loss of image clarity etc.
3. I find in interesting that no one here has recommended Leupold. When I did the rounds at Sika a couple of years ago, in the sub $1k glass and sub $500 glass, the best bino's for me were the Leupold's. Second best was the Nikon.


Personally I have Lecia 10x25's as my mini sized carry everywhere glass, they were $1k at the time of purchase and I haven't seen anything that will beat them in this compact size.
For my bigger glass (read more comfortable for longer viewing when sitting on a mound shooting rabbits but I wouldn't wand to carry them too far) I have a pair of Leupold 10x50HD BX-3's which cost me $656.76 landed https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....eck-out-34312/ Stunning bit of kit for the price.

Ive got both sizes,the 8x easier for quick look and they easy to find game with BUT the 10x arent much less easy and sure do make the positive ID and waay distant stuff clearer. good binos are the ducks nuts..crappy ones give you headaches and you end up using scope instead.

14 year old pair of Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs. Don’t see any reason to ever replace them. For me, good binos are far more important than other bit of kit for hunting.

Kowa Prominar 10x32s. Combination of light weight an good performance. Middle of the road price wise. Sold my Minox 10x44s. They were just too heavy to lug around the hills for days and have found the 10x32s a good compromise.
I also have Minox 8x25s for the bush.

+1 good Binos are a must and great investment. You can’t shoot what you can’t see.
I have two set ups, Bush and scrubby = 8x30 Zeiss, the Terra model. Cost me $350 2nd hand. Glass is very good, very light and small to carry. Use a Leica RF to go with these.
And for tops and big country Leica 10x42 RF binos.
Also have Bushnell Fusion 1mile RF binos, glass is very good, not quite euro standard but very useable and clear. Half the price of euro glass. Actually need to get around to selling these.

I use Nikon Monarch 5's 10x42

Vanguard ED2'S 10X42 is what i use, probably as good as you'll get for under $700 and as good or better than some 2x the price.
Plenty of reviews on line check em out yourself if you like.
Binos are a very personal choice that comes down to what works for you and your budget.
These were the best glass I could afford and a substantial upgrade from my dirty old bushnell bone collecters that were like looking through potatoes.
Actually started seeing animals before my mates for a change.
There is no 1 correct answer tonwhat binos you should buy, so try a few before you drop the pennies.

Leica 10 x 25

Originally Posted by xtightg

Leica 10 x 25

+1

dont look past the smaller ones, you do loose a few minutes at low light but they are so small they live in my pocket and can be fished out at any time. much lighter if your worrying about weight as well. i find you end up moving your head around a bit more than with the 10x42s rather than eye movement inside the picture (think that makes sense) being lighter they also make glassing for long periods more comfortable.

do have 10x42 leupold mackenzies but they live in the truck now

Originally Posted by xtightg

Leica 10 x 25

they are the best you will get for the bush and will still outshine some 8 or 10x42 binos

Originally Posted by 57jl

they are the best you will get for the bush and will still outshine some 8 or 10x42 binos

I think for bush work, 8 power is more than enough, 6x25 would be fantastic if you could find it.