Better low-light binos?
- Thread starter Hodaka
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8x is a good call for light transmission. That being said the lowest priced one I would go with would be the Nikon Monarch binocs. I have a pair of these and they are pretty good at low light. The price was about $240 I think. Good value and a decent product.
I just bought a pair of Nikon Prostaff 7's and they seem fantastic compared to a lot of higher priced ones I looked thru at Cabelas. They seemed like the best bang for the buck from my research and were only 259$. They also seemed very easy and comfortable to look thru as well.
Nice! I think I actually tried these out at WSS in Spokane. Maybe I can find these around here to compare to mine - they were super sharp, too.
Red Herring
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- Victopia BC
I'm in the same boat, and am looking at Vortex Dimondback 8.5X50. Seem like the larger objective is very good in low light. They run around $250 if you can find them.
I have bought Vortex HD for around $600 in middle of my hunt season cause my old one broke. it was very clear and was better than leupold HD series that were more $$.
Love them for its affortable price!
Oh you live in nelson! im here in trail and if you wanna meet up to test the vortex HD let me know! I am currently thinking of getting Leica rangefinder Bino so might talk to you for some trade or whatever.
Love them for its affortable price!
Oh you live in nelson! im here in trail and if you wanna meet up to test the vortex HD let me know! I am currently thinking of getting Leica rangefinder Bino so might talk to you for some trade or whatever.
it's a trade-off- the bigger the objective lens, the better it will be in low light- however, that big bell at the end of the tube makes it clumsy as hell and adds weight - that's why you don't often see hunting rifles and binoculars with objectives of 50 mm or more- sure, they used to use 10 or 20x50 on ships , but these were not worn for extended periods of time or mounted - you've got a pretty good set up in a 40 mm range , and going to a 50 won't improve your low light much, provided the coatings and light transmissions are the same- i've used an old carl wetzlar 8x42s for years( they're about 1975 vintage) and they have yet to let me down
yup ol mr Carls in 70-80's are still very top quality for what its worth. some are still very crisp and better than most other low, mid range binos.
I personally use 10x42 for hunting bino since that will be plenty enough for any range you will be poking holes at a game.
longer ranged bino are so hard to see at close range and kind of have to make your bino stationary to see it clear.
I personally use 10x42 for hunting bino since that will be plenty enough for any range you will be poking holes at a game.
longer ranged bino are so hard to see at close range and kind of have to make your bino stationary to see it clear.
My 7 x 50 Bausch & Lomb just about maximize light gathering and exit pupil at 7 mm.
The 8 x 42 are just over 5.2 mm. They are a binocular you could sit behind for long periods.
There may be better but price wise these will be in the ball park of many.
Much like buying grain . . . Cheaper oats can be had but they have been through the horse once!
The 8 x 42 are just over 5.2 mm. They are a binocular you could sit behind for long periods.
There may be better but price wise these will be in the ball park of many.
Much like buying grain . . . Cheaper oats can be had but they have been through the horse once!
Wow, lots of replys today. I ended up grabbing a set of Leupold BX3 Mohave 8x42 today. Looked through them and some Minox, the Minox were comparable to my Bushnell - similar price, too. The BX3 are great! Used them hunting tonight - very happy. They are far more resistant to fogging from my breath when I have my balaclava on, too.
If you want maximum light transmission you need at least a 7mm or 8mm exit pupil BUT it also depends on the quality of the entire optic and not just the coatings.I have seen optics with a 5mm exit pupil which were brighter than those with a 7mm exit pupil. You also get a much better quality optic for the money in a porro prism design but sacrifice size and weight.
Divide the objective lens size by the magnification to determine the exit pupil. A bigger exit pupil is more light being brought to the eye. All else being equal (quality of glass, coatings) a scope or binos with a bigger exit pupil will be better in low light than one with a smaller exit pupil (up to a point), but if there isn't much difference in this size the quality of glass and/or coatings could allow the smaller one to equal or surpass the lower quality optic.
I said above "up to a point". That point is probably 7mm which is the typical maximum dilation of the human pupil adjusted to darkness. That is why 7x50, 8x56, 9x63 are often the spec for "night" glasses, especially 7x50 because most people can't hold a binocular steadily enough for prolonged viewing with more power - their hands shake and with higher magnification it becomes more apparent. Magnification over 7x is more popular now, partly because most people don't know this rule and 8x sounds better than 7x, and 10x or even 12x even better. With modern lighter materials the shake probably isn't as bad and you can get away with something over 7x, but how much more depends on the user and the quality of the equipment.
But for brightness also note that as we get older our pupils don't dilate as much. E.g. for most of us in our 40s 5mm will be the maximum that our pupils dilate to so although a 7x50 bino is actually brighter, we older guys won't see it as any brighter than a 7x35 and might as well have the benefit of the more compact instrument.
I have a couple of older 7x50mm Bushnell porro prism models I like well enough but they are bulky and pretty heavy in the case of one, a rubber armoured marine model with built in compass, so I normally use a Minox roof prism 6.5x32mm which is lighter, more compact, and has better glass and coatings than either of them. I'm 49 and have seen other indicators that my eyes aren't what they used to be.
I said above "up to a point". That point is probably 7mm which is the typical maximum dilation of the human pupil adjusted to darkness. That is why 7x50, 8x56, 9x63 are often the spec for "night" glasses, especially 7x50 because most people can't hold a binocular steadily enough for prolonged viewing with more power - their hands shake and with higher magnification it becomes more apparent. Magnification over 7x is more popular now, partly because most people don't know this rule and 8x sounds better than 7x, and 10x or even 12x even better. With modern lighter materials the shake probably isn't as bad and you can get away with something over 7x, but how much more depends on the user and the quality of the equipment.
But for brightness also note that as we get older our pupils don't dilate as much. E.g. for most of us in our 40s 5mm will be the maximum that our pupils dilate to so although a 7x50 bino is actually brighter, we older guys won't see it as any brighter than a 7x35 and might as well have the benefit of the more compact instrument.
I have a couple of older 7x50mm Bushnell porro prism models I like well enough but they are bulky and pretty heavy in the case of one, a rubber armoured marine model with built in compass, so I normally use a Minox roof prism 6.5x32mm which is lighter, more compact, and has better glass and coatings than either of them. I'm 49 and have seen other indicators that my eyes aren't what they used to be.
