binos??

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xcaribooer

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I want to get myself a set of binos for xmas. I have a not bad set of 8x so I was thinking something in 12x50 for open country hunting. The bushnell Legend 12x50 goes for about $300 which is right in my budget. any experience with these ?any others i should consider in this price range?thanks
 
Just my opinion, and others will disagree, but 12X binocs pretty much need to be used with a tripod because the higher power magnifies your hand shakes. 10X would be as high as I would go, and I actually prefer 8X for my hunting.
 
that's right- 10x is about as high as you ever want to get in a hand-held, and with only a 50mm objective, your field becomes so small its almost useless- plus the weight - this is what makes the 7x50 or 8x40 so popular- you get a good magnification without sacrificing too much field of view and the weight is managable- go up to 10x in a 50mm and you'll find yourself wanting a suspension system(bird watchers use them) rather than a strap, for both weight and steadiness- as you increase power in a given objective lens, your field of view becomes narrower and your weight goes up as well- an extreme example of this was the old"u-boat" binocular- which came i n 20x50- real long barrels - real good for making out detail like ships names at a distance but you can't see what's beside it b/c of the field of view- most of this information is on the net, but i grind lenses for wild - and they make theodilites
 
Scott_N said:
Just my opinion, and others will disagree, but 12X binocs pretty much need to be used with a tripod because the higher power magnifies your hand shakes. 10X would be as high as I would go, and I actually prefer 8X for my hunting.
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No disagreement here! :agree:
 
t-star said:
that's right- 10x is about as high as you ever want to get in a hand-held, and with only a 50mm objective, your field becomes so small its almost useless- plus the weight - this is what makes the 7x50 or 8x40 so popular- you get a good magnification without sacrificing too much field of view and the weight is managable- go up to 10x in a 50mm and you'll find yourself wanting a suspension system(bird watchers use them) rather than a strap, for both weight and steadiness- as you increase power in a given objective lens, your field of view becomes narrower and your weight goes up as well- an extreme example of this was the old"u-boat" binocular- which came i n 20x50- real long barrels - real good for making out detail like ships names at a distance but you can't see what's beside it b/c of the field of view- most of this information is on the net, but i grind lenses for wild - and they make theodilites
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Think you are a bit confused t-star........objective lens size has virtually nothing to do with field of view. Larger objective lenses typically offer better light transmission but field of view has everything to do with design and magnification and virtually nothing to do with objective lens size.

It's a pretty common misconception though......
 
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i've got a leupold 8x42, and my cousin has a cheapo something like 15x90...they're monsters. anyway, i can see more with mine-less shake and with the superior optics the view is crystal clear. if you do go higher magnification don't skimp on the lens quality, otherwise you'd be better off with a lower powered unit with superior lenses! just my experience..

matt
 
binocs

For a middle of the road set, try the smaller Nikons.....not too heavy and pretty good optics....
I also have a set of Swarovski Habicht 8 X 30's...superb optics but very very expensive and wearing them around my neck in the field all day I find them too heavy...
A set of compact Nikons will fit most upper hunting jkt. pockets...the Swarovskis will not..
 
thanks, thats why I ask this stuff here.:)
Makes sense about not really wanting to go more than 10x.

I think I read somewhere once that Jack oconnor reccomended a set of 8x &12x binos and a 20x spotting scope as things a hunter should have.
probally why this stuck in my head.
I think I will look at the 10x50 bushnell legends.
thanks
 
I agrre 100% with what members said on power, I had a pair of Minox one 10by 52 and 12by 52 both new I am sorry I sold the 10x as the 12s are two hard to hold, must be on rest of some sort, Minox are above your budgeted price but maybe you should email Doug at Cameraland to see what he might have in Minox they are some fine glass for money.
 
hard to find

I know bigger is better, but I find 6x30s to be ideal. For close on a century, this was the military standard throughout the western world, giving adequate magnification, great field of view, light weight and compact size. An exit pupil of 5 or so is great for daytime viewing. No one makes these new, but lots of great quality binocs can be found in this style.
 
xcaribooer said:
thanks, thats why I ask this stuff here.:)
Makes sense about not really wanting to go more than 10x.

I think I read somewhere once that Jack oconnor reccomended a set of 8x &12x binos and a 20x spotting scope as things a hunter should have.
probally why this stuck in my head.
I think I will look at the 10x50 bushnell legends.
thanks
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A couple other things to consider is what will you be using them primarily for and how old you are. Age is an important consideration because as we get older, our eyes cannot deal with the slight shake at higher magnification as well as younger eyes can. I used to love 10x bino but now cannot look through them for exteded periods of time and actually spot far more with my 8x binos because I can see through them better and use them for longer periods of time.

As for objective lens size, this basically determines how much light is transmitted to your eyes. As a general rule, binos with larger objective lenes appear brighter than ones with smaller objective lenses. There are many other factors that can come into play here including the quality of the glass but all things being equal 10x50 binos will be brighter than 10x30s. While light transmission is not all that critical in the mountains, it can be very important in heavy bush or if you are hunting species that typically only come out to feed at last light. The big trade off with large objective lenses is size and weight.

Lots of things to consider before laying your hard-earned cash down.
 
Think you are a bit confused t-star........objective lens size has virtually nothing to do with field of view. Larger objective lenses typically offer better light transmission but field of view has everything to do with design and magnification and virtually nothing to do with objective lens size.
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This does seem to be a common mistake that people make when choosing either scopes or binoculars.Take a look at the link below to see for yourself.The 10x32s actually have a larger field of view than the 10x42s.

http://www.swarovskioptik.at/index....44843491&techInfo=1&detail=us0&produktname=EL
 
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bigstickpilot said:
I know bigger is better, but I find 6x30s to be ideal. For close on a century, this was the military standard throughout the western world, giving adequate magnification, great field of view, light weight and compact size. An exit pupil of 5 or so is great for daytime viewing. No one makes these new, but lots of great quality binocs can be found in this style.
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I have a pair of 6 x 30 binos with individually adjusted eyepieces. They have a deep depth of field similar to the Steiners. Once adjusted, I don't even notice the binocs, just lift and look, no shake, no focusing. They would not be at their best for long distance spotting but I live in forested mountain country.

On the matter of "shake effect" with higher power binoculars, I once compared my Bushnell Legend 8 X 42 binoculars with a friend's 10 x50 Swarvoskis. I was genuinely surprised that I could read license plate further away with my Bushnells, not because they were better binoculars but because the bit of shake effect with the 10 power binocs made details effectively less clear.
 
Another thing to consider is the weight difference and design. A lightweight higher power bino will no doubt be harder to hold steady than one of equal weight of lesser power. I own several pairs of Steiner binos. I have a pair 8x30 Nighthunters and a pair of the large 15X80 Military model. My 8x30s are quite light and the 15x80s large and heavy but I can hand hold them pretty much as steady as the light 8x30s. Not something I'd want to be carrying around my neck all day while hunting BUT if I have a choice with both being available, when I want to have a good look at something far away, the big 15x80s are the first ones I grab. A very lightweight pair of 7x or 8x binos are nice to carry but not that easy to hold steady either, at least for me anyway. Same goes for rifles as well. A very light rifle is much harder to hold steady at a distant target than a heavier rifle. That is why I have no use for the featherweight rifles and much prefer something a little heavier. Just something else to consider instead of just making a decision based on magnification alone on how hard it may be to hand hold a particular bino.:)
 
i have a bushnell, 10x25 8x, $21 at Army & Navy, pretty compact, folds up to the size of a small camera, fits on a belt pouch. Pretty handy, and good price to match.
 
manitou210 said:
I agrre 100% with what members said on power, I had a pair of Minox one 10by 52 and 12by 52 both new I am sorry I sold the 10x as the 12s are two hard to hold, must be on rest of some sort, Minox are above your budgeted price but maybe you should email Doug at Cameraland to see what he might have in Minox they are some fine glass for money.
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I am extremely happy with my Minox 12x52, although I can sort of see the point made about shaking. I am steady-handed enough that I personally don't care.
Minox glass comes out of the same factory that makes the glass for Zeiss Optics. It is exquisite quality.
 
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