I'm looking to buy two pairs of binoculars any recommendations

sillymike said:
How about Kowa?
- I'd sure be tempted by their 6.5x32. Personally, I'd rather have a larger field of view than a extra 1.5x magnification
- Pelee Wings is a great shop to deal with

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I am a kowa fan But was a little disappointed to realize the BD and under Are made in China only they are. Genesis is made in Japan.
 
Bittereinder said:
I agree on the quality of the Vortex Diamondback binos. I "upgraded" to Viper binoculars, but honestly I don't see much difference other than being made in the Philippines vs. China for the Diamondback binos.

I have a pair of new in box Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 up on the EE. I think they are similar to the above Vortex models in build and glass quality.
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Yes i see you are selling monarch 5 i would consider but nikon doesnt have a transferable warranty so if i went with nikon i would buy new
 
sillymike said:
How about Kowa?
- I'd sure be tempted by their 6.5x32. Personally, I'd rather have a larger field of view than a extra 1.5x magnification
- Pelee Wings is a great shop to deal with
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I had the Kowa Genesis 8.5s. They were top notch. I regret upgrading to the swaro ELs. For the price my eyes can't tell much of a difference between them.
 
Some of the nicest bino's I've had the opportunity to play with were a pair of Swarovski slc 7x30

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- Over the years I've come to the point where I've realized that the smaller the binocular... the more likely I'm to carry them. Every so often, I still scout fleabay and the like for a nice (reasonable priced) set of Leitz 6x24... But I figure they would probably be only marginally better than the 10x25 (and they probably don't pack as compact)

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And for a slight thread-derail, one thing that I often find myself carrying (instead of binos) is a Celestron Hummingbird 7-22x50mm ED (VS the wife's Minox 8x32 for size comparison)
- You lose in the FOV, but you get the benefit of being able to zoom in.
- It use regular 1.25" astro eyepiece... in case you get the urge to play around

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Small243Fringe said:
I just bought a pair of Tract 10X42 SCHOTT HT. They really seem to stand in there with higher priced 'nocs - it feels more like you just spent $2,500 for the quality you get. Mine are clear all the way to the edge and nice and bright.
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Schott glass is truly excellent glass. There’s a reason Swarovski and Leica use it, even though they’re buying it from a division of Zeiss. Several cost-no-object companies like Canada’s Tangent Theta use it as well. For the $500-ish price point I’d agree with others on the Nikon Monarch 5, and I’d add the Zeiss Terra ED — which uses Schott glass — to that shortlist.

After having expensive gear stolen from my truck, I’ve chosen to go with less expensive gear that performs 90% as good as the best stuff. I’d put the Nikon Monarch 5 and Zeiss Terra ED into that category.

The best image quality, clarity and detail I’ve seen were through Swaro NL Pures, but they’re $4 grand and I can’t justify the expense (YMMV). The consolation is that for a fraction of that cost I can get 90% of the performance.

For stalking or long treks on foot I use the Zeiss Conquest 10x25 Compact. Amazing, breathtaking clarity despite the small exit pupil. Light and compact when ounces count. I used to wrongly believe you couldn’t get decent brightness and resolution with a 25mm objective but these (also the Leica Ultravid BR 10x25) prove that you can.

In some situations I’ll use the Sig rangefinding Kilo3000 BDX, 10x42. Cons: a little heavy and there are minor aberrations at the edges; pro’s: built-in rangefinder. Sig just came out with a cheaper version called the Canyon, which I don’t know much about other than it’s at an entry level price point.

Here are mine, from left to right: Zeiss Terra ED, 10x42; Nikon Monarch 5, 10x42, Zeiss Conquest Compact 10x25; Sig Kilo 3000 BDX, 10x42


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sillymike said:
How about Kowa?
- I'd sure be tempted by their 6.5x32. Personally, I'd rather have a larger field of view than a extra 1.5x magnification
- Pelee Wings is a great shop to deal with.
235368_kowaBD_02.jpg
Click to expand...
6.5x kowa are a great choice but I dont recommend them anymore because I have given up trying to explain to people who believe a 10x is inherently better when in fact you give up little with a lower power binocular but gain a lot like bigger field of view which improves your chances of finding game and a lighter easier to steady binocular for longer viewing times without fatigue..
 
I have Leupold BX1 Mackenzies, 8x42mm. I love 'em. AMAZING glass for what I paid (clearance/open box at Cabelas, they were under $200). When I bought them I was choosing between them, Vortex Diamondbacks, and some Nikons that were slightly cheaper (~$200 Nikons vs ~$300 for the Leupold/Vortex, Nikon options were either ~$200 or ~$400, only 12x50s were in between those prices and I didn't want 12x or 50mm binos).

I picked the Leupolds as they looked best to my eyes, and that was BEFORE I saw they had an open box pair in the clearance section for like $100 off.

My previous pair is some 10x32mm Leupold Yosemites that were super cheap from Wholesale Sports ($99 on sale), they are porro prism binos so they've got that offset shape to them, but they are GREAT for smaller people because they can come together for a much smaller interpupil distance (space between the eyes) than most roof prism binos. My kids (9 through 13) have no problems using them, whereas my Mackenzies can't get the ocular lenses close enough together for them. Something to consider if your 14 year old is on the smaller side. An old acquaintance has some Vortex binos that don't even come together enough for me to use properly, no way a kid would be able to effectively use that particular pair, just something to be aware of.
 
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I bought these maybe 6-7 years ago, they were about $190 at the time, but anyone who has looked through them was impressed at the quality. I've only looked through a few decent pairs of binoculars and SWARO were by far the best hands-down. For my purposes/budget, these fit the bill perfectly. I was told by a photographer friend at the time to "look at what the birders use, they're looking through binoculars all day" These Sightrons were mentioned a fair bit based on my reading. All I need, actually even better than I need. lol

https://www.tesro.ca/sightron-binoculars-sii-blue-sky-bl-8x32.html
 
I too recommend the Minox binos; have bought them for both my wife and daughter. They perform well above their price point.
(Although I have now upgraded my wife to a pair of Kahles binos that I got on trade for a scope, and her Minox are now the pair that stay in the truck for everyday use when not out hunting) My wife's binos are both 8 power and she finds this useful for most of the glassing she does, and is happy with them overall...but there are times when we are out in the mountains where she cannot resolve things at further distances with the 8 power, that can be seen with the 10 power. I let her look through my binos in these instances. Just a thought to consider in choosing binos for your daughter.

I would also recommend any bino with a Bak4 lenses for optical performance if your budget does not allow for those higher end units with Schott glass.

I bought a pair of Bushnell's with Bak4 lenses for my mother as a gift, and she absolutely loves them! (sorry, do not recall which model at this moment; may have been the Prime). Am actually impressed by their performance for the price. Her husband got himself a pair of Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 10x42's w/ Bak4 lenses and really likes them...but these are twice your budget.

8x40/42 would be good binos for the majority of use by most people, but if hunting where distances can be greater, or you need more power to better judge an animal for assurance that it will make legal requirements, a 10 power binocular will be more useful.
Any higher magnification will make it harder to hold the bino steady and mitigate the wobble from holding the binos/breathing/etc and will not produce eyestrain, headaches and/or nausea from prolonged periods of glassing.
 
Interesting, I had never heard of BaK-4. A quick search found some references to Vortex as low as Crossfire binos having BaK-4, Bushnells (including some lower end models) and the lower end Nikons and up to at least the Monarch 5. So, it sounds like it's pretty widespread. But I've found that web searching is getting harder these days because so many articles are written by AIs and cannot be trusted. At least in the results I often see. Stupid articles with a very formulaic writing style, that just happen to be dated in the past couple months... I'm sick of being played by Skynet.

Anyway, assuming there's some validity to the various results I saw, you don't have to pay much to get the BaK-4 glass. It's a big step up in price to get Schott glass.
 
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For roof prism binos (straight tube body), the BAK4 lense or style of prism is commonly used. It is the quality and coatings of these prisms that each manf will choose for their models.. and what will vary the performance and price.

https://imaging.nikon.com/sport-optics/guide/binoculars/basic/basic_02/

What I have seen over the last 10yrs is a massive improvement in optical performance for a fraction of the cost (both scopes and binos). The one category in shooting where costs are going down... massively

My comments are based on the optics I have first hand experience with and the years of comparing with a wide range of brands and products. I use a few standard tests at distance to compare as I find it helps me with a repeatable and objective way to compare products I have used over time. A chimney is one of the best objects to use at distance.... a heat pump with their fins makes for a very tough test but if you can resolve it way out there, you know you are getting lots of optical info.

The final objects I like to use is reading license plates at distance. Pretty sure all license plates in NA use the same size of font so it gives a great reference when discussing with others

Good glass will just let you see... no fighting with the focus. No squinting and guessing... the object will simply be clear (outside the affects of mirage). Good glass is just easy to use.

Jerry
 
as mentionned by others the nikon monarch 5. got one 8x42 and my wife 10x42. the previous versions lasted with heavy use while guiding in really bad conditions. nikon replaced them with no hassle by those great new versions.
 
Minox make excellent binoculars. As I wear glasses, these and an old set of Bushnell that are specifically made for glasses wearers are my main go to's. If you aren't handicapped in this fashion, I would go check the bird watchers web sites. They put a lot of effort into good glass for detailed observation. I have used their recommendations in the past for purchases of both Pentax and nikon binos (for work), and was not disappointed by either. - dan
 
BlackRam said:
I too recommend the Minox binos; have bought them for both my wife and daughter. They perform well above their price point.
(Although I have now upgraded my wife to a pair of Kahles binos that I got on trade for a scope, and her Minox are now the pair that stay in the truck for everyday use when not out hunting) My wife's binos are both 8 power and she finds this useful for most of the glassing she does, and is happy with them overall...but there are times when we are out in the mountains where she cannot resolve things at further distances with the 8 power, that can be seen with the 10 power. I let her look through my binos in these instances. Just a thought to consider in choosing binos for your daughter.

I would also recommend any bino with a Bak4 lenses for optical performance if your budget does not allow for those higher end units with Schott glass.

I bought a pair of Bushnell's with Bak4 lenses for my mother as a gift, and she absolutely loves them! (sorry, do not recall which model at this moment; may have been the Prime). Am actually impressed by their performance for the price. Her husband got himself a pair of Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 10x42's w/ Bak4 lenses and really likes them...but these are twice your budget.

8x40/42 would be good binos for the majority of use by most people, but if hunting where distances can be greater, or you need more power to better judge an animal for assurance that it will make legal requirements, a 10 power binocular will be more useful.
Any higher magnification will make it harder to hold the bino steady and mitigate the wobble from holding the binos/breathing/etc and will not produce eyestrain, headaches and/or nausea from prolonged periods of glassing.
Click to expand...

Which model of minox Are you running
 
I have the Nikon Monarch 5 and the Kowa 6.5x32. For me both suit the purpose of hunting and general use bino’s. I pretty much take the kowa when I go hunting. Personal preference. Both were essentially the same cost with Nikon’s on sale.
 
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