Looking to purchase first pair of binoculars

As a retired ornithologist, avid birder, and long time hunter, I cannot stress enough how important quality glass is.
If you are hunting out west, as I do, you are often hunting in poor weather and low light conditions and cheaper binos simply will not resolve game well enough. Hardly better than the naked eye.

I see a LOT of hunters that dont even use binos and I cant understand how they could be successful. I suppose if you cover enough miles you will eventually stumble across a deer in the open under 50 yards.

Virtually all of my deer are found at extended ranges and then the game of closing distance begins and although I hunted with what I would now consider mediocre binos of german manufacture for quite a number of years (still better than most on offer these days), I have settled on high quality ones now and I will never look back.

I can comfortably spend many times more time behind my glass than folks I hunt alongside simply because my binos have among the best image quality and resolution of any I have used and I have used literally dozens of styles and brands over the years both professionally and otherwise.

If you hunt in broad daylight in fair weather for large game that stand out against a backdrop then any old pair of magnifying lenses will do.

But if you hunt black tail deer in wet, coastal climates with rain, fog, and extended twilight hours then my advice would be to get the best glass you can afford. Just like you would with a rifle optic.

In the last 5 years I know for certain that I have taken more and better deer than I would have otherwise were it not for quality Austrian glass.
 
And I would never PooPoo Leupold scopes. They are of exceptional quality and among the brightest available. I own several.

Buuuuuut, their binos are not made in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.

The very high end ones are made in Japan.
The more common models are made in the PRC, just like everything else........
Not necessarily a bad thing, but also not "Proudly Made in the USA" like Leupold rifle scopes.

footnote: Leupold does not advertise their location of manufacture for binos and spotting scopes. The assertions above are gleaned from a consensus of research on the WWW.
 
Beeron said:
As a retired ornithologist, avid birder, and long time hunter, I cannot stress enough how important quality glass is.
If you are hunting out west, as I do, you are often hunting in poor weather and low light conditions and cheaper binos simply will not resolve game well enough. Hardly better than the naked eye.

I see a LOT of hunters that dont even use binos and I cant understand how they could be successful. I suppose if you cover enough miles you will eventually stumble across a deer in the open under 50 yards.

Virtually all of my deer are found at extended ranges and then the game of closing distance begins and although I hunted with what I would now consider mediocre binos of german manufacture for quite a number of years (still better than most on offer these days), I have settled on high quality ones now and I will never look back.

I can comfortably spend many times more time behind my glass than folks I hunt alongside simply because my binos have among the best image quality and resolution of any I have used and I have used literally dozens of styles and brands over the years both professionally and otherwise.

If you hunt in broad daylight in fair weather for large game that stand out against a backdrop then any old pair of magnifying lenses will do.

But if you hunt black tail deer in wet, coastal climates with rain, fog, and extended twilight hours then my advice would be to get the best glass you can afford. Just like you would with a rifle optic.

In the last 5 years I know for certain that I have taken more and better deer than I would have otherwise were it not for quality Austrian glass.
Click to expand...
What are you using now? I am in the market for a GOOD bino. Found a sporting scope I would like to replace my old Redfeild but still pondering if I use one enough to justify the cost and I think I need binos first.
 
Depending on your budget, my might want to check out a set of Laser Range-Finding 10x42mm Binoculars. In particular, I just picked up a pair of the new SIG Canyon Range-Finding Binoculars which provide a near-instant readout with suggested hold-overs for up to 8 different loads. they were $1150 full retail a month ago, which is a pretty sweet price for the performance that you get. They are considerably easier to accurately range with than my former SIG 7x Monocular Range-Finder. FWIW, I'd consider going the 2-tools in one route if the funds are available.
 
I look at optics as an investment. Good optics can carry a lifetime warranty. Vortex viper have excellent glass for the $700 range. Personally, if you can afford more buy the best you can and buy once. I have the Leica Trinovid and have used them for over a decade. I purchased them and was amazed how they performed in dusk/ dawn low light conditions. They are considered entry level performance glass. Most decent binoculars perform well in midday bright light conditions. Look at them in low light conditions for the best choice for hunting. The bottom line is buy the best you can afford, view them as a 20+ year investment and try them out in low light before you buy. Skip the cheap sh!t because you will buy them again and you will lose money on the sale of the crappy ones.
Cheers, Mike
 
At the moment I'm using Nikon Monarch M7's, in 8x40. They're very nice, and actually brighter than my old Swaro 8x30's. I have no idea if they're on sale anywhere.

I think cheap optics are a waste of money. You don't need $4000 Swaro's, but to get any decent quality I think you're going to be spending at least 500 bucks.
 
This spring, I bought my young son a pair of binos to get him into spotting birds and game.
Not Swaro's but something that I would be able to watch him trash without losing my mind.

I did a LOT of research and tried a LOT of pairs out.

Say what you will about Vortex, the Diamondback HD line of binos is among the best value for dollar I have ever seen and I got him a set of the 8x32. Definitely not mind blowing but they fit his hands well and perform very well for the $$. I've seen the 8x42 and 10x42 for under 350 on sale.
 
9mm1968 said:
I look at optics as an investment. Good optics can carry a lifetime warranty. Vortex viper have excellent glass for the $700 range. Personally, if you can afford more buy the best you can and buy once. I have the Leica Trinovid and have used them for over a decade. I purchased them and was amazed how they performed in dusk/ dawn low light conditions. They are considered entry level performance glass. Most decent binoculars perform well in midday bright light conditions. Look at them in low light conditions for the best choice for hunting. The bottom line is buy the best you can afford, view them as a 20+ year investment and try them out in low light before you buy. Skip the cheap sh!t because you will buy them again and you will lose money on the sale of the crappy ones.
Cheers, Mike
Click to expand...
I wouldn't bother selling off bino's as the budget goes up... I'd just start leaving some in vehicles or other places where they might be handy on a whim.

In general I agree with the buy good quality approach, This morning I fixing a broken plastic cooling fan blade on a cheap portable no name compressor I bought years ago thinking... " If I get a few years out of this compressor it will be worth it" The main reason I took a risk on this cheap compressor is that it was oil lubricated and I needed a more portable compressor for doing finishing carpentry. Well unfortunately I can't remember when I bought it but it's probably over15 years ago and it's still doing it's thing! Hard to believe given I paid less then $200 for it all in.

Every no and then I'm at someone's cabin and there is a pair of old Bino's that used to be considered "quality" and when I look through them they are not on par with the cheapest units available today..... and by cheap I mean half the price or below of the ED glass, Bak-4, fully multi and phase coated Cellestron's that are selling for around $250 on Amazon. If your going out hunting and just getting into it getting all the gear etc a guy could do way worse then starting with the Bino's that Guntech recommended and they are never going to be "junk" if you end up getting even better units down the road.

As others have pointed out, buying better straps and harnesses should also be factored in.
 
Vortex Viper is what I recommend. I had a pair that I used for 5 years, then I moved up to Swaro slc's. To be honest, it's hard to tell the difference between the two, I compared side by side in low lite looking into the bush. The swaro's were 3 times the price, however they weren't 3 times as good! I can tell you that! When comparing high end glass to medium quality glass the difference is very little. Imo unless you're hunting sheep or goats where you are glassing all day long, high end glass really isn't worth it, get a pair of medium priced glass, it won't make or break your hunt.
 
paz said:
So after everything I upped the budget a little bit and found a Leupold BX4 Pro Guide HD Gen1 set. It's a little more than I wanted to spend but they were half off.

(And by "found", I mean a member sent me a message with a little help. Thanks)
Click to expand...
Nice, you will never regret the purchase of good glass. I just did similar, upping my budget for a new pair of bino’s. Should be here Monday. Pretty stoked but, in all likelihood, will be disappointed. I tend to have high expectations especially when I pay a lot. We will see (literally).
 
Glad to see that you upped your search. Once a person gets good glass there is no going back. I used Bushnells for decades. Then I got a good deal on a set of Steiners and there is no going back.
 
Bartok5 said:
Depending on your budget, my might want to check out a set of Laser Range-Finding 10x42mm Binoculars. In particular, I just picked up a pair of the new SIG Canyon Range-Finding Binoculars which provide a near-instant readout with suggested hold-overs for up to 8 different loads. they were $1150 full retail a month ago, which is a pretty sweet price for the performance that you get. They are considerably easier to accurately range with than my former SIG 7x Monocular Range-Finder. FWIW, I'd consider going the 2-tools in one route if the funds are available.
Click to expand...
Just took a quick look, they are on sale at Cabela's right now for $850, mixed reviews there. No doubt the tech keeps getting better and if you can swing both good glass and rangefinding why not! Or at some point I can see having nice bino's and the rangefinding and auto adjust will be in the scope.
 
paz said:
So after everything I upped the budget a little bit and found a Leupold BX4 Pro Guide HD Gen1 set. It's a little more than I wanted to spend but they were half off.

(And by "found", I mean a member sent me a message with a little help. Thanks)
Click to expand...

🤔
 
Up your budget, good glass allows you too see stuff at first or last light that you'd miss otherwise. I'd recommend Kowa Genesis Binos, I've seen them sell used for $1K
 
I know the OP has already found his binoculars, but I noticed I didn't see anywhere where he said what specifically he wanted to use the binoculars for.

For years I had cheap compacts. They were next to useless.

Then I upgraded to some higher end compacts. The difference was night and day.

But I go to the range about ten times more often then I hunt, and I found the new binoculars a little tedious to use at the range.

For example, like most binoculars I have to remove my glasses to use them. Taking your glasses on and off might be tolerable when you're only doing it once every so often while hunting in the bush, but when you're doing it every other minute to check the target at the range, that gets really annoying really fast.
Likewise, like most binoculars it is easier to use them with two hands, but that means losing my shooting position in order to pick up the binoculars.

Then my wife, bless her heart long on good intentions but short on Research, got me a super cheap Chinese made monocular off of Amazon for like 30 bucks.

Here it is:
https://a.co/d/5kjUlEM

I tried to pretend I was happy to receive that gift but secretly I wondered what on Earth I would do with that cheap junk. I put it in my range bag anyways just to humor her. After the next time I got back from the range she asked me how well it worked, and I had to dodge that question because I had not bothered even to try it
.

The next time I went to the range I made a point of trying out the cheap Chinese monocular just so I could tell my wife that I did. I was shocked and amazed at how well it worked for the range. I'm sure the glass is not worth even a little bit we paid for it, but it is still more than good enough to see a hit on a Target at 200 yards. So it works, but also it was so much easier to use than the binoculars. First of all it is used with only one hand, and it stands up conveniently on its end, like a coffee mug. So I can grab it and hold it up to my eye without losing my shooting stance. It also works without having to remove my glasses because you're only using one eye, so that increased the convenience factor by like a million. All told, well I think the cheap Chinese binocular would be useless hunting in the bush, when target shooting at the range it surprisingly turned out to be the vastly superior choice. So now the monocular lives in my range bag, well my good binoculars are in my hunting pack in the back of the closet.

Bottom line, it's fine for people to give the advice to invest in good glass, and in general that may be good advice, but sometimes the specific intended usage makes a difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom