Mid-Range Binoculars ?

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park.city

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Ontario
Looking to buy some good solid mid-range binoculars. Top of my budget would be $800

95% of my hunting will be typical ontario bush hunting for deer, squirrel, rabbit, some field turkeys etc. so i figure 8x42 will be sufficient rather than 10x.

Right now i have it narrowed down to the Nikon Monarch 7, and Vortex Viper HD (only 10x i believe)

looking for thoughts and reviews for these and maybe anything else i should be looking at in this price range.
 
For what it's worth, our pair of binocular that gets the most use are the wife's 8x32 (Minox) and a old pair of Zeiss-Jena military 6x32

I have a matching pair of Minox in 8x42, the difference in brightness is minimal (seldom use them at dawn/dusk), and since the x32 are smaller to pack, they're the one coming along.
 
I have the Vortex Viper HD in 10x42 and have been very happy with them. I use them mostly for birding. They are a good size, fit well in the hand and with a harness you can wear them for long periods. My wife and son have had the more expensive Razors and have been happy with them but they are twice the price. My sons Razors had a problem after 7 years of very hard use, he is a bird researcher, and Vortex replaced them quickly under warranty. My wife and I got ours at Pelee Wings at Point Pelee where you can try a variety of brands and sizes. My son got his at the wildbird store in Guelph. I have seen them at site sponsors and at Cabellas.
 
8x42 is a great overall hunting bino size.
Anything over 10x is difficult to steady in the field.

I would avoid Vortex. Their warranty is good but also necessary.

I use this older pair of Vortex Fury 8x42 which is pretty good except that they lose collimation between the barrels under light usage.
Of course, they get fixed for free but since I use them for hunting, I notice the issue during the season and Vortex can't fix them fast enough to actually hunt with them. Too bad because the glass is great.

So go with something sturdier even if it's more money.
 
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