What are the best Binoculars out there?

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AlbertaPatriot

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For the purpose of hunting or hikeing and sight seeing etc..

I have a pair of Vortex HD 10x42 but im looking to upgrade. Something portable not looking at spotter scopes.
 
having spent the last 19 years gong to Europe to hunt, the Zeiss and Swarovski optics are the best in the world as far as clarity and light transmission = even the base models are impressive. I have a pair of very old (1980's) 8x56mm Zeiss bino's that I use everywhere and they are still clear and bright hunting at night from the high seats as my wife's new Swarovski pair. One benefit is for the $$$$, you get clarity and a pair that will last and last

IF the prices of Zeiss and Swarovski cause some respiratory issues, Lieca is EU brand to look at.
 
I purchased swarovski 10x56 slc last year. I looked at the el version which have field flattening technology BUT to my yeyes the SLC are actually sharper and noticeably brighter. As a hunter sharpness and brightness are super important
. The drawback is they are heavier..
 
What's your budget? Nothing will compare to the big 3 (swaro, leica, zeiss, but some of the makers are getting damn close. If you dont want to spend 4k you can get into some really nice glass for around $1500. Look at the high end maven and sig sauer lines as well as meopta and minox. Check out birder forums and go by their reviews. Are your vortex razor or viper? The razor hd are actually quite nice.
 
I have been completely satisfied with my Swarovski 8.5x42EL binoculars. I prefer the 8.5x to the 10x model generally, they are easier to use quickly, less fussy with alignment to your eyes, easier with glasses/sunglasses on, and less tiring than higher magnification when using for long periods of time. Leicas I've tried were just as good. Zeiss has some very good models, but I did not experience the "wow" factor of best image quality with the ones I tried. Smaller objective lenses are a compromise, more portable but not as easy to actually use and poorer low light performance. Meopta and Steiner may be worth a look and are more economical. Your eyes may be different.
 
The last time that I was looking for new binoculars I had great service from the birders at Pelee Wings.

They have the same high end stuff, plenty of knowledge, and better prices than most online.

I took my old binoculars into the shop and compared them to mid and high end glass. They really helped me make my decision.
 
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