What are the best Binoculars out there?

savagelh said:
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.
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Meopta gets closer to Zeiss's and Swarovski's quality than to their price.

The best binoculars I have are Minox 6.5x32mm CF, a model they no longer make. Not in the top league but neither were they Minox's best, but a very noticeable step above my Bushnell's and B&L, (which to be fair are good ones from those makers but quite a bit older.)
 
Well i was mainly looking for the most powerfull binoculars i could get without having to use a bipod to steady it to see anything. So hunting and birdwatching, nature viewing if you will. I dont mind carrying 5 lbs around my neck lol. Im 315lbs and have a neck like a tree trunk. Lots of deadlifting lol.

However im building a cabin so 3500 for a pair of those swarz EL50s is more than i want to go for right now. My Vortex RAZOR HD 10x42 will have to do for a bit. Tell the cabin is built anyhow.
 
If you dont mind looking for older stock or used, Nikon Venturer LX or Superior E are ball park 5 to 10 yrs old. Won best in class many times and should be fantastic glass

They were never goofy pricy and now used, should be great bargains.

They come in 10X but given the higher grade lenses, might be all you need.

If you truly want high mag, then maritime styles and porro layouts will get you more bang for the buck.... but not so sure these will keep up with top tier Euro options. They will be a lot less expensive.

Good luck with your search.

Jerry
 
I have Leica. My hunting partner Vortex. He says " There's 4 deer on the top of that ridge". I say "look again there's 6". "2 are under the tree on the right". He replies "oh right I see them now". At next years hunt he shows up with Zeiss glass and admits I never could see those other 2 deer. For hunting, binoculars are the most important optic. When the conditions are poor the difference that quality optics make gets magnified. I bought my Leica from Omer at Precision.
 
As an alpha glass junkie, Zeiss Victory with FL lenses have the most natural and refreshing view to me so far. I will only trade them in if Tangent Theta builds a pair.
 
I'm quite happy with my Zeiss Conquest binos. Great performance at a more affordable price point. One day I'll get into top of the line binos but the Conquest set will do just fine until then.
 
Omer ant Precision Optics has a wealth of experience. I will say this, once you're into alpha glass, they're all fantastic and you won't go wrong with any of them. It's your eyes that will be the determining factor. Swarovski might be best for one person while Zeiss will be better for another. Find a place where you can look through them, especially at Twilight, and let your eyes guide you!
 
If you have the Razor HD's already, you won't notice a big difference going up to Swaro's. I have those same binos and love them.

I have since compared them to the new Vortex Razor UHD's and Swaro EL's side by side by side. The UHD's and EL's are virtually identical. I tried them 1 hour after sunset outside and flipped back and forth between the two and could not find any difference between the two and I really tried. UHD's are also $1000-1500 cheaper than the Swaro's. Certainly not worth the difference in price to go with Swaro's.

The regular Razor's are still damn good! They also have a larger field of view than the UHD's and the EL's in the 10x42 model.
 
I’ve got a pair of Leica Ultravid 10x42, had them for about ten years. I use them for hunting, bird watching, and SAR , they are fantastic and were worth every penny, I’ve also got a Leica Trinovid 10x25 and a Swaro STX 85 spotting scope. In my opinion, the top three [Leica, Zeiss, and Swarovski) are so similar in quality and optical clarity it really comes down to personal preference. Before spending that sort of money I’d suggest visiting a retailer that sells all three and try them out for yourself.
 
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stewbud said:
The last time that I was looking for new binoculars I had great service from the birders at Pelee Wings.
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+1 for Peele, nice guy to deal with. If you're in no-rush, it might be worth your while to check with Doug @ CameralandNY. He often has amazing deals on "demo" binoculars that were on display at trade shows.

What are you trying to achieve?
- More magnification
- better low light performance

For low light, the Zeiss (or Swaro) marine 7x50 are pretty darn nice.
 
What are the best Binoculars out there?

For the purpose of hunting or hikeing and sight seeing etc..​
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For me the best for hunting or hiking are 6x,30 Swarovski Habicht porroprism. They are waterproof, light, bright, sharp, high contrast and have a great field of view. Fwiw (imho) ideal binoculars for the stated purpose are 6x - 8x and with a 5 - 6mm exit pupil .... the lighter the better. Using 10x for extended periods while hand holding gets ‘old’ really quick.
 
All depends on your price point. I find you get what you pay for in optics. I really
Like the Nikon monarch line. Take a look, choose a price range, and there will be lots of options.
 
Clocked92 said:
If you have the Razor HD's already, you won't notice a big difference going up to Swaro's. I have those same binos and love them.

I have since compared them to the new Vortex Razor UHD's and Swaro EL's side by side by side. The UHD's and EL's are virtually identical. I tried them 1 hour after sunset outside and flipped back and forth between the two and could not find any difference between the two and I really tried. UHD's are also $1000-1500 cheaper than the Swaro's. Certainly not worth the difference in price to go with Swaro's.

The regular Razor's are still damn good! They also have a larger field of view than the UHD's and the EL's in the 10x42 model.
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Good to know. Thanks.
 
If you want to spend a bit, image stabilization is where it's at, and you can then use higher magnification.
Fujinon or maybe canon, there's a few good brands anyway. Small downside is extra size and weight.
 
AlbertaPatriot said:
Well i was mainly looking for the most powerfull binoculars i could get without having to use a bipod to steady it to see anything. So hunting and birdwatching, nature viewing if you will. I dont mind carrying 5 lbs around my neck lol. Im 315lbs and have a neck like a tree trunk. Lots of deadlifting lol.

However im building a cabin so 3500 for a pair of those swarz EL50s is more than i want to go for right now. My Vortex RAZOR HD 10x42 will have to do for a bit. Tell the cabin is built anyhow.
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Zeiss 20x60 image stabilizing binocs, but you won't find them for $3500.
 
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