I'm looking to buy an 8 x 42 binocular to replace an old 10 X 50 and I'd like to get a few opinions on what's got the best bang for the buck. I don't want to spend too much on it as I have other things on my list of things to get this year. I'm thinking in the $300 or so range.
Dave.
I have a pair of 8 x 42 Nikon monarch 5 that my wife bought me. Great bino for the price, they can be found for 250-300.
Another vote for the Nikon Monarchs. I like using nice glass and have several pairs of higher end binos, zeiss, leica, swarovski. But I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pair of Monarchs. One of my hunting buddies uses them and it's hard to tell the difference in the glass between them and the more expensive ones. Good luck.
Take a look at Vortex too. I've had Nikon Monarch X (forerunner to the Monarch 5) and they are excellent. I compared the Vortex Razor to the Leica Trinovid and there was no noticeable difference, but the Vortex Viper is lower priced and you really need to work hard to find a difference. Lifetime warranty on the Vortex, too. Optics Planet usually has a sale on.
MHO, you can't go wrong with either Leupold or Nikon. Both great glass.
Last yr I got a 600+$ Leupold Mojave glasses on clearance for 400$. By far best bino' s I've owned.
It's easy to scimp on bino's but you do get what you pay for. Stay away from the blister packed glass.
The Mojave is compact, light, crystal clear no fog etc.
The best choice of binoculars depends mostly on how they are going to be used. I find two modes of use, and there are different choices depending on the mode.
One mode is what might be called the 'quick glance'. You've seen movement and want to check it out. Time spent looking through the lenses is a minute or two, often less. For this mode, any of the binoculars mentioned will do a good job.
Second mode is prolonged viewing. At least 10 minutes, often more. I favor the top of the line models like Swarovski because, for me, they produce less eye fatigue. You can't 'see' or feel this difference with the kind of quick look used at a sales counter. You either have to use them for an extended period or take people's word there is a difference.
The 'tie breaker' data point some use in selecting between binoculars is weight. Heavy glass is often left at home where, regardless of price it does no good. My overall first glass of choice is the Swarovski CL 6x30. It's light weight magnesium body allows me to carry it and not know it's there. The 5mm exit pupil provides good viewing even in low light situations. Some might say the 6 power is too low, but I find the clarity, lack of eye fatigue, and viewing angle to be a good match whether I'm scouting on the move or taking an extended view of things on a mountain top.
I did ALOT of research on this the past few years. No doubt high end make a difference. But, I could not afford high-end Swarovski, etc. Among other arenas, my research took me into the "Birding" users who needed detail etc. I realize there are different uses. But for general stand and closer stalking use (not all day glassing mountain sides miles away) a higher quality 8 x 32 is of equal or perhaps even better than a less quality 10 x 42.
In the end, I discovered that the Vanguard Endeavors ED II (I ended up with 8 x 32 ED II)- were being compared to the Vortex Razors at about 1/3- 1/2 the cost. And the 8 x 32 were easily-if not better in low light and detail- than Leupold, Nikon and other such 10 x 42s.
I found the Vanguard Endeavors ED II to be one of the best/top purchases I have ever made on any equipment I own. Very comparable (almost impossible to tell the difference) to $1200 Vortex.
Dan in KS
George V MAKES GREAT POINTS. It also depends where you will use them and what your position is. Stand hunting is not as weight critical as hill or mountain hunting. I have a set of big Nikons that are too heavy to lug around so they sit on the dash board to viewing from the truck-great optics and the large exit optic gathers light at dusk well. Having sat behind my Ziess for hours at a time, eye fatigue is a concern. Here's another couple things: carry eye drops-out here in the dry west your eyes will dry out and the drops help. Set your binos up properly-no sense provoking eye strain by improper adjustments. Keep lenses clean so you do not bring them to your eyes and get an eye full of sage or other dust. Three things i never leave at home during the season;toilet pape, knife and binos. Buy the best you can afford, keep them clean and your grandkids will be using them
Check out Sig Zulu 3. I have the 10 x 32's they seem to be very well made and the price is in your range. I purchased them from Cables for around 179 before tax. I have been using them for 6 months with no issues so far. They are not to big or heavy.
Please do this:
1. Go to a store where you can look through a pair of Leupold Yosemite (6x30 or 8x30). Go in the afternoon and ask to view something outside of the store so you can see how well they gather light - clearly.
2. Note the price.
3. Note the lifetime warranty
4. Then after you buy a pair, look up every online review that you can find on them and try not to smile; impossible.
*hint - check out some of the bird-watching forums for advise on glass.
I have a pair of Bushnell Bone Collectors 8X 40.....clear as a bell, lifetime warranty, and did not bankrupt me........compared them to Nikon, Leupold and Zeiss.......love them and have used them from Georgia to Texas in all situations...... :thumbsup:
X2 on the Leopold Yosemite. I have a couple of high end glass that I use, but I bought a couple of Yosemite for family members Christmas presents and they are very happy with them.
Thank you all for the advice. Lots to think about. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of looking and reading before I buy anything.
Does anyone have any experience with Styrka. I was on their site and their binocs seem pretty impressive as well.
Dave.
When the local Gander M store closed here a year or so ago, I bought 3 pairs of Nikon Monarch 5's for $109 each, out the door. Chose them because of the great reviews I'd seen here on TG, and I wasn't disappointed. But I needed to come up with some $$ several months ago, and sold them all off at a tidy profit. Kinda wish I'd kept a pair for myself. Birders think very highly of them too.
Camofire has Sig Zulu5 8x42s on sale right now for 239. Right in your wheelhouse I would think.
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It all depends on how you plan on using them. For woods and thick covering I prefer something in 6X30. In open country where I plan on spending more time on them 7 or 8 power. Never been a fan of anything over 8 power without some kind of support to hold them steady. Any shaking or movement in the higher powers is much more noticeable and after a short time can become annoying.
My favorite in 6X30 is a pair of hunting model Steiners. You set them up for your eyes and no need to focus them. Really helps in thick cover where things are moving and you can pull them up and get quick acquisition with no lost time focusing them.
For more open country 8X32 and 7X42 Leica's. The 8's being much smaller and lighter weight than the 7's. For me the lighter glasses are easier to carry but a little harder then heavier glasses to hold steady.
I have Nikon, Vortex and Leica Glass in various configurations. For value, I think Vortex wins. The quality of the glass is to me better than the Nikon, comparable to the Leica. When I say quality, I mean clarity of the image, glass coating, general build of the bino. My favorite is one they stopped making, a 10X32 compact which is the perfect bino for carrying (by which I mean not leaving in the truck or pack because they are too heavy to wear.)
Look at Leupold Yosemite's for that power and use. No lie, the optical quality of the image in that particular product (I'm not impressed by any other current Leupold binoculars for the cost) is stunning and WELL beyond its price point. I currently own and use Swarovski 8x30 CL Companions as my primary binoculars but I recommend the Yosemite's without hesitation to anyone on any budget below ~$800 or more. The differences in optical quality and real world light gathering between the Yosemite's and mid range ($300-700) binoculars is negligible to my eyes. There is a noticeable difference when you jump into the $800+ range in several ways, the most important of which to me is reduced eye fatigue because my eyes are terrible and naturally dry anyway. Even with a pair of Swarovskis in my gun cabinet at home I've grabbed my Yosemite's because they were more convenient or already out on the coffee table for quick hunts and I have not felt under-glassed in terms of being able to hunt effectively. They really are some pretty decent glass and they are dirt cheap.
Another vote for Nikon Monarchs
Ive been looking into new binoculars as well. I have used alpen since 2001 and absolutely loved them. I had a few warranty issues over the years and they always either replaced my binoculars with the same model or if it was discontinued then they upgraded me at no charge. I recently had a lens come loose on my beloved rainier's and when i went to contact them i found that they had closed their doors. Now i have a $1200 paperweight and need to find a suitable replacement. The vortex line is what has really caught my eye as well as meopta (good friend of mine recently left his job with Leopold for a job at meopta).
I had a pair of Nikon Monarchs 5 I bought about 7 yrs ago because of the reviews on this site. They were great and really liked them. I would send them to Nikon for a cleaning every year, never had a problem. Except this past year. I was having problems focusing them and just thought they would need a good cleaning and or Nikon would fix them. What I got back was a brand new pair of Nikon Monarchs 7, I believe. The receipt said my old pair was not fixable. I was taken back, never did I expect Nikon to give me a new pair. Although I still like them I don't think they are as good as the Monarch 5s. Maybe my eyes are just older but I think the old monarchs were clearer.
Gilbert
I own a pair of Nikon Monarch 8x42s. Bought them a few years ago and they have never let me down. For the price they are hard to beat. That said I would strongly suggest looking into Maven Optics. I recently purchased a pair of 11x45 Maven B2s for a Wyoming Mule deer hunt this September and I have been getting used to them doing some scouting and such the past month or so and I really love them. So much so that I will likely buy a pair of 8x42 Mavens before next fall. They are amazing optics!
Thanks for the good advice. Lots to look at. I've been looking online at several makes. Now I have to get out and look through a few.
Dave.
Quote from: wood carver 2 on July 10, 2018, 04:33:10 PM
Thanks for the good advice. Lots to look at. I've been looking online at several makes. Now I have to get out and look through a few.
Dave.
That's the best way to pic optics
Another one in your price range to consider would be the Hawke Frontier ED, in either 8x42 or 10x42. I've carried a set for the past 5 or 6 seasons, finally stepped up and bought some Swarovski SLCs. I'm set for the rest of my life as long as I don't lose them. For the money though, those Hawkes served me well.
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I have a pair of Polarus 8x42 bird watching binoculars that are fantastic! I believe they were somewhere around $125.
Would highly recommend them.
recently bought a pair of Nikon ProStaff 7S.
price was well under $200 and they are quite good.
if you are hunting in thick cover, rather than large open expanses like out on the tundra then consider a 6x like Leupold Yosemite. They're quicker pointing, and the ratio between the two lenses is around 5 to 1 which in plain speak is about all the light the human eye can deal with anyway.
In the south we have very little open ground and a 6x pair of anything will work better in my opinion. If you are going out west, all that others have shared above does apply.
If your patient you can find great deals. Took about 2 months of looking but ended up getting a pair of 8x leica trinovids of ebay for $350. Also got a pair of 10x minox for $275.
Good glass does make a difference.
These are the best value going in binos that I have found. Search the internet for reviews, there are a ton. There is a fair amount of disbelief over how good they can be; I have a pair and they are that good......
https://www.opticsplanet.com/sightron-sii-blue-sky-8x32-binoculars-rubber-armored.html
I'm going to jump in with leupold Yosemites I had a pair and they were really nice I gave them away as a gift thinking I could buy better and after low end vortex, Nikon, weaver and bushnell i haven't found any better. I will say I'm not knocking those brands because I have never spent over $150 on binos. So that's the low end of those companies and those Yosemites were just great.