I am in the market for some new bino's for hunting whitetails and am leaning toward a pair of Swarovski. I would like some input on other brands. Are there any others that are just as good for the money or are the Swarovski the best?
It would be hard to be disappointed with any of the top binoculars out there... Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica (my favorite)are all great glasses.
Your close as it gets to the top of the heap with them, couple other score right with them but not many.
Steiner makes a hell of a pair, and not as exspensive.
I love my Leica's, can't imagine going into the woods without them. However, I don't think you can say anything negative about Swarvo's either.
They are among the leaders in quality optics but will cost you some change. I am curious about the new ones Cabelas offers. I think they are designed and made by someone in Europe. Any body know how good they are? May not have been out long enough for many to have tried them.
I just got a pair of Steiners and am very happy .... Terry
Go read the reviews section. I did a review on my new ones.
The Cabelas are made by Meopta. very nice glass. Just as good as Zeiss and Swarovski. Yes, I have owned and hunted with all of them.
I had a pair of Steiner Military 8x30s that I really liked, great glass for the money. Now I use a pair of Zeiss Conquest 8x30s, they are better in low light and I like the feel of roof prisms over the porro prisms.
Sean
I love my 8x30 Zeiss conquest glasses, best I've looked thru by far.
BD
Steiner makes a great set of binos.
QuoteOriginally posted by Arrow Slinga:
I am in the market for some new bino's for hunting whitetails and am leaning toward a pair of Swarovski. I would like some input on other brands. Are there any others that are just as good for the money or are the Swarovski the best?
I assume your hunting fairly thick woodland. If you got the money go for the Swaro's or Leica's. That being said you don't really need super high end glass or for that matter anything stronger than 7 power for woodland whitetail hunting. I was in the same boat and decided on Swift 7x36 Eaglets. About half the cost of the high end German glass, same quality construction and except for the extreme edges I see no real difference in quality or low light glassing.
Check out this website, very informative. Give them a call also they will set you up without going overboard for your use.
www.eagleoptics.com (http://www.eagleoptics.com)
Minox,
Very impressive glass for the $.I'm a diehard Zeiss man and the Minox has got my attention.The Zeiss FL's are unbeleivable is your wallet can take the hit.
The SLC Swarovski 8x30 would be a perfect choice. I had a pair and traded them in on the EL 10x42s. In some ways, I liked the 8x30s better.
I also had a pair of the top of the line Steiner Predators in 8x42. They were O.K., but not in the same class as the Swarovskis. I read someplace over the net that Steiner is the "tasco" of Germany.
If you don't mind the out of focus in the edge of field, most any bino will do. But if you want an in focus view all the way across the field, you need to spend some buck.
I have been using a pair of 10x42 Leica's for about 4 years. Very happy with them.
Look at the Kahles 10x42, small compact, light and available in camo I got mine for around 700.00 , they have the same glass as the Swaros and I believe are owned by Swaro but at a fraction of the cost...
I never have looked through a pair of Swaro's or Leica's as they have always been out of my price range and I didn't want to deal with the temptation. However, Last Fall I purchased a pair of Leopold Katmai binocs after comparing them to others in the $500 price range, and they are the best I have ever looked through. I have a pair of 8X36 and they are very compact, very bright, very clear, and fairly light weight. Just perfect for whitetail hunting. And they have a pair of 6X36 that would be even lighter if you didn't want that high of power.
To top it all off, I payed less than half of that $500 for a display model that I found online. That's just my 2cents, but if you can afford top of the line then go for one of them.
MikeC's got the right idea, got to www.eagleoptics.com (http://www.eagleoptics.com) for the best deal. I've had Leica's, Swarovski's and other top brands but make sure you check out the new Vortex they're half as much money and have a lifetime warranty and the optics are every bit as good as my Swarovski's. JMO
I bit the bullet a while back and bought a pair of Leica 8 x 32. I absolutely love them. There is not one single thing I would change about them. They are perfect for whitetail hunting. Small and compact enough that I never go in the woods without them. You have to think of binoculars as as a lifetime investment. Buy a good pair from a reputable company like leica, zeiss, or Swaro, and hopefully you will never have to buy another pair again.
Have same pair as js, Leica 8 x 32, hard to beat.
Don't pass up Nikon. I have the Monarch ATB 10x42 and love them. I am an ornithologist so I use them both for work and hunting. The Nikon service is also top notch. A friend of mine dropped his and messed up the prism only 1 week before leaving for a research season in Canada. Nikon fixed them and had them back to him in under a week.
I have a pair of Swarovski 8x30s and a pair of Swarovski 8x20s. I bought the bigger ones first. They are a little brighter when it is just getting light but other than that I like the smaller ones better. They fit in my shirt pocket and I can shoot with them around my neck. They are so much handier that I usually leave the big ones home. Gary
I love my Wind Rivers, and I do a lot of spot and stalk hunting. They are way cheaper than the others and they are just as good and have the same warenty as the others in witch I have used.
Arrow Slinga
If you're looking at Swarovski's, you're looking in a price range where any pair of binoculars is going to give you excellent optical performance. They're all good. The differences will be a matter of personal preference. For example do you prefer the eyecups to fold in or rotate in? Do you value being able to focus on something very close? Or maybe one brand just fits your hand better. Best approach would be to find a large store that carries multiple brands and do a side by side comparison. By all means look at Zeiss, and Leica, but consider Nikon as well and perhaps Pentax.
I was in your situation 3 years ago. When I looked for opinions on the internet I spent alot of time looking at what bird watchers have to say. Binoculars are to a bird watcher what bows are to a Tradganger. 3 years ago, the Swarovskis were highly rated, but the Nikon Venturer LX binocs were considered equal for less money. The Pentax roof prisms were considered the best value. Not wanting to spend 1000 plus, I bought the Pentax DCF-WP 8 x 42 roof prism. I'm very happy with them. You might want to see what the bird watchers have to say about the latest binoculars.
Keep the hunting terain in mind when picking glasses. I personally prefer the widest FOV (field of view) I can get. I currently own eagle optic 8x32 platnum rangers (don't think these are made any longer) and Docter optics 8x42's and a bunch of lower end glasses. For the $$$, if you can find a pair of Minolta 8X42 activa D WP (not the cheaper sport model), buy them. They are really nice glasses and hold their own with any of the high end glasses. I also owned a pair of Leica 8X50's (green hunting model) and Zeiss 8x56's nightowls, again, nice glasses but large and heavy.
JL
Thanks for all the help guys!
Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42, very good binos. For what you save on the Nikon's you can buy a new bow also.