Buying Advice High Power Binoculars

[Carl Bert]

Glasses or scopes, in my opinion you can't beat Zeiss. Not cheap, but worth every penny. I have tried a lot, but always wind up going back to Zeiss. They are just a pleasure to use.

 

[tcreeley]

Buying porro prism saves you some money vs roof prism - let's you get better quality than otherwise.
Do some research. Christophers and Eagle Optics (I purchased from both) provide you a real range of choice with good descriptions and their blunt assessments. I find that Cabellas, LLbean, etc sometimes carry good optics- but they also carry the lessor quality in the brand. Not all Leicas are the best, etc. The brand name binocs have their good ones, but they also have their less than good ones. I like to be able to compare all of the features - look at the intended audience, and what the binocs are designed for. I thing birding is the most demanding of binocs, but I would never buy anything with the name "Audubon" - a crowd pleaser name. You are paying for the trendy name.
Read about the binocs, then go look through a bunch. Read the reviews. Keep an eye out for birding conventions- the binocular dealers follow them around with their optics to demonstrate and sell. Except for the 7x35 Leica that I checked out, the Baush & Lomb Elite were as good in the higher magnifications.

 

[EddieWalker]

What do you want them for? At that maginification, you will need a stand or tripod to support them.

I hunt and consider my equipment to be extrememly important to my success. Nationwide, hunters enjoy a less then ten percent success rate, but those who are in that ten percent, get animals almost every year, and usualy see many before taking one. The reason is because of their knowledge of the animals, the terrrain and the equiment they use.

Just like tooks, there are the cheapy, piece of junk binoculars, the middle of the line that are fine for during the day, in mild temps and clear skies. If what you are looking at will be out in the middle of the day with full sunlight, then you will be happy with most anything under $200.

If you want the most light gathering ability possible, before the sun comes up, and after it sets. If you want to spot a sleeping buck a thousand yards away, under a tree, or if you want to be able to see if the animal is legal or not before spending hours trying to get closer to it, then you really want to spend the money for quality.

The European glass makers have had an edge over their grinding and coating process for decades. Zeiss, Lecia, Swarvarski are as good as you will ever want, or be able to find. They are in the thousand dollar range on up. They are also worth every penny if you are a hunter who is in the mountain four hours before daylight when it's raining and 40 degrees out. You will see more animals. GURANTEED.

The Japanese camera makers have been coming out with some decent optics in the past decade or so. Nikon, Pentax and Olympus are all decent, middle of the range optics. You wont get the same results as the premium optics, but if you only hunt locally, and are not spending ten grand on a hunt to Alaska, or something really severe, you won't be disapointed in them.

Leopold is good, but I wouldn't touch anything else.

10 x 50 will give you the best light gathering ability in a power that you can hold and still tell what you are looking at when it's far away, in low light. Anything more powerful, and you are carrying a lot of extra weight, and not going to see very much out of them.

Be very careful of anything Russian, or cheap. Both are junk and not worth carrying into the field even if you got them for free. If you want to find what you are looking for, don't carry something that doesn't work.

Other factors to consider are the quality of the seals to keep fog out of the glass, the dryness of the Nitrogen and the coatings on the lenses.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[zmjc]

This is a bit off-topic, because the OP wants inexpensive binoculars... but if anyone is shopping for binoculars, they should try the Canon image-stabilized binoculars. They are truly amazing! I have the 15x50, which I mostly use for star-gazing. You can enable/disable the stabilization, and the difference is dramatic. The stabilization really, really helps provide a more usable image if you are not using a tripod. The spastic jerkiness just goes away like magic...

But they cost ~$1000...

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Oh my. I must say I did not expect so many good and diverse replies on this topic. Here is my intended use. I live on a 76 acre farm. My house is bordered on three sides by woods, a 2 acre pond and soy bean/hay fields. I love sitting by my window and checking out the wildlife which is plentiful.

Right now I have a set of 7x35 el cheapo binocs. I stand corrected if 20x70's do not exist. I thought I saw that on the web, but I guess I am mistaken. My cheap binocs do not give me the magnification I desire over long distances, plus they are difficult to focus and keep focused.

For instance I can see a buck, tell if the rack is small or large, but cannot count the points. I was thinking that the more magnification the better. After reading these posts I'm not sure any more.

A typical use for me is to walk by the window, see deer, turkeys, ducks, geese or the occasional fox and grab the binocs. All in all I doubt I look through them more than 5-10 minutes a pop, but I may grab them several times a day.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I clearly have more research to do if I want to obtain something to fit my needs.

This post helps a lot.

I recommend a pair at 7x35 or 8x40 and then get yourself a spotting scope in the 60x range. You will love the spotting scope.:thumbsup:

I personally wouldn't spend much money on either. Look for stability and clarity and ignore brand.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

This is a bit off-topic, because the OP wants inexpensive binoculars... but if anyone is shopping for binoculars, they should try the Canon image-stabilized binoculars. They are truly amazing! I have the 15x50, which I mostly use for star-gazing. You can enable/disable the stabilization, and the difference is dramatic. The stabilization really, really helps provide a more usable image if you are not using a tripod. The spastic jerkiness just goes away like magic...

But they cost ~$1000...

Love star gazing with the binoculars.:thumbsup:

Try this....Focus on a bright star or even the full moon. Then, gently begin to wobble the binoculars in a circular or oblong motion. It makes for a sort of kaleidoscope image.:thumbsup:

 

[cowski]

l have a pentax dcf 8x40 .i would recommend them.

 

[Rancher Ed]

I sounds like you want a little more power but I love our 7x50. They are made by Fujinon Inc. and they don't say what model they are. They say they are Mil spec. and Made In U.S.A. on one side and 385ft at 1000 yds and nitrogen gas filled on the other. They are at least 6 or 7 years old and I would guess they are closer to 12 or maybe even 20 years old.

They are too big/heavy to carry around all day but for having in the truck or sitting by a window they are great. What I like the best is there is no focus thing, they are always in focus at any distance. They give a shart, clear picture at 30 yards and at 1000 yards or anywhere in between without having to refocus them.

We keep them in our upstairs window so we can look out in the pasture which starts about 40 yards and the tree line is close to 1000 yards in some places. Often we will see dear or coyotes and every once in a great while an elk and they give a great view and make it easy to tell if it is a buck and if so, how many points it has.

Ed

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I didn't finish reading all of the post here but you may just cruise the Pawn shops and see if they have any binocs that are of any quality for a good price. And don't worry you might be able to talk the price down on them.. For your application a lower power telescope on a tripod might work.

 

[Scooby074]

I was going to also suggest a scope.

Anything above 8x and i find it too bouncy.

 

[accordionman]

HELLO,
never heard of 20X70s, but i have a pair of 20X80s, that
i bought many years ago. however you must used these on
a tripod, and it has an adapter for this. they are heavy, and
difficult to use. i prefer my simmons 7X35 wide angle, model
1103. a good all around glass.
good luck to all.
accordionman
wlbrown
wright city, mo.

 

[scoutcub]

Mostly curious, certainly no authority on the subject, as I don't have a quality set of binos right now.
My BIL (and the rest of the family) just bought my FIL a set of Steiner 8X40's for his Bday......we just tried them out after giving them to him, I was very impressed with the clarity and focus at long distances. I could see ground hogs very clearly from 50-200 yards out that I just couldn't even see any movement with the naked eye. They were around $500.
Just curious because....no one has mentioned them yet....? Is Steiner a quality brand? (BIL did the purchasing)

 

[TripleR]

Mostly curious, certainly no authority on the subject, as I don't have a quality set of binos right now.
My BIL (and the rest of the family) just bought my FIL a set of Steiner 8X40's for his Bday......we just tried them out after giving them to him, I was very impressed with the clarity and focus at long distances. I could see ground hogs very clearly from 50-200 yards out that I just couldn't even see any movement with the naked eye. They were around $500.
Just curious because....no one has mentioned them yet....? Is Steiner a quality brand? (BIL did the purchasing)

My father in law had a pair of Steiner binoculars and they were really nice, but I don't know how much he paid.

 

[Scooby074]

Isnt Stiener the current manufacturer for the military's binoculars? I always liked their Commanders. Seemed "reasonably" priced for the product.

 

[EddieWalker]

Just curious because....no one has mentioned them yet....? Is Steiner a quality brand? (BIL did the purchasing)

They are middle of the road. Much better then B&L or any of the cheapy brands. They coatings and seals are good. I've hunted with friends who have them, and they lack light gathering ability compared to Swarvoski or the other high end optiks. I can see animals moving and can tell if they are male or female at a couple hundred yards when my friends with the Steiners couldn't even see anything through his.

You cannot tell what a good pair of optics can do in the store or during the day. You have to be outside at first light to see why they are worth the money. If I can see a bull elk walking across a ridge before the sun is up, and I can watch where he goes to bed down for the day, then I've more then justified spending the money for them. I've done this too many times to count.

I have also used them to see in the dark. I came off a mountain well after dark with just moonlight and the stars to see anything. I knew I was close to my truck, but couldn't see where it was. I used my binoculars and found it off to the side of where I was standing, about a hundred yards. Too far for my flashlight to go, and it was too dark for my eyes to see it, but there was enough light from the moon for me to see it with my Swarvoski Optiks.

It comes down to what you want them for, and how important it is to see as much as you possibly can. If looking at a bird on your porch during the day is what you want, then just about anything will work. If you just hunt during daylight hours, then the middle of the range is very good. If you push it and need the very best, you will pay over a grand for them.

Eddie

 

[Arky217]

Here's my take on binoculars.

I have owned some of the higher price brands, but my current one is made by Simmons; probably cost $20-$40. The Simmons give me as clear a view as any I've ever looked through.

I believe that the main reason for this is that the two halves on the Simmons are right on with being parallel to each other.
I have looked through some expensive binoculars that gave a fuzzy image because they were not quite parallel.

When looking through a pair that seem a little out of whack, try putting a slight pressure with your hands as if you were trying to make the two halves point away from each other, and then in the other direction. If the image changes for the better when any pressure is applied, the pair is out of parallel.

It's kind of like selecting a level. I've seen some expensive levels where the vial was off. Easy to tell, just turn it end for end on the same surface to see if the bubble is different.

A general rule of thumb when selecting a binocular for the optimum amount of light transmission (which makes a big difference in the clarity of what you're viewing) is to choose a pair that has an exit light of at least 5mm to match the opening of your pupil.

Of course, in low light conditions, you pupil opens up to about 7mm, so if you do a lot of viewing in low light conditions, choose accordingly.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

So Davey4000 did you find anything to magnify with yet?

 

[tcreeley]

At a birding convention 5 years ago I tried out a bunch of binocs. The sharpest was the 7x35 leica. After that it was the Bausch Lomb Elite and the Zeiss. The swvarski- nikon, pentax were ok but not for birding, not binocs I would want for birding- good for large animal use or looking across at a landscape - just not sharp through and through. I've birded a lot and like an image with a brilliant clarity, just as sharp on the edge as it is on the inside. I don't want to play around looking to see something. Stationary/tripod allows less clarity than hand held because you can keep looking until you get it- spotting scopes on the ocean, etc.. But for hand held instantaneous viewing I'd go with the Leica, BL Elite, and Zeiss. The others were just not productive for birding- ie why bother to look. I tried them all at the convention, just wanted to see the best that was offered. It doesn't matter to me if it is camo/armored, etc if the image is not just what I want..