Looking for a good set of binoculars for hunting.

C

Chaparral

New member
I've been looking at binoculars. Man there is so many out there. I know someone on here has an idea of a good pair of binoculars for hunting. I don't really have the money for Zeiss, Swavorski, Leica, etc. I'm just getting older and I don't want to use my scope to look around. Looking for a compact set that is reliable, clear, great focus. Thanks.
 
For bang-for-your-buck performance, you might look at Vortex. I've been using the Diamondback 10x42mm (now called Classic) for about 8 years now, and have been completely satisfied with their low light performance and clarity. They weigh in around 25 oz. and retail around $225-$275 I think. Vortex has a few offerings in truly compact binocs as well.

If you can afford around $550 or so, I'd look at their Viper line.
 
Not to over-simplify or over-generalize, but I don't think you can go wrong with anything in the area of 8-10x for power. You probably want objective lenses of at least 40mm and you wanna see "fully multi-coated" in the description. Both of those will help with clarity and light transmission in the early morning or later evening hours. That should give you lots of offerings from Bushnell, Nikon, Redfield, Burris, Vortex, and even Leupold and a few others in the price range of $150-300.
 
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They may be too small, as they opera-glass sized, but I've had great
success with a Leupold Rogue. Very compact and lightweight, with a
crisp, clear focus, and a nice view.

I have heavier, larger Nikons, and they are really good, at almost 9 times the cost, but the Rogue
does about 2/3rds the job, with 1/4 the weight and bulk of the larger glass.
 
Look at Sigs line of optics. My hunting partner has one of their rangefinders and a pair of their binos. Both are spectacularly priced for what you get.
 
I bought, and have been using a set of Vortex Raptors.
Love the things! Light weight, good clarity.
Are there better, yeah. But for price and performance i think they are hard to beat.
 
No recommendation--not current on the state of the art.

However, when I was looking a couple of years ago I found that a great
source for reviews etc. was the Birder sites. Those bird watchers are
REALLY particular about their binoculars, they are looking for basically the same
qualities as hunters, and they are very vocal about sharing the good and bad
with other birders.
 
None of the above are image stabilized, and are antiquated junk.

Canon Image stabilized 12x36 would be a good start.

shopping


https://www.google.com/search?q=Can...2PzcAhXjLX0KHV7jB5oQ_AUICigB&biw=1151&bih=542
 
The Leupold 7/12x32mm Switch Power's are my current favorites. At 12X the resolution is outstanding and its easy to scan at 7X.
 
Nikon 8 by 42.

Eighty dollars, twenty dollars more to add a tripod mount that screws onto the front, cabelas.
 
You don''t need top of the line $2,000 binocs for hunting. but having said that, anything you buy for less than $250 will probably not be very satisfactory.
 
I think the maven c1 series is the best deal going right now. They compare well to my friends vortex razors.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
+1 for Celestron Endeavors. I bought my wife a pair as she was going on a high end nature tour. She said they were great and that most of the guides had exactly the same binoculars.

Size and weight matter because the binoculars you leave behind are worse than anything you are willing to carry along.
 
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