I hunt New England and Canada. I use Nikon Monarchs 8 x 42. Good glass reasonably compact with a wide field of view. I have a pair of 10x and a pair of 12x. Great for bird watching, not needed for hunting.
My current compact 8x21 binocs are not cutting it. I was looking at a 10 x 42. There may be some hunting out west in the near future. I also want to see the target 100 and 200 yds out at my range.
I need a pair of good binocs for hunting. How much power 8x, 10x or 12x?
Was looking into Nikon, Leupold.
Any recommendations?
I presume you are talking about roof-prism binoculars rather than porro-prism?
Depends on what you want to spend. You didn't give us a price range. It would also help to know if you hunt open country or eastern woods.
It is more difficult to make a high-quality 10X bino than an 8x. Unless you are planning on using a tripod I strongly suggest avoiding the 12x because of hand shake. For that matter, many people can't hold 10X binos steady enough. The field of view of 10X is also more narrow than 8X. If you are looking to spend less than, say, $300.00 I would suggest an 8X
As you can tell I am partial to 8X binos. They accomplish everything I need in optics. I hunt a variety of mixed cover - woods, open field, and everything in between. I have never wished for more power in any situation that I have encountered thus far.
My current binos are Pentax DCF-SPs 8X43. These are considered one of the best "mid ranged" priced binos with a retail price currently of around $600.00 (though you can find them in the 400-500 dollar range online. This level of optics gives you a quality of view approaching (but not quite) that of the very top binoculars in the world. They are fully multi-coated, phase coated, completely waterproof, magnesium allow frames, aspherical lens elements, focal sharpness across nearly the the entire field of view, locking diopter, very smooth focus wheel, and high-quality fully multicoated lens coatings. Full lifetime warrenty.
I bought my son a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8X42. At the $200.00 price I have never looked through a better bino at this price range. Full lifetime warranty, phase coatings. nitrogen purged, fully multicoated. Tremendous value for the money spent.
__________________ Captain, Team 1 - The Last Gobble 2009 HuntingNet.com Spring Turkey Contest Champions
Chasing turkeys since 1981
Last edited by mouthcaller; 02-01-2010 at 06:40 AM.
Mouthcaller,
Thanks for the feedback. It's been very helpful.
You're right, I left out a few details. I currently hunt NY State (Eastern woods). But I'm planning a Mid West trip this Fall. My price range is under $300. I've had a pr of compact Minolta 8x25 for over 15 years. But I'm not happy with them and want to upgrade.
Last edited by Thebronxhunter; 01-31-2010 at 07:34 PM.
Reason: spell correction
Take a look at the Minox BV 8x42 BR. I bought a set of these that were labeled as color blemished and have been very satisfied. This is where I got my set....excellent service to boot.
Mouthcaller,
Thanks for the feedback. It's been very helpful.
You're right, I left out a few details. I currently hunt NY State (Eastern woods). But I'm planning a Mid West trip this Fall. My price range is under $300. I've had a pr of compact Minolta 8x25 for over 15 years. But I'm not happy with them and want to upgrade.
Bronx
Not surprised that you are looking to upgrade from 8X25 glasses. The exit pupil is the diameter of the stream of light emerging from the ocular lens to you eye. The wider the exit pupil the more light gets to your eye, therefore, bigger (wider) exit pupil binos are brighter than more narrow ones. Exit pupil is calculated by dividing the objective lens diameter in mm by the magnification of the glass. So 8X25 have an exit pupil of only 3.125 mm. By contrast, 8X43s have an exit pupil of 5.375. The difference is very noticable, especially in dim or poor light conditions such as early or late in the day, on cloudy days, or in the woods.
As you increase power it also reduces exit pupil. A 10x42 bino has an exit pupil of 4.2, making them only 80% as bright as an 8X glass with the same diameter objective lens. That is another reason I favor 8X binoculars.
A "full size" 8X42 or 43 glass is not overly obtrusive. They are relatively light and, with a good bino harness such as that sold by crooked horn outfitters, you will forget that you are wearing them. The harness and binos are an essential part of my hunting equipment and I rarely ever take the harness off the binos. Nice for viewing wildlife, scouting, or watching ballgames too.
Nikon ATBs are a nice glass. I didn't go with them because of the warranty, which was only 10 years at the time of my purchase of the Pentax DCF-SPs rather than lifetime. Don't know if they are still warranted for just 10 years today.
__________________ Captain, Team 1 - The Last Gobble 2009 HuntingNet.com Spring Turkey Contest Champions
__________________
Silence is Acceptance. "To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men." ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ Stand Up and Be Counted !
I presume you are talking about roof-prism binoculars rather than porro-prism?
Depends on what you want to spend. You didn't give us a price range. It would also help to know if you hunt open country or eastern woods.
It is more difficult to make a high-quality 10X bino than an 8x. Unless you are planning on using a tripod I strongly suggest avoiding the 12x because of hand shake. For that matter, many people can't hold 10X binos steady enough. The field of view of 10X is also more narrow than 8X. If you are looking to spend less than, say, $300.00 I would suggest an 8X
As you can tell I am partial to 8X binos. They accomplish everything I need in optics. I hunt a variety of mixed cover - woods, open field, and everything in between. I have never wished for more power in any situation that I have encountered thus far.
My current binos are Pentax DCF-SPs 8X43. These are considered one of the best "mid ranged" priced binos with a retail price currently of around $600.00 (though you can find them in the 400-500 dollar range online. This level of optics gives you a quality of view approaching (but not quite) that of the very top binoculars in the world. They are fully multi-coated, phase coated, completely waterproof, magnesium allow frames, aspherical lens elements, focal sharpness across nearly the the entire field of view, locking diopter, very smooth focus wheel, and high-quality fully multicoated lens coatings. Full lifetime warrenty.
I bought my son a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8X42. At the $200.00 price I have never looked through a better bino at this price range. Full lifetime warranty, phase coatings. nitrogen purged, fully multicoated. Tremendous value for the money spent.
X2 on the diamondbacks.best bang for buck binos out thier..
Binocs for Hunting
