Digi

Hey folks

I am in the market for a new pair of binos and would like your opinions. First off, I know you get what you pay for with optics and I would spend the big bucks if I had them but I don't. I am looking at the 3-4 hundred dollar range. I mainly hunt hardwoods and field edges in the southeast. I don't glass all day but need some decent glass. Also, low light is key. Again I know I will be getting junk compared to the $1K coated lens ziess and swaro's but I got what I got to spend [8D]

I have looked through the windriver olympics and the nikon monarchs. I liked the leupolds but I have not read much about these from people. I didn't really care for the nikons. Anybody use the pentax HRII's?

Thanks

J

PABowhntr

Trust me, don't waste your time. I have looked at them on several occasions and did not find them comparable to either the Monarchs, Olympics or Bushnell Legends. If you are going to try Pentax then look at either the 8x36 HS or the 8x33 XP. Both have slightly smaller objectives which might not allow as bright an image as a 42 mm glass but the difference wouldonly be a fewminutes in most cases.

Nothing else in that price range really excited me.

Digi

Thanks PA

They don't really excite me either when compared to the ziess I looked at. Man those are some sweet optics. Hopefully in 4 or 5 years I'll be able to run with the big boys.

Jeff Ovington

This is a suggestion...
If your willing to go as high as $400.00 try the B&L DISC in the Roof Prism..
I know of a few guys that use them for hunting and they swear by them..
In Canada one can purchase them in a few places for for 475.00 Can..
One place to look is through a web site..Binoculars Canada..
www.binocularscanada.comNot sure how much they are in the U.S.
but I'm sure if you look around you'll find them in the price range your looking for.

trailer

I have a pair of Bushnell Legend 8x42 with the rainguard . I’ve used them for 2 years and these are excellent binocular for the price. The might not be the top of the line but will work very well for your application. Cabela’s sell them for under $300.00 , so if you have a chance take a look at them.
Good luck....

okcmco

You should look at IOR Valdada, Docter Optik, Optolyth for European optics.
For Japanese binos, Check out Swift, Fujinon, and Sightron. The Sightron SII binos were given a best buy by Outdoor life's gear review.
You can get a apir of IOR valdada7x for 379.99. They use Schott glass (Like Zeisss) and use actual Zeiss T3 coatings.
If you can find a used pair of Dicter 10x40 roofs, go for it.

Swiftmakes the grand mac daddy of briding binocs in the audubon 8.5x44 porro prims. $279.99. The roofs are 379.99
Never heard a bad thing about them. Extremely popular and near legendary status among birders
I don't care for the Nikon glass until you stepup to the LX or superior e series. But an awful lot of people on this site do.

Don't forget to check out Eastern block and european army surplus binos.
Ceck out a few binocular sites like one form Holger merlitz and another from a guy named binofan.
East german and russian binos are good and durable ans well as cheap for the quality but they can be heavey
okcmco

deerfollower

I personally like the Nikon Monarchs. I looked thru several different brands and they seems to be the best for the money. After doing my research, I actually bought them from www.theopticzone.com, they had the best price and Jon and Tammi were great people to deal with.

jrharmon

I recently bought the Pentax 8x43 DCF SP for $429 (+s/h) from the highly regarded www.bhphotovideo.com . I've previously used (and been happy with) the Pentax 10x50 DCF WP, but I'm now hunting in closer settings like those you describe. The 8x43 have a "relative brightness" of 29 and an exit pupil of 5.4mm vs. 25 and 5mm for the 10x50, so they should be even better in low light. They're also an inch shorter and 18% lighter.

Jim

sam 444

I when to grices in clearfield,pa and looked through several brands I ended up buying the nikon 10x42 monarch.

PABowhntr

Digi,

I have to admit that I am surprised about your comments on the Monarch. Just about everyone I know that has handled the 8x42 model (10x42 is another issue) has come away saying very favorable things about them. In the most recent binocular review conducted at Cornell University the 8x42 Monarchs were actually rated the best full sized, mid priced bins. Supposedly their center field resolution rivals some of the high end glass.

However, quality control at this price point can be quite shaky. I bought a set of WindRiver Katmais the other day after looking through and exceptional pair at the store. When I got them home though the pair I bought did not have as crisp an image and a finicky focus. I should have followed my own advice and tried the specific pair I bought. Never will let that happen again.

Hope this helps some.