What power bino's
 

I am going to be purchasing a new pair of high end binos. Either Swaro's our Cabelas Euro's. What power would you consider? The Cabelas only com in 10 or 12 power. The Swaro's I can get in 8 or 8.5 and up.

Thanks

RE: What power bino's
 

I like the 8's. All the power I need unless one is hunting vast prairies and such and then a 10x would be better. 12's IMO are too much, all unsteady movements would be magnified and noticed.

RE: What power bino's
 

Lots of studies have been done onthis, and 7-8 power is optimal for the human eye. If you get larger objective lenses like 40 or over, you can resolve movment at 1000 yards. Saying all that I have a 8X and 10X and like them both.

Go out with cheap glass, after glassing hundreds of yards for 3 hours and you can wind up with a bad headache. I like the higher end Leica's and stieners too. The older gold ring leup's are great too. I really want a set of EL's. But my budget can't go over 800 as rough as I am on things.

RE: What power bino's
 

It is hard to stabilize the image if you have more than 8x power. It is ok if you are glassing for few minutes at a time but if you are going to spend hours behind the binoc I would recommend 8x.

RE: What power bino's
 

I have a pair of Swift Audubon 8.5x44s that work really well. I had bought a cheap pair of 12x50s, and I couldn't hold them still enough to see much at all. In-between, I have a pair of Nikon 10x50s that I use for backyard birdwatching, and they're great for viewing up to 80 yards or so (just too heavy to carry in the field).

So to answer your question, a good pair with about 8x magnification should be about right.

RE: What power bino's
 

the 8's or 8.5 would be an excellent choice,I have a pair of 10x42 nikons monarchs and like them very well but the 8 power would be brighter,my next pair will be 8.5 x 56 the 8.5 will be clearer than the ten and the 56mm objective will let in more light at dawn and at dusk than the 42mm will.

RE: What power bino's
 

It somewhat depends on what type of hunting you plan on using these binos for. If you're using them to spot movement and a spotting scope to make out details at longer ranges, you're much better off using something around 8 or 8.5X. Obviously smaller and lighter binos are easier to carry if you're hiking. If you're going to stick the binos on a tripod and use them all day looking at long distance, you'd want somewith a higher power.

RE: What power bino's
 

I would recommend eight to ten, but really it kind of depends on what kind of hunting you will be doing. As far as brands i would look at some other brands before you buy try maybe Leica, Zeiss, Vortex, and Minox. These other brands are high quality and are a bit less expensive.

RE: What power bino's
 

Take a look at the Vortex Razors. They come in 5 sizes. 8x42, 10x42, 8.5x50, 10x50, 12x50.

You can compare these to the top 3, but you will not find a difference that is worth $1000 or more. Buy these and still have enough to buy a new bow or a gun and not miss a beat.

Ron

RE: What power bino's
 

i agree .....
i also have to confirm with the other responses that the 8x42 are most likely your best option.

RE: What power bino's
 

I would suggest 7 to 8 x for dense foliage and 12 x for unobstructed view. Check out the Zeiss before you purchase. The weight is half that of both the Swarovski and Cabela's models with exceptional clarity and reasonable price.

RE: What power bino's
 

I, too, agree with the others a high quality 8x42 is usually the best all around combination for any given type of hunting. Some configurations work better for one type of hunting or another but the 8x42 usually covers all of them at least adequately.

I do like Sniper's suggestion of the 7x42 as well. I have found that there is little, if any, loss in observable details between it and the typical 8x42 however you get much better depth of field, a brighter image and a much more comfortable view overall.

You mentioned the Cabelas Euros. They are rebadged Meopta Meostars and you can find those Meostars at Cabelas as well as a few other optics retailers for approximately the same price range as the Euros but in the 8x42 and 7x42 configurations. The Meostars are very close, if not at, the quality level of the big names while only being about half the price. I would recommend them highly.

RE: What power bino's
 

I'd have to agree that 8x42 or 10x42 is your best bet. I personally like a 10x zoom. It works for open country or thick brush. I've always had 10x42's and have never had any problems with holding them steady. I have had eye strain which could be due to poor optics. I am also upgrading this year to either Zeiss or Swarovski binos.

RE: What power bino's
 

7-8 with an objective thats as close to your scope as possible. Also, if you hunt with a high end scope, get high end binos....and vice versa.It really sucks to look through a great set of binos and then have a difficult time trying to find your target when you bring your scope up. If they are of the same quality, aquisition is much quicker, easier on the eyes and could save your hunt.

RE: What power bino's
 

I would not send the $$ on those i would go with Nikons both of the ones the you sed are not as good as Nikon. But they are more money. And i like 10x42 or 8x40s

RE: What power bino's
 

Depends what you are hunting! Yes the 7x and 8x binos are more comfortable to look through. But if you are scouting animals at longer distances and not wanting to carry Spoting scope and Binos, Then go to the 10x. If all your hunting is less than 200-300 yards and you just want to peer into the shadows. Then the 7x is a great choice. If you are sitting on a Western Ridge line looking at elk 4 ridges over and trying to decide if the bull in the group is big enough to stalk, you want all the power you can get.

Very happy with Zeiss 8x32 T* FL
 

I just got Zeiss 8x32 T* FL. I still hunt most of the time and I realy appretiate the weight and compact size of the binos. I compared it with 10x32 and the 8x32 were definetly brighter.Zeiss just came up with a new lotu-tek coanting on the lenses, but I can live without it. More important was a discount for not a Lotu-Tek model. I got a NIB for only 1K delivered.