Bino's HELP
 

I am in the market for a fairly good pair of Bino's I know they can get salty I was looking to spend about $100 something for just glassing out spotting deer at night and in the woods while hunting!Looking for a compact size also! Your help is appreciated also if you can list where you purchased them and how much they were and how much you like or dislike them.

Tim:

You know me.....I'm all about quality for a good price. I understand wanting to save a few bucks (believe me!). But the best advice I could give you is the Nikon ATB's in 8x42. If you peruse some internet sites and forums....you could probably find a slightly used pair for around $200. If this is more than you wanna spend, please just disregard. No harm done. I just think there's a big discrepancy between good and "fair" optics. In this case....you could probably save the extra $$ you'd end up spending down the road.

Again......just trying to help. Good luck.

Best compact's I've seen for the money are Nikon Travelite V. I have them in 8x25. They are an awesome little set of bino's....crystal clear and they run about $95. I've used mine for bowhunting for over 10yrs. They have never let me down and more importantly, never cost me a deer. I personally don't see the need for a high dollar bino, or a bigger set such as 8x42's or bigger unless you are hunting an area where you will glass long range and need a really quality set. For the hunting I do, typically in the woods, or along a field edge - these work great.

Compacts just don't cut it for low light. You need something a little bigger, and I second the Nikon ATB 8x42s. They cost a bit more than $100 but they are great glass for the money.

I third the Nikon ATB 8x42's. Fantastic binoculars.

That said Tim, I've gone through a pile of Bushnells (relatively inexpensive) over the years. The worked wonderfully for a season or two but ultimately I ended up with the Nikons as well.

Here's a comparison shopping and helping out our own:

i love my vortex 8x50s....lets in lots of light at dusk, but the real bonus is when its rainy/foggy. they are very clear. and about $75-100 cheaper than nikons.

I agree that full size bino's are better in low light, everyone knows that. He asked about compacts around $100...not full size of $300+. I will agree, the 8x42's are awesome bino's...I've used them quite a bit (my dad has a pair). However, I personally like the compacts - and for most of the hunting I do, they suit me just fine. Yes, they cost me a few minutes in the morning and evening, but overall they are a great little bino for the $. If I was in the market for a full size, the 8x42's would get the nod...they are really good, and especially for the $.

He did say he wanted to spot deer at night, thats why I made the statement about compacts and low light. If that isn't a concern, then go for the compacts.

For right at the $100 price point I would suggest either the Leupold Yosemite 8x30s/6x30s, Vortex Raptor/Eagle Optics Raven 6.5x32s or the Bushnell Legend porro 8x42. All offer excellent optics for the money!

I do have some Leupold Cascade porros up on Ebay but they are a little more expensive than you are looking for.

PA, what are you opinions on the Leupold Cascades? I have heard that they are great optically and very user friendly for the money...however, not from the most trustworthy of sources. I would consider you, to say the least, a little more trustworthy.

I am happy to be "a little more trustworthy".

;)

Seriously though, I do alot of independent optics reviews right now much as I once did for compound bows (and still do when the bow really moves me. ;) )

Let me start off by making a differentiation. There are two different types of Leupold Cascades...the porros (traditional style with the "dogleg") and the the more common roof prism glass (Nikon Monarch, Bushnell Legend, Swarovksi EL, etc...) The specific model I referenced above was the porro prism unit. I easily prefer it to the roof for several reasons.

1) Porro prism binoculars give more of a "3D effect" than most roof prism models because of how wide the objective spacing is. All but a few unique roofs can't match it. This is beneficial because it allows better depth perception and therefore game moving through brush is easier to spot.

2) When all else is equal the brightness of the porro prism design is better simply because there is a simpler (straighter for lack of a better word) light path for the image to follow. Better performance at dusk and dawn.

3) In the comparison between both Leupold models the field of view is substantially wider on the porro prism model (336 feet vs. 280 IIRC). A wider field of view makes it easier for you to scan large areas and identify game.

Lastly, the Cascade porro is one of only three unique porro prism binoculars in that it has an interal focusing design exactly like a roof prism unit. This makes the design more streamlined, more watertight and a bit smoother to turn.

The Cascade porros originally sold for $280...the same price as the roof prism models.

Thanks guys I think I made up my mind. I am gonna purchase the nikon dream season 8x42's. I know they are more than I wanted to spend but I agree with Jeff on this I'm not waisting money on cheap ones I won't like. Again thanks guys for your input

I use Nikon APG 12X42, but they ain't $100.




Get yourself some good glass..................it's worth it !!!

Thanks PA...that helps a lot. What makes a binocular "user-friendly"? I would assume that it would depend on the user, but are there any specific things to look for?

BB,

There are many features to make a binocular friendly.

1. Eye relief.....is the distance back from the eyepiece that you can see the full field of view. If you are an eyeglass wearer then look for bins with at least 16, preferrably 17 mm of eye relief.

2. Interpupiliary Distance adjustment.....is how close you can adjust the central hinge to get the eyepieces at the right position for your eyes.

3. An objective diameter to magnification ratio of at least 4...preferrably 5 in my case. If a binocular has a 42 mm objective lens then I wouldn't go any higher than 10x. If a binocular has a 32 mm objective lens then I wouldn't go any higher than 8x...and so on and so forth.

4. Field of view...wider is better in my opinion. You can get a handle for what is 'wide", "average" and narrow just by looking at a variety of bins of the same magnification/objective size within a given price range. For example, for the last 6 or 7 years the $300 roof prism glass (Nikon Monarch for example) has been pretty much the reference standard for this particular type of glass. The 8x42 model sports a 330 foot wide field of view. I would call this "average" for this configuration at this price point. The new Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 sports a 420 foot field of view at the same price point so I would call it "wide".

4. Size of the "sweet spot". The sweet spot is the area radiating from the center of the field of view outward that is sharp, in focus and relatively free of distortions and aberrations.

5. Depth of field.....the lower the power you go in binoculars the better the depth of field is. In typical hunting magnifications 10x has the worst performance in this area with 6x-7x being the best. Depth of field refers to how far both in front of and behind a focused object that other objects are still in focus. So, if you are focused on a buck at 20 feet and there are two other deer standing within 5-10 feet behind it then are they in focus or aren't they? If they are then the image is easier to view because it is more natural to our eyes.

All I can think of for now....hope this helps.

That helps a great deal...very much appreciated!

Im looking for the same pair. Nikon Manarcs ATB . whats better 10x42 8x42 or 12x42?

I have next to no experience, but from what glassing I have done, it seems to me that 8X would be the best decision. Would be for me anyway, with most of my hunting being in woods. Also, I am way too shaky with anything with more zoom.

thank you. for the response.

walking and glassing 8x42...sitting/walking and glassing 10x42..sitting only and glassing 12x50.