Best 10x42 Binoculars?
 

Who makes the best quality 10x42's in terms of image quality (crisp & clear), brightness, eye relief (I wear glasses), and of course price?

These will mainly be used for hunting. From the whitetail tree stand, to turkey hunting, to elk and mule deer in Colorado, and other big game adventures I will use these.

If a $2,000 pair is really twice as good as a $1,000 pair I would consider it. I have friends who have Swarovski and Zeiss and they love them. Just checking to see what is new and worth the money.

Thanks Rob

depends on what is important to you. I have swarovski ,10x50.and will never go back to any other brand. have had them for 20 plus years and only issue I ever had was replaceing eyecups twice , which swarovski sent me , free of charge.my brother had an old pair that he sent to have refurbished and they sent him a new pair , no charge. when it comes to warranty , swarovski ,is awesome. they may cost more but they last.

I USED TO BUY CHEAP. 150-200 range bushnell tasco ,nikon all suck and not worth a dime. leopould are not bad and waranty is decent but they will not hold up like swarovskis. to summerize ,if you can afford the higher dollar ones I would highly recommend doing so, if money is tight ,try leopould.before you buy a pair look through them in first and last light conditions. you will be amazed at the amount of difference in low light . that is where you can distinguish the quality of glass.

In know Swarovski has great glass. I have two Swarovski rifle scopes and the low light image is incredible.

But there is a tipping point where cost doesn't justify quality. That is what I am trying to determine. My friends have the Zeiss Conquest HD binos. They are a $1k pair and are very nice. Is the Swaro ELs at $2,500 really 2.5 times better? I'm not sure, maybe maybe not?

It's called "the law of diminishing marginal returns".

If $2,000 come easy to you by all means buy them.

IMO $1,000 binos are better than 90% of successful hunters use.

Most people buy $600 (or less) binos and feel they are adequate for their use.

We all wish we used Swarovski optics !!!

I normally carry Swarovski binoculars but the newest HD models from some manufacturers come very, very close and can be had for one third of the cost. I am particularly favorably impressed by the Leupold McKinley which can be had for somewhere around $600. To my eyes they are at least the equal of the $1,000 Conquest HD or the similarly priced Vortex model.

If you don't mind a bit of extra weight the Meopta (as sold by Cabelas as their Euro HD) is built like a truck and has great glass. I like them a bit better than the other $1,000 models, but your eyes may see things differently. I think they are really close to the Swarovski.

If they were all free I would still choose the Swarovski above all others, but they are not twice as good.

I have a pair of Vortex Razor HD 8X42 Binocs. Like them VERY much!!!

Leica. Nothing else needs to be said.

Well Okay than ......................

just picked these up recently...2015 ZRS HD (SUMMIT) 10x42 Waterproof Binoculars
very pleased with them so far

While ill agree with you that Leica does make the very best binos there are there is something else to be said.

Warranty issues.

First you have to purchase yiur Leica from a authorized Leica dealer ..cross the ts and dot the is on the warranty card and send in a copy of the recepeipt and pray it gets recorded properly.

Secondly it is not transferable except to a offspring.

With that said Swarovski Optics are so darn close it takes a real discriminating eye to tell the difference between the two and Swarovski do not give two ****s who purchased the optics. The optics speak for themselves. Send them in owned third hand and your covered .

I do agree with what was said that at some point you stat reaching a point of diminishing returns. I think when it comes to big game hunting that some of the $600 to 1k ED Glass is more than a man will ever need. For a bird watcher??? maybe a argument could be npmade to spend the 2 to 3k they are asking for their optics. I just don't see myself ever justifying a expense like that ever again.

I own a pair of 10x42 Leica's and a Leica Spotting Scope. I jumped through the hoops with the Warranty department with them. I thought I was going to have a coronary over getting the Binos warrantied as I had lost the receipt. They were bound and determined NOT to cover the binos unless I could produce the receipt. I argued with the place I purcased them through till I was blue in the face that I needed a receipt. I finally wound up going online and paying $2 for a credit card statement and had it sent to me and showed the store the exact date of purchase and they were then able to go back and pull the receipt and let me drive down to the store and make a copy. Then and only then was Leica going to put my Binos under Warranty. I decided that day that was the last Leica product I was ever going to buy. NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL they are. And they are Wonderful!

I finally pulled the trigger. I tried the Swarovski 10x42 EL and SLC side by side. Through my eyes, the ELs were a little sharper and the feel was much better. Between the sale they had on the ELs, the 10% off coupon, and the Cabela's points I got a great price on them. Very happy so far. Can't wait to get them in Colorado on a hunt.

If you have the money to spend, Swarovski has some of the best optics around. Leica, Leupold and Zeiss are all in the same price and quality range. If your like me and have to scrape pennies from under the couch to buy a set of binos, I would strongly suggest either the Nikon Monarchs or Vortex optics.

You can pick up a set of 10x42 Vortex Diamondbacks for around $225 or so. Keep in mind that they are not Swarovskis, but they are probably the best bang for your buck. I have a set of 10x50s and love them. They are a bit heavy but they also have a lifetime no questions asked warranty.

I don't think you will be disappointed.

Even if you find that you need them to stand behind their product !!!

I have a set of http://www.pointblankscopes.com/prod...roof-binocular by Minox they have served me well for the last year

I have been debating on these as well as the Zeiss Victory HT's. Can't quiet make up my mind on if I want the edge to edge of the Swarvo's over the 95% light transmission of the Zeiss.
Hope you enjoy your investment!! Good luck on the hunt!!

IMO vortex offers a great optic at an affordable price....Certainly not the very best but probably the very best most folks can justify paying for.

I just ordered my 6 year old her very first pair of her own for her Birthday.

I bought my Nikon Prostaff 7 10X42x "camo" binocular last year & love them. Iv ben using mine allot lately scouting for turkeys for California's upcoming spring turkey season. I use the Boss Bino System to attached them to my backpack or bibs. Great binoculars & the Boss Bino System works great. So I think Nikon Prostaff 7 10X42 is best!

Hi, Rob! I'm back. Recently, I read a good article (www.listoutdoor.com/7-best-hunting-binoculars-review-2017/). I think it's useful to you.

I have got NIkon Monarch 7298. Hasn't let me down yet

In my opinion its Vortex Optics Viper HD. Bought last month after reading this review.

I have a Nikon 7576 Mornarch and I like it very much!

He has already made his choice and a wise one he got the Swaro EL's. I have read here some of the ststements and really disagre with some. The only Vortex that will come close tothe Swaro's is the Razor HD. Leupold does not make a bino in the price range of the top 3 Swaro Ziess and Leica. Last but not least please do not put the Vortex Diamond Backs in a comparison with the top 3 bino's they are not close.
You made a real good choice Rob and will have years of crystal clear glassing ahead of you.

I have had the ELs for 2.5 years now. No regrets as they are top notch.

Last fall in Iowa I lost one of the front lens covers. I emailed Swarovski last Sunday night about ordering a replacement. By Monday I had 4 emails from them and a new pair on the way. They arrived Friday and there was no charge. What service!

Unfortunately in the optics world you do truly get what you pay for. Swarovski is the best. Hands down and has been for years. I have looked through every glass out there and continue to as they come out. Zeiss and Leica are great. Also expensive. Some of the higher end Vortex are good. Those are the popular brands. Try some out first. I would advise going to a big outdoors store but try to get the salesperson to go outside with you. You just can’t get a good feel inside the store.
Also, depending on what size you are looking for and the type of hunting, factor in a good sturdy tripod. It makes all the difference.

Perhaps you can use a digital binocular from ATN. I bought this binocular a year ago and use it for hunting.

I'm a little late getting in on this, but when I was looking at spotting scopes I ordered 3 from Cabelas to try out. I told them I wanted to compare them and send back whichever ones I didn't want. They had no problem with me doing that. So, ordered a Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leupold Gold Ring. I took them out at different times of the day and in different weather, etc. and evaluated all three. I paid a few bucks in return shipping, but it was well worth it. For what it's worth, I kept the Swarovski. The Zeiss was close, but I didn't like the focusing and both my son and I agreed the Swarovski was just a shade better. The Leupold wasn't even close.

I'm looking at some high end binoculars right now and I plan to do the same thing. I'm going to order 3 or 4 different models and compare them, keep what I feel is the best, and return the others. Comparing optics in a parking lot doesn't give a very good indication of what they'll be like when hunting. You need to look through them at different distances, different times of the day, etc.

I spend a lot of time looking through binoculars and a spotting scope....A LOT OF TIME! For me watching deer, elk, etc. is as much fun (well almost as much fun) as pulling the trigger. For me it's not just a matter of being able to count points and evaluate the size of a critter....it's about the whole hunting experience and top end glass really adds to that for me.

Check out Fujinon binos, I have a pair of 10x50w, they are the clearest binos I ever looked through.

Hi Rob I'll say you can check out the Vortex Razor HD binoculars, it comes in four configurations namely 10x42. I came across this one in an interesting article and it has some good specs that you maybe want to check out The 10 Best Binoculars For 2019.

It's at a very competitive price range as well!

Many thanks