binoculars advice

I use binoculars almost daily for hunting and predator control around the ranch. The best one's I have found are Swarovski with Zeiss being a close second. They aren't cheap, but will last for generations with proper care. My brother had a pair of Steiner's and they were not very clear and very clumsy to use.
 
I've got a pair of Steiner Safari 8X30 (now discontinued) I've been using for 10 years. I've used them in all types of weather. No problems at all. The clarity is the same as the day I bought them.
Scott
 
go2ndAmend said:
I use binoculars almost daily for hunting and predator control around the ranch. The best one's I have found are Swarovski with Zeiss being a close second. They aren't cheap, but will last for generations with proper care. My brother had a pair of Steiner's and they were not very clear and very clumsy to use.
Click to expand...

You may want to check out the Nikon EDG series of binoculars...they are touted as being the finest pair of binoculars--bar none--in the world right now, and they cost less than Swarovski or Zeiss at the top of their game. Really mind-blowing optics.

As far as I'm concerned Pentax offers the best bang for the buck out of the various quality manufacturers on the market. There may be other folks who make better binoculars, but nobody I've seen yet can beat Pentax when it comes to price versus performance.

Pricing for optics is exponential. You'll find that in the lower range your spending a reasonable amount of money for crap if you don't push into a certain range, and at the high end you're paying many times the cost of a regular good pair of binos for a 1% increase in performance. If you're a professional who relies on your optics day in day out then the super high end ones are worth it. For everyone else it's best to stick within that middle range of the curve where your buying power is maximized. I generally find that to be between $150-$450ish, though there are some exceptions at either end of the spectrum. :)
 
As part of one's research - it's probably worth checking out ConsumerSearch.com - who claim to be reviewing the reviews - that is survey all the reviews and come to some consensus - kind of what we would do ourselves if we had the time and resources.

ConsumerSeach.com on Binoculars

the pick there was the Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 - so it might be worth making that a sort of benchmark to compare other binos with?

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.multiply.com/photos
 
UnknownVT said:
As part of one's research - it's probably worth checking out ConsumerSearch.com - who claim to be reviewing the reviews - that is survey all the reviews and come to some consensus - kind of what we would do ourselves if we had the time and resources.

ConsumerSeach.com on Binoculars

the pick there was the Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 - so it might be worth making that a sort of benchmark to compare other binos with?

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.multiply.com/photos
Click to expand...

Bear in mind, that is 15 months old.
 
UnknownVT said:
Point taken.....
but are all the binoculars recommended in this thread less than 15 months old?
Click to expand...

Some are- the promaster elx ed, hawke, and zen-ray ed, which offer competitive views to zeiss, swarovski, and leica for 1/3rd the price. Seriously, check them out. They're absolutely mind-boggling. People who actually owned the big 3 have actually sold them because they couldn't justify owning a piece of equipment that was more expensive yet only just as good. Go to birdforums.net, hit the forums tab, and head to the binoculars section- it's just ridiculous. If you are getting anything in the 42 objective lens, you'll kick yourself if you don't order some from a website that allows you to return if you don't like 'em, try them out, and see if ANYTHING comes CLOSE to matching the price/value ratio.
Zero
 
Last edited:
Zero_Time said:
Some are- the promaster elx ed, hawke, and zen-ray ed, which offer competitive views to zeiss, swarovski, and leica for 1/3rd the price. Seriously, check them out. They're absolutely mind-boggling. People who actually owned the big 3 have actually sold them because they couldn't justify owning a piece of equipment that was more expensive yet only just as good. Zero
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for that.

I did not realize that binoculars had made such leaps in terms of performance/price ratio.

Amazing - I knew binos had used aspherical elements some years back - I guess ED stands for Extra-low Dispersion as in camera lenses - these would indeed improve the ultimate image quality - but ED glass are notoriously expensive - so I am impressed at the price point of the binos you mentioned - and these are made in China too?

Thank you.

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://unknownvt.multiply.com/photos
 
UnknownVT said:
Thank you very much for that.

I did not realize that binoculars had made such leaps in terms of performance/price ratio.

Amazing - I knew binos had used aspherical elements some years back - I guess ED stands for Extra-low Dispersion as in camera lenses - these would indeed improve the ultimate image quality - but ED glass are notoriously expensive - so I am impressed at the price point of the binos you mentioned - and these are made in China too?

Thank you.

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://unknownvt.multiply.com/photos
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's all china made. Part of exporting production to china, which Nikon among others has done, is that they can pick up a thing or two. Now, the binoculars that I'm talking about are all based around the same design- to say that these chinese optical companies are innovators in any way is completely wrong. Rather, they've picked up on designs that work, and tooled them to offering very high levels of optical clarity. The biggest fight on these birders minds is not whether these are the best bang for the buck... but if it's healthy competition to the big 3, because if the big 3 die, who will innovate?

Basic point: some people are scared because they are SO good. Sorta amazing to read, honestly- the people on that forum are so used to polite discourse without rancor that the ethics of supporting china, of supporting boutique euro manufacturers, and all that is new to them. It's like watching cultivated and foppish professors starting into a melee, not knowing any of the basics. Indeed, ED does stand for extra-low dispersion. The main costs are not in the glass though, as other components. http://birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=147417

Lastly, supposedly the Zen-ray are the best of the bunch, and improved the most on the design, though they are in the middle of raising prices about $150, so if you're considering, then getting under the gun is a limited time thing.

Zero
 
I have an old Steiner 7X35 binocular, and it is good for what it is; a rock-tough beater. I have since moved on to a Leica and a Zeiss, which have overall superior optics to the Steiner.

However, I have found Steiner customer service to be superb. I was cleaning my original Steiner on Saturday morning before a football game, when I foolishly poured water on the lens on a hot day. It fogged internally. On Monday I called Steiner CS, explained what happened. I explained that our deer season opened on the following Saturday, and that although I knew I wouldn't have it for the opener, could they repair and return it as soon as possible. They said to send it in, which I did on the same day. I was astonished when three days later, on Thursday, a new binocular arrived at my door! I can only conclude that they sent the new one out immediately, before even receiving the old one.
 
I have Leica 8X30, Steiner 8X30 night hunter and Steiner 10X22 predator.

the Steiner 8X30 were the latest purchase 1 year ago.

The 10X22 predator are find for the middle of the day but foggy on the edges.
The Leica's are great but when hunting I crawl a lot and shoot off bipod - Lying on and dragging them through dirts is off putting . The steiner 8X30 night hunters are good and tough and I like the fixed focus for one handed scanning. I walk 50m scan then another 50m etc

I also found the hard eye cups on the leica off putting.

However if I want to look at stars at night (always a good test) - Leica's the way to go!

So I have been happy with the clarity and format but obviously there are other options
 
I have the Leupold Mark 4 Patrol binoculars, 10x50 waterproof, clear as anything and very bright and tough as nails!
 
Have a pair of Leica 8x42 Geovids as highenders that I find amazing. Optics are markedly clearer than the Steiner 10x50s, the internal rangefinder is coming in very handy at work, and I like those locking hard eyepiece cups. They won't eventually break like the soft rubber cups can on other binocs. Found some fun stuff on the moon one night a couple weeks ago with the Leicas, apparently there really are craters up there.
But, they are well beyond most budgets, and I agree that I wouldn't want to drag them through places I wouldn't think twice about dragging the Steiners through.
Denis
 
I have a pair of Steiner Police 7x50 binos that were issued to me. I've been pleased with them. They have a bright image that is clear from edge to edge. I like the individual eye focus because they are ready to go when you pull them out of the case. They have very good eye relief for eyeglass wearers (22mm) and the eye cups fold out of the way. I've had a pair of issued Swift and personally owned Nikon break on me at work. To Nikon's credit, they quickly replaced the pair that broke. The Swift were replaced by a pair of Navy One binos that were blurry around the edge. The Steiners replaced the Navy One and have held up great so far. You can find them for around $400 online.
 
nikon monarch 8x42 for lil less than 300 are very,very good. I own them and bought the 10x42 monarchs, but they arent as good imo as the 8x42.

the pentax spf's i believe are a step higher around 600 and then the swarovski, leica, etc at over 1k

the monarchs are super light and durable with very high contrast and no fogging.

nikon just upgraded their binocs, dont know the new models or prices but I also have heard their new high end binocs are the best out there right now
 
I've got 10 by 50 Nikons that have a black rubber coating I have had for 15 years or so. They take a beating and with just a little light you can see a fair bit at night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top