School me on binoculars

[Little Dutch]

I?ve never had a good set of binoculars. No one I hunt with has a good set of binoculars. I’ve been hunting with an inexpensive set of Nikon binos for the last 8 or 10 years. I think they were $100 at the time. They aren’t cross eyed or anything, and are serviceable still. They are 10x42 porro prism, and barely fit in my chest rig sideways. I’d like to upgrade, and switch to a roof prism.

When I looked through the roof prism binoculars at Sportsmans last weekend I found the 50mm objectives wouldn’t close enough to be comfortable for me to look through, They were marginally too wide. I didn’t think I had particularly close set eyes, but … maybe? Maybe it was just the brand I tried. I’m pretty sure they were Vortex, I don’t recall the model. Either way it lead me to think I need to stick with 10x42’s in the roof style.

I’ve got a severely tight budget right now. We are still trying to buy a house, and the market is stupid. With all that, is there a set of binoculars in the $500 and under range that are worth looking at, or should I suck it up and use my Nikons for another season and hope I have a better budget for next year?

[MarkCO]

HD Burris or Maven.

[Bailey Guns]

I was in the same boat a few years ago. I looked at a lot of binos with just a little bit higher budget. I thought about the Vortex but then I looked thru a set of Leupolds. Specifically the BX-4 Pro Guide HD 12x50 model. Most places have them around $669 so slightly over your budget. But I'll tell ya...you could do a lot worse. I liked them so much I bought a pair of the BX-5 Santiam HD binos for bird watching. I can't say enough good about them.

The 10x42 version of the Pro Guide is a roof prism style and they're on sale at Cabela's for $425 right now. If you're a vet you'll get an additional $21 off. That's a pretty darn good deal.

[CS1983]

Look at pawn shops. I came upon a set of swarovski binos that were like $1500+ new and the shop had them for something ridiculous like $200. They went to my dad to help with his bird watching.

Also look into some of the higher end monoculars. Just as good and less weight.

[encorehunter]

Look at pawn shops. I came upon a set of swarovski binos that were like $1500+ new and the shop had them for something ridiculous like $200. They went to my dad to help with his bird watching.

Also look into some of the higher end monoculars. Just as good and less weight.

Same here. I have bought Swarovski SLCs 10x42 for $600 at pawnshops.
The bad part is once you look through them, that's all you want afterwards.

[def90]

If you are comparing 10x42 to 10x50 the 10x50 in general is going to allow more light in to the lens so they will be slightly better in low light conditions. The 10x50 will have a slightly smaller field of view. Not sure why you couldn’t get the vortex to close down to fit your eyes, my 10x42s have plenty of movement in both directions and the 10x50s in the same model are close to the same size. Maybe try a different brand.

In the end what are you going to be using them for? Glassing mountain tops across the valley for elk or looking through timber for elk. There is a ton of reading out there on the subject on the best size binos for certain uses.

[Delfuego]

Great glass for cheap never really happens in my world. You could pray for a pawnshop miracle, but I have personally never been that lucky. All the good binos I have seen were pretty pricey. They do however last a long time and you can look through them all day without discomfort. Euro brands like Zeiss, Swaro, Leica are on top. Meopta and Maven are the next step down. For an inexpensive good bino, look at the Steiner 8x30 (Marine/Navigator) these are very good and durable for the money, but might not fit your size/weight requirements. Maven has a demo/trial program where they send you a pair of your choice and if you don't want them, you can send them back for a full refund. This might be an option to get to look through them in person. I have eventually gotten really nice binos after years of selling and upgrading; mine are bino/lrf combos and I could not be happier. I have a connection for Swaro and Zeiss (Leupold maybe) that has really good pricing if you want. Cameraland (Doug) is also a good option, just reach out and he will give you special pricing under MAP (minimum advertised pricing).

[BushMasterBoy]

Pair of Steiner 7X50 listed for $275 on Ebay...located in Colorado Springs. My guess is they used to belong to the military.

[Little Dutch]

I appreciate all the responses. Work is kicking my butt, but I'm researching when time allows trying to figure out what I want to do.
I've heard these mystical stories of pawn shop deals my whole life. I know a guy who travels the state a lot for work and finds amazing deals on high end firearms at pawn shops fairly regularly. The only thing I ever find are Star Model B's marked $200 over retail, and cross-eyed binoculars missing an eye cup...

As a reference point, these are what I bought on sale at Sportsman's warehouse way back when and am still using.
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/binoculars/aculon-a211-10x42.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

I've got this Badlands Mag binocular case that I really like. The Nikons do fit in it, if you stick them in sideways. It's not ideal by any means, but they go in.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1017618932

[Hummer]

I think you've gotten all good suggestions above (unusual for a binocular thread). I'll make a few points. For hunting, you can hardly beat a good 10x42 roof prism binocular. You want enough magnification to count antler points at a few hundred yards. And like any optic you carry into the field, weight is an important factor. One is far more likely to carry and use a lighter weight optic. A 10x40 roof prism is the sweet spot in the weight, size and view categories, IMO. One with a wider angle of view is especially useful, and for me as a birder I also want something that has a short close focus distance.

I think you can get a decent, new binocular for ~$500 these days, but you generally get what you pay for and you'll find better quality and durability in the $1000+ units. Long lived durability is a big part of what you pay for. I get to look through other peoples optics fairly often. I recently compared a friend's Maven 11x45 and was impressed that it was as bright as my 10x42 Vortex Razors. But it was heavy, heavy. Same with Meopta. I'd steer away from any with a built in rangefinder as well as brands not made by major optics companies. And I'd never buy anything sold now by Bushnell.

[Little Dutch]

Invaluable, thanks.
I went to Sportsmans this morning and looked at the binoculars again. The Vortex Razor in 10x42 would fit my needs nicely. I was rather taken with them. As per Delfuego’s suggestion I may call cameraland to see what he can offer me. I see a lot of their posts over on longrangehunting offering deals if you’re willing to call.
It’s going to be a while though. I’ll start a bino cash stash so I can purchase with a larger budget.

[Duman]

As pointed out earlier, once you've looked through good glass, there's no going back.
Also pointed out, good glass is expensive unless the pawn-fairy blesses you.

I have a pair of Leica compact binos which are better than some full-size I've used: https://www.opticsplanet.com/leica-ultravid-8x20-br-binoculars-40252.html

[longrange2]

I just picked up a nice used pair of Zeiss Conquest 10x42 for $600 and they are great. I have a set of Swarovski 10x42 ELs and the Zeiss hangs with them pretty well. I wanted a less expensive pair I wasn’t afraid to leave in the truck and have been pleasantly surprised with them. I saw a like new pair on Snipers Hide I think for $700.

[zimagold]

Vortex Razor HD 10x42s are my main hunting binoculars. As previously mentioned they hit a sweet spot for performance, weight, warranty, and cost. I borrowed all the majors brands from friends before settling on the Razors.

My dream binos are the new Swarovski NL Pure line, but the Razors work well enough for now. Edge resolution and distortion could be better. With the center glass, I can routinely spot mule deer out to a mile off a tripod in twilight. Sometimes the edge distortion makes gridding a mountain hard. The weight and size is quite good for their class. I also dont have to baby them with Vortexs warranty which means they go everywhere all the time.

I bought mine in 2017 and paid $900 after calling a few places and ultimately getting a better than price match from Opticsplanet.

[Duman]

Zima, curious, why the NL over the EL?

[zimagold]

Zima, curious, why the NL over the EL?

New NLs are supposed to have an apparent field of view of >70 degrees resulting in a more immersive experience with less fatigue. The new prisms are about 1oz heavier than the ELs. Looking at 12x42s for mostly stationary or tripod use.

I would probably keep the 10x42 Razors for ground work and high risk stuff. As a direct replacement the 10x42 ELs with Swarovision were excellent when I borrowed them.