What kind of Binoculars are you guys using?

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 31, 2016, 06:28:43 PM

I just bought a pair of the Bushnell Trophy XLT Binoculars.....10x42.

http://bushnell.com/hunting/binoculars/trophy-xlt

I actually use them more on fires and then I use them seasonal for hunting.
I like to hang them on a nail my the mill just in case I wanna get a closer look at something on the farm.
Just curious as to what y'all were using.

Magicman · January 31, 2016, 06:59:55 PM

I use Zeiss 8X30 and Pat uses Zeiss 10X30. They were both bought from Cabela's on "markdown" after Zeiss changed to a different model.

okmulch · January 31, 2016, 07:50:18 PM

I use vortex 8x32's. Picked them up at cabelas last fall.

thecfarm · January 31, 2016, 08:07:18 PM

I have no idea what kind. Just a real cheap pair,but they get used ALOT. They are on top of the pie safe. They get used by Brenda or me and than back on the pie safe they go. Now when one of the grandkids are here,it might take a minute to find them.

Alcranb · January 31, 2016, 08:21:01 PM

Two pairs of Nikon monarch 12x42 waterproof. One pair at the house for the bride to watch birds the other pair gets knocked around in the truck or my daybag during hunting season. No complaints thus far ;)

WV Sawmiller · January 31, 2016, 08:40:44 PM

Cheap (>$20) 12X25 K-Mart special (Wal-Mart only had 10X25). Use them in the shooting house or when trekking in the woods/jungle with my wife. She is the photographer and I am the spotter.

I gave a pair to Osvaldo, my day guide in Quito, Ecuador, in 2008. He was a taxi driver took us from the airport to our hotel when we came back from 2 weeks in the jungle. Had an unexpected/unplanned day so called him and he took us to a local market, to the equator and to a raptor center. He admired my binos and said they'd cost him $100 or more down there so when done that day I took them off my belt and gave them to him. Easy for me to replace and a treat for him. He was a very good guide especially for a spur of the moment trip.

H.O.D. · February 01, 2016, 10:03:30 AM

I have Nikon Monarch 12-56 and 8-30..good glass for the money. They replace a pair of Swarowski 8-30 I lost last year. For me really comes down to field of view and low light performence . Try several.

petefrom bearswamp · February 03, 2016, 10:30:49 AM

Steiner, 2 pairs, Bushnell 2 pairs and I still have a cheap Japanese pair that I paid $21 for in 1963 which stay at my camp.
Gave a pair of Nikon to my Newfoundland guide back in 1997.
His were held together with duct tape.
HOD you must have shed a tear or two when you lost the Swarovskis.

H.O.D. · February 03, 2016, 05:53:25 PM

Thats true Pete. Austria and Germany produce the best optics I think and exspect a fair price in return but others are closing the quality gap for less.

landscraper · February 03, 2016, 08:20:11 PM

Pentax 16x50 - very clear, good magnification. A couple pair of bushnells, and a couple of the little folding camo cheapies.

bucknwfl · February 03, 2016, 11:02:35 PM

I just got a new pair of the vortex 10x42 for work and they are crystal clear. I like them more than the nikon I have had for ten years in the same configuration. I give the vortex the edge up for that price range

grweldon · February 04, 2016, 08:40:07 AM

I use an inexpensive Bushnell Legacy 10x50 purchased about 15 years ago for $55. I just checked and they for for $85 now. Waterproof and cheap enough that you don't mind taking them everywhere...

tule peak timber · February 04, 2016, 08:55:27 AM

I have several sets of Fujinon 7X50 glasses , green tint coating. I used them to hunt swordfish and found that they were the best to peer through all day long. Highly recommended. Just checked the price and they are a fraction of what I paid 30 years ago . Rob

Magicman · February 04, 2016, 12:37:45 PM

Much depends upon the usage. If it's for an occasional scan or to verify an object, then a lesser quality Binocular is satisfactory. If you plan to spend an hour or so scanning a mountainside, etc, you had best have a very high quality Binocular or eyestrain will give you the worst headache of your lifetime.

Woodhauler · February 04, 2016, 02:23:54 PM

Leopuld for me!! Rifle scopes[ 7 of them] and binocs too.

Hilltop366 · February 04, 2016, 02:39:18 PM

My wife gave me a fancy pair of compact Pentax binoculars 20 years ago then about 10 years ago my niece gave me a $20 pair of tasco binoculars, to be totally honest it is hard to tell the $100 difference when looking through them.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 04, 2016, 07:33:21 PM

Quote from: Magicman on February 04, 2016, 12:37:45 PM
If you plan to spend an hour or so scanning a mountainside.....

Looking for Goats? :D

TimRB · February 04, 2016, 09:51:03 PM

I have a pair of these:

http://nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/binoculars/elegant/mikron_x15/index.htm

I saw someone use them in a movie once and said "I gotta get me some of those." Then I found out how much they cost, and decided that maybe I could live without them. Then, much to my surprise, Santa put them under the tree! I just love that guy.

Anyway, I also have some Nikon Mountaineers, which are my real go-to binoculars. Small, waterproof, excellent optics--after nearly 30 years, still fantastic. That said, I also have a pair of no-name Sears 7X35s that I got for Christmas a hundred years or so ago, and they are still very fine.

Good binoculars are such a joy, and bad ones are such an annoyance.

Tim

tule peak timber · February 05, 2016, 09:43:08 AM

Quote from: Magicman on February 04, 2016, 12:37:45 PM
Much depends upon the usage. If it's for an occasional scan or to verify an object, then a lesser quality Binocular is satisfactory. If you plan to spend an hour or so scanning a mountainside, etc, you had best have a very high quality Binocular or eyestrain will give you the worst headache of your lifetime.
[/quot Looking for something inches tall, a mile away, in a choppy ocean , from a rolling boat certainly does cause eye strain!Our trips would last for a week and it felt like your eyes were going to pop out at the end of each day. Good quality glass was a must !

mart · February 14, 2016, 11:45:23 PM

Quote from: Magicman on February 04, 2016, 12:37:45 PM
Much depends upon the usage. If it's for an occasional scan or to verify an object, then a lesser quality Binocular is satisfactory. If you plan to spend an hour or so scanning a mountainside, etc, you had best have a very high quality Binocular or eyestrain will give you the worst headache of your lifetime.

Outstanding advice.

I was in the market several years ago for a good quality binocular and after much research found the Pentax DCF 8x43's to be rated exceptionally well, on a par with glass costing twice as much. It's been several years but I seem to recall the DCF's were running around $700 retail back then.

I have not been disappointed. My old Bauch and Lombs used to give me headaches after searching hillsides for game. Not the case with the DCF's. I've spent hours behind them with never a headache or eyestrain. If a guy is just using a binocular for a few minutes at a time, a cheap one may suffice. Spending a day glassing mountain sides for bear, sheep or goats, watching the tundra for hours for caribou or moose, or searching the grasslands for mule deer and antelope demands a good glass and the cheap ones will wear you out. I use my DCF's as much still hunting heavy cover as I do open country. The good quality glass is great at penetrating the layers of foliage and timber that the human eye is unable to resolve. It's amazing what one can see in that cover when you slow down and glass.

I get asked frequently what to bring to Alaska for a rifle and scope and my response is to use whatever rifle/scope your most comfortable with and spend money on a high quality binocular. I'd much rather see a guy hunt here with a $600 rifle/scope combination and a $1000 binocular than to see one show up with a $1500 rifle/scope and a $100 binocular.