Binoculars

[lancem]

Pentax, look at the online reviews always 5 star, I have 10x50 and 20x60's and they are fantastic. Sure the bragging rights to some Steiners would be great but I'd like to do a side by side and see if you could really tell a difference between the two.

[Lloyd Smale]

your razors are a big step about monarchs in quality and price. I had a set back a couple years ago that got stolen out of my truck and compared side by side with my buddys zeiss conquests even he admitted the vortex was better glass. Id say it would take a set of eyes better then mine to find swarovskis a whole lot better. Only thing i didnt like about mine was the size and weight. The new hd version is much lighter and compact.

I just sent my Vortex Razors back to Vortex for repair (In Wisconsin since they are a US company). They got bumped a little too hard (dropped) and required re-collumnation. Look at Vortex optics - best warranty in the business - they will fix anything - and I mean anything (ran over by the truck, dropped off a cliff - you name it) on their dime, no questions asked. And my binoculars will stand right up there with the Nikon Monarchs head to head - not as good as Swarovskis in low light, but just as bright and clear otherwise at less than half the cost.

[Lloyd Smale]

as to the stieners. I replaced that stolen set of razors with a set of stiener preditor 10x42s. Decent glass but no better then my monarchs that cost substainialy less.

[pull the trigger]

I spent $300 on a pair of the focus free steiners and they are phenominal! It was ALOT of $$ to me but they are incredible. I cant believe more money would be that much better to justify the cost. I looked thru some zeiss at the same time as the steiners when I was buying and could not see any diff in the store

[shooter2]

I had a set of Leica 8 X 42 and they were visually excellent but too heavy so I sold them. I went back to a pair of 8 X 30's made for Eddie Bauer in West Germany. Yes, not so good at twilight, but optically great and light weight.

[bbailey7821]

I can recommend Zeiss. Optically equivalent to the swarvoskis, but a shade under 700 bucks!

[Outpost75]

When I was in Germany 1981-82 I bought Zeiss 7x42 armored Porro-prism binoculars, which I still have. They have been used heavily and have withstood rough service, including complete salt water immersion with no ill effects. Their performance compared to the B&L 7x50s I was issued at the time, but the Zeiss Bundeswehr glasses were more compact and lighter.

For hunting I carry a smaller pair of Swedish Army surplus Carl Zeiss Jena 6x30s which I paid $109 for in C- condition from Deutche Optik, and have been very pleased with them. Sharp, clear optics with no edge or barrel distortion, very bright in twilight conditions.

[AlaskanGuy]

These are my favorite bino's...... You cant go wrong with these old timers....



If you get a pair of decent steiners, you will never be sorry....

AG

[GaryN]

I don't have any more money than anyone else. I wanted some binoculars. After looking for a while I put some Swarovski's on layaway. I would pay on them every once in a while. About nine months later they were mine. I have never been sorry about the purchase.

[Mike in TX]

Take a look at some of the bino's that the birders use. I have Olympus 8X40 and am very happy. They are in the price range on Monarch.
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[Bullshop Junior]

I have a pair of stiner marine glasses. Never used them much, as I figured my eye sight was good enough. Took them hunting with me for kicks and grins last time I went hog hunting and I wont leave them home again. Huge diffirance.

[starmac]

I see camera land has the steiner predator 10x42's for 299.00 this month.

[Groovy]

I have had a pair of Steiner Predator Pro 8X22 since 1996 and they are still clear. They came with a padded case and lanyard and are small enough to fit anywhere.

[olafhardt]

I used to sell binoculars and I have been an accumulator for several decades. I love binoculars, I try to always have a set with me so I have a pair in each car. I have several pairs around the house. This should make it clear that I am not anti-binocular. I have formed some opinions:
1) The best use of binoculars for woods hunting is to keep me entertained while I wait for some mentally challened critter to walk by.
2) I don't think roof prisms are as good as porros..
3) Big front end binoculars and heavy binoculars should be relegated to home and vehicle use.
4) My favorites are 8x30-32's.
5) I have purchaced several good pairs of $100 binoculars.
6) I can't imagine binoculars worth $300 or more.
7) The best way to buy binoculars is at a store with a lot of them. Focus at various stuff in the store at various distances.
8) Binoculars are vary useful for studying things you might not want to or be able to get to close to. I have very pleasant memories of observing a longeared sunfish from a foot bridge across a creek. The fish was about 10 feet away. My 8x30 binoculars made it as though I was about 15 inches away. I alyways check to see how close I can focus on something.
9) I have never had any use for armored or waterproof binoculars.
10) If you teach yourself to use binoculars when you are young, they can help with bad eyes and bad knees when you
are older.
In the end like many things, it's up to you

[10x]

My primary use for binoculars is for hunting, especially just before sunset, and in the 1/2 hour of legal hunting time after sundown (Alberta regulations).
The best ever binos for low light image were a set of 7x50 Bushnell Sportview purchased about 30 years ago. I used these for years then bought Nikon 8x42 to use (smaller and clear image in low light - but not as bright as the old Bushnell). I am not sure how it happened but I suspect my kids dropped the Bushnell 7x50s on concrete and broke the frame. They were sent to Bushnell for repair, and a new set of 7X50 (armoured) marked Bausch and Lomb were returned. The Bosch and Lomb were not as nice in low light as the original bushnells - but better than the nikon.

I have found that all binoculars are about the same in bright light, it while using in low light you start to see marked differences.
I chanced to be hunting wit a fellow who had spent a great deal of money on Swarovski 8X30s. He could not see Mule deer on the fenceline 800 yards away with them. I don't know if they needed cleaning or were knocked out of adjustment. They simply would not focus in the low light.
However the 7x50 Bausch and Lomb showed him the deer very nicely and he could see ears and antlers. Apparently his eyes were better than mine as I could see the deer and tell they had ears.

Bottom line, when you buy binoculars - use them to look at detail in the darkest part of the store, at boxes in shadows, or under shelves. Some will show detail in shadows that other brands do not. For me it is the ability to show a clear image in low light that will sell a binocular..

[Ivantherussian03]

I have owned several pairs of binoculars over the years, but never a quality pair. I am hoping to change that this summer, and while I would love to have a pair of swarski (Can't even afford to spell them right) I just can't justify the expense.

I am thinking steiners, something in the 5 hundred dollar ballpark, what do you guys use and like.

Yeah, I am like you…..I would like an expensive new set but can't justify it. I have several pairs, the nicest being Zeiss…..I think they are military surplus out of East Germany but can't remember for sure. I got 80 bucks tied up in them. I think the basic technology of them was mastered and little improvement has made after WWII. The only improvement being lighter and cheaper materials, but I maybe wrong. In any event, I just can't justify any more expense. A nicer set might walk off too. If your not considering that maybe you should.If I can't afford to buy it a second time I generally don't buy it. My working set cost me a dollar; I use them at work and they are beat up, but no one has stolen it cause they are beat up.

[Petrol & Powder]

In the used & old arena I can highly recommend the Hensoldt 8x30 issued by the former West German military. I have pair that I wouldn't take 3 times what they cost me. Some of the East German/ former Soviet stuff was also better than most people will admit. (mostly because the Soviets captured the German factories !)
Porro-prism designs are generally far better for the money but I do have an old pair of Zeiss roof prism type that have held up remarkably well despite their age.

[Char-Gar]

Binoculars always involves some kind of compromise. How much weight do you want to carry and how much magnification can you hold steady? Binoculars for marine (shipboard use), bird watching, sports viewing and hunting each have different parameters. I assume you are talking about hunting as the primary use, so I will confine my comments to that.

1. Buy the very best optics you can afford. Using poor optics will cause eye strain and headaches in the field. That is a good way to ruin a fine day afield. Poor optics won't do the job very well at day break and twilight, which are the prime hunting times.

2. Now you factor in the bulk and weight and how much magnification you can hold steady when glassing the world for game.

After several pairs of less expansive brands, I bought a pair of Zeiss 8X30 IF in 1987. They cost me $360.00 (dealers cost). Today they are much much more pricey. I still use these binoculars on a regular basis and don't think I will ever need to replace them.

My wife (at that time) was quite unhappy with me for paying that kind of money for the binoculars. We were in a condo at the beach, it was night and she heard voices on the beach from the dark that she could not see where they came from. I told her to use the glasses and she was amazed. She could not only see the people talking, but what they were wearing and the color of their clothing. She never said another negative word about what I paid for that pair of Zeiss binoculars.

[Omega]

Since I can shoot doe or buck all I need to see is movement through the trees, but I have found that these babies do that and more: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000092PMY/...CN942MOT&psc=1

I hunt from a stand so the weight makes no difference but I would have no issue carrying these in the field either at just under 2lbs. I used to carry a smaller 10x20 set in my bag but my eyes have gotten worse and need the larger objective lens now.