BINOCULARS

I have Burris Signature and the wife has Leupold we use for hunting..

Optics have come a long way, compared to the inexpensive throwaway types we all have used at some point.

I found a great binocular years ago, that are high quality, and have given years of service, but still as good as the day I bought them.

Pentax 8x42 DCF WP

Jerry

How much are you willing to spend? Good binocs are in the $1000-$3000 range.

I’ve had two pairs of Nikon Monarch 7 for several years, one was 10x42 and one was 10x30. They are both much better than what most people typically carry based on my experiences at Yellowstone. The 42s are better in low light conditions. They are in the $300-400 range if you get a good price.

I just recently bought Tract 12.5x50 for hunting. I think they are much brighter and even more clear than the Nikons. They sell direct to cut out the middle man. People have said that cuts out about half of the cost. I’m not sure how to compare to $3000 binoculars, but at $750 or so, they are probably not quite as good. They also make lower powered ones.

They are available on Amazon. I highly recommend Tract based on what I’ve heard and using them for a month. They have a no registration lifetime guarantee.

I have some Leupold Acadia 10x42 waterproof binoculars that I really like

My son has a pair of Vortex binoculars and there pretty good in my opinion...I got a deal on a Burris 3X9 rifle scope that included a pair of there binoculars which turned out to be pretty nice...Once you get into high end glass,there isn't much of a difference..They have came a long ways to the old Bushnell and Tasco's,that I have a drawer full of..lol

Like rifle scopes,light intake is everything at dawn and dusk and the ability to take abuse is important also,hiking around in the boonies..

woodworker414 wrote:
Good afternoon everyone.
As I have mentioned. We plan to purchase a Lance 1172 next spring. And just thinking about what we wan to carry with u.
Yesterday we were exploring in the Withlacoochee State Forest here in central FL. Brenda spotted some large birds up the creek. Well the binoculars that I had with me were not very good. They were given to me. We finally decided that they were Sandhill cranes all puffed up because of the cold breeze.
So we thought we needed to get a better par.
We do not know anything about binoculars
Was wondering what all you folks are using?

Don't think (can gaurantee they were not) sandhill cranes, they don't use trees. Probably were great blue herons, they use trees for roosting and rookeries in large groups. Sandhills fly w their neck extended and herons fold their neck into an "s" when in flight. My area in Central Idaho is Sandhill (Bear Valley Turkey) breeding range. They are incredile to be around and have a haunting call.

Read something the other day about eyes and how they age and the ratio of magnification to diameter. For someone in the early 60's the proper ratio typically was 5 - 5.5 making 8x42, or 8.5 x 42 a good bet.

10x are hard to hold steady, 15x-18x needs a tripod and are useful for hours of scanning(i.e. mule deer hunting in open country.) 30 mm doesn't gather enough light in low light for hunting and birding and 50 mm and larger are heavy and bulky for hiking.

Swaroski EL 8.5 x 42 is what I'm after. Zeiss, Swaroski, and Leica are considered top 3 brands. Vortex is a great company that provides excellent service. I have a Kowa spotting scope that's top notch, but nowhere near the top 3 in price but very acceptable build and optics.

Both Leica and Swarovski are the best glass one can buy, but they are in excess of 2k.

Leupold can be had for $150 up, I think the compacts I carry were in the $250 area.

Technology is improving all the time and you do not need to spend alot to get alot. I am legally blind and use monoculars 12 & 14x with wide angle lenses. Glass lenses are still most rurable. I think this is a purchase best made locally. Go try some with different lenses, Range is also an important consideration. Congrats on the Lance. That is my dream camper