Binoculars

[Axe]

I am looking at a good pair to replace some old ones but I want them with a range finder as well. I just want the added information when dealing with clients and feel that swro or leica would fit the bill. That said they are a hell of a price , but then 3or4 really good bucks and they are paid for. May not see them with the old ones

Mark

Leica GEOVIDS - you will not regret it i promise you

 

[.243Ady]

Barr & Stroud Sahara 10 x 50, pretty good all round if your on a tight budget, good in low light conditions( twilight rate - 22.34 ).
Little bit heavier than top brands, don't be put of by price only £65 delivered (amazon) with guarantee for 10 years.

 

[Cyres]

There have ben many threads on this topic. To summarise it would appear Minnox are highly rated by users.

In the top end its Swarv's, Leica and Zeiss.

This is seriuosly expensive and I suggest you spend some time looking through all of them in poor/low light conditions to see what suits you.

The swarv's do seem to have the edge by concencus but it is marginal and can be down to what you think you see better with.

I use a pair of 10x42 Geovids and have never regretted parting with £1.5k for them, however, I do have a pair of Nikula (Fox firearms) which cost £70 and they are excellent, optically minimally different from my leicas, however the controls/adjustment are coarse by comparison. Also when I get the Leicas dirty they go in the sink for a wash, pretty unerving the first time you do it.

You will end up spending most of your time loking through your bins and when shooting in most cases if you see the target before it sees you then you win.

If you do buy a top end pair it is unlikely you will ever need to buy another pair to upgrade.

Your choice.

D

 

[Orion]

The swarv's do seem to have the edge by concencus but it is marginal and can be down to what you think you see better with.

There's also aftersales service to think about and Swarovski score very, very highly in that respect - even 20-30 years down the line.

 

[webley22]

As the others have said, the usual european 'big 3' are great if you have the cash to spare and there wont be too much difference between them all. If The Khales binoculars are as good as the scopes (dont know how much they cost?) then i'd certainly look at them. Also Meopta binoculars might be worth a look, any have them here??. Personally i use Opticron 7x42 (maybe 8x42) and their very good until its really too dark to be considering taking a shot. Hope thats of some use.

 

[mereside]

minox for me and i recently sent an email to minox as i stupidly left my bins ontop of my van roof drove off and broke them. i asked how much the repair was going to cost and the sent me the part in the post free of charge,atb wayne

 

[The Woodsman]

swarovski 10x42 mate

 

[limulus]

Leupold 8x42 for me. I can use these to light levels below what I can see through a Zeiss or SnB or Meopta scope so why spend a fortune to see summit you cant shoot? (for that matter why spend high end money on binos that enable you to see outside the hour before/hour after limits?)

 

[caorach]

(for that matter why spend high end money on binos that enable you to see outside the hour before/hour after limits?)

I guess some part of the answer to that is to consider that if you can see the deer before you can shoot them then you have time to stalk in ready for the shot. There might also be bad weather to factor into the equation meaning reduced light levels during legal shooting time. For me, to be honest, I usually decide that taking a shot would be unwise before my hour before/after is up. This is especially true after sunset when it is getting darker all the time as I'm usually shooting sika in forestry. I came upon a hind and calf out on clearfell on Wednesday night but even though I was well within legal shooting time and could see them in the binos there is no way I could ever have found a chest shot deer had it run even 20 yards in the failing light so they walked away.

 

[Cyres]

Agree: on Monday eve I was out after a fox, which i saw taking a hen but then lost sight of it, several mins later (8:25pm) i moved and spoted it and although i could see it through my Leicas it was not really visible through my Leupold. Mind you I did get it on Tues eve!

D

 

[Tamus]

Leupold 8x42 for me. I can use these to light levels below what I can see through a Zeiss or SnB or Meopta scope so why spend a fortune to see summit you cant shoot? (for that matter why spend high end money on binos that enable you to see outside the hour before/hour after limits?)

Seeing more of what's standing in the shadows, or just seeing clearly... anytime there's poor light, even inside the shooting hours... are two answers, for starters.

I do agree that matching scope to bins is quite important. Not much point seeing clearly with the binoculars if you then can't see clearly with the scope. However, much more disconcerting and/or worrying is the idea of having clear sight through the scope and dubious sight through the binoculars. That way round, you "might" (here read, almost certainly will) eventually wind up pointing the old smoke stick at "it" to only then discover "it's" not actually the deer, fox, etc... that you thought it was

...... Big.... Tut!Tut!

 

[Rake Aboot]

As the others have said, the usual european 'big 3' are great if you have the cash to spare and there wont be too much difference between them all. If The Khales binoculars are as good as the scopes (dont know how much they cost?) then i'd certainly look at them. Also Meopta binoculars might be worth a look, any have them here??. Personally i use Opticron 7x42 (maybe 8x42) and their very good until its really too dark to be considering taking a shot. Hope thats of some use.

tried the Meopta binos, the ergonomics were terrible. The glass was as you would expect but they were in no way as good as the Opticrons.
The Opticrons are also very light in comparison to lots of the others. In my opinion, there is no choice below the £600 barrier other than Opticron, They easily won in all areas

 

[flyfifer]

well I paid £125 for my Minox 8X42's and they have seen everything from scorching heat to consecutive days of drenching in the peat hags of the highlands, and perform very very very admirably indeed ps...I have previously stalked with Zeiss Diatal 7X42's and can honestly say I'd rather take the Minox's ANY day due to weight and ability to focus in on various distanced objects clearly.

should have gone to spec savers.

 

[1st Pattern Paul]

EBAY 120884513580 I love mine. Great bins.

 

[Philwilk]

I suspect that, like many other people on here, I have worked my way up through Bushnell to Leica and Swarovski. Now my stalking binos are Swarovski El's. I also have a pair of Nikon HG's which are fantastic and held in high esteem by twitchers but are a tad heavy for stalking. In my pick-up I keep a pair of Minox 10x42's which I bought from Swillington (great people, good prices) at a fantastic price so I wouldn't be too concerned if they got pinched.

I will agree that the Minox bins are good value for money but the one thing that they, and other 'cheap' bins lack compared to my Swaros is depth of field. When scanning through a wood or across a wood edge, with the Minox I am constantly re-focusing because the depth of field is so narrow. This is not the case with my Swaros. The choice, and the cost, is yours!

Phil

 

[pilgrimmick]

Swarovski 8.5x42 EL. Simples

 

[nick100]

Leica for me. Got them second hand, it came to down at the time to a choice of second hand Leica's, or new Swarovski's.
The leicas suited me better, I was lucky I had the chance to try them both at last light looking under a conifer hedge.
There was not much in it but i made my choice and am more than happy.

 

[cappi]

I have been using for a good time now both at work and play binos by Zen Ray i use for most work the ZEN ED 2 10x43they are totally waterproof and filled with argon ,phase corrected and have a dielectric coating, they push at 340ft /@1000yds, green rubberised and very comfortable ,used to use swa........ but these are no different in quality bit push in at half the price