Binoculars

Hi.
I am looking to purchase a decent pair of binoculars . What makes would be the best and what size.
I would be stalking in open land.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
 
Swarovski, Zeiss and Lieca are your top three obviously with prices to match though they all have different grades within the makes, a decent mid range offering is made by Minox. I would go for 8 or 10 x 40 you don't need any greater magnification than that and a bigger objective is going to make them a tad heavy.
 
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:D 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.
 
Leica, Swarovski and Ziess are among the best, though quality comes at a price.

Try and get the best you can afford they'll pay dividends in the long term.

Atb, Buck.
 
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
 
In the end the answer to your question is "how much cash do you have?"

For myself stalking is a hobby so I can't justify the huge money in Swaro/Zeiss etc. and I went with the Minox HGs for which I paid £400, I think they are a bit more than that now but suspect they could still be had for that sort of money with shopping around or second hand from a reliable source is also worthwhile. I've never felt that the Minox hold me back in any way and continue to view them as excellent glass even if you don't take into consideration that they are a quarter of the price of the top notch stuff. If I had the cash for a pair of top notch binos I'd keep the Minox and spend the money on stalking.

The magnification thing is always a debate and I'm happy with the 8.5 times magnification of the Minox in part because it is what I'm used to but also because it closely matches my scope. I would say the majority of people use something around 7 - 8 times magnification with 10 probably being less common and more difficult to hold steady but having some advantages as well.

The objective size is also another area where I suspect personal preference is a bigger factor than actual need. My feeling is that something around 8X42 will allow me, in a quality binocular, to see the deer before and after I personally feel it is wise to shoot them and, therefore, it does all I need it to do. Bigger objectives might let in more light and if you have a use for it you need to consider them but you also have to carry them around which is a downside so you'd need to be positive you have a need for the bigger objective.

If you're not aware of any special requirements then my money says you have no special requirement for anything other than the standard, and standard for a reason, approx 8X42 binos.
 
Opticron DBA 8x42 or 10x42
I use the 10, bloody brilliant glass.

While I tried all the rest, even the ones I could not afford, apart from a pair of Swaros at 1700 quid, I prefered the Opticron to all the rest. Hated Leupold, hated Zeiss didn`t like the Minox although the glass was great. And couldn`t see where the money was going with the Leica.
 
I use the Steiner Ranger Pro 8 x 42 which are very satisfactory within their price range (cost under £ 400), if my budget had stretched to it I would probably have bought the Swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL . atb Tim
 
Hi.
I am looking to purchase a decent pair of binoculars . What makes would be the best and what size.
I would be stalking in open land.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.

As you can see the general opinion runs to Germany Austrian glass which has no even close runners in the cheaper end .
No matter what anyone says on the site the piece of equipment you use the most is the binoculars buy the best, you don't require a to notch rifle put a good scope on a old rifle will shoot just as good as anything else on the market
It the glass that counts .
Save you cash and buy Swarovski Leica or zeiss that way you at lease be able to find what your looking for , if you ever watch any natural history programmes on the TV they don't use second best it top notch glass one of the three mentioned throughout this thread .

Get out with some one and compair them german Austrian for jap there No compassion don't look at the price look at the reason your buying them you want to find and shoot the quarry species of your choice .
 
+1 on Minox 8x42, totally up to the job and fantastic value for money. But if I had the cash I would probably go for one of the fancy rangefinding ones, maybe one day...
 
Back
Top