Vortex vs Swarovski?
- Thread starter wildfowler.250
- Start date
Just be careful if it’s 10x42 you are changing to.
Those 8x32 are awesome in terms of usability/ lightness round your neck, especially if combined with a thermal. Going to 10x is going to make any image harder to stabilise and give you less light in comparison with a 7x or 8x
If you are not using eg for hill deer, then stick to 8x whatever you go for.
A lot of discussion about RF here - do you need that? Agreed that the Vortex Fury’s aren’t there best glass, but are superb package against much more pricey options with typically short warranty on the electronics.
If it’s non RF, the Razor UHD are up there with the very best - as a user and regretter of selling mine! My Mrs also winged that she preferred the vortex against the swaros I replaced them with
Utectok
Well-Known Member
Vortex rf binos are great… are Leicas better yes I suspect swaro too. I upgraded and was delighted. Having said that will you kill more deer with better binos? Maybe not these days as thermal spotters are the way to go to pick out tricky to see deer. I spot with a thermal and verify with binos and range and shoot.
Deerkeeper2
Well-Known Member
One thing that nobody has said yet is the role that our Binos now play when we are stalking. In the days before TI we were using our Binos constantly to find deer, searching every bush and picking apart the landscape. Now, let’s be honest, we are mostly scanning with the TI and only using the Binos to identify and confirm heat sources. I am sorry to say that, much as I love using my Binos, they have become less important recently. This is coming from someone who has at least half a dozen pairs of top end Binos.
For someone looking to make purchasing decisions on stalking optics I think they need to consider TI and Binos as a combination and budget accordingly.
Yes, I know the purists will shoot me down and say TI is no substitute for Binos and fieldcraft and I want to agree but the fact is that TI is such a massive advantage that it simply has to be factored in nowadays.
For someone looking to make purchasing decisions on stalking optics I think they need to consider TI and Binos as a combination and budget accordingly.
Yes, I know the purists will shoot me down and say TI is no substitute for Binos and fieldcraft and I want to agree but the fact is that TI is such a massive advantage that it simply has to be factored in nowadays.
HonestJohn
Well-Known Member
Tech aside, I personally prefer non-lrf Binos, and actually for hill work, will use the same 7x as I will in woods or on farmland. I can usually say with close certainty if something is 100, 150 or 200yds away with the naked eye, which is all I need.
I’ve tried and use for work, all sorts of tech designed for shooting, and it all has its place.
Would I spend the money on integrated LRF if 90%+ of my shots are within 200yds, never.
That said, for the odd hind on the hill where it could be 225, or 275, you just can’t tell, it’s useful,,,but it’s a lot of money to spend on that odd one if it’s not a frequent issue.
I think a lot of time we convince ourselves our stalking is a lot more complex than it really is, just so we can justify to ourselves psychologically that we ‘do’ need that new equipment - when in fact all we need is
I’ve tried and use for work, all sorts of tech designed for shooting, and it all has its place.
Would I spend the money on integrated LRF if 90%+ of my shots are within 200yds, never.
That said, for the odd hind on the hill where it could be 225, or 275, you just can’t tell, it’s useful,,,but it’s a lot of money to spend on that odd one if it’s not a frequent issue.
I think a lot of time we convince ourselves our stalking is a lot more complex than it really is, just so we can justify to ourselves psychologically that we ‘do’ need that new equipment - when in fact all we need is
Utectok
Well-Known Member
Mind you reasonable glass helps… I took a friend out stalking spotted two deer in thermal said shoot them and he simply couldnt see them in his hawke scope. I got increasingly frustrated and looked through his rifle and right enough in poor light no deer visible. I let him shoot them with my rifle job done!
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Deerkeeper2
Well-Known Member
Yes, the combination of Binos, TI and riflescope does present a number of challenges when you can see something with one or two but not all three!
Utectok
Well-Known Member
I think that’s a fine perspective but if you are required to shoot deer as part of the leases then RF binos make you more effective. Basically if you know you can shoot accurately to say 300m you will find you suddenly get more deer killed for less effort and time with a rangefinder and dial-able turrets. If it’s just fun stalking it’s not really a problem ranging them or not.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
This is the key point for me. Even my Vortex Diamondback binoculars mean I can see for longer after my eyes have stopped being able to pick out deer. At this point without thermal or NV I'd struggle to find any deer I shot anyway, so the gains by spending additional hundreds or a thousand pounds would be more frustrating than of any use.
As it happens I did spend the extra on thermal which I find far more useful than binoculars when in the woods. No amount of clarity and picture quality from Swarovski will pick up a 10cm² patch of brown fur between a load of brown leaves and branches in the gloom 50m away.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
I Went Birding With the World’s First AI-Powered Binoculars
Go all in and get the latest Swarovski to help you confirm if you're looking at a Sika or Fallow doe.
Shoot out of season by mistake, blame the binoculars!
Go all in and get the latest Swarovski to help you confirm if you're looking at a Sika or Fallow doe.
Shoot out of season by mistake, blame the binoculars!
SuperSixFive
Well-Known Member
Vortex….having the knowledge that any faults damage or issue is ALWAYS covered FOR LIFE.
Rutland lad
Well-Known Member
Slightly off topic so my apologies in advance.
I’m not choosing either make to recommend, but at this point in my stalking life I’m not upgrading from the two pairs of binos I own.
I did have a hankering for a pair of rangefinder binos, but that’s gone for reasons I’ll elaborate on later. One pair are Steiner 8x56, great but a bit heavy. Zeiss 8x42 which were gifted to me by my very generous stalking partner. Both are very effective, but now I’m spotting with thermal, confirming with binos and then shooting (or not)
So - my current decision is to let time and tech develop a reliable thermal with rangefinder incorporated within it that’s in my budget. That is where I think my money is best spent now.
I don’t question those who want RF binos but for me they just don’t fit into my ‘pattern of use’
I’m not choosing either make to recommend, but at this point in my stalking life I’m not upgrading from the two pairs of binos I own.
I did have a hankering for a pair of rangefinder binos, but that’s gone for reasons I’ll elaborate on later. One pair are Steiner 8x56, great but a bit heavy. Zeiss 8x42 which were gifted to me by my very generous stalking partner. Both are very effective, but now I’m spotting with thermal, confirming with binos and then shooting (or not)
So - my current decision is to let time and tech develop a reliable thermal with rangefinder incorporated within it that’s in my budget. That is where I think my money is best spent now.
I don’t question those who want RF binos but for me they just don’t fit into my ‘pattern of use’
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