Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 8x versus 10x Binocular Choice

Considering upgrading my current 8x43 binocs and need to decide between sticking with an 8x or going with a 10x. A vast majority of my usage is Western hunting. What say you, and why?

10x. i was in your shoes a few months back. ended up buying a pair of 10x and love em. and i hunt in the east mostly

This will go around and around. They both work. Why do you want the upgrade? What does your current glass either do or not do?

remfak;
As the previous poster said, you are likely best to start with what your present glass does that you do like and what you think it lacks.

We've settled on 8X for our hunting in BC, backed up with one of the older Leupold 25X straight tube spotters.

Whenever I've tried 10X glass I find the image is "shakier" than an 8X. Perhaps it's wind, too much coffee that morning or even the cold in late season - but for me the 10X image showed up my unsteady hold more than an 8X.

That said, we sometimes will glass for hours at a time - pausing only to rest my eyes and then glassing again. If one isn't glassing for extended periods and needs the glass to identify what they've seen with their eyes alone, then perhaps 10X would be the ticket.

Hopefully that was some use to you sir, good luck on your new glass whichever way you choose.

Regards,
Dwayne

PS;
We've got two pairs of Minox BF BR 8x42, one pair of the older made in Japan Wind River 8x42 porros, even older made in Japan Leupold 9x35 individual focus porros and some straight ancient 8x30 Steiners.

Listen to Steve.

If you are looking to buy used there are usually a lot more 10x for sale.

I like my current glass (8x43). They are back getting warranty work done, and that is going smoothly. The manufacturer has offered me an upgrade credit if I want to go that route too. My glass is about 3 years old, new versions have come out since, and I can upgrade to either 8x or 10x for not a whole heck of a lot of money. I tend to like a little more magnification in my scopes so I thought I might try to go a little more in my binos. Having said that, I don't want to have any shakiness in switching.

Went from 10X40's to 8X32 Swarovskis'.
I'm not going back.

I can agree to this. A good pair of mid-size 8x are just more handy than 8x43. And if your mostly out west then you're probably not in a tree stand waiting until it is dark before starting back to camp.
Mine are the Zeiss Conquest 8x32 HD.

In regards to 8x vs 10x it depends on hunting styles, 8x for gazing, 10x for quick peeks.

Most people will be more satisfied with 8 x over 10 x due to the wider field of view and easier to hold steady off hand , if sitting or tripod then the 10 x have their advantage at long distant. It really comes down to the terrain you are hunting the most , open country 10 x wooded 8 x . Glassing for Groundhogs and Prairie dogs then 10 x or even 12 x will rule over 8 x

I don't seem to have any problems using 10x in the timber....

The one thing I've found lacking in my 8x bins is the ability to clearly see details in antlers. I can see/resolve points on deer better with my 3x9 scope. Understand I DO NOT glass for deer with my rifle. That's a big NO NO in my book and I don't do it. I have drawn down on a back within range that presented a shot and have noticed the difference ... even though it is slight

I've been wanting to move up to 10X bins with higher resolution and the ability to resolve fine details to address this.

I have no problem spotting game with 7X or 8X bins but if I don't have my spotting scope I think that little extra bit of magnification might be an advantage.

What say you about this?

I use 10x all the time in timber. Works fine

Your personal eyesight is what matters most in any optics selection.

The eye doctor ask you which is better? A or B? 1 or 2?

He shows you the options and you select it for your glasses, for anything!

Then a hunter must choose any optic depending on how far its carried, the distances involved and his personal eyesight.

For scanning in the open I like about 7X. To make out 'what is it' at a distance 12X.

I've always preferred the 10X binos for the wide open spaces I tend to hunt in. Once I find a clump of grass to hide in, or a fence corner to break up my outline, I tend to sit still and look around with my glasses as much as possible. I've tried the 8x, but the distances I'm sometimes looking, it seems to give me a bit of an advantage to use the 10x since I have plenty of time to get a solid rest or brace my elbows for a steady view. Another trick is to use the rim of a ball cap and grip the rim and the glasses together while glassing to steady your glass. I've tried them all when I needed to and even without a perfectly steady rest, I still prefer the 10x for wide open hunting areas.

One thing I've learned to do from painful experience is to put the binos down once in awhile and look closer than the binos are giving you to look at. I can't tell you how many times deer have sneaked into closer range than what I'm looking at with the binos and I didn't notice them until they were in a spot I couldn't shoot at or were alerted by my movement. In that case a good 1x bino (my eyes) would have been better to use....

Bob

^^^ Yep!

I've learned to set my set myself up in spot where it's most likely to see a mule deer within shooting range during peak movement hours and spend more time using my eyeballs rather glassing off in the distance.

I hate it when they sneak up on me.

Not to say I don't look for deer outside my shooting range either.

Of course, other game animals in different situations require a different strategy. I've hunted in places where it was unlikely to see animals in range and the best strategy is to scan distant areas and have a spotting scope handy to decide whether or not it's worth chasing after an animal.

I like 8x30's. They've been all over, the west, Alaska, the east, etc. They are the perfect size for on the go. If I was to go 10x then I'd make sure they were at least 40's.

Agree on taking time to put the bins down. I do this out west and more so close to home. Looking farther out is great, but not at the expense of what's sneaking around close.

I really prefer my 8X30 Swarovskis over even my 12X Vortex Binos

I like 8x32's for most of my hunting in woodlands. It is as much being used to them as a strong preference one way or the other.

I can hold an 8 power fairly steady with one hand for short periods. I find that tough to do with a 10x30-32.

I use a fixed 20x Leupold for a big game spotter so maybe I just don't like much magnification for hunting big game on public land.

I have 10x50's for sitting stands in the evening and calling varmints. Heavy, but excellent light gathering. I have a bigger spotter for that too.

fish head,

Before I was on my way to higher magnification I was looking at something in the 3-9X. I compared several brands with all were set on 9X. Finally I narrowed it down to two. One was a Swarovski and the other was a Zies I think. Anyway after going back and forth several times I decided on the Swarovski. Then the man behind the counter handed me another in such a way I could not see the brand. I was looking out of the store at a "line" on a roof a couple hundred yards away. He said, "Don't look at the brand. Just look through it." It was instantly better.

When I lowered it and looked at the brand I noticed it was a Leopold LPS 2 1/2-10X. I turned up the magnification to 10X and looked at the "line". It was not a line. It was an extension cord strung across the roof. One power more made that much difference. Right then I switched to higher magnification scopes. You know the American adage, If a little is good a lot is better.

Recently switched my binos from 8X to 7X. My reason was for more field of view.

It's not a logical decision. Either will and won't work. Myself I'm most likely to be using 6X30 but I'm not a serious hunter these days.

My choice does tend toward a bigger objective as the power goes up so it's 8X30 or 10X40

Then again I've got big eyes for serious sustained fixed mount glassing and 12X50 for when the big eyes are too big and more importantly too heavy but a steady sustained position is still the plan and a X40 for general use and a X30 for easier carry. A trained eye counts for a lot when it comes to just spotting game but can't do much to add resolution when it comes to computing score for a trophy hunt.

Many people find that with the little tricks of grabbing the hat brim or holding a box of cartridges or other weight on top of the glass a higher power glass can be held steady enough and so has little or no disadvantage and maybe some advantage while sitting or standing dead still but then again a lower power glass is all around handier on the move and works better for close in so.....