What Binoculars would you suggest for Yellow Stone National Park. We are making plans to go this summer. Was wondering which would be practical for seeing the Nature that is there. Power and Brand

Thanks

I would recommend an 8x42 for general viewing. Next important
question, is what is your budget?

check out the backpacking section Rick Bin's article on 8X42s also some of the other writing.

Say around $250 to $350

Leupold Yosemite 6x.....I'd love to take those out there with the FOV....Of course I would have my Swaros too but I bet the Yo's would get most of the use.

Robert

For general use by a family visiting Yellowstone and in the price range I suggest something in the 6x30/35 range for size, ease, close focus and hand held from a vehicle.

I like the Leupold Katmai 6x32 family myself current production with improved coatings and phase coated from the - now long ago - first production. Doug at Cameraland will sell some other brands said to be perhaps newer designs with somewhat better optics. Still the Katmai 6x32 is my own more or less everyday carry although I have a range from compact up to big eyes myself and each and every one of them good for something.

This assumes a high priority on the specific visit with shared use by a family.

If the idea is to justify general purpose binoculars then of course there are better general purpose binoculars as noted above - more power and adequate objective size is often nice to have. Nothing wrong with anything up to and including big eyes for fun. I'd surely avoid true compacts but I'd emphasize handiness and hand held.

I took my Zeiss 8X30's and they worked great for 99% of our viewing. We hiked a bit and picked up on some BigHorns a long ways off and something stronger would've been nice. However, If I was leaving to go back tomorrow, I'd take that same pair.

Stay with 8x. Here are a few options

Nikon Monarch 8x42
Zen-Ray ZRS HD 8x42
Leupold Arcadia 8x42
Vortex Viper HD 8x42

7x36 Zen Ray would work great

Been Out their 8-9 Times.We Took 3 Sets 10x42 Vortex, 10x56 Zeiss and 8x42 Nikon. The Vortex's Got The Most Use..

Like Farmboy wrote in the first response, 8x42 binocs are ideal for general use. If you are going to be hiking a lot, you might enjoy using a smaller binoc, BUT you are giving something up with a smaller binoc - either magnification (e.g., 6x vs. 8x) or low light viewing (e.g., exit pupil of 4mm vs. 5mm).

Yellowstone is a very large place. My wife and I had a limited amount of time to see it last year, so we did not hike very much because we wanted to see as many of the diverse aspects of the park as we could (and we saw a large portion of the notable sights in just a couple days). For us, the 8x42 binocs worked great for viewing the various wildlife at various distances in various light conditions. Even if we had walked more, I think I would have still gone with 8x42 binocs simply because they provide a great combination of magnification and low-light viewing.

Get the best binoc you can afford, but don't overextend your budget because you can get good optics in your price range. My wife and I could tell a difference between a Pentax DCF WP 8x42 (my first good binoc, bought 10+ years ago) and the latest Zeiss 8x42 Victory binoc. The Pentax would rate probably at least 95% of the Zeiss in viewing quality, but there were a couple times in which we would swap out looking through the Zeiss because it was one of those few percent of the time that the better binoc made a real difference in what we could see through the binoc. In one situation I vividly remember, a couple with a spotting scope had found two bears on a hillside that had to have been more than a couple miles from the couple's viewing point in a little turnout beside the road. With the Pentax binoc, we could see little black blobs, but with the Zeiss binoc we could make out the bears' shapes. Of course, today you can probably find that Pentax binoc (lightly used) for less than 10% or 15% of the price of the Zeiss.

You might want to check with Doug from CameralandNY (gr8fuldoug on this site) to see what he would recommend in your price range. He will have some show sample binocs for sale soon (after the SHOT show, SCI, etc. shows).

LFD,

I didn't read any of the post past yours: 7-15X35 Nikon.

I would take a fishing pole

Nice pair of 10X Leupy individual focus binocs posted a few days ago. I've used a pair and they are excellent glass. I'd really want a spotting scope at Yellowstone too; we had several long-range opportunities missed with binocs alone. Bring some people repellent - Enjoy!

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._FS_Leupold_Gold_Ring_10x40_#Post4877253

For me it would be a medium sized bino between six and eight power, with the best optics you could afford, which is apparently around $300.00. My choices have already been mentioned, between the 6x30 Yosemite (another National Park!), the 6.5x32 Minox and the 7x36 Zen Ray. I own the little Yo and like it very much, but if you could afford it I'd suggest the 7x36 Zen Ray.

A high quality 8x32 is also hard to beat. I own an excellent 8x42 Leica Ultravid, but I find it a little too large and heavy to carry much in the field, I use my 8x32 Nikon SE 90% of the time as it is much smaller and lighter with optics as good or better than the Leica.

John

We take Vortex Razor 10x42 and Minox 15x56 on a tripod.

6X Yosemites and a decent spotter will be all you need there.


Travis

Take the best pair of binoculars you have and spotting scope with window mount.

I'm in with HuntKY, best binoculars you have and a spotting scope on a window mount or left attached to a tripod.

* power will hold better that 10 power I have been told by Bird people. A 8 power should be in field of View . This forum is a lot of help. there are some positive ideas with some experience. I will keep reading your suggestions there are a big help

i agree with glacier john on his nikon se evaluation, but they arent likely to be in your budget range even if you were lucky enough to stumble upon one...however, if you arent going to be packing them over hill and dale all day, look into a swift audbon 820 (8.5x44)....if you ask a birder, both of the mentioned bino's will likely come up...both have outstanding optics IMO

Just get you some 8x or 10x Nikon Monarchs and you will be good to go.They will work just fine.

the 7x36 ZEN ED2 is often overlooked binoculars. I didn't realize how great it is until a friend of mine showed me his pair that he bought after checking out my 8x ED2.

so far 20 or so different binoculars have been suggested(?) meaning beauty is in the eye of the beholder....if you are fortunate enough to live near a cabelas, bass pro, gander, etc. go down and start looking through what your budget can afford and start working your way down in price...i suspect a $100 difference in glass wont be all that easily detected and you'll get what YOUR EYES like vs. what all of us posters like..another consideration you might want to think about, though there is some risk, a $250-$350 budget can often get you a $400,$500,$600, ?? dollar binocular if you go the used route..

LFD, my family (me, wife, and two teenaged daughters) went to Yellowstone last summer. We were there for a few days, camping at Canyon Village. Did a little hiking and a lot of driving through the park (tough to get teenaged girls to do a lot of hiking!).

Anyway, I took my entire "arsenal" of binocs (mostly purchased from Doug/Camera Land, by the way), which included Minox HG in 10x52, Vortex Diamondback in 8x42, Minox 6.5x32, and Leupold Yosemite in 6x30. I like all of them and use them a lot, mainly for various hunting trips as well as other uses.

On the trip, I wanted a pair for everyone to use; we kept most of them on the dashboard. I have to say that when I was choosing, I found myself almost always going for the 10x Minox, especially when viewing from the car and even when taking short hikes. I really like having the extra magnification and had no problem holding them still or dealing with the extra weight.

I got a kick out of this--one day we were driving and came around a bend only to see a dozen or more vehicles pulled over to the side of the road, with lots of people standing and looking at something in the distance. Turns out it was a grizzly on the side of a small mountain, maybe 800 yards or so away. I was using the Minox HGs, throughly enjoying the view. A guy next to me had some smaller binocs (Tasco, if I recall correctly) he was using. I said, "hey, try these for a minute" and handed him the Minox. He looked through them and said, "holy @$%!, these are amazing!" That made me feel pretty good.

Anyway, I think just about anything these guys have recommended will serve you well. I just prefer the bigger glass.

By the way, we arrived in the Park on the Fourth of July and that night it was about 30F where we were camping and then it snowed the next night, so I would encourage you to be prepared for all types of weather conditions.

I've been very happy with 8x30's in all of my travels. Mine are Zeiss Conquests and are always with me. My father has a pair of Minox BV 8x42's and they were in your budget last time I looked. I'd say give Doug at Cameraland a call and tell him your budget and he won't steer you wrong. I'd say look at Minox, Vortex, etc.

Cameraland, Minox BD 8x32.

call doug at cameraland. I got a pair of Zenray ZRS HD 8x42 and was very happy with the pair.