I'm really liking the size of the Leupold Yosemites I got the kids, so much so that I often use them myself. My old standby 8x42 Monarchs seem so clunky now. What better glass have you guys found in the Yosemite size and weight range?

Leicas

I am very happy with my Swarovski 8x30 CL binocular. For size, weight, value and ergos they are pretty great IMO. They are not 8x32 EL by any means but for half the price I think you get well more than half the product.

If going for top tier alpha glass then I would be in for the Leica Ultravid HD+. That line is stunning to my eyes.

1. Swarovski 8x32EL... BY FAR.

2. Swarovski Habicht 8x30.. but that one is not sold in the US. Gotta order it from Europe.

3. Nikon 8x30 Eii - not as waterproof, but a Wonderfull binocular! I use it for birdwatching.

Leupold's discontinued Katmai series is a definite upgrade up from the Yosemite but I wouldn't call them "upper end." It's not hard to find the 8x32 on ebay.

Meopta Meostar

Leica Ultravid....HD if you must, but most will not notice the difference.

I once asked a Leupold Rep if their HD spotter was worth the extra. He said yes as long as you are taking pictures thru it. True or not, I don't know.

Leica, Swarovski, Kowa Genesis or Meopta MeoStar. Give me a call Monday and we can discuss what would be best for you.

Happy Mothers Day to all you Mothers out there

Agreed as a “bang for the buck” choice. I have both the HD and non-HD models. 9-mo out of the year, those are what’s closest for me to grab. Because I hunt in very open country, once hunting season rolls around, my primary binocs revert to 8x42 HD-B Geovids and 15x56 HD Swaro. I’ve gotten spoiled by the onboard LRF and have a hard time not having them when it’s tag-punching time.

If I were going to use 8x32’s as my primary “all-the-time” Hunting binocs, I’d have to compare Leica, Zeiss, and Swaro.

Having used, owned, tried them all, I prefer the Leica 8x32 Ultravid by a good margin.

Because of the Swaro EL's overly flat field, I find them impossible for my eyes. You couldn't give me the 8x32 EL. Other's don't have the same reaction. Something like 20% of people do.

Thanks for the replies. Time for some research. Anyone have any experience with the 8x30 Vortex razors? They're apparently discontinued but I spoke with a guy recently who thought highly of them. How do they compare?

pabucktail,
To my knowledge, Vortex never offered the Razor in a compact (8x30/32).

Viper, perhaps?

Maybe so. My info was from a casual conversation.

Feels like I enter a scope commercial when I visit this forum. Maybe a pm would be more appropriate, so the rest of us don’t have to be a part of the sales pitch?

Upper end starts at Zeiss.

meopta's 8x32 simply stunning glass. spend all day looking over a priairie dog town one day. it cut the mirage and conditions like a knife.

IMO, the Meopta MeoStar is right there in optical quality with a Swarovski SLC

Agree that the MeoStar is an SLC killer.

That said... The EL SVs are in their own league.

Doug is a site sponsor on here and has been great to deal with and has giving a lot of good advice even when I opted not to purchase an item

maybe cut him some slack ; )

Agreed, and he is definitely looking after forum members.

Picked up a Swarovski 8X30 several years ago, and never found a need for anything else.
I have a pair of Leica 10X40, I no longer use.

I had a set of SLC 8x30 that were good but I traded them and found a set of 7x30's SLC's manufactured in 2000 that are great.

There are days I do not need my 10x42 HD SLC's and the smaller 7x30's are perfect.

Yep.

The EL's didn't work for me.

LOVE the little Leicas. Won't ever be without their 8x32's.

I had the Swaro 8x30's and could not stand them. I think the Leica 8x32's are what I would buy .

+1

My intention is never to make anyone "Feels like I enter a scope commercial when I visit this forum. Maybe a pm would be more appropriate, so the rest of us don’t have to be a part of the sales pitch?"

We are here to answer whatever questions you may have.
We have stated that if you ever have a problem with a product that we carry, whether you purchased it from us or not, to give us a call and we will assist in correcting whatever the issue is.
We try our best to provide knowledge of product and customer service to all the members here.
I apologize if you feel we are just a "sales pitch"

Doug,
Thanks for your comments on optics, products and your support of the products. It is good to hear from people who have first hand knowledge of many brands and types of optics.
L&E

Nikon Monarch 7 8x30's. Run you about $350 and are excellent. Definitely give them a look before you drop 5X that much on a big name.

That's interesting, Brad. That is the highest percentage given that I have ever seen for globe effect.

Where did you get that figure?

From a German in the industry on a birding forum. Confirmed by another employee of one of the German "big 3."

In my informal polling, I think 20% is low. Most people I know personally are affected by it in varying degrees.

The Leica Noctivid hits the "sweet spot" of a flat field... it's not overly and unnaturally flat like the Swaro, while not affecting those of us sensitive to the rolling ball/globe effect.

Interesting. I was told a figure of around 5%.

Either way, they are "optimizing" now to reduce the impact so I imagine a guy should pay attention to manufactured dates with flat glass. I have had a couple 8x32 ELSV and both were great glass for myself and daughter as I have never suffered from globe effect with flat glass. The later date glass was a better example and perhaps that was related.

I prefer a bit of a curve myself...

What is the effect? What are you guys talking about? Mind you I'm just crawling out of the ignorance cave. One of the scary things about paying so much for good binos is the subjectiveness of the whole endeavor. One person things Leica-swaro-meoptas are the best, and then another guys talks about how they suck for him. I don't think either party is necessarily lying. I probably need to get somewhere where I can go hands on with a bunch of stuff.

Absolutely, try before you buy. Read about globe effect and then see if you have an issue with it by panning with them outside.

fwiw, on high dollar stuff I narrow it down to two, buy them, spend time with them (as in weeks to months unless it is stupidly obvious), and then sell one at a loss. Lose some money--no buyer remorse.

I definitely disagree with this statement. Every time I call there, I spend money <G>

Doug is good people.

FWIW, Doug is one of but four residents of New York State for whose moral character I will personally vouch. Evil Twin, DVDegeorge,and my own daughter are the others.

The man sponsors this forum, and he’s gotta ring his cash register, certainly. However, he will never do so to his customers’ detriment.

If you doubt his product knowledge, by all means feel free to call him. Just be prepared to eat crow. And he’ll not let anyone beat his deals.

FC

I've always had superb service from Doug and I live on the other side of the world from most of you guys. Good honest advice and prices.

Yep, Doug is good people in my book.

These may be a step down from top end, but they and their cousins the Mavic B3 and the Kite optics 8x30's are nice glass for the money.

As already stated, go to a well stocked store and try a variety of scopes. Do it in the low light of morning, evening or really cloudy day. They all look good when the sun is shining. Don't let the name or price dictate your judgment. Think of your style of hunting with respect to weight, power and exit pupil.
Shop around if you like, but you'd be hard pressed to beat Cameraland for the actual purchase especially after the Shot Show. If you "reach a bit" for the best bino you can buy, there will be no need to repeat the process. Good luck.