Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 8x or 10x

It’s time to upgrade my 8x42 Pentax DCFs. I live out west. What’s the consensus of 8x vs 10x binoculars? There have been several times I’ve wanted more power than what the 8x gives me, but even at that power I have some hand wiggle.

I went from 10x to 8x a few years ago and that seems to work better for me most of the time. I spend a fair amount time in and around timber - if I hunted more open country and spent extended periods of time sitting and glassing, I'd prefer 10x.

6x

If you have hand wiggle @ 8x, doubt 10x is gonna be your huckleberry.

Borrow 10x to see how it goes, if that's an option.

it sounds like you might need a tripod for the 10x. I’d stick with the 8x or test out 10x before purchasing

You might consider an option of upping the quality rather than the power.

I have 8X, 10X and 15X Swarovski bino’s. I only use the 8X at sporting events (Supercross, Motocross and Football games etc). My 10X are with me anytime I am hunting, most the time free hand but use a tripod quite often. My 15X are 95% tripod .
Buy the best quality you can afford and don’t listen to FishinHank !!!!!

I have drank the 15X kool-aid for open country western hunting, and didn't use my 10X42's but once this season...my 8.5x42s are in use now for thick timbered western Montana, but would't dare use them in the open country I have hunted elsewhere this fall.

Take that for what it's worth...

10x for all around. I do have a couple pairs of 8x when I am not being serious hunting. We are just so wide open that 10x works best in my area.

Prefer 6-8x for neck bins/quick scanning or stalking ...

10x to me is a tweener, best served on a tripod with it's FOV and poor as a handheld scanner for extended periods or without a rest. 6-8x allows less image shake for quick scanner with more FOV.

12x-15x on a tripod reveals a whole new world folks didn't know existed...

What power you choose has to do with how you hunt..

I will say if you have image shake that you notice, I'd brace the bins somehow or drop down to a 6-7x...

My DCF’s are in fine shape, but are about 14 years old and give me a bit of eye strain if I spend too much time glassing. Like I said, there have been times where I would have liked some more power. I can always pack a tripod I guess. I’m leaning Meopta Meopros or the Tract Torics depending on their price next Thursday. Just wish they came with a case.

This! Quality glass allows you to overall see as well with less magnification than using mid level glass.

If you feel the need for a 12-15x bino, then get a spotting scope & do the job right.

MM

No....

This. In spades.

Stubbornness rearing it's head?????

MM

No...

Glassing with a spotter is a nonstarter.

I can’t tell the difference between 8 and 10. My buddy handed me some 12x swaro el in alpine this year and they were really nice. I could see myself very happy with a set and a tripod for alpine use.

I like a spotter for looking at what was already spotted. Looking for game with a spotter sucks in my opinion.

Just this morning while hunting whitetail I spotted a herd of 23 elk about 1000-1200 yards away in a burn....and even though I didn't have a tag, I wanted to see if there was a legal bull in there so I could send a few texts out to folks around here that I know do have a tag.

My EL 8.5x42's just wouldn't confirm for me what I needed to know. My ATM 20-60x65 spotter would have been nice to have, but my 15x56s would have been just as useful, in this situation at least. I haven't been carrying either of those, because I have been mainly hunting the timber, and knew it would bite me at some point. I ended up getting several hundred yards closer to the elk and confirming that they were all cows, but having my spotter or 15X's would have saved me 1/2 hour of prime hunting time. 10X's may have been better than the 8.5X's but I still am unsure they would have been good enough.

If you want to carry just a single pair of binos, I wouldn't even consider 8X's. They're just not versatile enough for me and how I hunt without a spotter or big binos in the pack too.

No X2.