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

I pretty much resolved this question for my personal use after acquiring a Leica 8+12x42 around 15 years ago. It provides both the steadier image and wider FOV at 8x, and the option of turning up to 12x for far more detail. Yeah, it's a little on the heavy side, but not that much,--and the weight (about a pound more than the lightest 8x32s, such as the Swarovski EL my wife prefers), helps steady it when glassing offhand in "the woods." If I could only own one binocular, it's IT.

Apparently most optics companies haven't been able to solve the problem of multi-X binoculars, which is why this debate over a relatively minor difference in magnification continues.

Oddly enough, this reminds me of when I used to play alot of golf. If I was playing against someone who had a 50 yr old bullseye putter, I knew I was fixin' to get my asss beat. Know what I mean?

If I hunted more brushy terrain or lodgepole, I would go with some 7 or 8's, but in 40-42s objective to bring up as much light as possible. Those lodgepole thickets can get dark, even in midday.... However, I hunt mostly open country and canyon country and I need a bit more magnification to check all the wood lines, shadows, and rimrock across some of these big canyons... my brother and nephew have both gone to 12x 50 Vortex and like them really well and I can't argue with their choice. Early morning we were walking down to a canyon we wanted to hunt and came upon a herd of elk in the dark. Long before I could count points with my Leupold 10 x 42's, they were able to count points- and we all had spike-only tags, so it was pretty important...

My answer to the issue was to buy some better glass so I bought some 10 x 42 Swarovski EL's a couple weeks ago.

What caliber? Got its twin in 250, it was my grandma’s, need to get er out and make some meat...

I loved the Leica Duovids, they made them in 8-12x42 and 10-15x50 both were a bit heavy but very useable and versatile ...........I wish they still made them

Proof that there is always a few fries left over from a Happy Meal !!!!!!!!!

I'm 66 and started wearing glasses in my 40's. That's when I bought my 7x42 binocular. Since then I found better glass (I own midgrade) gives me the ability to use less magnification to see with better clarity than more magnification using inexpensive lower grade glass.

Exactamundo.

10X is best seller simply because this is America and bigger MUST be better, right?

Wrong....


7-8X are more utilitarian and as Ive said many times, 8X can put horns on them so far away that you can't get to them today...so what else do you need to know?

Swarovski used to make a 7x42 ( IIRC) that was orgasmic...but it didn't sell...not enough power...

Judman, if the question was about my Savage 99-A, pictured here, it is 250-3000.

👍 yep very nice.

This year I have been lucky enough to have both a Swaro 8x30CL and 10x42SLC. I live in Southern Idaho and bowhunt mule deer and elk in Sept. then rifle hunt in October. Spotting ranges vary from 40-50 yards to 2-3 miles. What I have decided is that I prefer the little 8x30CL while bowhunting - especially elk where they are big and I don't really knit pick antler size. Rifle hunting mule deer where seeing antlers at longer distances is where I have my dilemma. If I feel like packing a spotting scope then the 8X is fine. If not then the extra little bit that the 10X provides is real and useful.

I guess what I'm really saying here is that both have a place. If forced to choose one I would opt for the 8x30CL (and my old 20x50 Leupold Gold ring spotter). They are just a wonderful bino, easy to use, compact, lightweight and provide a wide, sharp, fantastic view.

I always felt like I would miss animals or not be able to pickup details with 8x. I think I see more details with 8x due to the hand shake, unless I'm in a stand where I can really keep the 10x steady. That said I split the difference and settled happily with the 8.5x42 ELs. No regerts

Depends on how you use them. Chest, tripod, long glassing periods or still hunting ...

Give me 6-8x all day long for how I personally use bins in this class...

Good 8s are hard to beat in the woods or the wide open. I used the hell out of mine this year.