Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Low to Mid Range Binos?

I need three binoculars. Immediately, I need to outfit a mule deer hunting party at the end of October, but I anticipate similar hunts every year going forward as well as other outdoor uses (birding, backpacking etc.) We did a mule deer hunt last year with one pair. They were so valuable, I want a pair for everyone. While our rifle and spotting glass is all Swarovski, I'm not willing to spend that much at this time.

The most obvious choice for mid-range glass is Vortex Viper HD 8x42. I could get three of those, but I'm considering other options because they are a bit on the large and heavy side. Besides that, I need to buy a new camera also, so I'd like to save some funds. Some 8x30 or 8x25 could both lighten the load and lower the expense. Also, for one person, myself, I'm not carrying a rifle this year (no tag), so I could actually carry something more substantial (bigger and heavier). Conceding some bulk and weight but without adding a lot of expense, I think porro prism binoculars like those from Steiner can deliver a lot of performance.

So I'm considering:

Vortex Viper HD 8x42

Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 -- a step down in bulk and weight for people already carrying a lot of other stuff

Steiner 8x56 ? -- there's no question these will deliver low-light performance that even Alpha glass cannot rival at a fraction of the expense but also with a lot of bulk and weight. I'm looking to make a tradeoff like that since I won't be carrying a rifle. Low-light performance is a benefit that seems affordable with this tradeoff. Edge-to-edge sharpness or flatness of the field is a benefit that's harder to acquire without shelling out thousands of dollars, as is a very wide field of view at higher power. Even so, I'm not convinced the low-light performance will make a difference for mule deer. Last year I spotted a few bucks at dawn (one even before legal hours) but there was no shortage of bucks in broad daylight. The Shadowquest would be valuable for predator hunting, but I'd probably find them too heavy to carry most of the time. I do sometimes still-hunt, but I never stand hunt. I'm in the west and I never hunt whitetail.

I'm not so much looking to compare brands. If you recommend a different brand in the same category, sure let me know. I'm more interested in advice on the benefits of something I'm not considering yet.

Burris Signature HD binoculars are among the best values I've seen in the past 2-3 years.

This! I had one in a 10x42 and I cannot imagine you can beat them for the price. And they are pretty light compared to alot of others in the same magnification.

Heard great things about those Burris that MD recs, so I'd check those out. Also, the Athlon Midas is really, really good but is Chinese if that matters, just like the Vipers.

A few for consideration:

Carson 3D w/ED glass
Vanguard Endeavor ED or EDII
Athlon Midas
Maven C1
Celestron Trailseeker ED

I have not personally looked through the Trailseeker ED, but the previous(non ED) model was quite good.

Picked up Leupy BX-4 10x50 on eBay for a song. They’ve been great in low light and weight isn’t an issue

If you have the time to give us a call, 516-217-1000, it would be our pleasure to assist you.

Great, inexpensive options include, but are not limited to:

Steiner Predator AF 8x30

Athlon Ares 8x42

Kowa SV 8x32 or SV 8x42

Meopta Optika 8x42

Of course we can assist with the camera as well

Pretty good list there. I think the Celestrons offer a lot.for the money. I would LOVE those Burris Muledeer mentions. . Wish they would make a smaller lower mag version.

I'd second the Steiner Predators listed above. I've had a pair for some time that I use for back ups/loaners/truck/knock around, and I am impressed with the image for what I paid everytime I look through them. I really can't tell a ton of difference between them and a pair of 15 yo or so higher end Ziess's that are my primary pair.

Another relatively inexpensive pair of binoculars that have served me well through heavy use are a pair of Bushnell's that were in the $300 range. Surprisingly good glass, and they've been bouncing around under the console of my walleye rig for around 8 years. Hitting waves plus the high humidity of the great lakes environment has caused failures in other binos, but the Bushnell's have been solid. I've also loaned them out to guys for western hunts, and I've always gotten great feedback on them.

I found 12x Bushnell Rangefinder on sale at 70+% off.

So I sold a shotgun and bought that binocular. I took it hunting and I don’t think I made a better buy in quite awhile.

Last month a guide was using a pair of new Steiner dog-leg porroprism binos that looked to be 10x42s. But I don't even see such binos on the Steiner site. WTF?

Picked up Sig Zulu 3 8x32 and was pleasantly surprised. I think these are a clone of the Sightron Blue Sky. You can get them for about $200. I lucked into a deal for about $150 and will probably by another set if I can find that price again. Very light weight, decent ergonomics and glass seems more than good enough.