Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Elk binos

8's are plenty of mag for Elk, I can easily spot bedded Bulls at well over a mile with my EL's. My setup is a pair of 8.5x42 EL's, and a Kowa 553 spotter. Never felt undergunned in the over 70 Bull hunts I've guided.

Thanks guys, keep em coming.

Check your PM message box for a good deal, if you want a set of high end binocs.

Pretty strong testimonial there.

10x42 tracts

You want a 40-42 objective. No hunter has ever stood in the dark in the morning with 40’s, and wishing their objective lens was smaller when waiting for enough light to come through the lens to be able to see animals.

Ten power is the sweet spot, good for glassing at distance, good to allow you to ”see” deep into the cover where possible, and not too narrow of a view.

Me 3, unfortunately nobody's had the grand vision to plop an LRF onboard one yet.

Which Nikons? Budget Monarchs?

Friend, try Nikon's Premier LXL or EDG glass, and you very well may change that opinion.

Personally, I'd step over a pair of Swaros and Leicas to reach for Nikon EDGs.

I know, and you'd think there would be a market demand for them. I'd be interested.

Those preferring the 32’s, is it mostly a weight thing?

I have/use both and much prefer 42’s.

For me, yes.

Well, weight and overall size.

It would be hard to go wrong giving Doug a call at CameralandNY and having a discussion with him. He won't steer you wrong and he knows his product as well as anyone I've ever talked to. And he has feedback from so many customers he knows where the weaknesses and strengths are in his products....


If that won't work for you, I would be looking for a used set of Swarovski SLC or EL that are in very good condition in 10 x 42 and never have to buy another set of binos again..... even if it is a little over your budget... I just got back from my first hunting trip with my Swaro 10 x 42 EL that replaced my old Leupold Porro Prism units and I smiled every time I used them. Picked them up used in like new condition for less than half new price....

42mm binos get getting smaller and lighter, but yes, I like the 30-32mm because they can still fit under my coat or vest without the hassle of a Bino Bucket or Bino Bra......

Plus optics have become so good that the smaller size isn't a disadvantage under most hunting situations.

A guy could say the same thing about 56 mm objectives.
Same with 65 mm vs 80 mm spotters. One has to draw the line somewhere and the find the best cost/benefit ratio for them and there's a lot more to consider than just objective diameter.

I'll set up my 10.5X44s on the tripod and keep a pair of 8X33s in my bino harness when I'm moving and freehanding.

The Nikons I referred to were purchased in the early 1990's prior to the Premieres and I compared them to many others available at the time. I selected them over others costing considerably more because they were in my opinion the best available in my price range. I've heard nothing but good about the Premieres and wouldn't hesitate to go with them. A few years back, I was shopping for a replacement for my Zeiss 10x40 Classics and Doug at Cameraland steered me to the German Minox 8x42. With the price I paid, it was one of the best purchases I've ever made (nothing against the upper end Nikons).

I have 40 and 56 OBJ binocs. The 56's stay at home 99% of the time, and my spotter is a slender, and lite weight 70mm.

There's give a take, no doubt. You just want to take the maximum that will not make you uncomfortable if there is a lot of hiking involved.

Stepping up from 32mm to 40mm OBJ gets you 56% more lens area / light gathering ability, and if that little bit of weight hinders a person's hiking, they need to get into better shape.

I grew up and live at 6000+ ft, am 65 years old, and can out hike (most) 40 year olds. As a guide, I’ve watched a LOT of over-geared, over-optic, over-gunned and over-clothed clients struggle with too much of everything.

I have 7x, 8x, and 10x Swaros, and a couple other binos too. If I had to choose one, it would be my 7x30 Swaros. Just like with a rifle, an extra 10-16 ozs in the hand or around the neck or in a bino bucket is a lot different than an extra 10 lbs around the middle……

Objective lens size is fair bit less important than the quality of glass and quality of the view.

The last three elk I killed I was carrying my 7x26 Bushnell Custom Compacts. They’re so small and light a guy can forget they are even there.

At 65 I’m carrying more scheit while hunting than I ever did at 35. Sometimes I wonder if things aren’t actually devolving….

The only advantage of bigger OBJ is gaining a few extra minutes in the morning, and a few extra minutes at dusk of viewing ability. The rest of the day doesn’t really matter.

Each hunter has to decide what they want to max out on while weighing what there is to gain.

In the end you are right.