Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics The BEST All-Around Hunting Binos on the Planet! What's Your Pick?

CCW,sorry! The Zeiss Classics,are the Cat's Meow,for me...........

My choice: Zeiss 8X30 safari<P>there is brighter but heavier<BR>there is more powerful but bulkier<BR>Nothing tougher on market, I think.

Zeiss 10x40BGA- been carrying mine for close to 2 decades and would get the same thing all over again. <P>About 10 years ago several of us were hunting caribou. At dusk a herd of mixed gender came over a ridge about 150 yards from camp and bedded. We had Swarovski 10x42 and zeiss 10x40, and a few other high end pieces. As it got dark we watched as each set of glass stopped resolving. When nothing else showed anything but black, the Zeiss still let us seperate bulls from cows.<P>Zeiss calls it the twilight factor, and says the 10x40 was the best for it. Got to use the first 2 sets of the new Zeiss this spring. Great optics, lousy shape. I would buy used BGAs before I would buy the new ones.<BR>art

RickBin<P>Whatever you do , don't make your decision without at least trying the Swarovski 8.5X42 EL's . I know that's a little more power than you want but I think you will be blown away . I had the 10x42 EL's and sold them and replaced them with the 8.5's and I think these will stay around my neck a long , long time !!! I love the Leica optics but they just don't feel right in my hands . You apparently hunt as I do , a lot of glassing and then the spotting scope if you want to hone in on an interesting animal so you know that comfort/balance have a big impact on things . Spending that kind of money , you need to do some actual "hands on" experimenting !!<BR>bounty-hunter

Hi everybody, looks like this is the place! We had this discussion a few times over at the 'ghost town'. My position is that one set of binocs just can't cut it. I have to divide "Hunting" into two types: Sit around type and hike your ass off type. If I'm whacking varmints from the truck, glassing for bears from ridge tops, or checking out babes at a basketball game, then I'm using the Swarovski EL 8.5 x 42. They're simply astounding. But if I'm chasing stuff up and down mountains all day, I've got my Leupold 9x compacts (old Leica style) around my neck. I've tried packing the big stuff and for me it's just not worth the weight and bulk around the neck. My Leupolds are 12 years old and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I got my Swarovskis last year and beleive they are optically and ergonomically as good as it gets. With a great spotter (Leupold 12X-40X), I think I've finally got the bases covered! P.S., I think SWFA still has EL's on their sample list. Have fun, GTC

Gentlemen, Hunted for years with a pair of Leupold Windriver 8X32's and loved them. Just bought a pair of Leica 8X32 BN and they blow the Leupold's away. (They should for the extra money) Paid US$ 625 in Hong Kong. Since I am not in the States much lately, the international warranty works fine for me and the lower price is great. Looked at Zeiss but the Leica's fit me better. The 8X42's were too heavy for all day use (personal preference) so I went with the 22 ounce 8X32's. The ones I truly liked the best were the Swaro 8.5 X 42 EL's but they weighed a ton. Do not think you can go wrong with Swarovski, Zeiss or Leica but the Leica's just felt best for me. <P>Now that we have discussed binoculars, what about some comments on the best straps etc. for all day wear? <P>------------------<BR>Traveling Man

travelingman<BR>I know this defies conventional wisdom and rationale , BUT , I have tried all the different straps ( wide , bouncy , neoprene , thin leather with wide sheepskin pad on neck , bino-buddy etc. , etc. ) but the only one that's comfortable to me and dosen't get in my way , is the thin , leather strap . Sometimes simple is better !! I don't expect that many will probably agree with me on this , it's just that that is works best for me . Incidentally , and I apologize if I sound like a Swarovski commercial , The EL's only weigh about 28 oz which is lighter than anyhting else in it's class , except the new Zeiss Victory series .

My decision on binocs was to get one of the big 3 that would be light enough to carry all day while giving me the ability to see those little "kickers"! I was set on the Leica 8X42's but Chris at SWFA talked me into the 10X50's. Well good news bad news! The 10X50's are heavy and in cold weather really tough to hold steady enough to enjoy seeing the "kickers"! Well maybe it wasn't the cold but the "fever", whatever! The 10's are tough to hold steady at least for me unless you are sitting or have something to brace your arms against/on. Well I now have the 10's and the next pair will be lower power and lighter which is where I was heading to begin with. Hope this helps.

"The BEST All-Around Hunting Binos on the Planet!" - ARE NOT MADE! <P>If they WERE made they would be a Leica Trinovid 7X35 OR a Swarovski 7X35 SLC. They would weigh about 25 ounces max, 23-24 would be even better. <P>Among those that are made, the next best would be your pick of:<BR>1. Leica 8X32 Trinovid<BR>2. Leica 8X42 Trinovid (a teensy bit heavy)<BR>3. Swarovski 7X30 SLC<BR>4. Swarovski 7X42 Traditional<BR>5. Swarovski 7X42 SLC (also a teensy bit too heavy)<BR>6. Swarovski 8.5X42<BR>7. Zeiss 7X42<BR>8. Leica 7X42 Trinovid (edited this in, almost forgot about it)<P>Remember, we are talking ALL AROUND use. There are tons of binoculars that are good for looking AT stuff. All of the 10X50's and 10X40's are excellent for this. As are the 8X30's. All Around Hunting Binos need to be used to look FOR stuff in all legal lighting conditions, then powerful enough to examine whatever you found.<P>I've owned 2, 3 and 4. #2 brings the world up close and personal like nothing else I've ever seen. #3 has the advantage of light weight.<P>FWIW, I emailed Leica and Swarovski and Nikon and asked them to make a top of the line 7X35 waterproof. Only Leica replied. They said a 7X35 is probably not feasible but that a 7X32 definitely is. If you agree that 7X and 5mm exit pupils (or as close as possible) is the best of all things in hunting binoculars then go to the Leica web page and email them to make that 7X32 pronto!<P><BR><p>[This message has been edited by Jim in Idaho (edited February 07, 2001).]

Well since Big Stick is likely too busy right now to sit around and argue with me...Grin. I actually did a side by side comparison with Ziess, Swarovski, and Leica 10x40's (42's) two years ago. I was in a very large poorly lit building. On a wall the furthest from me was a sign with inch high lettering. Here's what I discovered. With the Ziess I could see that they were letter but couldn't make out what specific letters they were. With the Swarovski I could see some letter's such as L's and D's plus they were slightly brighter. With the Leica's I could read every word clearly and they were much brighter than the Zeiss. Incidently the Ziess were the least comfortable in my hands and the hardest to hold steady. The Swaro's were comfortable, but the Leica's fit my hands like a glove. I know this may not agree with everyone else's findings, but this is how things worked out for my eyes and hands. Now I just wish I could find a way to afford the Leica's. Probably could if I quit bear hunting, but that's not an option.

The best I have ever owned is the Leica 10x50 binoculars. Of course for $1000.00,they better be the best <P>On nights with even a littlebit of moonlight,you can see just about 24hrs a day.<P>They are a little heavy but are quite impressive...Littlebit

Thought I would revive this thread after seeing way down here.

So its ... BTT

RickBin: Go to www.betterviewdesired.com it's a bird watcher site, but the guy is anally-meticulous about his comparisons. As far as magnification is concerned, 8X is my pick. I bought a pair of Zeiss Victorys and sent them back. Optical quality was there, but ergonomically they were terrible and they looked and felt cheap. The new Nikon Venturers were the sleeper in the testing,besting the Swarovski ELs! but there's just nothing better out there than the Leica 8X42s. I also have a pair of Swaro 10X42 SLCs, the new ones without that yellow tint they used to have. Real nice glass, but a 10X is harder to hold steady than a 8X. I guess out west or in the african plains a 10X is good, but for genreal use, I's stick with 8X. jorge

Over the years I've owned a variety of optics in many shapes, sizes and weights and the thing I've found is that if I don't have them with me it doesn't do any good if they are the greatest in the world.

I won't carry big binocs and though I love my Swrovski 7x42 SLCs I rarely carried them (tended to stay in the truck) and I've found that the small, pocket-size are great to carry but I can't hold them to look .... my vote for the best around is.....drum-roll please....the 8x30 SLC from Swarovski. To me the perfect compromise between portability, optical quality and ease of use....I don't leave home without them.

I agree with jorgeI. I own both a Leica 8 X 42 and 10 X 50, but if I had to choose one all-around, use everywhere from woods to open country binocular, it would be the 8X. First, the Leicas give up nothing optically to any of the other high-end binoculars, EL's included. The EL's may be a few hundred more, but that hardly translates into a better binocular. Could that extra money possibly be going into the price of that nice, but useless, aluminum case that comes included? I think the Leicas have the best focusing system made, with the focus integrated with the diopter adjustments. Leica uses diopter adjustments for both barrels, whereas most, if not every binocular has one click adjusting wheel on one barrel. Being able to adjust both barrels allows you to fine tune better than you can with one barrel adjustment. I also prefer the pull out eyepieces of Leicas over the twist up type, as they stay put and never start to slowly creep in, like some I've seen.



Leicas are also built like a tank compared to the other binoculars out there. This may translate into more weight, which some complain of, but since I'd use a shoulder harness system whether a binocular weighs 31 ounces or 18 ounces because I don't like them flopping around, the extra weight hardly matters. I've used them on a couple of western hunts and found the weight did not bother me in the least with the harness. Leica also waterproofs its binoculars to 16.5' for 24 hours. As excellent as Pentax is optically, it hardly even comes close to that, with waterproofing to 1 meter. Swarovski also had a notorious reputation for leaking, so I would not want to put my money on them over Leica for staying waterproof. Add in the Leica Passport warranty, and I'd say the Leicas are pretty darn hard to beat.



I love the 10 X 50's, too, and plan to use them on an upcoming elk hunt. Yes, they are heavy, but those 50mm lenses really bring in the light, and sitting with your elbows on you knees, or even using a small tripod, they are hard to beat for long range and dim light.

Rick,

The New Leica Ultravid BR & BL are supposed to be IT... I am betting on the new sub 25 ounce 8x42 BLs and will report when they arrive...(grin)



Regards, Matt.

Guys:

I wrote the first post in this thread in October of 2000 ... almost three years ago. Some of the models we are now discussing were introduced subsequently.

That having been said, I'm keeping my Zeiss. I just love them. Some of the others are very likely raising the bar, after all, these Zeiss are 20 years old, but I still think these are superb.

Rick

When I eat my Wheaties', my 10x50 SLC's.

Otherwise, my new Eagle Optics 6x32's have gone beyond what I had expected. You will be amazed.

J Scott

Rick, I agree fully with your original post. My first pair of "good" binoculars were bought 5 years ago and were Swarovski 7X42SCL. What great glass they are.

I feel that since then there is better glass out there but I just don't feel the need to upgrade. I do wish I had gone with 8X now, but am happy with the overall performance of my current 7X glass.

As my eyes get older, I've played around with some 10X stuff and bought a Pair of Leupold Windriver 10X, but sold them about two months later, just wasn't happy with them.

I'm now looking at some Pentax 10X DCF SP as my truck binoculars but find that with a few more $$$ I can step up to the Zeiss, Leica, Bushnell Elites, Kahles, or the good Nikons.

Now, if I do this, then they become to good for truck glass and I'm back out looking for something else. I know what will happen, I'll stop in Cabela's on my way out to Colorado next month and the good old impulse buying will take over when I'm at the optic counter.

I'll let you know what I end up with. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

jbmi,

I would agree with you except its more than a few $$$ ... the top of the line are close to double that of the SP's.

One of the better places to pick-up some SP's is cameralandny.com They are a USA authorized reseller and there prices are really good. Call them, talk to Joel and you will most likely get an even better price from that which they advertise. Joel quoted me $409 + shipping for a pair of 8x43's (full USA warranty). Givem a shot .... save some cash ..... especially over cabelas prices.