Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 12x Binos, anyone using them

i have been using a 10x43 minox top end bino from doug at camerland for a few years,,,,

great glass, thinking i would like to have a 12x bino to look at horns or lack of on the far away animals, i tend to use the 14x leopld riflescope to really look

anyway i think i want to try a real good pair of 12x, looking for thoughts, actual experience,,,

300stw,

I tried them. I use 7X35 (or 8X42 if it is an evening hunt) and installed a 5-25X scope on the rifle. Twice this year I used the full 25X to verify heads. One observation influenced me to fire, the other was the opposite. My scope weighs only 18.1 ounces.

So you put the money toward a higher magnification scope and keep the 10X43's is my suggestion.

I was using 10x 43 pantex and was having trouble counting points at longer ranges.

I bought 12x50 euros

From a car or with lots of time they are great. The problem I had was when following an elk in step country, trying to get a count. They amplify my shaking. Everything is closer but it appears to move more. I found no advantage in getting an accurate count when actually pursuing game

I use the euros when we are sitting and glassing, I carry the 10x 43 when walking

After using my 12x50 Swarovskis for one season paired with a spotter, I sold my Zeiss 15x60s which I did not think I would ever do. You will want a tripod though.

MikeS,





There is a problem here.

Wasn't part of the OP's question. But for quick looks, sitting or resting on a treking pole works fine for me. Not much worse than my 10s.

That's been my experience as well. I've been using 12x binoculars for at least a decade, first a 12x50 Leica and then a 8+12x42 Leica Duovid switch-power. I don't have any problems keeping them steady when sitting down, though occasionally I rest them on shooting sticks.

The Duovid is very handy, since most glassing can be done at 8x, but if there's some detail not quite there are 8x, 12x will often do the job. If it doesn't then the spotter comes out.

Interesting... I have gone the other way with binoculars. My eyes do not focus as quickly as they did 20 years ago, and I have found myself missing animals. To remedy that, I purchased a 6X32 Yosemite binocular. They are light enough so they can hang on my neck all day. Being 6 magnification, they have an amazing depth of field (focus).
I hike fairly quickly into where I expect see game, stopping to glass only at choice spots, like buckbrush, edges, etc. Then, when I get to where I expect the game to be, I stop and glass very very frequently, often every 20 feet or so, even in open country. Interetingly enough, I seem to see more game than ever doing it this way, in spite of aged eyes.

Royce

Fred,

I don't use the Duovids all the time, just in really open country. When country isn't as open, my 6x30 Yosemite is among my favorites--though it also works in open country if the game is big enough. It's was hanging around my neck when I killed a grizzly in the interior of Alaska a few years ago, and there wasn't ANY problem finding the bear at a mile!

i have some 6x30 and 8x30 yosemite, my son and wife use them a lot,,,
i use either pair and i find myself wanting way more power when your glassing 1-3 miles out,,,,

for a 12x on a tripod setup, what sub 1000.00 bino should i look at, what tripod set up, i see steve rinellea from meat eater toting around a tripod and bino setup,,,
i have an older nikon spotting scope, anything over 20 power is about useless, not clear, heat waves,
maybe i need a new spotter in the 15-30 power range,,,

For a hunting spotter, I think Leupold's 12X to 40 can't be beat. I don't own one but should.

300stw,

The Cabela's Euro 12x50 is an excellent binocular, and very tough. It's made by Meopta and is listed at around $800 right now. As for a tripod, I don't need one with 12x, but for spotting scopes have been using the Bog Pod tripod sticks with a grip head lately. They're reasonably light and still pretty steady, and double as shooting sticks.

What model Nikon spotter do you have? Heat waves are always a problem at higher magnifications, no matter the quality of the scope, except early or late in the day, but better glass allows a finer view at lower powers.

The Leupold spotter Royce mentioned is very good, and the shape allows it to fit in a daypack more easily than many other scopes.

muledeer,
the nikon is an older 15x45 power, its a straight thru design scope like the older leupold straight 20 power scopes, the focus adjustment is rather course hard to get a sharp focus on anything over 20 power,
i think i want a a new 12x bino and a better spotter,

i got about 1500.00 to spend,,

Your spotter is a roof-prism, probably made before they were phase-correction coated.

The best deals on spotters are porro-prisms (with the "dog-leg" in the body), and there are a bunch of good ones for the sort of price you'd be looking at after buying a 12x binocular. The best thing is to visit a big sporting goods store with several spotters in stock and see which one you like best. You could take along your old Nikon just to see how it compares.

Mule Deer

Love 12x50s !!!!!!
I agree with you.
Do not normally need
rest with Top quality 12x50s.
If counting small points
or detail at spotting scope
distance laying Binos on top
of day pack does the job.

How much do the Cabela Euro
12x50s weigh? Thank You

I would take Ringman's advice of using your scope to look at critters, throw it out the window and laugh, and then buy some Swaro 12x50s and mate them with a good light-weight tripod and panning or ball head. My next optics purchase will be 12s or 15s for picking apart alpine basins.

Tanner

tannner i am leaning toward the 12x on a good tripod setup,,, just need to go look at some binos at cabelas, 350 mile trip one way, i think swaro are out of the price range at this time, 2 rifle builds coming up, rebuild my old truck and a new 30x60 shop this year will keep pocket book a little lean

I use minox 15X58 for picking apart basins. There is a strange thing about 15X and 25X. I can see lots more fine detail with the 25X.

I tend to use Bushnell 1600 Fusion 12x50 from steady positions - grip the cap bill, hold a loaded magazine/cartridge carrier for extra stability and all the other tricks. I have a pair of the Minox 15X from Doug as the best I chose to afford and am glad to have them too.

For kicking animals out of the brush on a north face or what have you I have a 6x30 and I do tend to think that the compromise mid range are a compromise - but than again for a backpack hunt or a specific use then neither the 12X50 or the 6X30 or a 15X is even close to a do everything glass.

I do strongly discourage glassing with a rifle sight - I sort of feel when the gun comes up the target, background and fallout area are already OK - so for that reason alone I'd say go for bigger eyes.

I just might wait for a promised next year book on current optics before spending what for me is a lot of money even at end of the season sales.

So do I. When you would pull out a spotting scope, because you want to take a closer look at an animal, I look at the animal with my rifle scope. After all I might just want to shoot it.