Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 10x42 or 10x50

I just finished reading the chapter on binocular magnification in Mule Deers book "Optics for the Hunter". He says that to get the absolute best performance from a 10 power binocular you should have 50mm objectives and not 42's. I'm looking to buy a new pair of 10's and weight is not a consideration (horses). Does this still hold true? Or would I even notice the difference?

On dark days, at the beginning of legal shooting light or at the end of such light, the 50's will work. The 42's might not.
The other thing is weight. I was quite surprised to find that weight makes a good bit of difference when viewing things out in the distance, say 1-2 miles if you need to see detail.
For those reasons and the fact that you aren't concerned about carrying them around your neck, I'd get the 50's. E

It all depends on the quality of optics you are interested in purchasing. A set of Zeiss HT 10x42's would offer better resolution and lowlight performance then a mid major 50mm. Of course another factor to consider is eye relief and weight.

Tamale,

I purchased some Apen Teton EDHD 10X50 for about $450. They blow away my Swarovski rifle scope in low light. The Swarovski is no slough when it comes to low light performance. That�s why I have it.

I compared them with about the same price Vortex and these are better, but not as good as the higher priced Vortex binoculars.

A 50 mm lens is going to let more light through.

It's simple physics, with the power divided into the Obj lens diameter.

You want the answer to be between 5 and 7

This is only an exit pupil rating, it doesn't take in account of lenses and coatings. A 7 exit pupil rating with a cheap binocular won't keep up with a 5 in a high quality binocular...

I have a pair of the Zeiss 10x42 HTs and also a pair of Zeiss 10x45 RFs. For some reason the RFs are better for me during the daytime, but the HTs kick their butt the last few minutes of daylight, even though their objective size is smaller and they are both high end binos from the same manufacturer.

I'm sure MD is correct, but it's a difference you may never notice in high quality binoculars. Try them both. If you have a brain in your head, you'll go with 10x42, IMHO.

If it gets dark enough, late in the day, the binocular wth the 4mm exit pupil will always quit before the one with the 5mm exit pupil. Same thing with first light use. Simple science. E

High end 42 should be fine. Also think about weight.

I think I'm ordering the Zeiss Victory HT 10x42 binoculars. I've had a lot of experience with their camera lenses and rifle scopes with no complaints. I appreciate everyones input, we'll see how these work out.

5 times the magnification allows max light.