Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics So what's your favorite hunting binocular?

Summary so far.

Steiner 8x30 XP for me - if I had to settle on one of mine.

Nice job Carl!

32mm bins are not "all-arounder's."

Which is it?

Meopta Meostar 10x42 HD's. Picked them up second hand in the classifieds here for about half of what the 'primo glass' goes for.

Been very happy with them so far. Looking forward to really putting them through the wringer when I get settled into my new home.

Zeiss 10x42 Victory HT
Meopta Meostar 10x42
Leica Geovid 10x42 RF

I use all 3

Mr 163, what's your take on that new Zeiss? How does the Meopta Hd compare?
Gracias Amigo!

There's this thing... it's called humor.

In order of most use:

7x26 Bushnell Custom Compact

7x30 Swaro SLC

8x30 Swaro SLC


Casey

I'm in the minority I reckon. I use Nikon Monarchs in the 10x42 flavor. got them on sale a few years back for $189 IIRC. they are very clear, waterproof and tough. I use them year round with especially hard use in the fall. I've admired the leicas that friends have had in camp, just can't justify the price for the little added gain.

Favorite for me is 10x42 Cabelas just enough to keep me from breaking out spotter as much

I use a pair of Pentax DCF 10x42.

Swaro EL 8.5x42

I've had the following bino's:

Leica UV 8*32 & 7*42

Swaro EL's 8*32 & 10*42.

I love the Swaro EL 8*32. Small, light, and compact. Color is more vivid with the Swaro's through my eyes. Ymmv... I love my 10x for open field work.

You are not in the minority, the 10x42 is easily the most
common binocular size sold and used by deer hunters.
The Monarch is a nice model, and very popular.

Hard to pick a favorite. They all have their place

Swaro 15X56
Leica Trinovid 8X32
Leica Ultravid 8X42
Zen Ray ED3 8X43

Depends on use - I have no favorite -

Scanners for short distance - 6.5x32 Minox
Medium scanners - 10x42 Swaro's
Long Range/Big Eyes - 15x56 Swaro's

I'll chip in. Most of my hunting is in coastal Washington, dark, rain forest timber. 12x50 BA Leica's, 13 years old, heavy yes, but definition is good in the timber. At short distances the detail is very good and helpful, keeps blunders into critters down. My light pair are a set of Steiners 9x40 Big Horn's. My highest power scope is a 3x9 Leupy on a 300 H&H. And use a walking staff for steadying the glass and the shot.

Zeiss Conquest 12x45.

May get Leupold 10x42 later this year.

fave?

what I'm used to, Zeiss Classics 10x42's ( edit:oops actually believe they're 10x40's, just like me to try and convince that I've actually got a couple more mm's than I actually do )

there's glass that's equal and perhaps some better.

but I'm just used to them, most everything else in my hands for extended use seems odd to me.

guess that will happen when you use them 4-8 hours a day for 30-40 days in a row every year.

just seem like a decent compromise to me in size, weight, ergonomics and function

wish I'd bought three or four more sets from Cabelas when they bought up their remaining stock, but only bought one set.

neither of my boys are as into hunting as I have been so I'm probably okay with just two sets of them.

also really got used to 10 power

nothing replaces a good game eye in a hunter, but 8's just never seem to have enough oomph for my eyes to see what I want to see when finding animals.

can think of a few occasions when piece of game was spotted with the 10's that a guy with 8's had a hard time picking up even after being given instructions as to where the game was.

what works for me doesn't have to work for you, we only have to please ourselves with our choices of gear.