I hunt South Georgia and West Virginia don’t have much knowledge on binos far as which would be better most of what I hunt will be thick’s and shooting lanes occasionally a field or two maybe some woods or even pine thicks which is better suited 8x or 10x binos?

8x32

X2

I will agree with the 8’s , but I prefer 8x42’s.
Out west 10’s shine .

I agree with the 8x42 binos. . I have hunted out west in Colorado and extensive hunting in Michigan, and I found the 8x42 the best choice for handheld and low light conditions. Quality Bino with phase coated lens.
I have tested 10x42 in the exact same bino in real hunting conditions here in Michigan and am glad I selected the 8x42 .

300 Savage

Not to me.

I prefer 7X and 8X binoculars and would add a hearty +3 to the 8x32 suggestion.

I'm a 10x man myself. Not sure whether it's because my eyes ain't as good or because I'm generally shooting at smaller deer, but for stand hunting I prefer a 10x50 with a range finder.
Since that thing, a Zeiss Victory, weighs about as much as a boat anchor, though, I generally have an old 10x40 Zeiss around my neck when I'm walking around.

Firefighten Cowboy,

Totally agree with 300Savage. If you don't have one of John Barsness' books that talk about optics, you'll benefit from getting one. 8x42 is the best all-around binocular, and pretty much perfect for your scenarios. 10x is too much magnification for what you've described, and an 8x42 is easier to hold for a steadier image than a 10x. An older person might not benefit from the 5+ exit pupil of an 8x42 and might choose an 8x32 even for low light conditions like you hunt in, but you might consider a 6x32 or 7x32 class binoc if you want a lighter binoc than an 8x42. However, I don't think binoc weight is probably much of a consideration for a firefighter with the weight of the gear you wear for work. At any rate, you wouldn't go wrong with an 8x42/8x43.

A lot of people have never used a good quality 8x32 bino and have no idea what they are missing

X4.....

8X will give you a much wider field of view, larger exit pupil and be much easier to hold steady.
Compared 8X32 and 8x42 for physical size, weight, field of view, exit pupil and $ spent...then decide..

Binos are one place to truly "buy once, cry once"

Can't defy physics, or any of the other laws of nature, so all else equal, an 8x42 will always provide more light than a comparable 8x32. The question then is whether an individual's eyes can use more light than a quality 8x32 can provide.

One thing you will learn here is that if you don't have a $2K or up bino, you are helpless armature.

I prefer 10x if it’s over 300 yds. If you’re closer, 8x will be better. If you’re in the woods, 10x is really annoying.

You'll never regret going with the 8X. Ease of steadying and wider field of view with 8X trumps 10X in eastern woods hunting.

I use a good quality 10x for everything and it works perfectly, especially when elk hunting and glassing for long periods. I 'm 71 and don't have the shakes yet. If I develop them I may try an 8x.

^^^^^ This is my preference as most glassing is at fairly long distance. (with a spotting scope).

For the OP though & where he is hunting, in those kind of conditions, I like an 8x of the 42mm objective variety. Or even a 7x.

Personal preference & you have to try some different glass in different situations to really know what works best for you.

MM

For hand holding, I’ll take 8’s every time.

Yessir brother man. 👍

Absolutely love my little 8x32 meostars

Always though more was better.
Not much of a bino user, but 10x was it.

Then, a friend let me look through his 7x35 Ziess Classics.
Glass is more important than x's.

Never bought a pair, I'm too tight and don't use them enough.

8x for me

All of this.........

I like my 8’s so much I got a pair of 6’s. FOV in timber is nice.

Love my 6's in the woods......8x32 worked well for me in the past......agree with above, if under 300 yds....an 8x is fine and less annoying, better FOV.

Out west a small spotting scope and tripod is of value.

I've gone from 7's to 10's and now to 12.5's

8x - buy once, cry once for good glass - you'll know it if you didn't - fully agree with this comment: "Glass is more important than x's".

Thick is good cover, and with a good set of 8x, if you take the time to actually learn to glass - you'll start seeing "through" the thick, and learn to focus the view on what is beyond the brush in front of you.

You'll find holes in the brush that allow you to see further than you can with just your eye - can't tell you how many times I've caught a leg, a flag, or an eyeball looking through the brush, that I never would have seen with just my eye.

I have several hunters locally that don't believe in binos - they can't "see" past 25-30 yards from the stand, so no sense in carrying binos - they don't kill much either.

I've learned from watching where the deer went that I couldn't "see" without binos - where to put the stand if I wanted to be successful.

8x

Rarely in life will you find the perfect compromise in much of any product or endeavor. 8x binos is an exception... they're perfect.

i like and prefer my 10 x 42 binos best for all hunting , but for archery 3-D i like 12 x 42 to see target bullseyes better, i do not like cheap binos.

8s or 6s

This in spades....

I have 7x42, 8x32, and 10x42. The 7x42 are the best low light binos and adequate for all hunting that I do. The 8x32 are my archery binos and great in the tree stand. I don't use the 10 power much but I keep them by the kitchen window to watch the deer in the alfalfa field. All of them work but if I had to pick one of them it would be the 7x42.

My suggestion would be to actually try different glasses before deciding.
For me, 7 power is best for just holding them up to my eyes.
With 8x its best for me to have at least some type of support for a steady view.
Anything over that for me is best on a tripod which is how we hunt most.
You will not hold 10 or 12 power optics steady enough by hand in order to count points on a rack for example at any kind of distance.
Id be looking on Ebay for a nice clean set of old Bausch & Lomb Zephers like Jack O Conner used, and me also.
And you will buy those still great glasses for about $100.

I have used binoculars when hunting for over 50 years. They are a constant companion. Over the years I have settled on 10 x 42s as the best combination of power vs weight and size.

I hunt everything from farms to deep woods and have never felt handicapped by 10x in either environment. Using them constantly becomes second nature and this is key. If I see movement or a flicker I put the binocular up and I'm looking at the object.

I would recommend spending the money and getting good glass. Good glass will be a benefit in low light situations like twilight and deep woods. I would also recommend a binocular harness. It spreads the weigh out and keeps the binocular handy for use with minimum movement.

BTW I would also suggest you go to a place like Cabela's and compare what they have. That way you will see the differences in good glass, binocular size and power.

My walking binos are 8x25, if I am going to sit and glass I use a lightweight carbon fiber tripod w/ my 10x50 binos or my spotting scope. Those little ones have helped me see a lot of animals before they saw me.


mike r

My walking binos are Zeiss Terra ED 8x25, if I am going to sit and glass I use a lightweight carbon fiber tripod w/ my 10x50 binos or my spotting scope. Those little ones have helped me see a lot of animals before they saw me.


mike r

Of course, personal preference. I would go with the 8x for those circumstances and choices.

I use use and love 7x42mm. But, normally carry a pair of 10x54 or 56mm in my pack. There is a significant difference between the 7x42mm and 10x50’ish to my eye when it is getting dark. My distances vary from 25 to 200 yards. The 10x provide much more detail.
Ease of viewing and size wise the 7x42mm win hands down. The bigger 10x50 type, at times, are worth the extra hassle.
I would not want them for my primary binocular though.

Between the two mention for where you live, I would go with the 8X.

That said, don’t overlook 7X42. The exit pupil is 6mm, making them better suited for in low light, thick vegetation type hunting like where you live. I can use mine at night with a moon and still see stuff in the low light I can’t with my 10X42 as the exit pupil on the 10’s is 4.2mm. They are both the same model, about the same year made, and by the same alpha glass manufacturer so it’s an apples to apples comparison. They are also easier to hand hold as the hand shaking issue will be a little better too. Get good glass - buy once, cry once is sage advice.

10x or 8x binos?

Reminds me of a joke.
Guy goes to the doctor because his hands shake.
Doctor asks, "Do you drink too much?"
Guy asks, "How much is too much?"
Doctor suggests, "Like a fifth a day..."
Guy says, "Gosh doc... I SPILL that much!"

8x - buy once, cry once for good glass - you'll know it if you didn't - fully agree with this comment: "Glass is more important than x's".

Thick is good cover, and with a good set of 8x, if you take the time to actually learn to glass - you'll start seeing "through" the thick, and learn to focus the view on what is beyond the brush in front of you.

You'll find holes in the brush that allow you to see further than you can with just your eye - can't tell you how many times I've caught a leg, a flag, or an eyeball looking through the brush, that I never would have seen with just my eye.

I have several hunters locally that don't believe in binos - they can't "see" past 25-30 yards from the stand, so no sense in carrying binos - they don't kill much either.

I've learned from watching where the deer went that I couldn't "see" without binos - where to put the stand if I wanted to be successful.
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This above is great advice. I hunt wv amd pa in thick mountain cover. I purchased a kowa genesis 8x33 bino 3 years ago and have seen deer through thick cover i never would have known were there. Best hunting purchase i have made. Focusing at different levels as stated above has made all the difference. I hqve done it. A small flicker u think is a black and white chicadee turns out to be the white of a deer.

Good luck

Prefer 8's but couldn't pass up offer on a pair of 10's from a fire member.
I used an old pair of Denver Redfields 10x50 for many years that worked fine in timber out west.

Me too, I put both in my pack when I leave in the mornings. Then the one around my neck after I see the conditions I'm hunting.

10x for me for sure, but I’m hunting open country. For your country I’d be looking pretty hard at some 8x42s.

My 8x30 SLC’s get more use than anything else I own

Bargain for 10x

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2420121029?pid=927718

None of you are talking about the fov. Field of view is why I bought my 8x32 Leica binos because for what ever reason, those 8x32’s have a fov very close to the wife’s 8x42 Eagle Optics and are more compact. I see lots of stuff out at the fringes that others in the group do not see right away because they do not use their binos properly. In our birder group, they look for birds with their eyes then use the binos for a better look. I do carry those 8’s for a macro look and a smaller 10x25 pair of Swarovski’s for a closer micro look.

For what you describe the 8x32's are a great fit. In fact, a pair of 6x30 Yosemites would be great as well.

I spent a lot of time shopping for my bins. Looked at a lit of shops, through a lot of bins. Settled on some nice 8x30s and bought onc cried once. They have been all over including alaska, the rockies and midwest. I've never felt the need for more, and if I did I wanted the spotter.

I use a B&L 7x42 Discoverer bino and it has never failed to do it's job and the rain guard coating works well. 10x is the most magnification the average person can hold steady enough without support. 8x32 is handy and 8x42 a bit brighter all other things equal. If you wear glasses and will wear the glasses while using your binocular you want at least 18mm of eye relief. For hunting in brush consider a good poro prism binocular. The zig-zag design of Porro prism binocular creates a clearer 3-D image with greater depth perception. poro prism binoculars cost less to make with with same quality parts are equal to a roof prism model.

So, what binos did you buy?

My hunting is mainly stationary, so I don't mind heavier 10x42 glass. I'm also shooting quite a few does each season and the extra magnification does help when looking for headgear. If I was more mobile, I'd be looking at lighter 8x glass in the 30-35mm range.

I really like my 8x32 BX3 Mojave binoculars. They suit me just fine and weigh in at 17 oz's. I've spotted elk in the shadows of the tree lines at more than 600 yards with them. They are great up close too.

For the two states you mention ( I hunt in Georgia a lot), 8x42s without a doubt. the 32s are ok as well, but you get better light transmission (everything else being equal of course) with the 42s in the dark Georgia pine woods and swamps...

8 is great. 32mm is where the magic is, unless you glass from a tripod. Most of us in AZ wear 8 x 32s as a neck glass and carry 15s or 18s for glassing off tripods -- I mean both units at the same time -- for a typical hunt. Also, I grew up hunting North Carolina. Point being I would use the 8 x 32 in your situation.

If the time came when I could only have one bino, then it would be a 10 x 42; used for both tripod and neck carry.


J

I bought zeiss 8x30 conquests about 12/13 years ago. Haven't shopped for bins since.

I went through this same scenario with my son over the last few months, his buddies would tell him one thing his Old Man would tell him another. It cut through the crap when we went on a hunting trip together. I told him you need one core binocular that you can use in most situations and somewhere down the line get a different bino for something more specialized. I have 5 different bino's from 7X to 15X and we spent a week hunting and playing binoculars.....
My son decided 10x42's were the way to go...........and I can't disagree !!!!! I still use my 7X bino's for outdoor sporting events because of FOV and use my 15X quite often from a tripod but would never have them as a core bino...........the 8's are fine but would choose 40-42mm over the 30-32mm 10 times out of 10

Apparently I don't know most in Arizona.........this last week end in Arizona all of us were using 10x42's
What kind of 18's are you using ??????

I prefer the 8x30/32 format but from time to time I use my Zeiss 10x40 Classics.

The small size, decreased weight, and field of view of an 8x30/32 make up for slight decrease in magnification, relative to a 10x40.

There is a 4oz difference between my Zeiss 8x30 Classic and 10x40 Classic.

8x32 for close work in the timber and thickets of the upper Midwest, paired up with my favorite Whitetail rifle.

Oh ya man, very sexy....

I prefer 10x, but I hunt more open country. I think an 8x would sevre you well.

I can't take full credit, my wife put the ensemble together.

I pretty much resolved this question for my personal use after acquiring a Leica 8+12x42 around 15 years ago. It provides both the steadier image and wider FOV at 8x, and the option of turning up to 12x for far more detail. Yeah, it's a little on the heavy side, but not that much,--and the weight (about a pound more than the lightest 8x32s, such as the Swarovski EL my wife prefers), helps steady it when glassing offhand in "the woods." If I could only own one binocular, it's IT.

Apparently most optics companies haven't been able to solve the problem of multi-X binoculars, which is why this debate over a relatively minor difference in magnification continues.

Oddly enough, this reminds me of when I used to play alot of golf. If I was playing against someone who had a 50 yr old bullseye putter, I knew I was fixin' to get my asss beat. Know what I mean?

If I hunted more brushy terrain or lodgepole, I would go with some 7 or 8's, but in 40-42s objective to bring up as much light as possible. Those lodgepole thickets can get dark, even in midday.... However, I hunt mostly open country and canyon country and I need a bit more magnification to check all the wood lines, shadows, and rimrock across some of these big canyons... my brother and nephew have both gone to 12x 50 Vortex and like them really well and I can't argue with their choice. Early morning we were walking down to a canyon we wanted to hunt and came upon a herd of elk in the dark. Long before I could count points with my Leupold 10 x 42's, they were able to count points- and we all had spike-only tags, so it was pretty important...

My answer to the issue was to buy some better glass so I bought some 10 x 42 Swarovski EL's a couple weeks ago.

What caliber? Got its twin in 250, it was my grandma’s, need to get er out and make some meat...

I loved the Leica Duovids, they made them in 8-12x42 and 10-15x50 both were a bit heavy but very useable and versatile ...........I wish they still made them

Proof that there is always a few fries left over from a Happy Meal !!!!!!!!!

I'm 66 and started wearing glasses in my 40's. That's when I bought my 7x42 binocular. Since then I found better glass (I own midgrade) gives me the ability to use less magnification to see with better clarity than more magnification using inexpensive lower grade glass.

Exactamundo.

10X is best seller simply because this is America and bigger MUST be better, right?

Wrong....


7-8X are more utilitarian and as Ive said many times, 8X can put horns on them so far away that you can't get to them today...so what else do you need to know?

Swarovski used to make a 7x42 ( IIRC) that was orgasmic...but it didn't sell...not enough power...

Judman, if the question was about my Savage 99-A, pictured here, it is 250-3000.

👍 yep very nice.

This year I have been lucky enough to have both a Swaro 8x30CL and 10x42SLC. I live in Southern Idaho and bowhunt mule deer and elk in Sept. then rifle hunt in October. Spotting ranges vary from 40-50 yards to 2-3 miles. What I have decided is that I prefer the little 8x30CL while bowhunting - especially elk where they are big and I don't really knit pick antler size. Rifle hunting mule deer where seeing antlers at longer distances is where I have my dilemma. If I feel like packing a spotting scope then the 8X is fine. If not then the extra little bit that the 10X provides is real and useful.

I guess what I'm really saying here is that both have a place. If forced to choose one I would opt for the 8x30CL (and my old 20x50 Leupold Gold ring spotter). They are just a wonderful bino, easy to use, compact, lightweight and provide a wide, sharp, fantastic view.

I always felt like I would miss animals or not be able to pickup details with 8x. I think I see more details with 8x due to the hand shake, unless I'm in a stand where I can really keep the 10x steady. That said I split the difference and settled happily with the 8.5x42 ELs. No regerts

Depends on how you use them. Chest, tripod, long glassing periods or still hunting ...

Give me 6-8x all day long for how I personally use bins in this class...

Good 8s are hard to beat in the woods or the wide open. I used the hell out of mine this year.