what power of binos do you like? 7x, 8x or 10x for hunting

I like the 8.5x42 ELs but would prefer 8x over 10x. Unless, I’m sitting in a stand or using a tripod, I get too much shake with a 10x. I don’t want to know how many thousands of dollars it took for me to figure that out

I've had 8x and 10x binos. i just want a little extra for finding more detail, just can't decide, 8 or 10x

10X . WIth 10 minutes left of shooting light I was unable to resolve the brow tines on a very nice buck using my Swarovski 8x42 SLC(brand new ones BTW). The range maybe 75 yards.

My all around for out west are 10x42 Geovids, in the northwoods 8x32 Trinovids and out west on a tripod Swaro 12x50 EL's.
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6’s and 8’s in Va.

8X....Lighter and handier that 10X and with good glass you can put horns on them so far away that you cant get to them on the same day. What else do you need?

I like the 10 x 42s. I generally hunt big open country.

I like all sizes. 8X is the very best for everything. I have a pair of Swaro NL8X that I like a lot. I have several pairs of 10X EL and SLCHD and like the NLs a bit better. I also have 12 and 18 X Vortex UHDs and they draw no flies. They are excellent. Just for bopping around I have two pairs of 8X30 Binos. Conquest 8X30 HD and Swaro 8X30 CL. I have Swaro 10X25 CL Pockets as well.

Totally depends on the type of hunting I am doing. I have 8x30's that are always with me when bowhunting and small game hunting like squirrels etc. For almost all of my rifle big game hunting I have my 10x42's.

Agreed. I'd even go 7x if I could find top quality porro's built like Tracts and weighed the same.

7x or 8x

8x, but I am usually on thick stuff hunting.

8x33 Kowa Genesis. They are light and have brilliant optics

Resolution is the key to detail. You want Alpha bins for that. L, S or Z.

I prefer 8.5x Swarovski.

7x and 8x mostly, 10x for antelope and bighorn sheep.

I have had 8's, 10's and 15's.

10x42 all the way for me. Work great in open country and have not had one issue using them in the thick stuff. Wife now uses the 8x swaros. Sold the 15's, after using on a couple of hunts. Could not hand hold them and if using a tripod might as well be using the spotter.

The 10's work just fine out hunting and fantastic on a tripod for extended glassing sessions. They are a little heavier, but they have actually saved me many miles of hiking. They are my choice, but you have figure out what you like.

7x works for me.

I have a pair of MINOX APG 8x43 and find them as very high quality and used them on a NF moose hunt. No problem looking long distances. I would like to add a pair of 10x42 Swarovski’s.

8 x 40 Trinovids since 1985

10 x 42 Leica rangefinder binos on chest. Glassing 15 Swarovski on tripod.

Power means nothing if you can't discern the detail you are wanting to see. A cheap pair of 10X won't be nearly as good as a good pair of 7 or 8X.

Really like my old pair of Swaro 8x30s because they appear steadier than a higher magnification that will show more of your movement while holding them. But I use 10s and 12s on occasion.

I have been using the same pair of older American made Burris Signature 12X50s for about 20 years. Stellar glasses. My dad runs a pair of Swarovski 10x42s that I bought him for Father's Day one year and sometimes when we are hunting the Burris slightly outperform the Swaros.

It is a shame Burris went overseas, as their American made stuff was pretty good back then.

thank's guys

What has worked the best for me is a Leica set of 8x32's for a wider angle and then a Swarovski 10x25 pocket bino for closer examination. I carry them both for birding. The tiny 10's if weight is a consideration. The 8's for sporting events. The wife has 8x42's and the fov is a little wider than my 8x32's, but not enough wider to justify the extra weight and size.

8x42 in good glass will get it done.

Plenty of light 8x, low light 10x.

I prefer 8x.

I like 8x 30or 42

I have 7x26 Bushnell Customs (porros), and 7x, 8x, and 10x Swaros. If I had to choose one it would probably be 7x.

Unless I 'm gonna exclusively sheep hunt the rest of my life, then I would probably take the 10x..........

And a good pair of 10X is better than a good pair of 7 or 8X.

I use 10X for everything, woods and fields.

Depending on where and what I am after, it depends.

Thicker woods, whether hunting deer or anything else, I like my 8.5X ELs but could easily roll with a quality 7X or 8X.
For general purpose I prefer 10X, to include open country if doing things like bird hunting, checking traps (yes I set some traps where I can check them from a distance through binos) or non trophy big game like doe antelope, cow elk or even antlered critters if there isn't a point/width restriction.
For serious deer/elk/whatever spot and stalk hunts in open country, I have been really impressed with my Meopta MeoStar 15X.

I prefer 8X for my chest glass, but almost always have either 12X or 15X with me as well.

If I were to only have one set for hunting the West, it would probably be 10X and a tripod.

8x for me

fook that.....

You got me beat but agree.

I prefer 7’s or 8x, but also use a 10x or 12x also if I bring a tripod.

Huntsman and SLM nice stable!

In the future I want to check out the Maven 18 X 56 binos, I’ve heard they are pretty good too.

I like em all, got 8,10,and 15x, gonna add 12’s before season. Just depends on where/how I’m huntin.

7 or 8 for general viewing/searching ranges...
10 + for longer range in open country. Best off a tripod or bag of some sort.
I find the 10x field of view too narrow for my liking for general use... 8’s and 7’s are preferred.

quality 7x for me, roof or porro

I prefer 8X the vast majority of the time.

10X, same/same for rifle scopes, not a lot a good man with a good rifle and 10X scope cant get done.

8X

7x is my favorite but hard to find in a good dielectric roof I can afford so ....it is 8x that has me looking for a wider FOC 6.5 to compliment.

Had a pretty cheap Russian pair of 7x35 and still think that is just about THE perfect config for me.

Another that prefers 8X for most everything.

Never heard of anyone doing any good with a fixed 10X scope.

I like 7-8x compacts for walking around, full sized 10x for sitting or glassing from camp / truck. I dropped my old cheap-assed Nikon 8x20s 2 years ago in ML season and bent them beyond repair. They weren't great but they got the job done. Last year I hadn't gotten around to replacing them so I lugged my old LEupold 10x42 gold rings .. optically incredible but heavy. I picked up a Leica monovid a while back and I really like it think it's fine for handgun / muzzleloader / iron-sighted rifle hunting and maybe adequate for regular rifle hunting in timber, but I'd like to have a pair of compact 8x 'nocs again.

Always run 8x here in the dense woods as well as out west but have my eye on some Kowa 6.5x for here and then I’d “have to” try some 10x for our west...

VARIABLE, but you knew that.

I got no regrets with my 8.5x42 ELs.

I’ve tried 10x for general use but even though I primarily hunt wide open spaces I keep going back to 8x because I just can’t seem to hold the 10x steady enough without some form of rest. I use bino straps, grip the bill of my cap, use my shooting stick etc. but just get a steadier view with the 8’s. I have 12.5x for use with a tripod so my 10x generally stay home.

Depends on what I'm hunting and how I'm hunting. When I'm hunting desert mulies, because I'm hunting tracks, I usually carry a 6X. They are very light, easy on the eyes, and a lot sharper for detail than many would think. I have three, a 6X30 Yosemite, a 6X32 Katmai, and a 6.5X32 IF.
For open country I prefer an 8X, either an 8X32 for light weight, or a heavy 8X42. For serious glassing, I really like my 12X50 Leica. E

10x50 for me. Jeep doesn’t care how heavy they are. Hasbeen

8 x 32 for a neck glass; 18 x 56 for the big glass.

My wife and I have 20 binoculars in magnifications from 6x to 16x. The numbers of each break down like this:

6x--1
7x--5
8x--5 (including Eileens favorite, an 8.5x Swarovski EL)
10x--6
12x--1 (This is actually a Leica 8+12x42 Duovid, so could add one more to the 8x list)
16x--1

Have hunted with them all, but which to use depends on several factors, including the country, the size of the animal, and how "shy" it is. As any example, used the 6x (an early 6x30 Leupold Yosemite) to take my only grizzly, an interior Alaska bear found in pretty much wide-open tundra country. The bear showed up very obviously a mile away.

But for a general fixed-power hunting binocular I prefer 10x, both in open country and woods. In open country 10x definitely has an edge on 8x, and also in woods, where 10x can not only reveal more detail, but has a shallower depth of field, which can reveal animals by slowly "scrolling" with the focus ring. Have spotted many deer this way. But I also apparently have steadier hands than some of my friends.

I would also guess that it depends on what kind of "glassing" any hunter generally does. I am often sitting down and carefully glassing for small parts of animals, whether at 400 or 1000 yards. Some hunters only use binoculars to look at something they've already seen, especially in thicker cover.

My absolute favorite all-around binocular is the 8+12 Duovid, which can provide the "steadiness" of 8x and even more detail than 10x. It's disadvantage is weight, but even then it's only a pound heavier than binoculars many would consider VERY light, maybe even too light for steady glassing.

I have 8x43 Zenray ED3's. I'm very comfortable with that size and magnification from in the woods to shooting across pastures on the East Coast.



Dan

I only hunt from treestands for WT and hogs. In most of the areas where I hunt, the longest shot will be about 150 yards with the majority being inside of 100. For me the 7x50 binos are just right, especially for low light situations. I use either a Steiner 7x50 porro or a Meopta Meostar B1 7x50 roof.

8x42 Vipers..got rid of the tens & these are better..

6x for hunting in GA pines and hardwoods

8x when I was in Colorado and It's fine in the Carolina pine forests but a 6x would give a little wider field of view..

My only true preference would be open country coyotes/big game 10X Leica BRF's.

For binos I relied on a set of 10x50 SL and 15x60 B/GATs for years . Now happy with 8x30 SLC and 12x50 ELs. Don't feel like I've left anything on the table except unneeded weight.

Tried 10x, prefer 8x which is what I settled on.