I'm currently looking for mid-priced binocular in 8x. I want something that I can leave in my truck because I tend to need optics at random times. I also intend to use the binocular when hunting dark timber. I do own a large, heavy alpha-glass binocular in 10x that I am unwilling to keep in my vehicle. My budget will be $500.

Thus far, I have looked at the Zeiss Terra, Vortex Viper HD, and the Leupold BX-2. I have looked for the Leupold BX-3, but cannot find any locally to try out. The Zeiss Terra was unimpressive with noticeable chromatic aberration even indoors. The view also seemed dim to the Viper HD. The Viper HD was around the budgetary limits, if not a little over. Additionally, the Viper HD tended to feel cheap and it never really seemed to focus well, but perhaps that is a problem with fatigued eyes at the end of the day. I daresay it felt over-priced. The BX-2 seemed like an OK optic, but lacked the "pop" of the Viper HD, however this is inside a building under artificial lighting that I compared them side by side.

Is the BX-3 8x42 any better? They appear to be available for about $500 right now, which is cheaper than the Viper HD at retail. Should I buy one on faith? Does anybody have experience with it?

Look at Nikon Monarch 7’s! Right at your budget, good optical performance to my eyes.

I’d consider $500 more on the low end than a mid price.

Do you have any advice on $500 binoculars; semantics aside?

Doug at Camera Land has good prices on the Kowa BDII line which is running in your price range ~ $450.
I would strongly suggest giving him a call and see what he suggests. I’ve been very pleased with his recommendations in the past.

Occasionally you can find a Tract Toric for right at $500. That's an absolute steal for some stellar glass. The Leupy BX4 is a good one in that price range as well but not as good as the Tract. I'm not very impressed with the Viper HD personally. Another sleeper, but is Chinese made, is the Athlon Midas. It is excellent.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check these out.

Can’t believe no one has mentioned the Meopta MeoPro. I would definitely give them a look. And as JG said the Tract Toric is a great option as well. I had a pair of them and really liked them. The only problem with them are that they are sold factory direct so it won’t be easy to look through them unless you know someone who owns a pair. Good luck

Thanks for the responses. I will see what I can find out about a few of these.

If you'd consider 10x, the Athlon Cronus G2 should be a strong consideration under $500. Based on the Backwoods Pursuit review, I picked up a pair from Doug @ Cameraland. The Cronus were the best of the $500 class and beat out several in the 500-1000 like the Tract Toric, Leupold Santium X5, Maven B.1, Sig Zulu 7. They are made in China though.

https://cameralandny.com/shop/brand...0137-81b9-00163ecd2826?variation=2075634

https://backwoodspursuit.com/26-best-binoculars-for-hunting/

I’ll second the motion to give Doug or Neil at Cameraland NY a call. See what he may have a special deal on today that might be unadvertised. I’ve got 2 binoculars that serve truck duty; Alpen Shasta 8x43 and Brunton Echo 8x42. Alpen is too heavy for anything except the truck or home use. Not bad glass. But I think they are both discontinued now.

Always a pleasure to assist the members here

I would get the Burris 8x42 Signature HD binoculars. I believe that Camera Land has them for $399 and Muledeer speaks well of them.

As a cheap option, I have a pair of Bushnell 10x42 (they also make 8x) Bushnell Trophy series. I paid less than $100 for the ones I have and they're really pretty decent. Good enough to keep in the truck I'd think.

I would look at the offerings from Meopta.

https://www.eurooptic.com/Meopta-Optika-HD-8x42-Binoculars-653500.aspx

We have those 8x sightron s2’s stuck everywhere from when they had them for $99. I would like them at $250 or whatever regular price is.

https://www.amazon.com/Sightron-SIIBL832-8x32-Binocular-Green/dp/B004MFBSL4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=5ZRDJ77A3EJR&keywords=sightron+8x32+sii+blue+sky&qid=1661182387&sprefix=sightron+8%2Caps%2C550&sr=8-3

Don't leave Steiner out of the mix, the auto focus 8x35 are amazing. And for 300.00 bucks you don't have to worry about leaving them in the truck. Like you I'm not leaving the Swarovski in the truck.

If you could get the Kowas for your budget money that is the route I would go. My son has some Bushnell ED binos and they are very nice for the price, which is about $350 right now IIRC...

Can't go wrong calling Doug and asking some questions. About as straight a shooter as you'll find anywhere and hard to beat his prices and service IME

Blow your budget and get the Tracts.
Cry once.

There is no way I would spend anywhere near 500 bucks on a Chinese made binocular

I'm in the market as well and will not buy a Chinese model. Is the Burris Signature HD made in China?

Burris Sig is made in Japan

Yes, by Kamakura, one of Japan's better optics companies.

They were an even better deal when first introduced in 2018, which is when I got my 8x42. They were $300--but the word got around quickly and now they're around $450.

Minox

Spend the extra hundred or so and get tract.
Especially when they have open box. You can thank me later.
Buy once, cry one.
My truck binocs are monarchs From mid 2000. Not sure if that’s monarch 3 or 5 now days.
Probably 200$ pair of bonobos for the truck vs 600/700

You are right on the cusp of used SLC 8x30's at that price.

I have a "used" 8x30 SLC, acquired new. Believe it or not, the Burris 8x42 at least as sharp, and even brighter in low light due to its larger objective lenses. Plus, the "fiber-reinforced polymer" body material makes it just about as light as the Swarovski.

Don't get me wrong. I love Swarovski optics, and have several binoculars and a couple of their spotting scopes. But the Burris Signature HDs are really good....

I hunted elk in New Mexico with an outfitter and he used a pair of Burris 10X42 binoculars and I must admit they were very good

Burrris Sig HD 8x42 binos are made in China
https://www.hunting-store.eu/usa/burris-signature-hd-8x42.html#product-videos-2

Yes definitely look at meopta. I have a meopro HD‘s and I like them a lot. I’ll be honest, the Burris HD I looked at didn’t look as good to me as the others that I had to compare to at the time.

That site erroneously says it has a 10 year warranty. What else is wrong?

For binos that’ll stay in the truck, I’d grab a set of Leupold Yosemite or Kowa YF 8x30’s.

About a $100.

Consider the Hawke Vantage 8x42 for only $69.99

Fully Coated
Focus Knob With 2.4 Turns - Close Focus 16.4ft/5m
High Resolution BAK-4 Roof Prisms
Lightweight And Durable Rubber Coated Chassis
Stay-On Lens Covers For Maximum Lens Protection
Twist-Up Eye Cups With Position Stops For Eye Relief

I do personally stay away from Chinese goods whenever possible. I’m sure the computer I’m using is made of some Chinese components if not made there.

I will look up the Burris.

I’ve owned Meopta in the past. Always seemed like descent stuff. I see they are rather cheap at Euro. Are they Chinese? It is $330 and some change. Seems it couldn’t be European for that price.

I do want good quality. I will be using them hunting as well…like I said archery hunting in the timber.

Optics trade is out of Europe and warranty may vary. Give Burris or Doug a call and ask.

Right off of the Burris Amazon store. The reply was from Burris/Steiner.

Question:
Could a seller please verify where these are made? Thank you very much.

Answer:
Burris Signature HD binoculars are manufactured in China to our specifications, then Quality tested in Greeley, CO.
By Steiner O. Manufacturer on October 20, 2020

Meopta are made in the Czech Republic. https://optics-info.com/meopta-optika-hd-binoculars/

I just made a trip to Cabela’s. They had several binoculars that have been on my list, but most all the displays they had were 10x. I got to compare several side by side. I compared several models of Bushnell, Leupold, Nikon, Vortex, and Zeiss Terra. Fortunately, the store isn’t brightly lit. They have a “cave” off in the corner that has very low light. I got to look through them from about 70 yards into that corner.

While out under good light, the Zeiss looked the brightest. Looking into the corner cave, it was less impressive. The Viper PST was much the same. The BX-3 I wasn’t super impressed with, nor the Nikon. Finally, I picked up a Leupold BX-4 which was slightly over budget. It didn’t have a whole lot of “pop” at first but looking into the dark areas I could see more detail than even the Zeiss! Unfortunately, this was a 10x (like all the others I got to sample) but I couldn’t imagine the 8x being worse. Also, made in Japan.

No Burris Signature models and no Meopta. It looked like they had a shelf with a Meopta logo on it but it was empty.

Did we figure out for sure where the Burris is made? Anybody have one they could share a photo of? The BX-4 is leading right now, but I’d certainly rather keep $170 extra in my pocket if it isn’t much difference.

Looking through binos in a store is a terrible idea. The lighting and backgrounds don't give you a very good picture of the true nature of the glass. The color of most store lights isn't indicative of natural light when it comes to glass . Most Cabela's or Sportsmans Warehouse stores will let you take several binos outside to test but they will undoubtedly have a sales associate accompany you... show up just before dusk and start looking.

I don't have any experience with that model but I wonder if production was moved from Japan to China during the model history. It seems like JB and maybe some others have units that were made in Japan.

Isn't that "assembled" part a gray area?

For example, Zeiss states that the Conquest HD is made in Germany but there are numerous posts at another forum that seem to indicate that it's actually made by Kamakura in Japan. Supposedly enough "work" is done in Germany to qualify as "made in Germany" under whatever laws they operate under.

Someone here, or maybe Rokslide, posted that many of the BX-4 and/or BX-5 have loose hinges. They were on sale at a local store so I went to check them out and sure enough the ones that I tried all had loose hinges.

Likewise Leupold has to use assembled in USA for those items that don't meet the legal definition of made in USA.

Very well could be.

This one didn’t appear to have a loose hinge at all. It didn’t feel overly tight though. The Vortex hinge took a little muscle. The biggest negative on the individual unit I sampled had a very loose diopter. I read a few reviews and that seems like the norm. Unfortunately, they don’t lock either.

Now I’m on the lookout to find a local store with some of the other options mentioned in this thread. There is another sporting goods store about an hour and a half away that has some other brands. I can use it as an opportunity to pick up some reloading components, too so that it isn’t just wasted fuel.

I called Burris today to confirm where their binoculars are made. The tech I spoke with, Ryan, said they are made in China.

Also talked with Bill at Vortex. The Vipers are made in the Philippines and the Diamondbacks are made in China. In his opinion, the Viper is about 15% better than the DB but costs over twice as much. My wife has some Viper 10x42 and loves them. I'm not that impressed and was hoping the DB wasn't made in China.

I've been watching this thread as I'm also interested in some 8x42s. Problem is, I wear glasses and nothing works as well for me as my Yosemite 6x30s. I think they are Chinese also but they sure are sharp and clear. Cheap too.

Burris must have moved production recently. Have owned 2 Sig HDs both were labeled "Made in Japan"

We are living in the golden age of optics, no doubt. I like used Swaro because they are nice to look through, and the resale value seems to remain constant.

I have a pair of Vortex Vipers that are really nice glass, zero complaints. Their resale value is worthless though.

YMMV.

338rcm,

It was Ryan told me the Signature HDs were made by Kamakura, but that was several years ago when they were first introduced.

The optics industry has been "fluid" world-wide for a long time. The first Zeiss Conquest scopes were mostly made by Meopta, but some of the internals were made by Zeiss--and the final assembly done in the USA to avoid the import duty.

But that was over 20 years ago. As far as I can determine the latest Conquests are made in Japan--though some parts (including lenses) could very well be made elsewhere.

Backroads,

Yep, Swarovskis hold onto their value very well.

Meopta's been running specials every week this month.

This is the current one. Meopro Air HD 15% off.

https://meopta.store/products/meopro-air-10x42-hd

Appreciate the link, but even at 15% off that binocular may be a bit much. They are likely phenomenal.

I would not be too concerned about the Assembled deal with Meopta. Im pretty sure a few of the Euro brands use glass sourced from Japan. Not a damn thing wrong with the glass made in Japan. Even Schott has a plant in Japan. Zeiss has used quite a bit of it in their optics.

In Shanghai too.

Go to some of the birding websites to look for reviews, those folks take their optics seriously and are probably the largest and most affluent market for binoculars; https://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide

I have "used 8x30 SLCs" as well, bought new in '98, after years of use, bought 8.5x42 ELs and decided to sell the 8x30s. Sent them to Swarovski for service and they came back like new (and they didn't charge me a dime), they were so nicely done in fact that I just decided to keep them and typically use them more often than the ELs as they weigh less around my neck, 24 years strong and still my favorite binocular!

I have a couple sets of the Leupold BX2’s. My daughter and I both use them. They’ve been great for the money, and I wouldn’t hesitate to get another set.

Mine have loose hinges as well. It's the biggest issue with the Leupold Santiums. I've got old Weaver Super Slam binos a bit heavy but they are optically the equal of the Leupold Santium 5 but heavier and mechanically superior. Both the Leupold and Weaver are better optically than my Leica Trinovids for my eyes. The stuff like 3k-$4k binos are wasted on me as my eyes are fine but not keen enough to take advantage of the small gains optically in this season of life

I've looked through the Zeiss Terra ED and for 400 they are quite good.

I run Minox as my main glass and keep a pair of older Nikon Monarch's in the truck for just the purpose you are suggesting. Japanese glass that works well.....

Good luck with your search!


Frog---OUT!

My truck binoculars are Sightron 8x32’s & I’m quite content with their performance & low price.

i have the cronus and the tract in 10x, the cronus are a waste of money compared to the tract, i find eye placement critical , eye strain comes about fast with the cronus, i have none of those problems with the tract,
ordered 2 more sets of the trac ts recently for spouse and son,

the cronus sit on the dash of the work truck now,,,,

Good to know about the loose hinge on the Leupold. Thanks.

I have an inexpensive pocket binocular with a hinge that I have to tighten occasionally. Annoying, but can be fixed in a minute or two.

We just received a delivery of some Open Box GPO Binoculars priced very inexpensively

The Chinese made GPO EDs and Athlon Midas UHD binos are surprisingly nice for sub $400

I got 2 pair of the SII Blue Sky and 1 regular SII for like $80 when the big blow out pricing was going on. Just cant beat them for $100 and not made in China. I compared them to the later HD version too which are made in China. I like the better quality of the older SIIs.

My buddies swear by the Vortex Viper HD 8 X 42. 20 year Alaskan guide may know a thing or two. I stayed away from them as I thought they were China shxt. Mid priced made in Philli so I should find a set to check out. Granted the Swaro kicks ass but it aint' a $500 truck bino.

One of my sons bought Vipers when Cabela's blew 'em out last year for, I dunno, like $250. You know what, I'm pretty impressed with 'em. Can't beat 'em for $250 bucks.

I found the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 for $380 and the Meopta Optika for $340 at this point, attractive prices for something that will spend most of its time in the truck and taken afield for archery hunting occasionally.

Just a heads up on a great opportunity, we just launched our Labor Day Sale. So take a look at our site and if you don't see what you're looking at already discounted just give us a call, 516-217-1000, so we can see what we can do for you