I’ve been thinking lately it’s time to invest in a spotter or possibly some bigger binos and a tripod setup.
I live and hunt in the east, so I won’t be sitting behind these for days on end. I just have a few places I’d love to be able to sit and glass for a while, especially while scouting. My 8x42s aren’t cutting it in a lot places!
I’m just getting my feelers out there right now, never used them at all. I’m guessing I’d probably enjoy a bigger set of binos, maybe 15-18x a lot more than I would an actual spotter.
Don’t really have a set budget, but I know that’s the first question that comes up so I’ll throw a rough $1500 out there and see what happens. Mostly looking at pros and cons of binos vs spotters and what most of you prefer.
How far and close will you be glassing?
Go 8x bino and a 15-45 spotter Spotter gets used a fraction of the time the bino gets used, but when you need it, you need it.
IMO, the biggest con of a spotter is eye strain if you're actually scanning with it. I use mine only when I have found something in my binos that I want a better look at.
Concentrating through one eye, while moving the scope around gets old real fast. If you're actually looking for critters over fairly big areas, big binos are the way to go.
When in the forests of western Montana, which is closer to the habitat type that I suspect you're talking about, I rarely look at something at more than 5-600 yards away. I usually don't even bother with a spotter there if I am just after deer or elk and don't need to get a real good look to determine legality. I just carry my binos.
How far and close will you be glassing?
500-1500ish yards.
Go 8x bino and a 15-45 spotter Spotter gets used a fraction of the time the bino gets used, but when you need it, you need it.
You’re probably right...I’m just afraid I’d leave the spotter at home much more than a big bino.
IMO, the biggest con of a spotter is eye strain if you're actually scanning with it. I use mine only when I have found something in my binos that I want a better look at.
Concentrating through one eye, while moving the scope around gets old real fast. If you're actually looking for critters over fairly big areas, big binos are the way to go.
When in the forests of western Montana, which is closer to the habitat type that I suspect you're talking about, I rarely look at something at more than 5-600 yards away. I usually don't even bother with a spotter there if I am just after deer or elk and don't need to get a real good look to determine legality. I just carry my binos.
Yea that’s kinda the way I’m thinking as well.
If your not trying to judge something, I’d go 12X/15X on a tripod all day over a spotter.
Have you tried your 8X on a tripod? A tripod alone can be a game changer.
I have never used a tripod.
You have me thinking, I might be better off buying the tripod first.
From experience, the tripod is just as important as the optic you choose. I bought a medium quality ($200) tripod for two weeks in the Andes which proved to be the only bad equipment choice mistake I made. Get a fabric shelf to be able to put a heavy rock on it to keep it from moving and anchored and focus on the best head you can afford with precision movement with zero play. Even the slightest, minute bit of play in the head can ruin your day trying to stay on spot at high power. I literally quit using the spotter because the tripod made the job such a fricking hassle.
IMO go with binoculars.
We do a great deal of glassing for coues wt in S. Az. Also use the system for other game animals. Most of the guys I know that do this, including me, use the Swarovski 15X binoculars with a tripod. What you will find is amazing. I remember when had been using 10X on a tripod for several years and switched to the 15X swaros. I kept seeing spikes running with several does. At first I thought wow this is a special year with all those small bucks then it hit me, I was unable to see them with the lower power binos!
An earlier poster said put your existing binos on a tripod. That would be a good starting point. I watch hunting shows where they are out looking for animals and hand holding their binos. If they only knew how many animals they were missing! The trick is to pan horizontally in small amounts so field of views overlap slightly. Hold binos still and watch for a few seconds. Then move to next view. After covering the area move up (or down) and pan horizontally again repeat until entire area has been viewed. Often on the second or third complete survey of opposing slope you will suddenly see an animal! Often you will see a tiny movement or perhaps part of a deer. Using a tripod will give you this edge. Add higher power and you will see stuff others won't see.
Using a tripod with your binocular will improve your glassing tremendously. You'll think you stepped up in optical quality without getting new glass
I'd get a quality tripod, a quality head and quality 12-15x binoculars as the guys have already said. It's a whole new world out there with this setup.
If you are not analyzing detail, a spotter won't be needed.
Thanks for the replies.
I’m going to grab a tripod and head and use it a bit before I buy more glass.
If you have a few minutes please give us a call and speak with Joel (he's the resident tripod guru) and he can assist you
516-217-1000
My eyes are good to 400 yards. My 8x42 binos are good to 1000+ yards. My spotter is good for miles.
8 power I can hold steady unsupported, and they're easily packable. 10 power and up require support.
Since I hunt, the 8x42 binos go with me, the spotter stays in the truck. I don't have a scenario where I need to resolve stuff more than a half mile in front of me when on foot, so I wouldn't choose high-magnification binos.
Go 8x bino and a 15-45 spotter Spotter gets used a fraction of the time the bino gets used, but when you need it, you need it.
This in spades ^^^^^^^^^^^^ and for the east, i can't argue with the 8x binos for a lot of reasons.
But for hunting in the west, most of time, I really much, much more prefer a 10x bino.
MM
Go 8x bino and a 15-45 spotter Spotter gets used a fraction of the time the bino gets used, but when you need it, you need it.
Dead on!! If you can't do both at once, I'd do binoculars first simply because of how much more time they're in use. It is AND, though, not OR ... you need both, just different "strength of need."
Tom
Go 8x bino and a 15-45 spotter Spotter gets used a fraction of the time the bino gets used, but when you need it, you need it.
+1, I have and use a Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 binos and an old Leupold Gold Ring 20x50 spotter. Great setup for covering lots of miles here in Idaho.
I've recently got to test the Vortex 50mm 11-33, Kowa 55mm 15-45x, and Meopta 15x56 and Maven B5 18x56 in mountains. I went back and forth on the spotter vs high mag bino debate. I can tell you a few things that I learned.
First, you get what you pay for. Comparing an expensive bino vs a cheap spotter, or vice versa, the more expensive piece of glass will be more impressive.
However, unless the price point is extremely uneven, each will always be superior to the other in different ways. The spotter will always be able to resolve more detail. If you need to make this investment to see small detail or very far away, the spotter is the best direction. But, if you don't need to, say, count moose brow tines, judge full curl sheep, or count points, and finding the animal at great distances is the great challenge for your hunt circumstances, we two-eyed creatures will be much more effective looking with both eyes. Even at a lower magnification.
I think for the above reason, is why so many are so certain in either direction. It really depends on the nature of the hunt. For me, in Alaska, bull moose, sheep, even caribou are fairly easy to find with 8 or 10x binoculars, then I want as much magnification and large diameter scope as possible to judge the legality of the animal. But if I need to sift through a valley for an animal this is camouflaged, I'm going to need a system to use both of my eyes to distinguish the slightest 'off' looking thing.
Out of the two spotters and two binos I mentioned at the top, I ended up keeping just the Maven 18x's. They're such a joy to look through for long periods and incredible to pick apart a landscape. The Kowa 55mm did show greater finer detail, but I decided that when I do really want to see that detail I would rather just pack my big Kowa 88mm.
idahohikker
Senior Member
JoinedMay 10, 2017
Messages1,323
LocationID
I have a 65mm spotter and love to glass 2-4 miles often on greater than 20x magnification. I'd go with the spotter because I really think if you're in big country that can be glassed, you'll be limited with the 15x binos.
My spotter is a Vortex Viper and I experience basically zero eye strain on it. I don't know why I would want a 15x bino.
I've recently got to test the Vortex 50mm 11-33, Kowa 55mm 15-45x, and Meopta 15x56 and Maven B5 18x56 in mountains. I went back and forth on the spotter vs high mag bino debate. I can tell you a few things that I learned.
First, you get what you pay for. Comparing an expensive bino vs a cheap spotter, or vice versa, the more expensive piece of glass will be more impressive.
However, unless the price point is extremely uneven, each will always be superior to the other in different ways. The spotter will always be able to resolve more detail. If you need to make this investment to see small detail or very far away, the spotter is the best direction. But, if you don't need to, say, count moose brow tines, judge full curl sheep, or count points, and finding the animal at great distances is the great challenge for your hunt circumstances, we two-eyed creatures will be much more effective looking with both eyes. Even at a lower magnification.
I think for the above reason, is why so many are so certain in either direction. It really depends on the nature of the hunt. For me, in Alaska, bull moose, sheep, even caribou are fairly easy to find with 8 or 10x binoculars, then I want as much magnification and large diameter scope as possible to judge the legality of the animal. But if I need to sift through a valley for an animal this is camouflaged, I'm going to need a system to use both of my eyes to distinguish the slightest 'off' looking thing.
Out of the two spotters and two binos I mentioned at the top, I ended up keeping just the Maven 18x's. They're such a joy to look through for long periods and incredible to pick apart a landscape. The Kowa 55mm did show greater finer detail, but I decided that when I do really want to see that detail I would rather just pack my big Kowa 88mm.
Interesting to hear you chose the Mavens over Meopta. Can you tell me a little more about that decision? I have both in 8x30/32. How are the eye cups on your Maven?
Cast,
I just think the 18x power of the Mavens gave them an edge over the 15x Meoptas. I think it's higher power effect but I am not sure. I know that I certainly get that 'wow' feeling when I look through them at long distances. I had a similar effect with the Meoptas, just not as much. Glass to glass, I think Meopta might have the edge but maybe the only difference was the Mavens having some chromatic aberration with the whites, which isn't a big deal to me. I can say that if I had never looked through those Meoptas, I wouldn't have noticed the chromatic aberration that I see in other very good binoculars. There's literally zero CA in the Meoptas. But, I also didn't like the limited field of view of the Meoptas which are only about 20' more than the Mavens with 3x higher power. The eye cups in the Mavens are good, no complaints.