8.5x42 vs 10x42 swarovision or non

[rstander]

Ok guys I need your professional opinions I'm going to buy a used pair if EL are the swarovisions worth the money and which are better for my style of hunting we have a farm in GA with some of our food plots 400yds u want the best low light clarity at those distances which bino would fill my needs I would like the people that have used both thanks

 

[bruce_ventura]

If you want the best low light performance then the 8.5X binos are your best choice. The exit pupil is 4.9 mm vs 4.2 mm for the 10X binos. In low light the 8.5X binos are 38% brighter.

 

[rstander]

38% brighter wow what about image clarity and detail at last light lets say a whitetail at 200yds to see if his brow is broke with no moon in woods etc

 

[bruce_ventura]

No question, 8X will let you see more detail in those lighting conditions. Going from 8X to 10x increases resolution by only 25%. Your eyes don't trade resolution for brightness 1 to 1. You're much better off going for brightness over resolution in low light.

 

[rstander]

Even at 200yds the clarity at low light will be better with the 8.5 up to what ranges

 

[bruce_ventura]

I don't follow your question. Can you rephrase (just edit your post)?

 

[rstander]

Sorry I made no sense I'm just worried that the 8.5 will not quite have the magnification as the 10 for the detail at last light I had a big buck come out on me last yr that u thought had a broke brow tine and later pictures showed he was not

 

[bruce_ventura]

Sorry, I'm not making a lot is sense either. I rely too much on Tapatalk on my iPhone. I can't see the thread when I write the response.

Going from 8.5X to 10x increases magnification by only 18%. That's even worse than I said above. You loose overall image fidelity because the modest increase in resolution does not make up for the much larger drop in brightness. That's just the way the eye works in low light.

You can have your cake and eat it too if you go with the EL 10X50 binos, which will have about the same brightness as the 8.5X42. The 50 mm objective adds about 5 oz in weight and a $250 bigger hole in your wallet.

 

[rstander]

Will swarovision really be that much better than a 2004 model 8.5x42 I can pick up a pair of them for 1400

 

[bruce_ventura]

I guess that depends on how much time you spend behind binos. Swarovision has a wider sweet spot (field of view without blurring or color fringing), less distortion, and a longer eye relief. If you spend a lot of time glassing, EL Swarovision could be worth the extra cost.

If the coatings are in good shape, why not try the used binos first?. You could sell them later if you felt that 8.5X wasn't enough power.