8x or 10x binos?

[Robster80]

hey guys...from MS here..looking to upgrade my binos soon....was wondering if anyone has used the meopta meostar 10x42 HD ?? ive been set on buying a pair of those but have kinda been talked into looking at maybe an 8x42 instead..even an 8x32...just trying to get a good idea of what size to buy....i think my longest view for whitetail hunting is maybe 500 or so yards but ill mostly be watching tree lines and field 150-300 yards

 

[lloydsmale]

I own 8x and 10x and my 10x get used a heck of alot more. Some say they tend to bring out the shakes but ive never noticed it being much of a differnce compared to 8x.

 

[bruce_ventura]

The deciding factor is whether you need to observe on low light. Of so, an 8x42 will be noticeably brighter than a 10x42. If not, and you can hold a 10 power steady, go for it.

 

[Sully2]

I just bought new bino's last weekend....10x40 Zeiss. I prefer 10's BUT...I know and almost always use / get braced because they do magnify any shake you might have.

They had the Meoptra's where I was at but I preferred the Zeiss ( and the $$$ Swaro's....lol)

 

[Garycrow]

You probably hunt as I do in Mississippi, a lot of food plots and fields where the activity tends to happen really late so low light performance is important. With that in mind forget the 8x32's, they're not going to last long enough at dusk. I have a pair of Swarovski 10x42 slc's that are my primary binos, and I have a pair of zen ray ed2 8x42's that are my truck binos. The Swarovski's are better and a bit brighter, but the zen rays are pretty good. I think for a good all around pair of binos you're on the right track with 10x42 or 8x42, but I might lean towards the 8x42 size in a good make. The 8x42's should have a slight edge in brightness. Meopta is pretty good, I've got one of their scopes. They're not in the league with Swarovski, zeiss, or Leica, but they're better than most and will give good service. Read some of the birdwatching forums, those guys really get into the nuts and bolts of binos, there's some good info there.

You won't really go wrong with either the 10 or 8x42's, but forget the 8x32's unless you're obsessed about weight.

Edit:
I just noticed the 8x42's don't come in the HD version, the 10x42's do. That might be a game changer. Comparing normal 8x42's and 10x42's I'd probably pick the 8's, but HD glass in the 10's would have me leaning that way.

 

[lloydsmale]

8x with the same objective size is probably brighter but i find that with 10x the image looks closer and in low light it about makes it a wash as to which make it easier to judge an animal.

 

[Triple BB]

I bought the Swaro EL 8 power a few years ago. Sat at Cabelas and looked across the store at some posters of animals on a far wall. They were supposed to represent animals at 500 yards. I couldn't really tell much difference between the 8 & 10. The 8's had a larger field of view. I stuck around to until dark to use both in low light conditions. Definite difference between the 8 & 10. I'd say go do some side by side comparisons and see which feel better and impresses you more.

 

[NWdan]

I used Leupold 9x35's for years and now use Leica 10x50. 10x is great for longer range, but for the range you describe out to 500 yards I'd go with 8x for the larger field of view. I notice that 10x is a little too much when scanning for game at short to medium range.

 

[Greyfox]

Being mostly a whitetail hunter I lean towards the 8's. I do lots of low light work and find that there s little better light gathering. Also, i like the larger field of view.