Binocular choice

[huntaxhunta]

Who makes the best quality 10x42's in terms of image quality (crisp & clear), brightness, eye relief (I wear glasses), and of course price?

These will mainly be used for hunting. From the whitetail tree stand, to turkey hunting, to elk and mule deer in Colorado, and other big game adventures I will use these.

If a $2,000 pair is really twice as good as a $1,000 pair I would consider it. I have friends who have Swarovski and Zeiss and they love them. Just checking to see what is new and worth the money.

 

[Rick Richard]

Meopta Meostar. I will put them up against any in clarity and durability.

 

[Wild Bill G]

With glass you usually get what you pay for. With that said I would recomend 1 of the 3 following brands Swarovski's,Zeiss or Leica either of them will be what you want. Check out the classifieds here you may find a pair of them at a decent price. The glass on these bino's will will not go bad so a used set is ok. How ever buying new gives you the factory warranty advantage. I had a pair of Swaro 10x42's and would still have them but wanted a pair of range finding bino's and now have a set of Zeiss 10x45. Both pair are flawless for hunting or anything you could ever use them for. The best thing is their ability to use every ounce of light at dusk and dawn. You may pay more at the start but should never really need another pair of bino's again they are that good.

 

[Antonio Gonzalez]

Nikon MONARCH 7 would be a good option for you IMO. You can also consider the Razor HD by Vortex. You can check this article which I found very helpful.

 

[Riflehunter1776]

Who makes the best quality 10x42's in terms of image quality (crisp & clear), brightness, eye relief (I wear glasses), and of course price?

These will mainly be used for hunting. From the whitetail tree stand, to turkey hunting, to elk and mule deer in Colorado, and other big game adventures I will use these.

If a $2,000 pair is really twice as good as a $1,000 pair I would consider it. I have friends who have Swarovski and Zeiss and they love them. Just checking to see what is new and worth the money.

A long time ago I had a pair of Swaro EL's. They were fantastic.

Then I started reading stuff on the internet and heard how all the new bino glass was just as good, or almost as good. Deep down I knew it wasn't true because I have a lot of optics and know a scope with great glass from one that's mediocre .....but I thought 'these are just for finding the deer, the scope is the critical component for the actual shot'.

So I sold the EL's and went through a whole list of "just as goods". They were not. They were only ok. At the end of the day I got rid of the Meopta, ZenRay, Zeiss Conquest, Leupolds, Vortex, and Vanguard binos that I had tried out. (Although I'm keeping my compact Swaro 8x30 CL's for still hunting)

Recently I just gave in to the inevitable and bought another pair of EL 10x42's, this time the new ones with swarovision. The image is spectacular. It's good to be back.

I'm also picking up a set of 8x50 Leica ultravids HD's for my kid. They should arrive by the weekend and then I'll compare them with the Swaros.

 

[FEENIX]

Last year during my selection process and budget, I narrowed it down to the Vortex Viper HD 10x42 (IIRC, it was $546.99) and Leupold® BX-4 Pro Guide 10x42 binocular in optifade concealment subalpine color pattern for $599.99. The Vortex was made in China and the Leupold was made in Japan. They were very close in clarity for my old eyes; I went with the Leupold and very happy with it.

ADDED: The bird watchers/Audubon Society norammy makes excellent binocular recommendations >>> http://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide

 

[dmoon]

I have a set of Swaro's in the 8x30, a set of Meopta in the 10x4? (can't remember right now), and a set of Leica in 10x30. A good friend carries the new Zeiss 10x3?. Sitting glassing with them all the Swaro's or Meopta's are going to win for light gathering, but if you're carrying them for a hunting situation the Swaro's or the Zeiss are going to win hands down. The Meopta's and the Leica's are all very good glass but they weigh too much to pick up over some of the other brands. IMO

 

[stwcattle]

There only three choices in my opinion with Swaro's edging out Leica and Zeiss.
If start looking at range finding binos, there one choice, the new Leica's that will be released soon.

 

[BJH]

If you are looking for the best pair of glasses and are willing to pay for them...There is a reason that everything is compared to Swarovski. They are the best no matter what anyone says. There are a lot of really great options out there for less money. But if you want the straight up best glass, buy the Swaro ELs and don't look back. I have a pair that are almost 20 years old and are still better than any of the 'just as good' glasses i have looked through.

 

[Canhunter35]

I have the Steiner predator binos, I thought they had the edge over leupold bx3 binos. They're super bright with amazing colour definition. I highly recommend them

 

[FEENIX]

Sealesniper has Kahles binocs for sale in your price range that might be worth your time.

 

[firstlight]

Just purchased a pair of 10x42 EL Swarovski's... Absolutely worth it, cried while i was paying but once you look through them in the field you forget.

 

[brian y]

There only three choices in my opinion with Swaro's edging out Leica and Zeiss.
If start looking at range finding binos, there one choice, the new Leica's that will be released soon.

stwcattle has it right, They are the top 3.

 

[Calling2death]

Good choice on the swaro's!