I'd like to upgrade my binoculars. I've started this search several times, and have determined it to be more frustrating than picking out a mattress.

I believe I'd like a pair of 8x, and do not want the compact model.

I want these strictly for deer hunting.

I'd like to find a pair I'd be happy with in the $200-$500 range, but would pay more if I saw the extra value in it.

Any suggestions, hints, opinions, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Great question....

I have a real old pair of Zeiss 8x50... rubber-coated binocs... that I keep in my saddle bags. Absolutely excellent. In waning light... they look like bright sunlight is out. Really.

Also have a pair of Leupold Gold Ring... small binocs...

Ya know... I don't have any pics... and, like my guns, these are not insured...

If you want me to take some pics... I will. (Need to do that, anyway.)

That's easy, Steiner binoculars.

I have a pair of Steiner 8X30 Safari that I've had for around 10 years that I use for hunting. In your price range and absolutely awesome.



I like them so well I bought another set to use for work, Steiner MM830 Military-Marine 8x30. They are same style to the Safari model and are also in your price range.

Here's a link to check out the specifications. I think Bass Pro stocks them, but I've always bought mine on line.

MM830 Military-Marine 8x30 | Tactical Binoculars | Steiner Optics

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- Change it back -

A while back I was up in Northern NM with my buddy Gordon.
We were deer hunting and scouting for Elk.
I was carrying my old Canon 8x30s that I bought for $30 in the BX at Guam.
Gordon was carrying some pricey Leitz glass that cost more than my rifle.
He stops on a hill and we glass through his windshield. He starts screaming look at all them elk!
I say, I finally yield to the superiority to your over the top German glass, I don't see any.
He screams there a hundred or more out there! You can see them with your naked eye!
I was looking at the tree line.
A huge herd of elk was grazing out in a big open meadow, about a mile away.
I still have my old Canon's.
I now usually carry some 10 by 50 Nikons.
I always have miniatures in my SUV.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

If you haven't already, consider IS (image stabilizing) binoculars. Canon offers a line in your price range. I have a pair of 10X30 that I have had for 10 years. I REALLY like them. Very versatile...

I'll add my endorsement to the Canon 10x30 Image Stabilized.
I have a pair for years and have no complaints.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

My vote is for Fujinon I have two pair of their 7X50s and have had them for more than 20 years love them!

I went looking for new binoculars a while back and ended up with Vortex Diamondback in 8x42. They were $229 and $60 less than a similar Nikon, but much more clear. Sure, 10x50 is nice, but not so nice to lug around in the field all day looking for elk and deer. And, sure, you can spend more money and get better glass. But, these are a great compromise for me in a mid-price binocular, with good vision and portability.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

Mine are mid 1980's 1st generation Leupold 9x35 Porro prism hunting binoculars. Still like new and still great optics. They are also light and compact for a 9x binocular

I prefer a porro prism binocular over a (compact) roof prism binocular. Better depth perception with a Porro glass due to the wider separation of the objective lens's

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

I have the Vortex vipers. Good pricing for a great pair of binoculars. I looked at a bunch and really like the Vortex products. Good luck in your search

I've had a pair of Nikon 10X42 Monarch's for over 7 years now, and they have met every criteria I need. They are large enough to hold onto, but not too heavy. They have a large enough lens to gather light for early morning or late afternoon. They are sharp and clear and do not cause any eye strain. I bought them for Prairie Dog hunting, where you spend "Hours" looking through the glasses during the day. My eyes don't get tired like they did on other brands or small compacts with smaller lenses. They cost around $300 so right in your price range. They are rubber armored and waterproof.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Nikon Monarchs have served me very well for 15 years. Go to Cabelas and check out the selection; then, go online to look for good deals.

I have a pair of Zeiss Terra Ed binoculars...and I also have a pair of Vortex Diamondbacks. Personally, the Zeiss Terra Eds are not the quality of the older Zeiss models.

The Vortex, in my opinion, are better opticals. Also, you can't beat the Vortex warranty. No matter what happens, short of theft or loss, Vortex will replace them free of charge, no questions asked.

Nikons scopes are good, but I really can't say the same for their binoculars, range finders, or spotting scopes. Also, their customer service is just plain poor. If something breaks, you can send it back to Nikon, but they'll charge you big time for repairs.

Also, Cabela's has the Vortex 8x42 Diamonbacks on sale now for $189.99. Pretty tough to beat a deal like that...expecially for Vortex quality.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

I look at things this way. For hunting or carrying binoculars even when you don't plan on needing any, my tiny Steiner pocket binoculars are great and they cost about $170 10 years ago. For sporting events or scouting out land in the pickup I have some medium size Nikon 8x30s that cost around $140. For anything else I have a Leupold 15-45x Sequoia Spotting scope. My binoculars are very bright and clear and I see no reason to spend more money. My Leupold spotting scope.... I'm a bit disappointed, its just not that clear for what it cost. Before that I had a Simmons spotting scope that I used once then threw it in my kids toy box, so I guess you have to spend some big money if you want a REALLY clear spotting scope.

Years ago I was able to get some Zeiss 8X30 with the armor on them. These things have been down the road. They are as advertised. Even loaned them to a friend for two trips to Africa. He also swears by them.
Probably pretty spendy by now.
I would also recommend the roof prism style.

As mentioned above, Steiner MM830 Military-Marine 8x30. Bought a pair a number of years ago for $100 at a LGS. Very excellent binoculars. Very satisfied with them. HTH. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

I have an old Bushnell Rangemaster that I've had for nearly 50 years. They're only 7x but have a VERY wide field of view and just outstanding optics. They were made back before Bushnell started making "consumer " optics. A friend who had a good pair of Zeiss binocs always thought mine were every bit as good, and I have spotted elk with them several miles away. They're tough as iron and weigh about as much too. I liked them so well that I bought another pair off eBay a few years ago to use as backup. That's about the only place you might find them now but, for the money, you would be hard pressed to do better if you can find a pair in good shape.

When young, poor and cheap I went thru some lesser quality ones. Waste of Money.

I have 2 Leupold's one is 8x and small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. Nice but small field of vision.

I bought my wife a midrange pair of leupold 8xs. They work fine.

I bought myself a pair of Kahls 8x and they are pricey but not top dollar like some German-Japanese ones.

The Kahls are great. One day I was in the blind looking at Does 400 yards away with the Kahls. I then dialed in my wifes Leupolds. Couldn't really tell much difference. The Leupold were in the 200-300 range. The Kahles were 600 something on sale.

I am told if one glasses all day the high dollar ones cut back on your eye strain headache.

I use 10X-42 Leupolds.

I have used a lot of 7X and 8X binoculars over the years, but I like the improved detail you get with 10X. I tried 12X and zooms but had to rest them on a sand bag to see anything.

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6/23/2022

You simply cannot beat Swift for the money. Excellent optics,
and the birdwatchers love them.
Swift Binoculars Reviews, Best Swift Binoculars Ratings and Top Customer Rated Swift Binoculars

However the bottom line is, even a ****** pair you have with you
when you need them is better than a fantastic pair you left home.

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I fish, therefore I lie

Another vote for the Canon IS series. I've had a pair for 12 or 13 years. My daughter had them for about 7 of those years taking them to college football games and other sporting events, When I got them back it was clear she had treated them pretty rough but they still work great and the batteries last a long long time.

Several years ago I went through a real search for quality binoculars
for deer hunting and other uses and I learned quite a bit. First of all,
you will quickly tire of carrying large or heavy binocs and leave them
at home. The 8X30 size is really what you want. There are some
pretty expensive roof prism brands like Swarovski that are popular and
cost around $1000.00 that are good but there are better options for
less money. Way too much to go into here so I'll be brief. I bought a
Zeiss rubber armored individual focus 8X30 binocular that is amazingly
clear but probably way more than you want to spend. There was and
maybe still is a web site called Better View Desired that tested many
binoculars and the owner finally pretty much stopped when he decided
that the quality had peaked and couldn't go any farther at any price.
His conclusion was that the best binocular in the world was the Nikon
Superior E 8X30 poro prism binocular. Other optics testers have
concurred. They are not cheap but are a bit less than the top priced
European brands. I have a pair and they are outstanding.

Another endorsement for Vortex Diamondback in 8x42.

Is there a store in Bowling Green that would have them in stock? I'd like to see a pair. I think I'll go to Cabela's and see what they have.

I used to review binoculars and tried a lot. Frankly, I found Leica and Zeiss in recent years to be so close that I consider them of equal quality in comparable models. Zeiss does now have cheaper models, so I'm referring to their primary line. I found Zeiss to be definitely better than Leica's Trinovids in the 1970's and '80's. That has been improved, and since the 1990's, Leica has been fully competitive.

Swarovski impressed me as being just slightly less precise, but also excellent. I have not used their latest models, and they may have fully caught up. All three brands were considerably above Steiner and most Japanese brands. I didn't try the vaunted Nikon Superior E Porro glass, but as I recall, they are not warranted for water resistance beyond perhaps a rain shower. This is a serious matter for hunters.

In the price range the OP cited, I think the standout is Swift's Audubon roof prism glass, an 8.5X44 size. It's really bright and sharp. I used to take mine to work with a Leica 8X32 BA. In surveillance work in dim light and under ordinary street lighting and in residential neighborhoods, they gave surprisingly close results, but the Swift achieved this with larger lenses and prisms. Still, for the difference in price, the Swift may be the better buy for all but the serious optics purist.

I like the Swift quite a bit better than I did comparably priced Nikon and Pentax binoculars. I probably couldn't say this in most magazines, lest it offend an advertiser, but you just read it here.

I hope it won't offend Faulkner or others who like Steiner, but I took their 7X50 military glass stargazing along with two Bausch & Lomb/Bushnell 7X35's, a Porro and a roof prism model. Now, this was in the 1980's and all brands mentioned have improved. But the two 7X35 B&L gasses gave sharper, brighter views of the heavens than did the larger Steiner. I have also been unimpressed with Steiners tried in stores, but haven't seen any in years. So, my knowledge may be dated, and any opnions expressed here are subjective.

Still, few people outside the optical business have used as many makes and models of binoculars as I was able to. I think my opinions are valid.

If you have the money (most people don't), I'd suggest a Zeiss or Leica 8X30 or 8X32 roof prism model for the deer hunter. It's brighter than smaller glasses in dim light and will usually be more rugged.

In a reasonable price range for most serious hunters, I haven't seen anything I like as well as the Swift mentioned, but the best Bushnell models are also very good and are often good buys, in the higher priced ones.

The OP should certainly try to examine the Swift mentioned.

Take a good flashlight when you shop for binoculars. Shine it into the instrument. You'd be surprised how much litter and smears there are in some brands. Generally, the famous German brands and Swarovski (Austrian) are cleanest. If looking at a used binocular or scope, look for fogging due to leaving the glass in a hot car. The seals vaporize and deposit a thin film of clouding on the lenses and prisms. Be very wary of used optics for this reason. And DO NOT leave your optics in hot cars!

You'd be well advised to find and read some books on binoculars. Few sportsmen study them as much as they do guns. They should.

If I could have just one binocular, I'd probably choose a top quality 8X42 roof prism model. But I want extra light for dark areas and astronomy. The hunter who doesn't need the higher performance at dawn or dusk can cope very well with an 8X32. The wider field of view may be more important in most hunting than is the higher power of a 10X40. But the sheep hunter or the pronghorn specialist can use a 10X glass very well.

DO NOT lend a good binocular. The chance that it'll be damaged or at least returned dirty is about 98%. Most people simply do not respect binoculars enough or know much about them. Learn how to clean them and store them right.

I hope this helps both the OP and others here. For everyday compact use, Zeiss and Leica make superb small monoculars. I wish Zeiss still made their 6X20B. But their current 8X20B with a Makrolon (?) body instead of the older metal body is also excellent. The main disadvantage is that the 8X model has a smaller field of view. But I like the added power in some applications.
Take time to study binoculars before buying and take care of them. Good ones are a lifetime investment and a joy to use.

I bought a pair of Leupold Wind River Binoculars a few years ago priced closer to the bottom of your price range. They work very well and much better than the cheap ones I'd used for years. I'm sure more expensive ones are better but my buddies have been impressed with them and they own the more expensive ones.
One thing that is nice about them is I can use them with my glasses on.

After exhausted research and looking I bought Steiner 10X42 Merlins.
I am not sorry.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

Look, but you should probably buy from one of the several top dealers advertising in astronomy or birding magazines. Avoid the gray market dealers in NYC, but Christopher's in Norman, OK and some others have deep discount prices and good guarantees.

Get their catalogues and don't be afraid to call and get advice. The top Leica and Zeiss models may now exceed $2500 list price, so shop around. The good dealers will talk a little and usually help you.

That said, Cabela's or Bass Pro Shop may have some good ones, as does Whole Earth Provision Company in Dallas. The latter is a fairly small store, but has some top brands, if not in a huge variety of models. They had the Swift I recommended the last time I was in there.

12 power Image Stabilizing Cannons. Mine are 10 years old and work just like the day they were purchased. When other people try them they can't believe the difference of the I/S

I use them at times at work and can read licence plates more than 2 blocks away.

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I am the Majority
How about u

Add another vote for the Canon IS binoculars. I've had my 10x30s over ten years and love them. They have covered a lot of miles and have been treated a little on the rough side. They are sharp and bright. The image stabilization really works to remove that hand holding shake. The optics are good enough that you won't get eye fatigue when spending a day glassing for deer.

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Bill Bates

30 year old Nikon 8X42, and an older pair of Zeiss 7X50. I like the Nikons better at less than 1/2 the price, as I recall

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John

I've worn out several through the years,the last set (Burris) were pretty good.I have a pair of swift that I'm guessing date to the 50s or 60 s that I use now that had belonged to my wife's uncle,Nick the Sicilian

I've never been far from a decent set of binoculars. Before I went over to SEA in '66, I bought a set of Bushnell 7x 50s at the PX. Wore them around my neck many long, dark nights ("Is that a bush, or is it moving?"). I became very fond of them. No, they weren't Zeiss glasses, but I was sure ticked when they were stolen stateside a few years later...

Picked up a set of used and abused B&L 7x 50 Navy glasses after that, had them overhauled, and they live in the Jeep. Found a set of the polarized (?) filters for them, and they cut glare like you wouldn't believe.

My go-anywhere glasses are a set of 6x18 compact Nikons from 1982. The reviews on them said they were far better that they had any right to be. They were right.

A bad set of glasses is an abomination. A good set is a gift from the gods.

Well, here's my advice - figure out just how much you want to spend and then save up about 5 times that amount and just whimper a little bit over the price paid but in a year you'll forget the price tag and you'll have a piece of quality glass for the rest of your life.

Myself, I have the 7X50 Steiner and it was 3X's what I could afford 25 years ago. It has been well worth it over the years BUT I have recently looked through a 10X42 Leica Trinovid and the Swarovski SLC 8X42 in the field and they are just unbelievable for clarity. I could never justify that type of expenditure, but if I could, I sure would.

Like someone mentioned - binoculars and a good spotting scope will do most folks just fine in wide open spaces. A couple years ago I left my father's 15X60 B&L spotting scope, which was at least 5 decades old but in perfect shape, on a public shooting range table and when I returned 45 minutes later it had grown legs and went missing. I swallowed hard and picked up a Opticron MM3 50 ED with a SDLv2 eyepiece (12 - 36 power) and that is an excellent spotting scope, which is light and very portable, if you do any backpacking and need to glass at distance. One can purchase a window mount for that spotting scope when glassing from a vehicle.

With all that said, binoculars costing $100 or less is better than nothing and serve quite well for most hunters/shooters, as they will probably only get used one week a year, if that.

Once Gloria, my next door neighbor moved, I rarely use my Leitz Wetzlar Trinovid 10X40 binoculars.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

^^^ Like having X-ray vision I bet.

I don't hunt any more, too crippled up, but I like carrying a
Vortex Optics Solo 10X36 Monocular. Small lightweight, easy to pocket carry. Never know when you'll need a closer view of something.

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Vietnam 1969-1971

I really like my Leupold Yosemite 10x binoculars:

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Leupold BX-1 Yosemite Porro Prism Binoculars

Cabelas usually puts them on sale about this time of year. I bought mine at one such sale for $89.00.

Best of luck,

Dave

I'm a IOR Valdada fan, own one set without the range finder and multiple scopes have never been disappointed. Here is a review. You can shop around for cost.
IOR B/GA 7x40-R Binoculars

About 7 years ago I bought a nice pair of Nikon Monarch Camouflage binoculars and haven't been able to find them since.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

In the mid-80's I briefly (and part time) ran an optical counter in a large gun shop in Connecticut, but I didn't have much money to burn. I had built myself a nice pair of B&L MK45's out of scraps around our optical shop in Groton, but for a small set of binos back then, I had a pair of Nikon Travelites that were very clear for the price. Later, I picked up a pair of Carl Zeiss aus Jena 7x40 EDFs from my Chief on the tender in Charleston and paid CRAZY money for an E5 for them, but holy ****, I had been overhauling Navy binos for 4-5 years and did nice clean, well collimated work, but these Zeiss's were unlike anything I'd ever seen! God were these sharp! Later, in Italy, I picked up a pair of Leica 8x20s, and really, they do the "seeing" of a much bigger pair, as well as a real compact can, I guess. The most recent pair of "value" binos I picked up were a pair of Vanguard Spirit 10x42s off of (of all places) e-Bay. They are actually a nice looking, clear little bino for the money.

In 1976, on our anniversary we were in the city. Struggling to make ends meet, we could only afford one anniversary present each year. 1976 was my year. The wife found me a pair on Nikon compacts for the pricey sum of $100. For the next 39 years these have hung around my neck in all areas of the western United States. These have been my only pair. Nine years of guiding elk hunters they never let me down. Now looking through newer binoculars makes my old pair look like they came from the stone age. But none of these newer glasses will ever have the miles and experiences that mine have. The paint is mostly gone on all the edges. The are so loose that they flop, but I will never glass for another elk with anything but them.

Greg. They had them at Cabela's a couple of week ago. IIRC they were less than $200.

Good Luck.