I have the Swarovski 8x30 CL Companions. I hunt primarily the Ozark Mountains and hardwoods bottomlands. Both have heavy timber. Unless you're on a road (not legal to shoot) or it's late season in the mountains and your scanning the next hillside over, it's extremely difficult to see beyond 100yds.
In that kind of cover I'd recommend either a 6x (Swarovski doesn't make one) or an 8x, depending on what your hunting. I went with 8x as my primary bino power because I hunt a lot of small game animals and also like to do some informal birdwatching while in the woods. 8x gives me a little more optical magnification for those activities but it cost me in field of view for when I hunt deer, pigs, and turkey. Also, 8x would be adequate enough that if I ever get to go out west I'm not likely to feel the need for another pair. I'd recommend NOT going to a 10x as you will loose more field of view, require larger and heavier binos to maintain the same brightness, have a less steady view as wobbles will be magnified even more, and for hunting purposes not really gain any significant benefit from the higher magnification in terms of being able to locate animals, ID gender, and if it's legal to shoot.
When I looked into high end 8x optics what I was looking for was:
- Bright enough and good enough contrast/resolution to hunt +/-30 minutes of dark and still be able to ID gender on pigs, locate small game in shadows and against trees, and count antler tines on deer
- As small and light as possible as i am a very mobile hunter and as a bowhunter that prefers a chest harness I wanted the binos out of the way as much as possible.
- Focus adjustment that was smooth and consistent in both directions that was fast enough to not be tedious in the field
- Depth of field deep enough to not have me chasing the focus knob while hunting
- Good ergonomics
- Good enough optical quality to allow me to spend several hours glossing without excessive eye strain/fatigue. I'm particularly sensitive to this because I have eye allergies, dry eyes, a very heavy astigmatism, and some damage to my eyes from chemicals. I struggle to look though some binos over the course of a hunt without getting headaches and burning eyes. I also struggle with computer/tv screens and driving at night.
I looked at and used several and for my needs the CL Companions were the overall best format to fit my needs and preferences. They are my favorite and most frequently used piece of hunting equipment and I wouldn't do anything different if I had to buy another pair today. I was hunting feral pigs last night with them and in partly cloudy conditions in HEAVY cover I was still able to see for ~65-70 yards for about 45 minutes after sunset on the west side of the mountain. When I came in during daylight my max line of sight was similar except for a few pockets that were well lit from a hole in the canopy behind some vines/berries. After the sun went down and those pockets weren't backlit anymore I couldn't see through the stickers and berries anymore but I doubt you could have got a clean view of that even with night vision honestly.
I skipped the pocket class of binos despite being smaller because they just aren't as bright or clear in low light and frankly the ergonomics are pitiful. I don't think they were ever intended to be a serious use tool but rather were intended to simply function and be easily transportable. I view them a lot like the mouse gun/pocket pistol class of guns that are engineered for carry more so than use. Since I use mine a lot I wanted a more full, more ergonomic, and an optically superior set of glass.
Topic: Swarovski binoculars (Read 793 times)
