Help with New Binoculars!

[lilbobby]

Have same pair as js, Leica 8 x 32, hard to beat.

[Chris Sims]

Don't pass up Nikon.  I have the Monarch ATB 10x42 and love them.  I am an ornithologist so I use them both for work and hunting.  The Nikon service is also top notch.  A friend of mine dropped his and messed up the prism only 1 week before leaving for a research season in Canada.  Nikon fixed them and had them back to him in under a week.

[sagebrush]

I have a pair of Swarovski 8x30s and a pair of Swarovski 8x20s. I bought the bigger ones first. They are a little brighter when it is just getting light but other than that I like the smaller ones better. They fit in my shirt pocket and I can shoot with them around my neck. They are so much handier that I usually leave the big ones home. Gary

[Jesse Minish]

I love my Wind Rivers, and I do a lot of spot and stalk hunting. They are way cheaper than the others and they are just as good and have the same warenty as the others in witch I have used.

[kaboom65438]

Arrow Slinga

If you're looking at Swarovski's, you're looking in a price range where any pair of binoculars is going to give you excellent optical performance.   They're all good.  The differences will be a matter of personal preference.  For example do you prefer the eyecups to fold in or rotate in?  Do you value being able to focus on something very close? Or maybe one brand just fits your hand better.  Best approach would be to find a large store that carries multiple brands and do a side by side comparison. By all means look at Zeiss, and Leica, but consider Nikon as well and perhaps Pentax.

I was in your situation 3 years ago. When I looked for opinions on the internet I spent alot of time looking at what bird watchers have to say.  Binoculars are to a bird watcher what bows are to a Tradganger.  3 years ago, the Swarovskis were highly rated, but the Nikon Venturer LX binocs were considered equal for less money.  The Pentax roof prisms were considered the best value. Not wanting to spend 1000 plus, I bought the Pentax DCF-WP 8 x 42 roof prism. I'm very happy with them.  You might want to see what the bird watchers have to say about the latest binoculars.

[JL]

Keep the hunting terain in mind when picking glasses. I personally prefer the widest FOV (field of view) I can get. I currently own eagle optic 8x32 platnum rangers (don't think these are made any longer) and Docter optics 8x42's and a bunch of lower end glasses. For the $$$, if you can find a pair of Minolta 8X42 activa D WP (not the cheaper sport model), buy them. They are really nice glasses and hold their own with any of the high end glasses. I also owned a pair of Leica 8X50's (green hunting model) and Zeiss 8x56's nightowls, again, nice glasses but large and heavy.

JL

[Arrow Slinga]

Thanks for all the help guys!

[Jimbob]

Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42, very good binos. For what you save on the Nikon's you can buy a new bow also.