Recommendation on Binoculars

[BrownA5]

Looking for recommendations on binoculars for Deer Hunting.  I have looked at Steiners, leupolds, nikons etc.  What works best for you all?

Thanks!

[TxAg]

I had some leupold wind river cascades. Don't know what happemed to them....i think somebody took them from my truck. Loved those things.


I'd be interested in hearing some recs on an inexpensive pair

[yukon chuck]

I have owned a bunch of different binoculars. Coming from a professional photography background, I have a fondness for great optics. I have been very happy with my Swarovski 8x30's and 8 x20's. Excellent construction and feel. Superb optics. I have found the Zeiss Victory series of binoculars to be very good as well. I have settled on Swarovski optics as my favorite. Great customer service as well.
There is a lot of "good" glass out there these days, in the lower priced binocs, and it is all pretty serviceable. However, there really is a difference in the " superior" glass found in the upper end binocs such as the Zeiss and Swarovski class of glass. That's not to say that the more commodity priced stuff won't suffice, but in the case of optics you really do get what you pay for. Spend what you can afford, but don't scrimp on a few bucks saved now, in place of the superior glass. Clarity, crispness, efficient transfer of light, contrast, warranties, etc..., this is what you gain in the higher priced pairs of binocs.  In general daylight conditions, all "good" glass performs reasonably well. In the early and later parts of the day, the magic hours, is where the better glass will show its worth. Buy the best you can afford, and the old saying is true...buy it right, buy it once.

[KevO]

Lot's of good bino's to choose from & you will get numerous opinions on this forum. the only thing I will tell you is that you get what you pay for.

[emt137]

I'm not any kind of bino expert, but I got a pair of Leupold Yosemites as a Christmas present last year and love them.  Light enough, and does everything I need them to do.  Price was great, too, under $100.  They're probably not the greatest, but I'm pleased with them.

[Roadkill]

Spend as much as you can afford.  Binos are so important out West that a weapon is secondary to good glass.  Back East, good glass lets you look into the shadows.  As stated, you get what you pay for.
Power and exit optic are matters for your primary hunting tactics, as where I live now, i need resolution at distance

[Gehrke145]

Take a look at the Vortex Viper HDs by far the best bang for the buck!

[Canyon]

Vortex

[statikpunk]

Roadkill nailed it, spend what you can afford.  i would almost rather forget my weapon than my optics.  I have looked through a great may pair of binoculars and the best i have ever tried are swarovski, but the price can be prohibitive, I used to say that leupold was the best value for money and still think they are a great option and ave had several pairs, but recently I got a pair of cheap 200 dollar vortex diamondbacks as a pair of binoculars to keep in the truck, but I was so impressed with them that they are going to replace my current leupolds which were much more expensive, and the leupolds are going in the truck.  plus vortex has a no questions asked fix it policy, if you send them in they will fix them for free no matter what.  its hard to beat that with a stick.

[wapitirod]

I have a set of the first generation Leupold Rangefinding binos and love them.  The new ones are supposed to be better.  I have used mine for firearms and bowhunting although I'm getting used to not needing them as much since I'm shooting instinctive again, but for longer shots if I'm gap shooting they come in handy.

[amar911]

I'm one of those who has found the super-premium binoculars from companies like Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss to be money well spent if there is any way you can afford them. However, there are much less expensive binoculars like Vortex Vipers that still have very good qualities. I would not feel bad about hunting with a pair of 8x32 Vortex Viper HD binoculars that cost about $570 as opposed to the 8x32 Leica Ultravid HD binoculars that I own which are considerably better optically but cost almost 4 times as much.

Allan

[wapitirod]

Also check Natchez Shooters Supply for your binos.  They carry alot of brands and some of them like Nikon they will get reconditioned ones in which are basically brand new.  I've bought some of their reconditioned scopes and they looked new and never had a problem.  They also always have optics on sale and even their regular prices are among the best around.

[Panzer]

I like my Zeiss binos real well.

[Terry Lightle]

I  usea pair of Leupold compacts and am happy with them

[toddster]

I have nikon monarch's that are sweet, but a year later I found some vortex, bino's cheaper with lifetime warranty, that has just as good glass.  bushenell has come a long way too.  Buy what you can afford, and a lifetime warranty.  Bino's that are couple hundred with warranty will pay for themselves in long run, as well as, your eyes.  Carson suppose to be good too.

[Lin Rhea]

I have had or still have Nikons, Leupolds, and now the Vortex HD's. They all are a good value for the money, in my opinion. Leupold Yosimite is impressive for under $100. I just got a some of the Vortex 6X32 HD's and I love em. The light gathering is great. The features are handy and the size is not burdensome.

[Marc B.]

The Vortex offers a lot of bang for the buck. If you can afford Alpha glass you won't regret owning them.

[Gdpolk]

I really like my Leupold Yosemite 8x30's.  They, to my eyes, seem to look more like a $250-$300 pair of binoculars but were much less expensive.  I've used other glass that was noticeably better in poor lighting conditions but my Yosemite's offer more than enough quality for the areas that I hunt.  

With that said, I'm in AR and a l hunt mostly hardwoods or hardwoods/with pines.  My woods are fairly thick, not like a jungle but also not where you are really going to get a long distance viewing opportunity.  The farthest out I'm going to see something may be a couple hundred yards across a field or down a power line but the majority of the time, my viewing is for animals under 75 yards.

[4 point]

The Cabelas Euro's are as good as you can get for the money, very comparable to the 2 and 3 thousand stuff. I would save your money if you can't afford a good set right now. Any good glass is a once in life time purchase. Wouldn't waste my money on 200 or 300 dollar glass. Just my opinion.

[Easykeeper]

If you can swing it, a bino from Swarovski, Zeiss, or Leica is definitely a step up from anything else imo.  

I spent a lot of time looking through binoculars when it came time to replace my old Leupolds, and in the end I bought Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs.  I liked them the best optically, and the ergonomics of the Swaros, especially for one handed use, was by far the best.  The Zeiss and Leicas were close optically but the Swaro Els were a little snappier and crisp, especially at the edge of the field.  Anything other than the big three was a definite step down in performance.

The service that Swarovski is famous for is nice too.  I doubt I will ever   need  to buy different binoculars.  Looking at it from that perspective the high initial cost is easier to take.