First pair of binoculars?

[tides56]

I have been avidly hunting for 6 years of my life I think it is time to invest in a good pair of binos. I have look around, watched videos, and read review but I'm still unsure on what would be ideal for glassing hillsides, etc. What would you recommend for a good quality pair that I would have in the field with me? Price is not a problem. Thanks.

[Huntbear]

Buy the best you can afford..

Heck, I just bought a pair of Redfield 10x42 Binos this fall, love them.

[Crunchy]

I used a pair of Leupolds for years, and finally upgraded to Swarovski  El 12x50.  Excellent glass, but very expensive.  It was worth it for me, and after my first year of using them I wished I had pulled the trigger long ago.

[Eli346]

 I use the Cabela's HD Euros quite a bit when it's fairly dry but also bought a pair of Bushnell Legend HD's with Rainguard for when it's really wet. !0x42's. The Cabela's  would be fine in the rain but I just like the Bushnells with the Rainguard. That stuff really works and they're great binos for under $300.

[jburkett]

I swear bye my Nikon monarch 10x42. I went to cabelas and compared every thing in my price range side by side And nothing compared.   And they were cheap enough that it doesn't bother me to take them hunting in rough conditions. Not to mention the warranty is a 25 years no fault policy

[Cascade_fisher]

I swear by my Nikon monarch 10x42.   And they were cheap enough that it doesn't bother me to take them hunting in rough conditions. Not to mention the warranty is a 25 years no fault policy

+1

[BK Dave]

I agree with Crunchy, I can't justify $2400 on binos, but one day I'll buy those!     

[WilliamIV]

I bought the Vortex Diamondbacks a nd love them. They work really well actually for the money.

[jrebel]

If money is not an issue then I would buy the swarovski EL hands down.   Now if there is a budget or you cant justify that kind of money on bino's then I like the Bushnell Legend HD, Vortex, or Leupold.  I personally am not a fan of the nikon monarchs.  I have owned two sets and sold them both.  I now own Swaro and Bushnell legend, love them both.

[Bean Counter]

Definitely go with the HD/ED/LD quality glass. The suffix varies from one manufacturer to the next but will consistently put you in the top tier of that manufacturer's range. Plan to spend $1,000 or more unless you can fine a screaming deal on Craigslist. Consider the Leupold Gold Ring HD, Zeiss Victory, Nikon EDG, Vortex Razor, and of course, Swarovision. Let us know what you pick.

[Widgeondeke]

Buy the best you can afford..

Heck, I just bought a pair of Redfield 10x42 Binos this fall, love them.

+1 I love mine.

[MountainWalk]

I use Swaro 7x30'sB SLC's and the glass is so good, the image from edge to edge so crisp, that I do not feel handicapped by just 7 power.

[Crunchy]

I use Swaro 7x30'sB SLC's and the glass is so good, the image from edge to edge so crisp, that I do not feel handicapped by just 7 power.

agreed on the swarovskis.  The edge to edge and color is tuff to beat.  I use my 12 power on my tripod or have to make sure I get a good steady rest.  When I killed by buck during late modern two other trucks had pulled up to the same cut prior to me.  Both glassed it and then drove off.  I was able to see the buck in the timber line from 600 yards away that both of them thankfully missed.  I was also able to glass bucks 700 yards away and could have probably counted points if they stayed still long enough.  I could not have done that with my old leupolds.

[Deep Forks]

I use Vortex Razor 10x42 and my son Vortez viper hd 10x42 and we like them much better than the Leo's they replaced.  The warranty is forever and is covered for anything except if you lose them.

[MikeWalking]

Money was an issue for me.  Minolta BK Sport 10x50 all the bells minus Phase Correction  $135? in a local camera shop  I later saw something at Cabela's with the PC for $10 more

No issues so far even after 5 long trips with 6 flights each

[elkaholic123]

Swarovski optik......never regret it,they will be the last ones you buy 

[tides56]

Thanks for all the help, it really narrowed down my choices. Thanks! 

[pianoman9701]

One of our site sponsors is Zen-Ray Optics. Charles is very active in the hunting community and helped out a little buddy of mine with a nice pair of binos when I started him into shooting. You should definitely take a look at ZenRay not only for the fine glass they produce but for what they do for our community. Here's their bino page:
http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars.html

[ZRS-8x42]

PM9701, thanks for mentioning us.

Tides56, another important factor is your budget. No matter whether it is $150, $500, or $2000, you want to get the best optics allowed within the budget. We are fortunate enough to live in this era that there are many options available in each group.

If it is your first pair of binoculars, our Zen-Ray VISTA can be an excellent option. It has fully multi-coated optics and silver prism coating. It will stand tall against anything else between $200-$350 on the market

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/vista/vista10x42.html

The next step up is our ZRS HD, one of our best selling binoculars (where my Hunt-WA screen name comes from ).  It has Magnesium alloy chassis and dielectric prism coating.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/zrshd/zrshd10x42.html

After ZRS HD, we have ZEN ED3 open bridge binoculars.  It has extra low dispersion glass and water-repellent coating technique. Many Pros prefer ED3 because it provides true-to-life image color and excellent brightness.  It also surpress the color fringe extremely well.

Our top of the line PRIME HD is really designed to compete the best European binoculars currently out there. It has total of 24 glasses (including 4 prism glasses) to provide bright, edge-to-edge sharpness image.

Please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can help with

Charles

[Bean Counter]

  Sorry I forgot about ya, Charles!

Definitely go with the HD/ED/LD quality glass. The suffix varies from one manufacturer to the next but will consistently put you in the top tier of that manufacturer's range. Plan to spend $1,000 or more unless you can fine a screaming deal on Craigslist. Consider the Leupold Gold Ring HD, Zeiss Victory, Nikon EDG, Vortex Razor, and of course, Swarovision. Let us know what you pick.

The ZRS Prime HD would be in the range of the others I mentioned. 

[Steve C]

If you want the best and need to stay below say $700 or so, the ZEN Prime HD has no peer.  You will best this one only marginally with 3x the price.  Sharp, clear, edge sharp, wide, flat field, built like a tank, and very high resolution.

[drysideshooter]

If you do a couple of searches you can find some extremely favorable reviews of the Zen Prime HD's online.  From what I have read they compare very favorably to bino's costing 3x as much, though most say they may give up a little bit to the Swarovski's in that price range.

If I were in the market for new bino's I wouldnt hesitate to try the Prime's based on what I have read.  One advantage of good glass is it is pretty much a lifetime investment.  I have always favored german bino's and own bino's from Zeiss, Swarovski and Docter (no longer imported).  They are all a pleasure to glass with for long stretches and will provide a lifetime of use. 

If you search for some of the reviews you will see that some of them are by very particular bird watching folks that are very, very picky about their glass.  The praise those folks heap on the Prime HD's is pretty impressive.