Longtats Head to Head Optics Nikon v. Leupold

[wastickslinger]

I own the Sequoi spotting scope and dont really care for it and I am Leupold fan. This is the only Leupold product that has not met my expectations. The Leupold Gold Ring however is a much better product. If I had it to do over again and only had $500 I would probably look for a used Gold Ring.  

I also do not know anything about the Vortex, but it looks like something worth looking into.

[BlackTail]

  As many have said on here, I would not go with a 12x bino for general use.  Image shake will be a real problem if these binos are to be used hand-held.  Also, for a little bit more money, you can make a big jump in quality.  I would take some of that spotter money and buy the Cabelas Euro bino's in 10x42 that are on sale right now for $699.99.  Those binoculars are really, really good and you'd be hard pressed to find anything that good at that price.

  Mid priced spotters can be of little to no use, depending on what you're wanting them for.  If you spot things with your binos, then put the spotter on them for a short period of time to get a closer look, then they're useable.  But for extended glassing these spotters leave a lot to be desired.  A lot of times you'll end up cross-eyed with a headache before you spot any game.  Eye relief can be a real issue especially at higher powers.  And speaking of higher power, on the mid priced spotters I have looked at they were pretty much useless above say 45x unless conditions are perfect.  That gets even more exaggerated in low light situations.  And low light for these spotters doesn't mean the last 5 minutes, they're unuseable for about the first or last 45 minutes above about 30x. 

  I'm truly not trying to trash you're choices here at all. But, you really are just a few dollars away from stepping up to top notch glass that that you can use for the rest of your life.  I would say save just few more dollars!

[Slider]

I'm with everyone else. The 12X50's or 10X50's are to heavy and bulky. The best all around are 10X42. Sequoi spotting scope's are NOT manufactured by Leupold!!! They are imported as are all Wind River. It would be a waste of your money. Maybe look at a higher end spotter used. Good Luck

[grizzlygibbs]

I'm with everyone else. The 12X50's or 10X50's are to heavy and bulky. The best all around are 10X42. Sequoi spotting scope's are NOT manufactured by Leupold!!! They are imported as are all Wind River. It would be a waste of your money. Maybe look at a higher end spotter used. Good Luck

Not sure about 12x50s but i have a set of Leupold Mark 4 tactical 10x50s and they are not very heavy and are a great set of glass

10x50mm Patrol

Actual Magnification    10x
Linear Field of View (ft/1000 yd)    262
Linear Field of View (m/1000 m)    87
Angular Field of View (degrees)    5.0
Weight    25.7 oz / 729 g
Length    6.7 in / 170 mm
Obj. Aperture (mm)    50
Twilight Factor    22.4
Exit Pupil (mm)    5.0
Eye Relief (mm)    18.0
Interpupillary Distance (mm)    60 - 70
Close Focus Distance    10.5 ft / 3.2 m

Cascades 10x42mm

Actual Magnification    10x
Linear Field of View (ft/1000 yd)    267
Linear Field of View (m/1000 m)    89
Angular Field of View (degrees)    5.1
Weight    23.1 oz / 656 g
Length    5.5 in / 140 mm
Obj. Aperture (mm)    42
Twilight Factor    20.5
Exit Pupil (mm)    4.0
Eye Relief (mm)    16.0
Interpupillary Distance (mm)    58 - 72
Close Focus Distance    9.9 ft / 3.0 m

Golden Ring 10x42mm HD

Actual Magnification   10x
Linear Field of View (ft/1000 yd)   340
Linear Field of View (m/1000 m)   113
Angular Field of View (degrees)   6.5
Weight   33.8 oz / 958 g
Length   6.0 in / 152 mm
Obj. Aperture (mm)   42
Twilight Factor   20.5
Exit Pupil (mm)   4.2
Eye Relief (mm)   16.0
Interpupillary Distance (mm)   56 - 72
Close Focus Distance   7.0 ft / 2.1 m

Sorry but my tactical 10x50's weigh less than the golden ring hd.  Not saying they are not a good glass, im sure they blow my 600 dollar tacticals out of the water, however when i got them the golden ring hd were 1200

[Ray]

I own none of those particular binos you mentioned.

I do own a set of Nikon Monarch ATB binocs and have owned other gold ring leupold binos which I lost and have some limited experience with Vortex Optics as I have one of their scopes.

I would say that any of these brands are good quality and the amount of quality is depending on the product line you choose from. If I had to choose between Nikon and Leupold Gold Ring binoculars I would go with Leupold. Only for the fact of the easy in and out no hassle warranty.

[7mag.]

As far as bino's, I have the Leupold Cascades 10x42, and I am happy with them for the price($300) most places. I will be stepping up to Leica or Sworovski as soon as I can.

As far as spotters, I have been in your shoes already, and I went through a few different spotters that I could afford and was not happy. I finally saved my money and bought a Sworovski 20-60x80 HD, and it is worth every penny. Don't make the same mistakes that I made by wasting money on inferior glass. Start saving your money now and buy a Sworovski when you can, you won't regrett it. If you are on the fence, wait until you get home and you can come out with me and look through mine.

[DeerHarvester]

I own the Leupold Pinicles 10x40's.  They are some of the best for the money, but I still want a pair of Swaro's.  The only spotting scope I would buy is the gold ring, I recently had the chance to test one of the new HD models and they are compairable to the Swaro's at half the price. So as you've heard before spend the money now or later.   

[huntinhick]

I have the Nikon 8x42's and I love them.  My thought is that they are what will always be with me so I did not want the extra weight plus with the 10 or 12s I could not hold them steady.  sportsmans let me take several pair out side to test them and the nikons (to me) were as nice as the higher priced ones. with the crocked horn harness they don't bother me at all.  I plan on buying a good compact spotter such as the gold ring or the nikon spotter xl something that doesn't weight a ton and is small enough to put in a daypack.  I guess that was along way of saying I like nikon and leupold but that I tend to use nikon due to the price and the quality

carl

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

From what i have read about the sequoia is that it is very heavy in the front and it is hard to stabilize. We had the smaller sequoia and returned it because our bushnell was just as good and a few hundred cheaper. We are now lookign at other options. Just my 2 cents.
I have the 10X42 cabelas roof prism and if i had your choice i would go with a 10X42 in either the leupold or nikon. I love my roof prisms but it wasn't one of your choices.

[Hacksaw]

I am and always will be a fan of Leupold because of their willingness to honor their warranty. With that said, I have had mixed results with the Wind River line. I have a pair of 10x40 Pinnacles. I know you did not want opinions about other models, but I thought you might want to consider this if it isn't too late already. My buddy has had two pairs of the Wind River Cascades and they are every bit as clear as my Pinnacles. I have tested the two models side by side several times under varying conditions, and, if anything, my Pinnacles are not as sharp around the edges as the Cascades under most conditions. I almost bought the Cascades originally, but the advertising for the Pinnacles suckered me in and I had the money to spend. Now, I really wish I would of just bought the Cascades to begin with. In my opinion, the Cascades are a really good binocular for the money. I'm pissed I spent the extra money for the Pinnacles.

Still, I would not hesitate to ever buy a Leupold product because I know first hand that they stand buy their warranties. I bought one of the first pairs of Wind Rivers about 11 years ago and had problems with the right eye-diopter adjustment ring breaking in freezing temperatures (below 20 degrees). I had these diopter rings break twice and both times had a brand new pair of binos at my door within two weeks. I am hoping that I will have a similar experience when I send back the Pinnacles.

[Heavily Armed Hiker]

For the price, I'd go w/ the Nikon.  However, for a couple hundred dollars more you could purchase 10x42 Kahles which is a fantastic piece of glass and made by Swarovski, which is a plus.  Sportsmans Warehouse has them on sale right now too for about $699 I believe.

[columbiaman]

I too have the Nikon 12.5x56 and for the exit pupil you really can't do better and they are clear as a bell but really only good for the dash board of the truck because of their size, I now have the Zen-Ray in 8x42 and they are much lighter and the quality of the lenses are just as good as the Nikon's IMO. Zen-Ray is also coming out with a set of binos that I'm told will compare with Swaro in quality but will only be around $400 they are on my list !!!

The Nikon's are really great don't get me wrong but a little big to be packing all day !!!

If I decode this right, you were referring to the new ZEN ED binoculars?

[Coasthunterjay]

However, for the $ I really like the 8x42 and 10x42 Green Ring binos.  I was really, really impressed with them.

Leupold and Vortex have better warranties and customer service.....   

yeah im a leupold fan also. i have been having mixed feelings about what binos to buy for years. Have friends with both nikons and leupolds. I finally after a while decided to go wtih the green rings(leupolds). Ill tell yeah one thing, there built great, not heavy. Collect alot of light. cant go wrong. And they werent 500 bucks. there only about 350 bucks depending on where you go to get them. From what i can tell yeah. spend a little less on the binos and go a little more on the spotting scope. Ide start searching ebay.

[ghgetter]

It really boils down to how long you spend behind your glasses. For most people who are out in the woods 2 maybe 3 days a year...either Nikon or Leupold are just fine. When you start spending 2-3 weeks behind glasses...thats a little different. When you dont look through glasses very much your edge to edge clarity never sticks out and is an issue and you dont really care about light gathering ability too much.

I am a Leupold guy...but thats mainly because of their location and warranty.

[popeshawnpaul]

Vortex hands down.  There have been tons of comparisons on the monster muleys website under the optics section.  Best glass for the money.  I have Viper 10x42 and 15x50 and they are great.  Both are in the price range you mentioned above.  Warranty is best ever.  You can drive over them with your truck and they'll replace them.