Any recommendations for a nice pair? This will be my first true pair of binoculars. Budget is between 200-300$

...but on your topic, earlier this year I bought a pair of Vanguard 10x42 Sprit ED for under $200 and have been really happy with them so far

What configuration are you wanting? If you don't know, then you can state what it is you will be doing with your binos, and where you will be doing it.

Mainly hunting & camping, want it to be comfortable carrying around & walking. I would like a 10X I think, it's annoying in the past when I have borrowed a pair & the deer still seem so far away.

Back2Back said:

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Mainly hunting & camping, want it to be comfortable carrying around & walking. I would like a 10X I think, it's annoying in the past when I have borrowed a pair & the deer still seem so far away.

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You would be better off with a 50mm bino if you want a 10x for hunting. Problem is there is no good 10x50 in your price range, just as there is no really good 10x32 in your price range either. Therefore, I will confine my comments to the 10x42 area.

First -- there isn't a great standout in a 10x42 in your price range. The Nikon Monach and Prostaff are good binos, as is the Celestron Trailseeker and the Atlas Optics Is decent for it's very low price. However, IMO the best buy at the moment is the Vanguard Endeavor ED that currently has a $100 rebate. You can find them at the BHphotovideo site, where they run about $249. I hate dealing with rebates, but for an end price of $149, it would be a good deal, and is probably the way I would go.

Keep in mind that at your price level, an 8x42 will provide better performance on average. But I do understand that most people will want to purchase a 10x.


Lastly - if you think there might be a chance that you could spend a bit more money, then you might wait and see what an optics company called Tract wil be doing for the holiday season. They have an excellent 10x42 called the Toric. It normally runs about $665 or so, but I think there is a good chance that they will go on sale in the coming weeks. These are an excellent bino that competes well with binos costing many hundreds of dollars more.

C

Caladan -

What would be a good size bino to be able to see a deer at 200 yards in a nubbin buck or a doe? A, 8, 10, or 12x with what mm?

I think I'm in a similar boat to the guy that started this thread. I currently have some cheap 10x42 field and stream bino that I got from Cabelas.

Any good Black Friday deals you seen out there?

DeBoss said:

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Caladan -

What would be a good size bino to be able to see a deer at 200 yards in a nubbin buck or a doe? A, 8, 10, or 12x with what mm?

I think I'm in a similar boat to the guy that started this thread. I currently have some cheap 10x42 field and stream bino that I got from Cabelas.

Any good Black Friday deals you seen out there?

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As I don't glass deer at those ranges, it would be hard to accurately answer that question. However, I doubt that I would go with a 12x over a 10x, as I do not think that the small increase in magnification would be worth the extra cost, and the extra effort it would take to keep a 12x view steady. Or to put it another way - if I thought 10x would not be enough, I would go with a 15x such as the Swarovski SLC.

For a hunting 10x, I would go with a 50mm. In fact, IMO the best hunting bino out there is the Swaro 10x50 EL SV. Certainly the Zeiss HT 56mm would also be a great hunting bino too. Of course I know that many will want a 42mm bino, and I can understand that. The Zeiss HT 10x42 would be a great choice in this configuration.

I have not seen any BF deals yet, although I seem to recall that Tract will be having a sale in the coming days. It would be worth your time to get on their mailing list. They make a very good mid-priced 10x42 called the Toric.

Look for Frankenstein. Makes it real easy to figure out the difference.

Caladan said:

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DeBoss said:

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Caladan -

What would be a good size bino to be able to see a deer at 200 yards in a nubbin buck or a doe? A, 8, 10, or 12x with what mm?

I think I'm in a similar boat to the guy that started this thread. I currently have some cheap 10x42 field and stream bino that I got from Cabelas.

Any good Black Friday deals you seen out there?

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For a hunting 10x, I would go with a 50mm. In fact, IMO the best hunting bino out there is the Swaro 10x50 EL SV.

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WOW - those aren't cheap