I am needing a suggestion for everyday use/hunting bino's for under $300 - 400 Range. What are your thoughts, thanks in advanced!

Hello,

Can you tell me what configuration you are wanting? I tend to think of 8x32 for a GP bino, and 8x42 for shorter-range hunting, and 10x50 for long-range hunting. If I had to go with one bino for everything, it would be a good 8x32. However, you might think quite differently, depending on where your priorities lie, if any.

Thanks for the reply. I'd be lying to ya if I said I knew anything, but 8x32 should be good? I'm just looking for some everyday use that can be used for short range-hunting and for recreation. The last thread you had about the good buy binos at Cabelas were sold out. Thought I'd ask and see if you had any other options.

Great timing with this thread. I'm sitting in the blind and my 5 year old dropped my binos, and now they won't focus correctly. I'd like some recs on some decent 10x50's. OP's price range is good if they can be had.

Thanks!

By the way OP, I bought some Vanguard Endeavor ED 10x42 several years back on Caladan's suggestion, and have been very happy with them. At this point I'm just looking for a little more magnification.

What's a good recommendation for 12x50 binoculars in the $500-600 range.

TheVarian said:

---

Thanks for the reply. I'd be lying to ya if I said I knew anything, but 8x32 should be good? I'm just looking for some everyday use that can be used for short range-hunting and for recreation. The last thread you had about the good buy binos at Cabelas were sold out. Thought I'd ask and see if you had any other options.

---

Since you are using it to hunt, I would recommend a 42mm bino. A really good 8x32 would work, but they are not available in your price range. At the moment, the best buy in your price range is the Vanguard Endeavor HD w/$100 rebate. BHphotovideo has them for $249, so $149 after rebate. I hate dealing w/rebates, but nothing else comes close at the $150-$250 range.

Even if the rebate was not factored, the Endeavor ED is still probably the best buy in your price range. I prefer them over the Nikon M5 or Prostaff, and lot more than the Vortex Diamondback.

If you want an 8x32, then look at the Nikon Monarch 7. It is the standout in it's category, while also being one of the smallest too. The Leupold Mojave is pretty good too, and would be a good buy if you can find one on sale somewhere. The only downside to the M7 is that it has a rather short eye-relief, so not good for glassing while wearing eyeglasses.

TxLawDawg said:

---

Great timing with this thread. I'm sitting in the blind and my 5 year old dropped my binos, and now they won't focus correctly. I'd like some recs on some decent 10x50's. OP's price range is good if they can be had.

Thanks!

---

I can't come up w/any good suggestions for a 10x50 in the OP's price range. However, the ones I would consider investigating would be the Celestron Granite, Kowa SV, and the Carson 3D.

The Vortex Viper and the Leupold Pro Guide will cost a bit more, but will probably be very much worth the extra cost.

You might also consider selling a kidney, and buy a Swarovski EL SV 10x50. It is one of the finest binoculars in existence, and IMO the best hunting 10x bino currently available.

Bigballin said:

---

What's a good recommendation for 12x50 binoculars in the $500-600 range.

---

There's only two worth considering in your price range, mostly because there isn't much else in your price range. Go w/either the Leupold Pro Guide, or the Vortex Viper.

Thank your sir. If I were to double the budget, $1000-1200, what would be a recommendation?

Bigballin said:

---

Thank your sir. If I were to double the budget, $1000-1200, what would be a recommendation?

---

There are two - the Vortex Razor and the Meopta Meostar. The Razor comes in around $1159, the Meostar around $1400. I would much prefer the Razor, as it is much lighter in weight, while giving you more ER and FOV. The Razor also tends to have focus wheels that are much easier to turn as compared to the Meostar line.

Thanks for the response! Can you explain to me the difference in 42 vs 32? Would it be worth it to move some cash up for the 32?

ETA: I do wear glasses (astigmatism in right eye) but when I'm outside, I wear my contacts.. usually

TheVarian said:

---

Thanks for the response! Can you explain to me the difference in 42 vs 32? Would it be worth it to move some cash up for the 32?

ETA: I do wear glasses (astigmatism in right eye) but when I'm outside, I wear my contacts.. usually

---

A 42mm objective has more "light-gathering" (not the most technically correct term, but will suffice here), so it will give you a brighter image when in dim light. There is little to no advantage in this aspect when light levels are high, as your pupil will constrict down smaller than what your bino will provide. But when binos of similar quality are compared, you will get a brighter image with the larger lens. A larger objective also has the advantage of easier eye placement, which can be an advantage for some. This is not an advantage for me, as I have no issues w/eye placement with any size of binocular.

The downside to a 42mm bino is of course a larger size with more weight, which can possibly be a detriment if you are going to have your bino dangle from your neck all day. A harness can help to alleviate any discomfort that comes w/more weight. A secondary downside is that in most model lines, the larger the objectives get, the narrower the FOV becomes.

The advantages of a smaller lens is of course a decrease in overall weight, and often an increase in FOV. I use an 8x32 more than any other configuration, as I am lucky enough to have a very good one that has exceptional transmission rates and thus is useable even in rather dim conditions. Although I do have 8 and 10x42 and 10x50 that I can use for hunting, I would not feel undergunned w/my 8x32 in short-range situations.

If you are in the B/CS area and want to try a few of my 8x and 10x binos to see the difference, post your email and I will reply.

Caladan I would like to talk to you about some optics. I live here in B/CS



Thanks sir

Got it, so you can remove email.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to go try some out soon, won't be able to make it up to College Station anytime soon, thank you for the offer. I do have a question about some older Bino's my dad has that were my grandpa's.

Thanks!!

TheVarian said:

---

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to go try some out soon, won't be able to make it up to College Station anytime soon, thank you for the offer. I do have a question about some older Bino's my dad has that were my grandpa's.

---

got it, so you can remove your email.

Thank you Caladan. Appreciate the feedback. Really grappling with the price jump from Viper to Razor. I plan to head to Cabelas nearby to compare.

Hi Caladan - My dad is looking for a spotting scope that can easily pick out details of a deer from about 600 yards away. Any recommendations?

Watchful Ag said:

---

Hi Caladan - My dad is looking for a spotting scope that can easily pick out details of a deer from about 600 yards away. Any recommendations?

---

"details" at 600 yds is a tall order to fill. Therefore, the only ones I could comfortably recommend are:


1. Swarovski ATS-80
2. Zeiss Gavia 85
3. Leica APO-Televid 82
4. Kowa TSN-77

Don't sweat the choice too much - they are all very good.

A cheaper alternative would be the 80mm Pentax w/a fixed-power SMC- XW eyepiece.

An even cheaper alternative would be the 80mm Celestron Regal w/fixed-power eyepiece, but I'm not fully sold on that one.

Apologies. Maybe "details at 600 yards" might be pushing it. Let's back it up to say 400 yards. Does that help?

Surprised there wasn't a Vortex model recommended.

Being more budget conscience, I just pulled the trigger on the Vortex Diamondback 12x50 on Optics Planet for $207.99. They were sitting at $262 and I kept a watch on it to price drop since Caladan recommended a good purchase on the same Binos in 8x10 last week. They were reduced last night so I pulled the trigger. I needed some good all-purpose stalking Binos (deer, pig, coyote, etc) and hope these fit the bill. A harness will be purchased soon.

Fingers crossed.

Caladan, A good friend of mine is looking at getting a high end pair of binos. I was wondering if you would be willing to talk with him. If/when you respond I will post my email to get in touch off board.

No problem. Post your email, and I will reply as soon as I see it.

C

xxxxxxxx at Gmail

Thank you.

Email sent.

C

Caladan, another one for you...

I'm hunting 80-130 yard shots max and was looking to get some 8X42 binos for ~$400 max. What are your suggestions if you don't mind? Thanks so much for your help. I love all the advice on a subject that most people take for granted. I know nothing about this stuff!

agcrock2005 said:

---

Caladan, another one for you...

I'm hunting 80-130 yard shots max and was looking to get some 8X42 binos for ~$400 max. What are your suggestions if you don't mind? Thanks so much for your help. I love all the advice on a subject that most people take for granted. I know nothing about this stuff!

---

Hello agcrock,

The first thing I would recommend would be to call Doug at Cameralandny.com and tell him that you had seen the Kowa Prominar XD 10x42 on sale at their website for $399.99 recently, and you are wondering if they could sell the 8x42 version to you for the same price. If you can get one of these at $399, it would be the best buy right now in your price range. The Prominar is a very good line of binos, with the great build quality for which Kowa is known.

If that doesn't fly.....

There really isn't a great stand-out at the ~$400 area. The following I am going to list are all good performers. The prices come from the Opticsplanet website, and include a 10% reduction as they are always giving out a 10% off coupon code. Take a look at the Vortex Viper HD for $440, the Zeiss Terra for $359, the Leupold Mojave Pro Guide HD for $402. Of these, I would probably go with the Leupy, but I could be happy with any of them. They also have the German Precision Optics Passion HD for $306. I have not tried one, but from the reviews I have seen, it might be one of the better buys in your price range. Given that OP has free returns, I would suggest you might order one and check it out.

The next suggestion can be found at the Natchezss.com site. They have the 8.5x45 Weaver Super Slam on sale for $399. It appears to be a clone of the first-generaton Vortex Razor, which used to retail for around $1000. Might be a very good buy, but I can't tell you much about it. I do think you should check it out too. I'm almost tempted to order one myself, but I already have a pretty good 8.5x binocular.

Lastly --- there are a few binos that cost much less than $400, but still provide a very good level of performance. Going a bit cheaper and then saving for a really good bino such as a Zeiss Conquest HD or Tract Toric or Meopta Meostar is not a bad way to go at all. You can find the Vanguard Endeavor HD for around $248 at the BHPhotovideo site. It's performance is extremely close to the binos at the $400 level, and better than some at that level. If you are willing to go to ebay, there is a seller who has the Bushnell Legend M for $152.99 and free shipping. The Legend M is by no means the best bino at it's normal price, but would be a good buy at $153. The seller is Rogers Sporting Goods.

hth,
C

Man you are a beast. Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback. Considering I want to buy binos only for 150 yard max shots do you recommend I increase my price range? I thought there would be tons of good of good options for such a short shot? I don't want to buy binos every ten years so if I need to up my range I will do it if you think I should. Thanks for your advice sir!

agcrock2005 said:

---

Man you are a beast. Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback. Considering I want to buy binos only for 150 yard max shots do you recommend I increase my price range? I thought there would be tons of good of good options for such a short shot? I don't want to buy binos every ten years so if I need to up my range I will do it if you think I should. Thanks for your advice sir!

---

I think that if you are what I call a "critical viewer", IOW someone who wants an extremely sharp, bright, and wide view with little to no concern about cost, then I think you would indeed be happier in the long run by upping the budget a bit. There is quite a large jump in performance when you get to the $800-$1000 level. I am one of those critical viewers, and therefore have a number of fairly expensive binos that have made me happy to own and use. I would not be unhappy with a $400 bino, but I can say that I am much happier with more expensive binos.

OTOH, my brother is the opposite, and only needs a bino to do a certain job, and as long as that job is done, does not care much about any other aspects of the view. For him, $400 is more than adequate enough. And I think that for the majority of people, a $400 bino will provide all the performance they would ever need or even desire. And too, even a good $200 bino will work just fine for most people. As your needs are nothing unusual, I think a $400 bino would be fine. And if you "outgrow" it and move up the price ladder, you can always keep your $400 bino as a back-up or loaner bino anyway.

Order a few binos in your price range, and send them back if you don't like them. And when evaluating a new bino, don't look at things hundreds of yards away. Atmospherics will color the view slightly at those ranges. Instead, look at very tiny things much closer to you, such as the veining in grass and leaves, or the texture of bugs and flowers. You will get a better evaluation of a bino's true sharpness by doing this.

C

You're a wealth of knowledge. Thank you sir. I appreciate your input.

Caladan/others, any thoughts on this Cabelas Krotos Spotting Scope? 20-60 x 86mm, normally $1200, on sale for $700. Also a 15-45 x 65mm, normally $700 for $350.

Sean98 said:

---

Caladan/others, any thoughts on this Cabelas Krotos Spotting Scope? 20-60 x 86mm, normally $1200, on sale for $700. Also a 15-45 x 65mm, normally $700 for $350.

---

I can't say with 100% certainty, but I'm quite sure that these are a clone of the 2nd generation Vortex Viper HD, which usually retail for $600 and $800. This means the 65mm version is the better buy from the standpoint of percentage off.

I have not used this model, so I can't say anything about it. I have used the previous generation Viper and Diamondback, and did not think highly of them as their performance was not commensurate with the price. Of course this has nothing to do with this Cabela's example. At these prices, they might be a pretty good buy, particularly the 65mm. Just keep in mind that 45x is a tough nut to crack for an inexpensive 65mm spotter of any brand.

Many spotting scopes have the ability to use astronomical eyepieces. The Pentax spotters are a good example. I do not believe that you can do this with Vortex spotters. If the ability to use fixed-power astro eyepieces is something you want to do, you might check on this before you buy.

C

Caladan, unrelated question. Is zen-ray belly up? I have a set or primes (loose hinge) and ed3's (broken focus wheel) I need to send in for repairs. If they are defunct, is there a place that does general repairs?

Oruc Reis said:

---

Caladan, unrelated question. Is zen-ray belly up? I have a set or primes (loose hinge) and ed3's (broken focus wheel) I need to send in for repairs. If they are defunct, is there a place that does general repairs?

---

It does indeed seem to be that Z-R has gone t-u. No one can get ahold of them, and their website no longer works.

You might be able to tighten the hinge of the Prime yourself. Many binos have a screw-in plastic cover over the hinge bolt. You might see if yours has a removable cover, and if so, try tightening the nut or screw yourself.

For the ED3 - you might contact Suddarth Optical Repair. He is well-known in the bino repair world.