Howdy y'all -

I'm looking to purchase a pair of binoculars that I can use for glassing. Been duck hunting for several years. I'm most interested in something that would be good for watching ducks in flight, on the water, landing, etc. Interested in learning more about how they fly, where, why, and identification of different breeds.

I'm on the south Texas coast near Port O'Connor / Matagorda / Rockport.

Not really looking to spend more than $1,500.

Anyone have any good recs? Seems like there was a bino expert on here at some point.

At that price point I'd jump right into the alpha game.

Swaro SLC

I'd go 8x if watching birds in flight. Nice large FOV and super immersive.

TikkaShooter said:

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At that price point I'd jump right into the alpha game.

Swaro SLC

I'd go 8x if watching birds in flight. Nice large FOV and super immersive.

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and just to be clear. I'm open to spending less than that if there is something that is a good price/quality deal.

Hopefully Caladan will be along soon

I thought Swaro only made SLC in 15x now. Unless he can find used …… Am I wrong ?

10-4

Then yes, you can drop into the $800ish price point and still get some great glass.

Zeiss Conquest
Leica Trinovid
Meopta Air

Those would be my sub alpha pics

Huh. Sure enough. How about that.

So the ELs are the main stream line and the NL Pures the premium line. Damn expensive entry level to get into Swaro

Yeah a used SLC is prob the Best Buy in the bino market.

Forgot to add Nikon Monarch HG. Great glass. Compact size. Open bridge design

TikkaShooter said:

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At that price point I'd jump right into the alpha game.

Swaro SLC

I'd go 8x if watching birds in flight. Nice large FOV and super immersive.

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are those SLC's cheaper somewhere else? they are $2500 on the Swaro website. yikes!

Yes, to find the 8x or 10x, as nealan pointed out, you'll have to buy used. But uses Swaro is awesome. Full lifetime warranty is transferred and the SLC glass is classic greatness.

A few good outdoor forums I can point you towards if you get interested in the used SLC route. I have a pair in my safe, and it's the last glass I'll part with

Used will go around $1k

TikkaShooter said:

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Yes, to find the 8x or 10x, as nealan pointed out, you'll have to buy used. But uses Swaro is awesome. Full lifetime warranty is transferred and the SLC glass is classic greatness.

A few good outdoor forums I can point you towards if you get interested in the used SLC route. I have a pair in my safe, and it's the last glass I'll part with

Used will go around $1k

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i'll have to start looking into those. I see some other Swaro models that have some crazy features, but probably more than I need.

I really don't know anything about what magnification or field of view would be best for watching flying birds. i'm sure it's different from glass an animal walking around.

Yeah the ELs have an RF version. Not something you'd need. And the Pures are their newest king of the hill. Pushing $4K if I recall.

That said, Swaro isn't the only player. I think you'd be real happy going to a Scheels or Cabelas or BP and looking at the trinovid vs conquest vs monarch vs meopta. All current models.

Had these for about 30 hours. Shipped to me, took on a scout trip and the focus wheel came off and the glass fogged up on inside. Third Nikon product to fail me. Done with Nikon. Forever.

Yikes. That's an awful experience. I don't blame you, and I'll likely stop recommending them after hearing that. Maybe a lemon? Or just Nikon going downhill…

Sucks. Sorry that happened to ya

Read this stuff from Caladan

Hello,

I have a lot of experience with binoculars of all price ranges, so I can provide a bit of information. Your budget would not have allowed the purchase of a new Swarovski SLC when you could still find them (the 42mm's are no longer made), but the above suggestion of these is a great one if you can find a good used example. Right now, you can find a used 8x42 SLC on Euro Optic for $1267. These would be the best you can get within your budget. And I would also agree w/the 8x42 suggestion above as well. 8x42 will get you more FOV than a 10x42.

That being said - not everyone needs or can even use the optical performance that an SLC can provide. Most people can do just fine with something from the ~$500 level, or the ~$999 level. Or to put it another way - most people can't tell the difference between a $500 Leupold Pro Guide HD, a $999 Zeiss Conquest HD, and a $1600 SLC. If you have a store that carries good binos near you, you might check out the Leupold Pro Guide HD and the Meopta Meopro HD, the Zeiss Conquest HD,and the Leica Trinovid HD. Any of these provides excellent performance that is good enough for the majority of people, and you might find that these are plenty good enough for you. I am fortunate enough to have a nice collection of alpha binos, but I never feel under-gunned when I am using our Pro Guide HD, Nikon Monarch HG, or Leica Trinovids.

C

Solid advice from Caladan above. I would only add that if your budget is up to $1500 and you'd prefer to buy new rather than used, I'd add the Meopta Meostar B1 Plus 8X42 to the list of contenders. New, it retails for exactly $1500 and sometimes a shade less. It is nipping at the heels of the upper tier "alpha" glass, and is pretty much the best you can get at the $1500 price point. It's a little known secret that Meopta has supplied lenses, mechanical assemblies, and entire optics for the premier German optics brands. If their stuff was manufactured in Germany rather than Czech, they'd probably be priced in the same category as Zeiss, Leica, and Swaro.

Meopta is a great brand. We own three of their binoculars. IMO they have the best build quality in any of the price ranges in which they compete. The only reason I don't tend to recommend the Meostars any more is because they now cost about a third more than they used to, and I'm not sure that I could recommend spending $450 more for a Meostar as compared to a Zeiss Conquest HD. That, and the fact that a 42mm Meostar weighs over 30 ounces.

But yes -- they are absolutely great binoculars. When I find a B1+ at a really good price, I will definitely pick one up.

C

thanks for all of the suggestions, y'all. gives me quite a bit of information and products to start looking at.

Caladan said:

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Hello,

I have a lot of experience with binoculars of all price ranges, so I can provide a bit of information. Your budget would not have allowed the purchase of a new Swarovski SLC when you could still find them (the 42mm's are no longer made), but the above suggestion of these is a great one if you can find a good used example. Right now, you can find a used 8x42 SLC on Euro Optic for $1267. These would be the best you can get within your budget. And I would also agree w/the 8x42 suggestion above as well. 8x42 will get you more FOV than a 10x42.

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Hey Caladan,

I'm assuming you have ordered from Euro Optic before and that site is legit? I'm also assuming that the A condition and B condition are used binos? is the A condition the better condition? what would the condition for that ranking be? slightly used, but no real damage?

EDIT- I see
"PLEASE NOTE: Swarovski and Kahles Condition A Demos are in like new condition. Condition B Demos will most likely show signs of use, such as blemishes to the scope body and/or ring marks. Photos do not depict item condition."

so I guess my only question is how legit that site is.

Caladan said:

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Meopta is a great brand. We own three of their binoculars. IMO they have the best build quality in any of the price ranges in which they compete. The only reason I don't tend to recommend the Meostars any more is because they now cost about a third more than they used to, and I'm not sure that I could recommend spending $450 more for a Meostar as compared to a Zeiss Conquest HD. That, and the fact that a 42mm Meostar weighs over 30 ounces.

But yes -- they are absolutely great binoculars. When I find a B1+ at a really good price, I will definitely pick one up.

C

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is this one of the 8x42 Zeiss HD's that you were talking about?

https://www.opticsplanet.com/zeiss-8x42mm-conquest-hd-waterproof-binoculars.html

SquanchyAg said:

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I'm assuming you have ordered from Euro Optic before and that site is legit?

so I guess my only question is how legit that site is.

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Very legit. I've ordered several binos from them. Never any problems. And they have a pretty decent discount program for military veterans and first responders, if that happens be useful to you.

C

SquanchyAg said:

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Caladan said:

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Meopta is a great brand. We own three of their binoculars. IMO they have the best build quality in any of the price ranges in which they compete. The only reason I don't tend to recommend the Meostars any more is because they now cost about a third more than they used to, and I'm not sure that I could recommend spending $450 more for a Meostar as compared to a Zeiss Conquest HD. That, and the fact that a 42mm Meostar weighs over 30 ounces.

But yes -- they are absolutely great binoculars. When I find a B1+ at a really good price, I will definitely pick one up.

C

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is this one of the 8x42 Zeiss HD's that you were talking about?

https://www.opticsplanet.com/zeiss-8x42mm-conquest-hd-waterproof-binoculars.html

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Yes.

You should be able to get a 10% coupon code pretty easily from them. Either by signing up for their email list, or by calling them.

C

awesome! thanks for all of the insight!

Caladan said:

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SquanchyAg said:

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Caladan said:

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Meopta is a great brand. We own three of their binoculars. IMO they have the best build quality in any of the price ranges in which they compete. The only reason I don't tend to recommend the Meostars any more is because they now cost about a third more than they used to, and I'm not sure that I could recommend spending $450 more for a Meostar as compared to a Zeiss Conquest HD. That, and the fact that a 42mm Meostar weighs over 30 ounces.

But yes -- they are absolutely great binoculars. When I find a B1+ at a really good price, I will definitely pick one up.

C

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is this one of the 8x42 Zeiss HD's that you were talking about?

https://www.opticsplanet.com/zeiss-8x42mm-conquest-hd-waterproof-binoculars.html

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Yes.

You should be able to get a 10% coupon code pretty easily from them. Either by signing up for their email list, or by calling them.

C

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so one more question. if you're picking one to get. $1,009 for the zeiss conquest HD 8x42 (and probably 10% off that) vs the Swarovski SLC 8x42 WB HD Binocular 58305 A Condition Demo for $1,267. which one are you buying?

Figured I'd ask the question here versus starting a new thread…
Recs on a rangefinder $150 or less? Not needing anything long range as it will only be used for bow hunting.

Scope list is another good outlet for purchasing.

SquanchyAg said:

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so one more question. if you're picking one to get. $1,009 for the zeiss conquest HD 8x42 (and probably 10% off that) vs the Swarovski SLC 8x42 WB HD Binocular 58305 A Condition Demo for $1,267. which one are you buying?

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SLC every day, and twice on Sunday.

DimeBox17 said:

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Figured I'd ask the question here versus starting a new thread…
Recs on a rangefinder $150 or less? Not needing anything long range as it will only be used for bow hunting.

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I don't know much about those things. All I can tell you is that my Nikon rangefinder has worked for about a decade.

I can however tell you that cameralandny.com has a Sig Sauer rangefinder for $109, which seems to be a good price for something from a well-known brand. They are a good company to deal with.

C

I appreciate it!

Leica, nee Ernst Leitz. Germany.
8x32BA. Trinovid.
handy, fast acquisition, sturdy, quick resolution.
10x is shakey, needs rest.

TikkaShooter said:

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Forgot to add Nikon Monarch HG. Great glass. Compact size. Open bridge design

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I've got a set of those an love them.