huntsmart Posted July 1, 2020 Report Share Posted July 1, 2020 The old bino question gets thrown up every now and then. I've got two semi busted binos 8x and 10x both 42's so was going to grab a new pair.My 8x are the best low light but the 10x can just see a bit more detail and are probably better suit to most of my glassing. So I was going to get 10 x 42 but last minute thought why not 10 x 50 to gain a little bit low light capability. That first and last 10 mins is when I see 90% of the deer Most of my hunts seem to be stalk into a spot and sit and wait , the little bit of extra weight I probably won't notice just sitting there. Any reason why not to go 10 x 50 ? Rgds hs Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightweight Posted July 2, 2020 Report Share Posted July 2, 2020 I think the main thing is that 10x50s start to get bulky, wheras 10x42's are very efficient when taking FOV vs magnification, and exit pupil into account. I'm in 8x42 land, but hoping to move to 10x42s in the next month or so.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIZ/TOMMY Posted July 2, 2020 Report Share Posted July 2, 2020 10x50 might be heavy and not fit in some bino harness's. would a better quality 10x42 do the same ie swaro, lieca, zeiss, steiner maybe? not sure on budget but could be a option better quality over bigger size? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV Posted July 2, 2020 Report Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) would love a pair of 12 or 15s for big country wher the 10s dont cut mustard....... most people are saving the outlay of money on Binoculars, for thermal monoculars,............... Binoculars are for bird watching. thermals are for Sambar stags hunting "Any reason why not to go 10 x 50 ?" Yeah, big end, light gain mean #### all if cant see thru scope, wait in ute extra 10 mins, then stalk, or be sure the rifle carries x50 aswell to utilize what your eyes are seeing in the bino before switchin for a rifle.. x42 if higher end would bring in as much light... 8 x for stalkers, 10x for all rounders and 12-15 for big country bosses. Edited July 2, 2020 by Dingo.375 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt75 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 The weight of the larger size in hands glassing will be another consideration as much as the size in harness 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
264 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) Go with quality glass up to 10x42's. if you go to the 10x50's you will find they are very hard to hold still. And really require a stand, to get the best performance out of them. Ive gone with the other option of Leicas in 10x42 with rangefinder option and the use of a spotting scope. For long range trophy identification. Saves a lot of leg work in NZ. Went with the lighter option Vortex razor 18-48x65 , so still light enough to be portable with a tripod. Even the 10x42's are hard to hold steady after a climb or rushed usage. On the range finding side of things , after using seperate range finders of smaller magnification. the time lost refinding and ranging the target is inconvenient and I've lost shot opportunities with the time taken to locate animals. The option of instant range at the push of a button whilst viewing thru bino's is worth the extra coin. Edited July 3, 2020 by 264 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balltearer Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 29 minutes ago, 264 said: The option of instant range at the push of a button whilst viewing thru bins is worth the extra coin. Amen! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 I'm always the odd one out in bino discussions, I run 6x32's and I grab them everytime I head out because they are so nice to carry. Yes, if I hunted big open country I might wish for more?Also, try and find a bad review on a pair of 6x32's because generally they get good reviews.Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burners Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 4 hours ago, 264 said: Go with quality glass up to 10x42's. if you go to the 10x50's you will find they are very hard to hold still. And really require a stand, to get the best performance out of them. Ive gone with the other option of Leicas in 10x42 with rangefinder option and the use of a spotting scope. For long range trophy identification. Saves a lot of leg work in NZ. Went with the lighter option Vortex razor 18-48x65 , so still light enough to be portable with a tripod. Even the 10x42's are hard to hold steady after a climb or rushed usage. On the range finding side of things , after using seperate range finders of smaller magnification. the time lost refinding and ranging the target is inconvenient and I've lost shot opportunities with the time taken to locate animals. The option of instant range at the push of a button whilst viewing thru bino's is worth the extra coin. How often do you use binos up here Mick? I was thinking about going 8 x 32 (recent SSAA mag article driven) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
264 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 14 minutes ago, Burners said: How often do you use binos up here Mick? I was thinking about going 8 x 32 (recent SSAA mag article driven) Had the conversation a couple of weeks back. Told the guys that we're hunting with me that they are not necessary here. Agreed that they were carrying extra weight for nothing by about 14:00. Used to carry them when I was guiding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burners Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, 264 said: Had the conversation a couple of weeks back. Told the guys that we're hunting with me that they are not necessary here. Agreed that they were carrying extra weight for nothing by about 14:00. Used to carry them when I was guiding. Confirmed my suspicions, I have a pair of 10x42's that I never carry, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt75 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 16 hours ago, 264 said: Go with quality glass up to 10x42's. if you go to the 10x50's you will find they are very hard to hold still. And really require a stand, to get the best performance out of them. Ive gone with the other option of Leicas in 10x42 with rangefinder option and the use of a spotting scope. For long range trophy identification. Saves a lot of leg work in NZ. Went with the lighter option Vortex razor 18-48x65 , so still light enough to be portable with a tripod. Even the 10x42's are hard to hold steady after a climb or rushed usage. On the range finding side of things , after using seperate range finders of smaller magnification. the time lost refinding and ranging the target is inconvenient and I've lost shot opportunities with the time taken to locate animals. The option of instant range at the push of a button whilst viewing thru bino's is worth the extra coin. Interesting comment with the range finding binos as been considering a set when upgrade 8x42 that had for 10years. I know it takes away while others have run separate units items and by time they have the distance I would have taken the shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balltearer Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 Years ago I ran three 2 x 7 - 33 Leupold scopes on my deer rifles and was finding that they were just not quite enough. So I went to 3.5 x 10 -44 scopes and the difference was amazing as my vision had deteriorated as expected with the years. I run 10 x 44 binos daily and they are great but there are days now that I wished I had my 15 X binos on my neck for that little bit extra even at 150 yards in pox light. Like is that an antler tip? Is that an ear fringe? Some days I study things in the binos and feel a goose because I have been looking at a stump in the gloom! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV Posted July 4, 2020 Report Share Posted July 4, 2020 Spot on BT , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntsmart Posted July 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 Great to see all the different responses and see a bit of discussion . As we know specific binos suit specific occasions, hard to find a pair that covers most.I did try a few out that were around, Waldo, a pair of 6 x 32, and they were great , I was surprised how clear they were but wonder their low light performance and I'm chasing a bit more mag. Also a couple of pairs of 10 x 42's quite some difference in weight between them.Those rangefinding ones are nice, a bit $$$ for me . I just picked up a rangefinder mainly for the bow, but it has been handy to check some distances I've been guessing .Other than that the 06 is sighted at about 200m so I just point and shoot, if I have time to think I may hold over or under.In the end I pick up a pair of Athlon midas G2 UHD 10 x50. Mid range price , glass maybe similar or a bit better than vortex vipers.I'll send the damaged 8 x 42 Bushnell legend ultra hd's back to test out there bulletproof warranty, if they fix them they'll make a good back up or ones to carry. I normally have a spare pair in my pack.CheershsSent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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