compact hunting binoculars

[bcraig]

I am interested in first hand experiences from hunters who have used them in the field.
I am interested in something  fixed power  and anything from say 8x to say 12x binoculars would probably do.
I want COMPLETELY waterproof and COMPLETELY fogproof(not just water resistant and fog resisant)
easy to focus,easy to wear around neck all day long(lightweight)
clear and sharp enough to distinguish whether there is at least 3 points on one side of bucks rack at say half a mile(to see whether it is a legal buck where I hunt in Arkansas and stalk closer) and $200.00 or less /
Does such a binocular exist?
I also wear contact lenses if that matters.
oh and a good warranty.

[OBXPilgrim]

Sounds just like what I was looking for. 

My Pentax 8x42 DCF nocs broke, one side eyepiece doesn't retract back like it should, I guess after around 15 yrs, things like that happen.  I was ready to "pull the trigger" on either the Nikon travelite 8x22 (or 25 - can't remember) and/or a Steiner Safari Pro 8x22 (or 25 - can't remember).  Anyway, either from Binoculars.com or Cabelas, they were 99.99 or 119.99 - which is in my price range (and looked like a great deal).  I'm an old fashioned kinda guy & I'd really like to hold them in my hand & look through either before I lay money down for 'em.

 I really like 8 power for hunting, cause my hunting scopes are all 3x9 & I can duplicate 8 power easy enough.  Once after looking through my dad's 12 power nocs, I couldn't find a target after trying to find it at 9x - things just looked too different.

So, if you were looking for help, too bad - I got the same needs you do.  I'm not made of money & there ain't gonna be any Swaroski's (or how ever you spell it) or Leica's or Zeiss's laying around here.  I don't think I'll get anything that is even as good as my broken 8x42 Pentax's

Someone help us.

[Graybeard]

I am NOT a fan of compact binoculars or at least not what most folks think of as compact meaning shirt pocket size.

They invariably have a tiny objective lens and way too much magnification so you get a dim dark image in shadows and early/late when the best hunting takes place. I've tried several and so far haven't found one I consider better than no binocular.

If you are dead set on such a bincular however I'd advise you to get nothing but a top quality brand and that $200 price is at least $800 shy of buying that quality level. At the $200 price I know of none that would be useful for much more than a paper weight.

I'd advise you to try to find the lowest magnification range you can with the largest objective you can find. Still in compacts that doesn't offer much as I know of none over 24mm objective size and you can hardly ever find one with less than 8x to 12x. To begin with 12X is way more than most of us can hold steady enough to be useful. These days I find I can't free hold even 10X anymore. Unless I can propt my elbows the image is so jerky I'm not a lot better off than with no binocular.

If you could find a 5x or 6x with a 24mm objective and really high quality lens that would be a useful tool for sure. Unless you are hunting open country you don't need more than 5x or 6x anyway. One of my favorites is a Steiner 6x30. To me a 6x30 binocular makes more sense than any other for a woods hunter. The old used to be common 7x35 size is almost but not quite as handy.

Personally I use an 8x42 for most of my hunting these days tho I'm always on the look out for a quality 6x30 or 7x35 for most of my hunting in the woods.

I'm not saying categorically there isn't a decent compact out there as there might be one that I'm not aware of that would do the job. I've heard of folks using them from the top European makers with total satisfaction. I know at least one or more of them make an 8x32 which isn't truly a compact but comes close and quality is top notch but then so is the price.

[quickdtoo]

I'll second the Steiner 6x30, have a pair and loved them...at least until I added bird watching while hunting, they don't have a close focus, so I quit using them and moved up to a Nikon Monarch ATB 8x40, I think the current model is an 8x42 tho, that works well, added a bino harness and the weight just disappears, I've actually forgot I was wearing them many times!!

Tim

[hillbill]

i haVE a small set of nikons 10 x. they are good but i like my larger set of nikons better.they are light and easy to carry tho.it just seems easier to use the bigger ones. but if i want to travel light ill always take the little ones.

[pastorp]

The leupold yosemite 6x30 are the only binocular that I hear are good for the money. About$100 or less on sale. They are rated high in the reviews by people I trust.  

If price is no object the get the leica's compact. A friend uses these and they are the best compact I know of.

Regards,

[jcn59]

I have a pr. of the Leica Trinovids in 8x.  This is the very compact shirt pocket size glass.  Bought it about 8 years ago for $400. less $50. coupon.  More than I ever spent for glass.  I could gather in more detail with these, even at dusk, than my Chinese Pentax 12x 50 which were near $200.   I eventually gave the Pentax to my son.  I still like the Leicas so much I fascinate about getting their full-size binoculars.  

Lately I've bought a couple older 8x30 Asahi Pentax Jap binoculars from the 1950s, I suppose.   They were 50-100 bucks off ebay and I'm sure not  waterproof, but easy to look through and they work smoothly.

[Empty Quiver]

I have used a pair of Nikon Travelite for about 24 yrs. They have proven to be pretty good for what they are. These are 9x I think. About ten yrs. ago I picked up a pair of the Steiner Military / Marine. These are a vast improvement, and honestly not much larger. I'm guessing they will run about $235 now days. Honestly they are worth waiting and saving for, over the little Nikons.

Good bino's are going to last a long time, longer than your eyesight. My eyes can't really make up for what the Nikons lack any longer. The closer you are to 50 the sooner you are gonna wish you bought once and cried once.

 I guess it boils down to this , the Nikons aren't too bad the Steiners are way better for just $30 something over your budget.

[Brithunter]

Go to a bird watching site of someone who sells/supplies Binoculars to them as even those who are just startign out birdwatching are often more critical about their binos performance that most hunters it seems. In the UK we have an organisation called the RSPB who have reserves for bird watching and a lot of these have shops on site so i went to oen fo thos and tried a few different types out int eh reserve before buying my 8x44 Viking Roof prism binos. Nope I had never heard of them either but they have served me well for over a dozen years now.

I have some others as I like optics and have collected up a few pairs of older one and a pair od 8x21 Olympus binos. I keep an old pair of 8x28 German Wetztlar in the glove box of the car that are probably about 60 years old. For $200 your going to get pretty basic lenses and mediorce quality which will lead to eye strain if you tyry to use them much. However it's your money and your choice.

[Lloyd Smale]

the correct answer

I am NOT a fan of compact binoculars or at least not what most folks think of as compact meaning shirt pocket size.

They invariably have a tiny objective lens and way too much magnification so you get a dim dark image in shadows and early/late when the best hunting takes place. I've tried several and so far haven't found one I consider better than no binocular.

If you are dead set on such a bincular however I'd advise you to get nothing but a top quality brand and that $200 price is at least $800 shy of buying that quality level. At the $200 price I know of none that would be useful for much more than a paper weight.

I'd advise you to try to find the lowest magnification range you can with the largest objective you can find. Still in compacts that doesn't offer much as I know of none over 24mm objective size and you can hardly ever find one with less than 8x to 12x. To begin with 12X is way more than most of us can hold steady enough to be useful. These days I find I can't free hold even 10X anymore. Unless I can propt my elbows the image is so jerky I'm not a lot better off than with no binocular.

If you could find a 5x or 6x with a 24mm objective and really high quality lens that would be a useful tool for sure. Unless you are hunting open country you don't need more than 5x or 6x anyway. One of my favorites is a Steiner 6x30. To me a 6x30 binocular makes more sense than any other for a woods hunter. The old used to be common 7x35 size is almost but not quite as handy.

Personally I use an 8x42 for most of my hunting these days tho I'm always on the look out for a quality 6x30 or 7x35 for most of my hunting in the woods.

I'm not saying categorically there isn't a decent compact out there as there might be one that I'm not aware of that would do the job. I've heard of folks using them from the top European makers with total satisfaction. I know at least one or more of them make an 8x32 which isn't truly a compact but comes close and quality is top notch but then so is the price.

[BUGEYE]

all of the above binos' are really nice, but I tried the bushnell 8x25 permafocus and it's all I will use from now on.  50 bucks plus shipping.

[Glanceblamm]

Mine are the Nikon 10x25 compact "realtree outdoors" model (about $70) that I recieved as a gift last Dec.

They are the first pair of compact's that I have owned that did not hurt the eyes after 10 or more min of viewing.

Issues were not so much image problems in the dim, dark lighting but rather with haze or glare that can be present anywhere at anytime.

I cannot really say that they would meet your critera for counting points at one half mile but they come close.

In short, this pair of entry level Binoc's worked so well that I would not baulk at purchasing a quality set for twice the price you mention.

[Graybeard]

Some how I missed that part about wanting to count points at a half mile the first time I read it.

Sorry but that's what spotting scopes are for not binoculars. Nothing you can hand hold is gonna do that. It must have so much magnification that it requires a tripod to do that. Cheap spotting scopes like other cheap optics are really of little help at such things either.

My Bushnell Elite 20-60x80mm spotting scope can do that easily enough but it's close to a thousand dollars to buy one and compact is NOT a word you'd use to describe it.

[hillbill]

well i have been thinkin about clamping a spotting scope to  watever box stand im hunting out of.not really for horn spotting but more for just observing the deer i dont shoot.

[woodchukhntr]

I have found that 8x is about right, with 10x a little shakey and have too small of a field of vision.  I lost my Nikons in the woods last year and replaced them with 8 x 32 Field & Stream bino's from Dicks.  They were about $70, but seemed to be adequate.  I've had them for 1 yr. and am impressed.  They are not the best around, but are adequate.  I am adverse to spending big bucks on binoculars since they can be lost easily.

I agree with Bill about the inability of hand-held binoculars to do what Bcraig wants.  That is spotting scope territory!  Check out Leupold's Pinnacle Binoculars, they look pretty good and I've seen them from $99 to $129 locally.

I suggest geting a neoprene camera strap and wearing the binoculars as close to your neck as possible to keep them from banging around.  The neoprene distributes the weight very well.

[bcraig]

Thanks guys I appreciate the information,sure was hopeing there was a binocular that would fit my needs. Where i hunt here in Arkansas we have a law that says the buck must have at least 3 points on one side. I hunt alot around the edges of beanfields and cutover ricefields.Often times I am hunting from a ladder stand . The type of stand is one of the 2 man buddy type of ladder stand. I suppose I could clamp some type of spotting scope to the rail and maybe use some type of 8 or 10 power binocular to spot the deer and then use spotting scope to really look him over and decide if he is worth climbing down out of the stand and putting a stalk on. man I hate to do that as not only do I want to keep the gear I have to carry at a minimum but also because of the added expense.
I might just have to live within the limitations of range and just use a binocular.What do yall with experience think would be about the max range I could use a 8 or 10x binocular to spot the 3 points(mainbeam,browtine and 1 point of which points have to be at least 2 inches to be a legal buck ?
and the binocular I dont suppose would have to be a compact as long as i could use some type of strap or harness so it wouldn,t hurt my neck,just dont want to carry a ton of binocular around it !
And I REALLY REALLY want a fogproof ,waterproof binocular ! I tried a Pair of tasco 8x21 wally world specials on sale for $14.00 (go ahead and laugh !)and whenever it gets damp and or cold one side of the binoculars fogs up and I have to use them as a monocular !!!! talk about being flustrating! thats what I get for being so frugal !

[bcraig]

I did stop by a Wally world and see a pair of leupold Acadias 8x40 or 42 for what would be $200.00 bucks out the door tax and all.ARE they good uns and is that a good deal?

[quickdtoo]

and the binocular I dont suppose would have to be a compact as long as i could use some type of strap or harness so it wouldn,t hurt my neck,just dont want to carry a ton of binocular around it !

Neck straps are a poor choice no matter what they're made of, get a bino harness that puts the weight on your shoulders, not your neck, lots of brands to choose from, Butler Creek, Cabelas, Nikon, are just a few, read the reviews.

Tim

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/nikon.pl?page=nikonprostaffbinoharness

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular-accessories/eagle-optics/eagle-optics-bino-system-harness-strap

[Graybeard]

I can't speak to the quality of the Leupold binos you mention as I've never seen them. If you just don't wanna spend more than a couple hundred check out the binoculars offered by GBO sponsor Zen-Ray as he seems to offer a lot of binocular for the money. I've not personally seen the lower priced ones but I'm pretty sure there are some reviews of them here. I have a pair of his Zen-Ray 10x43 ED and they are excellent. You can find reviews on Zen-Ray binoculars at: http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,165850.0.html

You might also call the guys at Camera Land another GBO sponsor and talk to them about what they can supply that would best meet your needs.

You are not going to get a binocular to do what you ask in counting points at a half mile. With an 8x or 10X of good quality you can likely do that about as far as you can shoot but not much further. Lower quality optics will not allow you to count them at anywhere near that range nor will higher magnification binoculars unless you can clamp them to a shooting stand that isn't moving. You will not be able to effectively use hand held a binocular of more than 10X and that assumes you are still young and steady.

At my age I'm far too shaky and to use a 10X I must be able to propt on something very solid or the image shakes too much to use. I really prefer 6x or 7x for free handing but can use 8x pretty well still.

The same applies to spotting scopes. If you want to count points at a half mile you darn well better be ready to spend in excess of $500 and likely well over that. You'll need at least 20x to 25x minimum to do that and if you get a 40mm or 50mm objective lens on it you'll not take in enough light to give an adequate brightness in shadows even at mid day. With my Elite 20-60x80mm scope which is huge I can effectively use it up to about 45x before the image begins to dim in shadows. I have turned it to 60x on my range in bright light and it still gives good quality but even with a quality camera tripod mount if I touch it things blur. I must use it without touching it to see at the upper ends of the magnification range.

I have no recommendations for low cost spotting scopes as I have yet to see one in the $300 and under range that worked as well as my rifle scope for spotting holes in targets and that's easier than counting points on deer in shadows.

[pastorp]

for what you want to do cheep glass won't work. you need a bair of big eyes, 15 to 20 x60 tripod mounted but quality glass like zeiss, leica, or something in that price range. plan to spend $4000.00 or so.  

what you require a $200 binoc can't do.

regards,

[Lloyd Smale]

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=210 something to look at. theres surely not compact and ive got no experience with them

[drdougrx]

I tested the Zen-Rays along side my swaros, liecas, redfields and Zeiss.  I really liked them and for the money, they're really superior!!

[tobster]

My limited experience is as follows: For probably 25 years I carried a pair of Busnell10x50's. I wanted something less cumbersome so I bought a pair of Nikon Travelites. They self-destructed after a few years and I sent them back and spent about $30.00 to have them repaired. Recently I decided to get a better pair and narrowed it down to the Nikon ATBs or the Leupold Cascades. Optically they seemed about the same , but the Leupold's felt better in my hands so that's what I bought.  I should have made the investment a long time ago. I have decided small and compact doesn't mean much if the bino's suck. Hope this helps.

[pastorp]

Lloyd,

That's a heavy bino to carry but sounds exactly like the thread starter says he wants. Hard to believe for that money it will have the crispness needed to count points. But if it does it will fill the bill.

Years ago I bought a pair of binoculars from cameraland 16x60 I believe they were. Not high dollar but they worked pretty well for spotting in Montana where we hunted at the time.

Regards,

[Lloyd Smale]

dont know the answer either but the zen rays, vortex, minox and even the nikon atbs ive tried had optics that rivaled the german binocs at two to three times the price.

Lloyd,

That's a heavy bino to carry but sounds exactly like the thread starter says he wants. Hard to believe for that money it will have the crispness needed to count points. But if it does it will fill the bill.

Years ago I bought a pair of binoculars from cameraland 16x60 I believe they were. Not high dollar but they worked pretty well for spotting in Montana where we hunted at the time.

Regards,

[pastorp]

If I did the kind of hunting that required a high magnification binocular I'd try a pair. So much of our hunting is out of a boat here in SE Alaska and 7x50 work better when glassing in a swell.  

Honestly though I know what your saying about the diminishing returns compared to cost with the German glass.

Regards,

[quickdtoo]

I keep my 6x30 Steiners in the boat, they work great for identifying what hot lures other fisherman are catching salmon on when we're aren't, 6x works great from a boat on open water.   

Tim

[ejpaul1]

I have a few different pairs, a pentax 10X50 (not compact) a vortex fury 10X4? (smaller but not compact) and nikon trailblazers 8x22?. Anyway, I bought the trailblazers for like 90 bucks and have used them extensively in the field. More than my vortex fury's. When Icompared them to a small pair of steiners, there really was no comparison. I'll be buying those next to replace them one fine day. For now, the little nikons will have to do. Real tough to spend more than 150 on a compact pair for me. I think if I ever justify more money for a compact pair I want to try some of the nicer ones, I really do believe that a small pair will get used more than a larger pair. Spend more on the smaller ones, less on the larger is my new theory. Spend alot on both if you can. EJ

[jcn59]

When I bought my Leicas, I was fortunate that my store owner had several different brands to try, & she was astute enough to tell me to come back at dusk to try them.  That was an eye-opener.  She had Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica, Minox, Nikon & others.  My old eyes could see that I would end up spending some money.   So far it's averaged about $45. per year, & it's declining.

When I was younger, I could see pretty well with inexpensive glass.  I recall having a $20. pr. of 7x35 porro prism  Japanese Bushnells  that worked very well in the 1960s.   

I recently read that for the same money you always get better binoculars with the porro prism configuration.  Can anyone comment on this?

[Lloyd Smale]

roof prisms are a bit harder to manufacture and will give you better dept perception but on the downside are harder to seal and heavier. Most companys anymore dont even make them other then there buget lines. I think there was a day when that held but it has passed. Just look at the top end units made by the better companys and there all roof prism units anymore

When I bought my Leicas, I was fortunate that my store owner had several different brands to try, & she was astute enough to tell me to come back at dusk to try them.  That was an eye-opener.  She had Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica, Minox, Nikon & others.  My old eyes could see that I would end up spending some money.   So far it's averaged about $45. per year, & it's declining.

When I was younger, I could see pretty well with inexpensive glass.  I recall having a $20. pr. of 7x35 porro prism  Japanese Bushnells  that worked very well in the 1960s.   

I recently read that for the same money you always get better binoculars with the porro prism configuration.  Can anyone comment on this?