Binoculars

I have a pair of Leupold 10x50 roof prisms that I like very well.

Except, I would like them better if I had got 8x50's.

10x is a little much to hold steady for long.

I also hear good things about Steiner, but I have never owned any.

In either case, the price is a lot less then Swarovski or Leica!

Here are some reviews:
http://www.opticsplanet.com/binocul...ce[]=0&price[]=0&rating=0&sort=highest-rating

rc

Not sure if you are looking for something better, but cabelas has an online deal right now for a pair of 10x busnells for $35. They are normally $100. I got a pair and they are pretty nice.

leopold cascades are hard to beat around $300. they come 8x and 10x. you can pay big bucks for binocs but can your eyes real tell the difference between a good $300 binoc and a $2000 binoc maybe so but your pocket book will rule on that issue. BirdWatchers digest magazine has great reviews of binocs --google that . i recall some really high reviews on binocs in the $250 to 500 range.

Bull

At this point in your career I can make a good suggestion for you. It will be very helpful in several aspects.

Google camera land

Once on their site go to refurbished equipment.
They have bushnell fusion 10x42 laser range finder binoculars for 699.00

These are quite good glass, not Leica Swarovski or ziess, but darn good. However they have built in range finding which will be brilliant in helping hunters and calculating stalks and distance while your in the bush.

I have the newest version out this year. I sold my fusions to a young guy in a similar position to yours. It's a pleasure to have both rangefinder and field glasses in one unit.

I don't know what new Stierner glass is like, but everything up to the end of the 90's is junk. I have seen good stuff with Vortex, but I don't personally like buying names that haven't been time tested, such as Leupold. My Son bought a pair of Vortex, their upper shelf glass recently, and they are super nice quality, every bit as nice as any Leupold I've owned. And they have a almost no questions asked warranty too. Definitely worth checking out.

As for me, I still buy nothing but Leupold, they have always taken good care of me, and the quality is superior IMHO. $500 will get you into a great pair of 10x50 or 12x50's. Put a pair of 12x50's on a tripod and you've got a great glassing platform to work with.

Just stay clear of those bargin brand glasses. There is a very good reason why good glass is expensive.

GS

So does anyone have any pointers on some good glass

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Yes, and here it is:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-10x30-I...qid=1383744481&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+10x30+is

I'm pretty choosy when it comes to optics and I have some very decent "high-end" binos. These Canons are just about ideal for anything but stargazing, and they're not too bad at that. The stabilizer works VERY well.

I have a newer pair of Steiner binoculars that are very good. I don't know if I'd put them in the same category as Zeiss or Swaro (I haven't tried them side by side), but they're definitely good to go.

pikid89 said:

So I have decided that I am in need of a good pair of binoculars.

I used to have a pair of Leupold Rouge 8x50 that were pretty good...until they were stolen

As I was looking for new ones, I made the mistake of borrowing my moms Swarovski binos....

So now Im not sure where to go. I used my old one for occasional hunting...but now ill be hunting almost every day...which would make good glass make sense, but I just dont have the money for Swarovski or Leica...

So does anyone have any pointers on some good glass

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Beg, borrow or steal enough to buy yourself the glass' you REALLY want. They are an lifetime investment and worth it in the long run!

I can't tell you how many times i saw cheaper bino's fail out in the bush on extended hunts, while my bino's keps on working perfectly!



Maybe your conditions won't be as bad as mine were, hunting brown bear, crawling through the brush in constant freeze/thaw snow/rain/sun and everything else, but i have full faith that my Swaro's will still be just fine when i'm takeing my eternal dirt nap!

I hope the NEXT owner loves them as much as i do!

DM

I have a pair of 10x40 Leupolds and they have been great for years. My son has a pair of 10x Swarovskis and they are sweet! Wish I could afford some. That being said, get the best you can afford now, then upgrade to the Swarovskis when you can. The more time you spend looking through cheap glass, the more you will appreciate good glass.

Traditionally guides have used higher magnification. 10 and 12x would not be uncommon. Many use variable power spotting scopes instead and some kind of mono/bi/tripod. These higher magnifications necessitates large objective lens for dawn/dusk brightness. No way to get around that, it's physics. You'll need at least a 50mm of glass out front. More for a spotting scope. The really good optics start around $500. Budget at least that. NY city camera stores have some of the lowest internet prices. So does eBay. The high end German/Austrian binos are worth it. The top grade Japanese made Nikons are right in there.

If I had your job(s) and was looking for new optics, I'd want: 1) waterproof to some degree (which also makes them dust proof), 2) rubber coated, and 3) a porro prism design. Porro prisms will give you about 50% more “bang for your buck” vs. roof prism optics – mean you'll get better optics for a lower price with a porro prism optic. For example, all the Teutonic bino manufactures have little known (and hard to find in the US) lines of porro prism binos in the $500+ range that are optically just as good as the roof prism ones we all know and see all the time that sell for $1000+. Why they prefer to sell the roof prisms, especially here in the US, is obvious.

Promaster has some nice glass for reasonable prices.