Looking to buy a pair of binoculars

[Ultradog MN]

Hoping to tap into the brain trust here.
I do a little deer hunting. I sit in a blind and don't need to carry them around or climb trees with them. A heavy or bulky pair is fine. Would probably make a leg to steady them on the floor.
The farthest I can see is about 180 yards. Beyond that is a hill. Want to be able to see the difference between a 7 and 8 point buck at that distance.
I know nothing about them.
Can spend a couple hundred $.
I don't need new unless they are Way Better.
Are used ones trustworthy?
There's lots of them on ebay, FBMP and CL
What power do I need? What brands should I look for?

I had to stand lookout watches in the Navy. Up on the flying bridge in a chair with binoculars that you could rotate seat and all. They were huge. Like 20" wide, 24" long 6" lenses on the big end.
Could see the girls in bikinis on the beach in the Bahamas from a mile away.
That was a long time ago.
I didn't know much about binoculars then either but I knew to look at the girls.
Nowdays I just want a decent pair
for hunting.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[RedMF40]

I bough a pair of Vortex, model might be Diamondback. That's what it says on the binoculars anyway. Bought new a couple of years ago for basic wildlife viewing, power is 10x42. Fairly compact and came with some accessories like a holder of some kind that attaches to your chest area which I never use but it's nice it was included. I think it's a middle of the road consumer option. I saw much higher-priced binoculars but these were around $200 if I recall right. I'm happy with them, very clear optics, sharp resolution.

 

[Fred Werring]

I bough a pair of Vortex, model might be Diamondback. That's what it says on the binoculars anyway. Bought new a couple of years ago for basic wildlife viewing, power is 10x42. Fairly compact and came with some accessories like a holder of some kind that attaches to your chest area which I never use but it's nice it was included. I think it's a middle of the road consumer option. I saw much higher-priced binoculars but these were around $200 if I recall right. I'm happy with them, very clear optics, sharp resolution.

I've bought from Scheels in the past, so I keep getting sale emails.

Vortex Diamondback 10x42 Binoculars

I don't own these, so can't speak to clarity and whatnot. Just pointing out a sale price.
But a solid 5 star rating, for whatever that's worth.

 

[560Dennis]

I got the votex diamond back 10x42 for bird watching ,and counting deer . I like them for what I do with binoculars.

 

[Richard G.]

Hoping to tap into the brain trust here.
I do a little deer hunting. I sit in a blind and don't need to carry them around or climb trees with them. A heavy or bulky pair is fine. Would probably make a leg to steady them on the floor.
The farthest I can see is about 180 yards. Beyond that is a hill. Want to be able to see the difference between a 7 and 8 point buck at that distance.
I know nothing about them.
Can spend a couple hundred $.
I don't need new unless they are Way Better.
Are used ones trustworthy?
There's lots of them on ebay, FBMP and CL
What power do I need? What brands should I look for?

I had to stand lookout watches in the Navy. Up on the flying bridge in a chair with binoculars that you could rotate seat and all. They were huge. Like 20" wide, 24" long 6" lenses on the big end.
Could see the girls in bikinis on the beach in the Bahamas from a mile away.
That was a long time ago.
I didn't know much about binoculars then either but I knew to look at the girls.
Nowdays I just want a decent pair
for hunting.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

We bought a pair a couple of years ago online.
Ronhan brand.
We just use them to see what is around the pond and to watch deer and other critters.
They do fine for what we need.
I will never buy any again without trying them.
These don't open out quite enough for my eyes.
My eyes are too far apart I guess. LOL

I had my Dad's WW II pair till about 10 years ago.
My brother borrowed them and lost them, dang it.
They were very good ones.

 

[Texasmark]

Trying to recall, I had 8 and 10 power and the 10 was harder to hold on target.... (my) body wiggling problem. They worked great if you could brace them up against something to block the body wiggles.

 

[scootergmc]

It's hard to go wrong with Vortex as it's a pretty a great bang for the buck. I have a pair of Vortex Viper 10x42, before they moved production from Japan to China (I think). They're phenomenal here out west with our expansive views. For inside 200 yards though, I'd be looking at an 8x, and within your budget I'd look for a good deal on a pair of Vortex Diamondbacks.

 

[Russ from MN]

I have a pair of Steiner hunting binoculars; they are the best I've ever used. You set them for your eyes, and you don't need to focus them for distance, but they're only set for you or someone with similar eyesight. They work well in the boat too, not real powerful, maybe 7x? But when hunting, you just grab them and look, no focusing. I bought a new Honda 4-wheeler in 1998, and Honda sent them to me, and I had gotten a good deal on the Honda! Both the 4-wheeler and the binoculars are still working perfect. But I think they're $279 on Amazon now!

 

[gblj]

Just my opinion, but remember the stronger the Magnification the harder it is to steady them.

 

[roper4570]

Vortex are fine quality and the optics are even more clear than some higher priced products.
Their rifle scopes are great too.

 

[Watthour]

I've found that the zoom binoculars can be a compromise. They can go out to 25X, but the light collection diminishes compared to a fixed binocular. If you need to see a ship on the horizon in daylight, you'll know there is a ship. If you need to determine if it's a tug or cargo ship in twilight, you may not be able to tell. As for deer at 400 yards instead of a ship at 18 miles, you might even have trouble seeing a rack at all.

Fixed field binoculars are usually a bit better in focus across the entire lens and light gathering for a given lens size. In other words, a fixed 10 x 50 is likely to have a better image than a 10-25 x 50 at minimum zoom.

I have some vintage Bausch & Lomb, Bushnell, Fujinon, and other brands as comparison, and the old (1980s back) optics seems to be superb to the later non-optical glass lens types. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with anything less than a 50mm object lens. The old 35mm and later 42mm Chinese lenses are children's toys compared to a good 50 or 70mm lenses. Since you mentioned that heavy and bulky is not a real concern, consider the 70mm. Our eyesight usually doesn't get a lot better as we gather experience points, so the extra light and field could be a real benefit. The only issue is that the 10 x 70 Nikon and Fuji types can get pretty costly.

 

[Mule Meat]

I have a set of Nikon 10-70 binoculars. All of my rifles are topped with Nikon scopes that was bought before they caved to the environmental hippes and stopped making scopes.

I find just the opposite of what GBLJ stated. With the field of view being smaller on the lesser powered binoculars. It makes them harder to hold on what you are looking at. That and with smaller the objective less light can get through causing them to black out in lower light conditions.

I have been looking for a pair of the older Military binoculars with the range indicator in the lens like we used during the 80's. Best binoculars I have ever used.

Bottom line. If I were shopping an off of the shelf set today. I would go with Steiner.

 

[BillinCentralMO]

Hoping to tap into the brain trust here.
I do a little deer hunting. I sit in a blind and don't need to carry them around or climb trees with them. A heavy or bulky pair is fine. Would probably make a leg to steady them on the floor.
The farthest I can see is about 180 yards. Beyond that is a hill. Want to be able to see the difference between a 7 and 8 point buck at that distance.
I know nothing about them.
Can spend a couple hundred $.
I don't need new unless they are Way Better.
Are used ones trustworthy?
There's lots of them on ebay, FBMP and CL
What power do I need? What brands should I look for?

I had to stand lookout watches in the Navy. Up on the flying bridge in a chair with binoculars that you could rotate seat and all. They were huge. Like 20" wide, 24" long 6" lenses on the big end.
Could see the girls in bikinis on the beach in the Bahamas from a mile away.
That was a long time ago.
I didn't know much about binoculars then either but I knew to look at the girls.
Nowdays I just want a decent pair
for hunting.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Have a Bushnell full sized set I like. Couldn’t tell you what power they are. I do know if the set is not right for your eyes / you will have headaches and be miserable. I like buying from Amazon as you generally get free returns if you don’t really like the item.

 

[Tony in SD]

Well the first thing is don't go over 10 power (the first number 10X**) unless you have something to mount them to for stabilization. Second used binoculars are a hit and miss at best. I look for excellent clear glass. In other words lens' with as few impurities as I can afford. That allows more unrefracted light to pass though the binoculars to your eyes resulting in a brighter and more distinct image especially in low light times of the day.
Personally I have a couple pairs of Swarovski. Mostly because at my age I need all the light I can get to see an image. You may find equal Swarovski but you won't find better glass than Swarovski. However we are talking thousands not hundreds of dollars. Vortex is a pretty good brand that can also reach the thousand dollar mark but they have many models that would probably fit you need well below the thousand mark.

 

[Keith Williams]

Hoping to tap into the brain trust here.
I do a little deer hunting. I sit in a blind and don't need to carry them around or climb trees with them. A heavy or bulky pair is fine. Would probably make a leg to steady them on the floor.
The farthest I can see is about 180 yards. Beyond that is a hill. Want to be able to see the difference between a 7 and 8 point buck at that distance.
I know nothing about them.
Can spend a couple hundred $.
I don't need new unless they are Way Better.
Are used ones trustworthy?
There's lots of them on ebay, FBMP and CL
What power do I need? What brands should I look for?

I had to stand lookout watches in the Navy. Up on the flying bridge in a chair with binoculars that you could rotate seat and all. They were huge. Like 20" wide, 24" long 6" lenses on the big end.
Could see the girls in bikinis on the beach in the Bahamas from a mile away.
That was a long time ago.
I didn't know much about binoculars then either but I knew to look at the girls.
Nowdays I just want a decent pair
for hunting.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Ultradog,
I will give you a different take on this problem.
I carry a small range finder, 6X I believe, Leopold brand. Dual function and good enough to count points. It helps me dial my scope for distance.

If you want to continue on the binoc train, remember the second number is the size of the objective lens in MM.
Divide that by the magnification and you get the size of the exit image in MM.

An eye can process a 5 MM image in normal light, that's why you see 7X35's, 8X42's and 10X50's.
In low light conditions, your pupils open up a little and you can process a bigger image (around 7 MM).
That's why you see 7X50's, 10x70's etc, for low light work. Like in astronomy or hunting in the early morning or late evening.
This further explains why the high magnification binoc's don't have a bright image and are not good in low light conditions.
I hope that helps a little in your search.
Keith

 

[DennisDW]

I just bought a pair of Halo K2000 range finding binos on recommendation from a YouTube hunter. So far I like them and they didn't break the bank.

https://www.amazon.com/Halo-Optics-K2000-Rangefinder-Binoculars/dp/B0DV6F8B9Q/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=187936274522&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6tO2b7phwNDQU_-d7KSlz-i1CZGwWOAUtovGIbcjuxljI67Op9rxTYcauAbaqSppFF3frCxd9dTCFq-MwlFlTcMzPmpfqUz6ryhqMjMxkPQ.c-lsXqlLacp6Eyl2J_aS3wH_nqJXgE-fMV9SZadY8O8&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779545580092&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9017487&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=16127502951669911389--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16127502951669911389&hvtargid=kwd-2448701290210&hydadcr=19100_13698087_9741&keywords=halo+k2000&mcid=0fe35fd7202c3d419ef74da961f84556&qid=1790769204&sr=8-1