Question About Pairing Binoculars

Desert Dan

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Hey guys.
I cringed a little when I sat down to write this up because of how passionate discussions about optics can become. Thankfully this post has nothing to do with which brand to buy but will ask for any and all opinions and experience using two different magnification levels of binoculars as part of your setup you carry while hunting and scouting, and what you have personally found to be the most effective. I have read all I can read about the 10x42 vs 8x42 debate, especially when they're paired with another higher magnification binocular, and I have tried to apply what I've read to make a decision but before pulling the trigger on anything I wanted to put this out there to cast a wide net and see what you all can contribute.

So... at this moment I have no optics at all whatsoever. The shelf is empty. I sold both pairs I had and am upgrading to higher quality. Previously I ran a combination of 10x42 on a chest harness used for quick looks, initial scans and on the move and a 15x56 on a tripod. The 10s were of entry level quality and the 15s were mid level. I really liked the functionality of the 15s and will probably pick up another pair to use in the same way, which btw is for glassing mule deer and coues deer in typical desert sage/manzanita/mesquite terrain in southern Arizona. I will also say that whichever option I go with the glass will be of very high quality but I'm not asking which binoculars I should buy. I will not be adding a spotting scope at this time.

Initially I was heavily leaning toward the 10x42 but Robby Denning's thoughts on good 8x42s in Hunting Big Mule Deer while covering the optics he uses really opened me up to other options and combinations. Based on your experience, and now with other magnification options available, would you recommend the 8x42 or 10x42 with a 15x56 or any other combination such as 9x45 with 18x56, etc? If you have experience or an opinion please explain rather than just saying "I like X and Y." Thank you all in advance and I look forward to reading about your experience with your different configurations, past and present!

dan
 

gr8fuldoug

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Hey Dan,
If you're thinking a 2 binocular set up I would think the best option would be an 8x42, giving you a wider FOV and better ease of hand held scanning and stability and then the 15x56 to confirm what you see with the 8x.
It would be my pleasure to discuss this with you if you have time to give a call, 516-217-1000.
 

Kotaman

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Hey Dan,
If you're thinking a 2 binocular set up I would think the best option would be an 8x42, giving you a wider FOV and better ease of hand held scanning and stability and then the 15x56 to confirm what you see with the 8x.
It would be my pleasure to discuss this with you if you have time to give a call, 516-217-1000.

If you’re gonna carry two pair, I agree with this 100%.
 

Trial153

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I run 12x50 and 8x32 for almost all my mule deer hunting if I am bringing two pair. If I am just bringing one it’s 10x42.
 

Steve O

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If you mus carry two, I agree 8 and 15.

I hunted elk with some stone cold killers in AZ last fall that all used 15s for EVERYTHING and I could not argue with their success. I find 10s to be great for everything, but if I was in your shoes I would be using my Leica Duovid 10/15s. They are a superb binocular.

I run all my binos off a tripod just about 100% of the time.
 
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Desert Dan

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Thanks guys. I think ultimately it will come down to the choice between the 8 and 10x42s in a high quality optic paired with a 15. One thing I failed to mention in the original post was that aside from when I'm on the move 90% of my glassing is done from a tripod with the remainder of the time coming from the times I pull up the 10s to look at something closer while the 15s are already on top of the tripod.
You guys pretty much hit the nail on the head. Thanks again and take care.

dan
 

MattB

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I roll 10x and 15x, but know some good hunters who use 8/8.5x and 15x and some who use 12x only.
 

muddydogs

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I moved up to 12x as my everyday carry bino's and am very happy with them. I find with the 12x I can get a good look at things but if your set on 2 bino's it probably doesn't make sense to carry a 12x pair. My buddy just showed me his 18x binos as he is going to do the 2 bino system with a 10x carry pair but I didn't think the 18x were really all that great for checking things out at distance at least not when I'm used to a 20-60x spotter. I wounder if your thinking 15x wouldn't you be better off just carrying a pair of 12x bino's and saving the weight of two pair? Having used a pair of 12x for a couple years and knowing what I can see with them I wouldn't even consider the 15x as its not much more then my 12's, I would go 18x for sure.
 

RosinBag

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I can't think of anytime I would have ever carried two pair of binoculars. I run a spotter and binos on every hunt except elk in dark timber. I spent numerous days behind the 12x50 ELs and the 15x56 SLCs and I honestly think the 12's out ran the 15's in every aspect of glassing. I also run my 12's around my neck and are just as manageable as 10's are for glassing off hand and I think better than the 15s off a tripod.
 
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Hey Dan,

My style of deer hunting for southern Az in some wide open country aligns with yours. I'm running 15s off the tripod all day until I have located something. After that, the 15s and tripod are going in the backpack and I'm on foot where I fall back to 10s in a chest harness from this point on. At that stage, I essentially don't even have the 15s unless it comes to serious relocation needs and I'm setting the tripod back up.

Yes they are a system but it is really one pair or the other in each specific point of time. I am never sitting there asking which set I should look through, where a wider gap in magnification between the two sets could make sense.

The final question for me on the topic is, do I want 8s or 10s when approaching a previously located animal from 800+ yards out into bow or rifle range. I find it much easier to keep tabs on them with the 10s while I approach, especially when talking mule and coues deer in desert terrain.

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WRO

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I can't think of anytime I would have ever carried two pair of binoculars. I run a spotter and binos on every hunt except elk in dark timber. I spent numerous days behind the 12x50 ELs and the 15x56 SLCs and I honestly think the 12's out ran the 15's in every aspect of glassing. I also run my 12's around my neck and are just as manageable as 10's are for glassing off hand and I think better than the 15s off a tripod.
You had the exact same results as me, I can carry my 95 now because I dumped the 15s and the 8s.



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Desert Dan

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Great thoughts on the EL 12s. I would love to hear more about their steadiness and FOV as opposed to the SLC 8s. Quite honestly a major consideration is the fact that my budget is not unlimited and if I decided to go with EL 12s I would not be able to afford a spotting scope for at least a year, meaning I will have to use them for all of my glassing in the mean time. With what I have saved up I can afford very good 8 and 15s right now and my plan is to pick up a spotting scope either next year or the year after depending on when I can save up the money for it. Once I have a spotting scope I will have the flexibility to choose either the spotter or the 15 depending on the hunt. For that reason, while I will still consider going with the 12s, I'm leading towards 8s and 15s and adding the spotter when I can.
 

muddydogs

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I can't think of anytime I would have ever carried two pair of binoculars. I run a spotter and binos on every hunt except elk in dark timber. I spent numerous days behind the 12x50 ELs and the 15x56 SLCs and I honestly think the 12's out ran the 15's in every aspect of glassing. I also run my 12's around my neck and are just as manageable as 10's are for glassing off hand and I think better than the 15s off a tripod.

I carry my 12's in a S4 Gear harness or a bino pack that Rugged Stitch made for me. Heck last fall my wife went with me on an AZ strip deer hunt so I borrowed a buddies 12x binos and she carried them just fine in a S4 Gear harness. They were a little heavy for her after a long day and she had trouble holding them steady after glassing with them for a while so for Christmas I picked her up a pair of 10x binos. Myself and about 3 of my buddys have all switched to 12x binos and we all like them, none of us have any problem holding them steady when glassing off hand.

I think if guys would give the 12x bino's a try and stop listening to the guys telling internet hearsay and untried opinions more guys would be switching to the 12x bino's. I'm sure glad I didn't follow the crowd and listened to the few drowned out posts I found will searching the internet about the bino power subject that sang the praises of 12 or better powered bino's.
 
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Desert Dan

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C'mon guys. No need to attack other guys' setups or label them as internet hearsay. One of this site's owners has made a strong case for 8s and 15s and if anyone on here wants to question his accomplishments by all means go ahead. Frankly, having to decide between which Swarovski's I want to buy is a pretty damn good problem to have so if you don't mind let's keep the conversation in a positive light. All of your experience is invaluable because I don't have the opportunity to take different optics choices into the field to find what works best for me. I'm leaning on you guys because I (and guys like me) are trying to make a decision that will cost thousands of dollars for gear that I will have to depend on for years in the field. For that reason I want to make the best decision based on what I hunt, where I hunt, and how I hunt. It's not personal if someone has a different preference in optics.

So with that being said, for you guys that are happy running 12s, what kind of terrain do you hunt the most, what animals are you after, and how much time do you spend glassing with them off a tripod? If I buy the EL 12s will I be good to go both free hand glassing for tiny coues deer in manzanitas as well as having enough power to glass well at longer distances? Please keep in mind they will be my only glass for awhile. Thanks.
 

WRO

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Great thoughts on the EL 12s. I would love to hear more about their steadiness and FOV as opposed to the SLC 8s. Quite honestly a major consideration is the fact that my budget is not unlimited and if I decided to go with EL 12s I would not be able to afford a spotting scope for at least a year, meaning I will have to use them for all of my glassing in the mean time. With what I have saved up I can afford very good 8 and 15s right now and my plan is to pick up a spotting scope either next year or the year after depending on when I can save up the money for it. Once I have a spotting scope I will have the flexibility to choose either the spotter or the 15 depending on the hunt. For that reason, while I will still consider going with the 12s, I'm leading towards 8s and 15s and adding the spotter when I can.
Buy the 12x50s and then search for deal on a euro last gen spotter..

I know where there is a set of used el 12x50s for 1900 and you should be able to track down a spotter for like 1600 from a bargain cave.

I'm not a fan of the 8x42slcs, the 8x32s are like 400.00 more and way more than 400.00 better.

The only thing you might give up a butt hair on is light transmission, but they kill the slcs in weight, ergonomics, and fov.

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WRO

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C'mon guys. No need to attack other guys' setups or label them as internet hearsay. One of this site's owners has made a strong case for 8s and 15s and if anyone on here wants to question his accomplishments by all means go ahead. Frankly, having to decide between which Swarovski's I want to buy is a pretty damn good problem to have so if you don't mind let's keep the conversation in a positive light. All of your experience is invaluable because I don't have the opportunity to take different optics choices into the field to find what works best for me. I'm leaning on you guys because I (and guys like me) are trying to make a decision that will cost thousands of dollars for gear that I will have to depend on for years in the field. For that reason I want to make the best decision based on what I hunt, where I hunt, and how I hunt. It's not personal if someone has a different preference in optics.

So with that being said, for you guys that are happy running 12s, what kind of terrain do you hunt the most, what animals are you after, and how much time do you spend glassing with them off a tripod? If I buy the EL 12s will I be good to go both free hand glassing for tiny coues deer in manzanitas as well as having enough power to glass well at longer distances? Please keep in mind they will be my only glass for awhile. Thanks.
This is the kind of country I spend most of my time in, big canyons, long range glassing. I'm blessed to spend 40 days plus between guiding and hunting in it a year.

That being said, I carry 8x32els in the rainforest hunting Roosevelt's.

I figure I'm about 85% on a tripod and 15% hand held.
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Desert Dan

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Buy the 12x50s and then search for deal on a euro last gen spotter..

I know where there is a set of used el 12x50s for 1900 and you should be able to track down a spotter for like 1600 from a bargain cave.

I'm not a fan of the 8x42slcs, the 8x32s are like 400.00 more and way more than 400.00 better.

The only thing you might give up a butt hair on is light transmission, but they kill the slcs in weight, ergonomics, and fov.

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Thanks man. I was reading some more (i.e. obsessing) and an older thread popped up with some great answers. The part I was sticking on was the 12s being too shaky free hand, too narrow a field of view (then I compared them with the SLC 8s... not the case) and not quite strong enough at further distances. After doing some more reading I am not very concerned about that anymore. At the very least I think they will do a more than adequate go-to job until I can get a spotter to really reach out. Thanks again and to all you guys for helping me out.

dan
 

muddydogs

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I wasn't saying anything about posters on this thread, what I was getting at is if you read older threads on this and other forums guys are always spouting off about how 12x are two heavy, to shaky or what not.
I haven't said much about the two bino system but I don't see the need myself. A nice 12x bino and a spotter is more versatile then a 10x and 18x bino in my opinion. Only thing I like about the 2 bino system is being able to have both eyes open and not spending all day trying to keep one eye closed while looking through a spotter. I just can't do the both eyes open when running my spotter.

I've used my 12x bino's on the Wyoming plains chasing antelope, Arizona pinyon / juniper scrub chasing mule deer and the forests or norther Utah looking for elk. I don't put mine on a tripod very often as I usually run free hand or elbows on my knees if I'm setting. If I have my tripod trigger stick along I'll use them to rest the bino's on sometimes.
 
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Trial153

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I can’t run my 12x50 EL’s freehand, especially while juggling a bow. I find the 12x off a tri pod is more then enough glass for me to decide is an animal worth a closer look and the 12x els are the best game finding glass I have used bar none. I only need a spotter in very limited situations, if sold it I probably wouldn’t miss it unit a miracle happens and I have Sheep tag.
My 8x32 els are the perfect glass to use while I am on a stalk, I can handle them one handed and the wide field of view let’s me pick up my target quick.
As for being heretic, it never bothered me in the least.
 
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Desert Dan

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I wasn't saying anything about posters on this thread, what I was getting at is if you read older threads on this and other forums guys are always spouting off about how 12x are two heavy, to shaky or what not.
I haven't said much about the two bino system but I don't see the need myself. A nice 12x bino and a spotter is more versatile then a 10x and 18x bino in my opinion. Only thing I like about the 2 bino system is being able to have both eyes open and not spending all day trying to keep one eye closed while looking through a spotter. I just can't do the both eyes open when running my spotter.

No worries I totally understand. I'm really thinking seriously about those EL 12s now. Fortunately I have a few weeks at least until I'll even have the cash in hand so I'm going to continue to look into them. Sometimes though I have to remind myself that each are extremely high quality optics and if I use them right I'll be successful at finding game. I'll be happy with any Swarovski's regardless of which ones I go with. Thanks again for your input.

dan
 
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