8x vs. 10x - my take

[fwafwow]

Great thread - subscribed.

I am currently debating carrying Tract 8x42 vs 10x42 Leupold McKenzies and *was* leaning towards the latter due to the 6 oz. weight difference, which I would guess is more due to glass quality than the magnification difference. Which 8x do you recommend taking into consideration weight savings?

 

[Blue72]

Amazon has the eye pieces too

Amazon.com : Nikon Fieldscope Eyepiece eye lens 27X 40X 50X Wide DS 40XWDS Improt JPN : Camera & Photo

Amazon.com : Nikon Fieldscope Eyepiece eye lens 27X 40X 50X Wide DS 40XWDS Improt JPN : Camera & Photo

www.amazon.com

 

[Blue72]

Here is how to put Astro eye pieces on the Ed 50

Adapting 1.25" Astronomy Eyepieces to the Nikon ED50

Owners of the little Nikon ED50 spotting scope who want wider fields than zoom eyepieces provide and do not have a full assortment of the hard-to-find Nikon wide field fixed focal length eyepieces may want to adapt astronomy eyepieces to their scope. An excellent post suggesting this was made by...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Blockcaver]

I bought my Nikon ED50 used with a 27X Wide angle and 13-30X eye piece. I tried both on an eye chart...the 27X has better resolution than the zoom, (would sell it) as I prefer the 13-30X for hunting use.

 

[North61]

I have pretty much switched to 10's for mountain use. From sitting with elbows over knees you can steady the 10's for more resolution than 8's. On a Tripod the 10's jump ahead even further. For bush or all around use I go to 8's or even 6's. I have 6x32 Vipers that work great from the canoe as there is always movement on the water and woods on either side in moose country. The depth of field is also amazing. I'd switch to 8's north of the tree-line in the canoe.

If I wanted one binocular it would be an 8. It's usable pretty much everywhere. The 10's are terrible in a Canoe but great on the mountain. I really like having 5mm of exit pupil for relaxed viewing and low light.

6x32 Canoe and deep woods
8x42 All around and mixed terrain
10x42 to 10x50 Mountain and North of the Tree line or Prairies

 

[timberbuck]

8x42 verses 10x42, my take after running many examples of both in premium brands.

It is true that the 8x42 will have a wider FOV,easier eye placement, greater depth of field and will be easier to hold steady. Also increased image brightness in low light.

10x42-will have greater resolving power in all lighting situations including and most importantly in low light due to its higher twilight factor. PERIOD

Yes the image in low light will be brighter with the 8x42 but resolution will be greater with the 10x42 which is important to hunters judging trophy quality, looking for antler tips etc. This is why the 10x42 is more popular with hunters.

 

[Dirty-D]

I would like to throw in that glass trumps all.

I have compared swaro 8.5x42ELs to 10x42’s from vortex and Leupold and some cheap 12x50’s side by side. And the lower mag Bono’s destroyed them. Now when I’ve compared similar quality glass at the different powers then some of the observations about image resolution/ detail start to play out. I keep a cheap pair of vortex 10x because I got them so cheap and the kids can use them, but he 8.5x42 swaro EL’s go on all the hunting trips!

 

[Newtosavage]

10x42-will have greater resolving power in all lighting situations including and most importantly in low light due to its higher twilight factor. PERIOD

This may be true for your eyes, but not for mine. And I've tested this theory quite a bit in the past year. I can always see more detail in very low light, with the 8's over the 10's.

 

[Newtosavage]

I would like to throw in that glass trumps all.

I have compared swaro 8.5x42ELs to 10x42’s from vortex and Leupold and some cheap 12x50’s side by side. And the lower mag Bono’s destroyed them. Now when I’ve compared similar quality glass at the different powers then some of the observations about image resolution/ detail start to play out. I keep a cheap pair of vortex 10x because I got them so cheap and the kids can use them, but he 8.5x42 swaro EL’s go on all the hunting trips!

Of course. But my comments were - all things being equal - so like for like.

 

[NoWiser]

Yes the image in low light will be brighter with the 8x42 but resolution will be greater with the 10x42 which is important to hunters judging trophy quality, looking for antler tips etc. This is why the 10x42 is more popular with hunters.

I actually think the reason 10X42 is more popular is that most people automatically assume that bigger is better. Very few want to take their puny little 8X when all of their hunting buddies on the trip will have 10X. Heck, I have buddies that use 12X in Minnesota where you can't see more than 80 yards because they assume bigger is better. They wouldn't have a clue what resolving power is.

 

[Goose1327]

Okay, one more rambling for now...

My advice to anyone trying to decide what to buy first or in what order to buy or upgrade their optics would be this:

1) Start with the best 8x binoculars you can afford because you're likely to use them the most often and have them the longest. This IMO should be your "alpha" glass or as close to it as you can justify.

2) Add a lightweight spotter - for those glassing sessions when you've located something in your 8x that you need more information on. Lightweight spotters work great on the mountain but can still be very useful at the truck.

3) Add a good 10x - for open country in bright areas and when you ONLY want to carry one optic and expect to spend extended periods of time glassing during the day.

4) Add a large objective spotter - for judging trophy animals or ID'ing game from the truck or base camp.

I'm sure everyone's choices will vary depending on their hunting style, budget, preferences, etc. but this is what I've learned through my optics journey the past few years.

BTW, I'm between step 3 and 4.

Reviving an old thread; I’m currently trying to establish my very first optic set up. Eyeing a pair of 8x42s for archery hunting. Seeing your next step of a lightweight spotter, are there some out there that you’d recommend both budget and none budget. And by lightweight are you referring more to a monocular or no?

 

[Newtosavage]

No. Not monocular but lightweight spotting scope. My choice was the Nikon ED50 but there are several good choices in that class.

 

[Erussell01]

No. Not monocular but lightweight spotting scope. My choice was the Nikon ED50 but there are several good choices in that class.

Hey can you send me a pm, I am too new here to message you and I have a couple questions about binos that I am hoping you can answer! Thanks in advance

 

[richyrich408]

Anyone have info on the kowa-tsn-501?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[DEEF]

Anyone have info on the kowa-tsn-501?

I use the Kowa TSN-554. Clear glass. If I was tasked to improve it, I would clarify the outer edge focus and bump the magnification a couple clicks. I don't have experience with high cost glass, but I have a Maven c.3 12x50 bino and this spotter is comparitevly as clear and obviously better in low light. I don't know the word to describe the clarity of a background image when focusing on a foreground image, but it is more clear than the 12x50 bino. For the low weight and quality it was the best spotter when I purchased it three years ago.