8x vs 10x vs 12x Binoculars

[JW@TRACT]

I have a 6x rangefinder, so i feel an 8x bino might be a bit of an overlap so I decided to only look at 10x's. is this sound philosphy?

Great question. @AZ_Hunter_2000 provided a really great answer (and a fun activity to try at work!). Where are you hunting primarily? While a rangefinder is a good tool for the quick, close-in looks, it's hard to beat the all-around effects of a bino. If you're in bigger country, the 10x is a great choice. If you're in tighter hardwoods, the wider field of view of the 8x is a preference for many hunters. Check out the attached photo. It's a pretty good example of how your FOV may differ with 8x vs 10x. Thanks again for joining the discussion!

 

[Fatcamp]

8X and 15X Meostar is where I'm at now. Would like 10X and 12X as well. LOL.

 

[BangNasty]

Great question. @AZ_Hunter_2000 provided a really great answer (and a fun activity to try at work!). Where are you hunting primarily? While a rangefinder is a good tool for the quick, close-in looks, it's hard to beat the all-around effects of a bino. If you're in bigger country, the 10x is a great choice. If you're in tighter hardwoods, the wider field of view of the 8x is a preference for many hunters. Check out the attached photo. It's a pretty good example of how your FOV may differ with 8x vs 10x. Thanks again for joining the discussion!

oh wow, what distance is that comparison at?

I actually haven't really officially gone hunting yet, but i want to. I live in southern California. Here to learn as much as i can before i attempt to go. I have a bow and a rifle.

 

[WCB]

I live in the upper midwest...hunt heavy timber/brush but spend more time in the west hunting. I use 12x 100% of the time. My rifle scope is normally set on the highest setting (10x, 12x, or 16x) depending on the scope. It works for me.

10x is probably the best all round for 99% of guys. Put them on a tripod and they work fine out west. I don't have a problem hand holding 12x for scanning or getting a general idea. If I am actually glassing or judging the go on a tripod anyways.

IMO 8x are worthless unless you simply can not hold steady enough. My dads right hand shakes really bad and 8x works for him. He has really good eye sight and can hunt/spot with the best of them. However, since moving to 8x I definitely have to pinpoint stuff at long range and when I can tell it is a good 4x4 or get more definition he can just tell if it has a good frame or not.

 

[JW@TRACT]

oh wow, what distance is that comparison at?

I actually haven't really officially gone hunting yet, but i want to. I live in southern California. Here to learn as much as i can before i attempt to go. I have a bow and a rifle.

It's probably about 50 yards. WELCOME to the hunting community! If there are any questions we can help you answer, please don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[Michael54]

I have 8x here in pa and while they work i'd much rather have 10x. Spotting game isn't that hard here. Counting points and making sure its legal is the hard part.

 

[Rob5589]

10's seem to be the right compromise of steadiness in hand and magnification.

 

[JW@TRACT]

I live in the upper midwest...hunt heavy timber/brush but spend more time in the west hunting. I use 12x 100% of the time. My rifle scope is normally set on the highest setting (10x, 12x, or 16x) depending on the scope. It works for me.

10x is probably the best all round for 99% of guys. Put them on a tripod and they work fine out west. I don't have a problem hand holding 12x for scanning or getting a general idea. If I am actually glassing or judging the go on a tripod anyways.

IMO 8x are worthless unless you simply can not hold steady enough. My dads right hand shakes really bad and 8x works for him. He has really good eye sight and can hunt/spot with the best of them. However, since moving to 8x I definitely have to pinpoint stuff at long range and when I can tell it is a good 4x4 or get more definition he can just tell if it has a good frame or not.

Thanks for the feedback. You're rock steady for sure, using 12x all the time and hand holding at that. It does come down to image stability a lot of time and 10x usually meets that criteria of stability and FOV.

 

[JW@TRACT]

I have 8x here in pa and while they work i'd much rather have 10x. Spotting game isn't that hard here. Counting points and making sure its legal is the hard part.

If you're easily seeing game but need a closer look, especially when laws come into play, then 10x is a great option. Thank you for your comment!

 

[JW@TRACT]

10's seem to be the right compromise of steadiness in hand and magnification.

Great point. And seems to be the general consensus of the group. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I don't know how everyone else feels, but a 8x30 rf bino would be sweet to pack with my 12x ELs. Or even better, a 12x50 rf bino with Schott glass and a ~300 ft FOV, shut up and take my money.

 

[Michael54]

I don't know how everyone else feels, but a 8x30 rf bino would be sweet to pack with my 12x ELs. Or even better, a 12x50 rf bino with Schott glass and a ~300 ft FOV, shut up and take my money.

Id rather have 10x with the same fov as a good pair of 8x. Honestly i wish i had a place close to me that carried Maven, Tract, leupold, nikon, kowa, meopta, and zeiss so i could look through all of the $500 to $800 binos and compare them all. I've been looking for a year now and find it hard to spend that kind of money without being able to put my hands on all of my options before i make a decision.

 

[Firehawk]

Id rather have 10x with the same fov as a good pair of 8x. Honestly i wish i had a place close to me that carried Maven, Tract, leupold, nikon, kowa, meopta, and zeiss so i could look through all of the $500 to $800 binos and compare them all. I've been looking for a year now and find it hard to spend that kind of money without being able to put my hands on all of my options before i make a decision.

Considering both Tract and Maven are direct to consumer type of companies, that may be difficult. That said, Maven does their demo program to give you that opportunity. Not sure if Tract does.

 

[Michael54]

Considering both Tract and Maven are direct to consumer type of companies, that may be difficult. That said, Maven does their demo program to give you that opportunity. Not sure if Tract does.

The nice thing about me putting the kibash to all of my hunting trip plans this year is it gives me a chance to get behind more glass before i buy. I'm just looking for something better than the vipers without spending 3 times as much.

 

[JW@TRACT]

Considering both Tract and Maven are direct to consumer type of companies, that may be difficult. That said, Maven does their demo program to give you that opportunity. Not sure if Tract does.

We offer a 30-Day no questions asked return policy as long as the product is sent back in the original packaging. @Michael54 @Firehawk

 

[scott_co]

I have been using the Vortex Razor HDs 10x42, but this year I will be upgrading to the Swaro NL Pure 12x42. I hunt mainly in CO and south TX, and the Pure 12's seem like a great fit for my hunting needs.

I will get better resolution and ability see more detail with the 12s without a significant change in FOV.

 

[outdoor_matt]

I use 8x42 Leica Ultravid HD+ and use them here in Southern Albera, where I get a good mix of vast prairie/coulees and mountains just to the west. I wish I could compare them to a good set of 12's just to see the difference, and if it's a big deal. It probably would help a lot in certain situations.

But in order to keep myself satisfied, and not running after other binos I tell myself things like
-8x42's on a tripod are extremely good; my reasoning is that with binos I am only looking for movement, and because I have a wider FOV with 8's, I don't have to pan as often as someone with higher mag to cover the same terrain-maybe I catch more movement because I'm moving less? I could totally be wrong, but I have no problem finding animals at long ranges when the binos are tripod mounted.
-handholding 8's is great, especially when archery hunting
-once I move out of 8x range, I just bring up my Kowa 30x WA spotter and that pulls in the longer ranges-I'm pretty comfortable glassing for extended periods with it and using it for searching; it feels like a pretty versatile combo for me, though I know I could totally be missing out haha

 

[JW@TRACT]

I have been using the Vortex Razor HDs 10x42, but this year I will be upgrading to the Swaro NL Pure 12x42. I hunt mainly in CO and south TX, and the Pure 12's seem like a great fit for my hunting needs.

I will get better resolution and ability see more detail with the 12s without a significant change in FOV.

Indeed, the 12x is a great choice for the flat country of South Texas and the mountains of Colorado. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[JW@TRACT]

I use 8x42 Leica Ultravid HD+ and use them here in Southern Albera, where I get a good mix of vast prairie/coulees and mountains just to the west. I wish I could compare them to a good set of 12's just to see the difference, and if it's a big deal. It probably would help a lot in certain situations.

But in order to keep myself satisfied, and not running after other binos I tell myself things like
-8x42's on a tripod are extremely good; my reasoning is that with binos I am only looking for movement, and because I have a wider FOV with 8's, I don't have to pan as often as someone with higher mag to cover the same terrain-maybe I catch more movement because I'm moving less? I could totally be wrong, but I have no problem finding animals at long ranges when the binos are tripod mounted.
-handholding 8's is great, especially when archery hunting
-once I move out of 8x range, I just bring up my Kowa 30x WA spotter and that pulls in the longer ranges-I'm pretty comfortable glassing for extended periods with it and using it for searching; it feels like a pretty versatile combo for me, though I know I could totally be missing out haha

Great points. I think you have a perfect glassing regimen what with the 8xs allowing nothing to slip by unnoticed and the spotting scope coming in for extreme long range needs. Thank you for your comment!

 

[Beendare]

Assuming that you can only afford one pair of quality binoculars...
* If you hunt in thick stuff, then go with 8s or smaller.
* If you hunt primarily in thick stuff with somewhat regular hunts in open spaces, go with 10s.
* If you hunt primarily in open spaces, go with 12s or 15s.

No matter what route you go, there will be compromises if you use them outside your primary hunting area.

If you go out west, put whatever binocular you have on a tripod. Take two people with the same skill level and binoculars; one handholds the binoculars and the other uses a tripod. The tripod user will find more game than the one handholding his binoculars. More power to the those that glass with a spotter; tried that and it was not for me. I'll stick with my SLC 10s or 15s and pull out the STX when needed.

The clarity of glass has a greater impact on your ability to find game than magnification. I'd rather take my SLC 10s in the field to glass than a pair of 12x/15x Wal-Mart specials. Here are two real life examples:

1) Hunting axis deer in Hawaii. Could not see the herd with my Viper HD 8s. But I could see the herd very clearly with the guide's EL 8s. Same magnification but significantly different optical clarity.

2) Looked at a full moon with an old Vortex Nomad spotting scope. Saw enough detail to like what I saw (ignorance is bliss). Looked at the same moon (in order) with my Viper 8s, SLC 10s, and SLC 15s. Despite significantly less magnification than the Nomad, I saw a lot more detail due to better optical clarity. On a related note, my SLC 10s blew away the Vipers and the SLC 15s (thanks to additional magnification but same optical clarity) were better than the SLC 10s. On a more comparable magnification comparison, my STX 65 blew away the Nomad. The optical clarity was not even close. Then for grins I looked at the same moon with my STX 95. It was impressive.

This is a great comment ^ nailed it.

I own top glass in 8,10, 15 and a spotter. ...and I guid alongside my buddy with the swaro 12x and the BTX.

Many experienced western guys think those 12x is Swaros best model....hard to argue, they are amazing. You wouldnt want them on many hunts Like whitetails- too much glass.

most guys go 10x and are happy.