8x42 Toric or Zulu7 OR 9x45 Zulu9

[yellarcat]

I had a pair of 8x42 Toric demos in my cart for $513 and when I clicked to buy them they were sold out. It looks like I might can get a pair of Sig Zulu7 8x42 in the $400 range but I can't find a lot of information about them. Tons on the Zulu9 which seem to be great are a little bit longer than the Zulu7 but same weight.

So should I keep looking for some Torics or are the Zulu7s a good sleeper bino as well?

Or just not worry about the size and get the 9x45 Zulu9s, which I understand are essentially the same as the Maven B2 so they are pretty good glass for the $580 that I can buy them for right now?

 

[has530]

I ordered the Zulu 9's 2 days ago and was contemplating the exact same models as you. What sold me was the bigger objectives and A-K prisms for lower light glassing (if I don't need it I can just bring my 8x32's). The thing that steered me away from the Tract's was the slightly truncated FOV which I know from my old vortex vipers I find irksome when trying to spot small critters in thicker woods. When they ever get out of MO and get here I will update!

 

[bird35]

I was in the same position. I ended up buying the zulu 7 and 9. I was really surprised by how much i ended up liking the zulu 7 8x42. The 7 are much smaller and like you said the same weight. I actually like the weight, they definitely feel solid in hand. They are easy to hold steady. I feel like they compare pretty closely to my Meopta meostar bd1 hd. They are sharp and have good resolution. I have no experience with the Tract but from what i hear they are great. I don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices.

 

[tblank]

I ordered the Zulu 9's 2 days ago and was contemplating the exact same models as you. What sold me was the bigger objectives and A-K prisms for lower light glassing (if I don't need it I can just bring my 8x32's). The thing that steered me away from the Tract's was the slightly truncated FOV which I know from my old vortex vipers I find irksome when trying to spot small critters in thicker woods. When they ever get out of MO and get here I will update!

I'm also in the market for some 8x42's. Have been leaning towards going with the Tract Toric on demo ~$500. Saw a few reviews complaining about the field of view, but the manufacturer specs have it listed at 377'. Do you think that is narrow enough to cause a tunnel vision effect? Here are some other 8x42 FOV's from the competition.

Maven B1 388'
Maven C1 341'
Leica Trinovid HD 372'
Vortex Razor HD 388'
Meopta MeoPro HD 377'
Sig Zulu7 378'
Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 368'

Sig Zulu9 378' (9x45)

 

[tblank]

I was in the same position. I ended up buying the zulu 7 and 9. I was really surprised by how much i ended up liking the zulu 7 8x42. The 7 are much smaller and like you said the same weight. I actually like the weight, they definitely feel solid in hand. They are easy to hold steady. I feel like they compare pretty closely to my Meopta meostar bd1 hd. They are sharp and have good resolution. I have no experience with the Tract but from what i hear they are great. I don't think you can go wrong with any of your choices.

I have seen the 8x42 zulu 7's listed at 27.7 oz and 33 oz, can you confirm which weight is correct?

 

[bird35]

I have seen the 8x42 zulu 7's listed at 27.7 oz and 33 oz, can you confirm which weight is correct?

I do not have a scale I can weigh mine on but I'm guessing they are the 27.7 and the 12x50 are the 33oz.

 

[yellarcat]

If I had another set of smaller binos I would definitely get the Zulu9s for the glass quality at that price. But this will be my first and only set so I need something that will work for archery elk hunting in Idaho, mostly in timber with the occasional open area glassing. So that's why I am thinking a more compact 8x42 with better FOV and low light performance might be best. Please correct me if my thinking is wrong though.

 

[has530]

I'm also in the market for some 8x42's. Have been leaning towards going with the Tract Toric on demo ~$500. Saw a few reviews complaining about the field of view, but the manufacturer specs have it listed at 377'. Do you think that is narrow enough to cause a tunnel vision effect? Here are some other 8x42 FOV's from the competition.

Maven B1 388'
Maven C1 341'
Leica Trinovid HD 372'
Vortex Razor HD 388'
Meopta MeoPro HD 377'
Sig Zulu7 378'
Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide 368'

Sig Zulu9 378' (9x45)

To me "tunnel vision" is really anything with <50 deg AFOV. If we use all simple formulas the AFOV of the tracts is about 58 deg which is perfectly respectable and probably not bothersome if having a wide fov is not important to you. However for me at a budget of over $500 a pair of bins should be able to correct a field of at least 7.5 deg in an 8x bin (my bushnell legend M series come in at 8.1 deg and sightron blue skys at 8.0 degrees for half the price!). As for competitors in the price range both nikon monarch 7 and vortex Viper have fields around 8 deg giving an AFOV of about 65 deg, same as the zulu 9's.

 

[joshincolorado]

I've been very happy with the track optics that I've purchased. I have a 8 x 42 as well as a 10x50 pair of binoculars. I'm not sure how they compared to the Zulu 7 or Zulu 9. If you can find a pair of demo binoculars, you should be able to sell them for at least as much as you paid for them if you decide to change your mind.