Are 15x56 usable freehand? FOV too small?

[Shakeandbake]

So I run some slc 8x42 for hunting and 12x50 razors in my bag if I want to glass around. This is for east coast whitetail hunting, big woods, fields, marshes only. IMO there is not a huge difference in magnification between the two. It’s there but not huge. I’m thinking of replacing the 12’s with 15’s. I really don’t like spotting scopes but the 12’s are lacking. How is the free hand holding with the 15’s? I didn’t have a problem with 12’s. Also is FOV that much tighter?

 

[Kenn]

If you don't notice much difference between 8X and 12X I can't think 15's would be a huge improvement. I have 15's and love them, but not to carry around with me and not to use without a tripod.

 

[mcr-85]

I'm selling a pair of Zeiss 15s because I don't like carrying 2 pair around. I also use a spotting scope. Three optics is too much for me

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Austink47]

For me and my eyes 15’s without out a tripod just doesn’t work. I love 15’s don’t get me wrong, but freehand I rather have 10’s.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

15s are fine for a quick glance. Anything over a second or two (holding your hat brim for support) and it is downhill.

For your type of hunting, can you not throw your Razors on a lightweight tripod? They should be able to allow you to really extend your range compared to your SLC 8s. You cannot pick apart the terrain at distance holding them free-hand.

 

[Tmac]

I can’t hold my 15x free hand much at all. Love them on a tripod. I struggle with my 12x, they go on a tripod too. Everyone is different. Is there a store near by where you can try some 15’s?

 

[White Mamba]

If you want to handhold 15 or 18s get the Cannon IS

 

[willfrye027]

You can throw 15s up to get a quick look at something. But you won’t really see any more detail than you could with your 12x, or probably 8x for that matter. There is too much movement handholding them. If you put all your binos on a tripod, the magnification difference will be more obvious. The pictures may look pretty close to the same, but your brain is more able to pick out deer like objects at farther distance with a higher magnification. Even resting your 8s on a walking/shooting stick will allow you to see a ton more than you can free handing them.

 

[Wrench]

I'm with everyone else. I see more details with my 8x than 15 just because the view in the 15x is always moving. I can settle in with the 8x.

 

[Randonee]

I can use my 15x freehand to quickly check something out, but too unstable for me to actually glass and explore.

 

[5MilesBack]

I used 15x56's for 3D all the time, just rested them on my top cam while studying the target. If I was sitting I would do as I have done with my 10's.........rest my elbows on my knees. But I don't glass for hours on end. If I did, I'd have them on a tripod.

 

[Steve C]

Magnification can be both your friend and your enemy. It seems to be universally held that more of anything is better than less. I agree sometimes more is better. Magnification does the obvious, it increases the size of the image we see. It also magnifies everything else you can think of too. Next to the image, the next most obvious thing is the magnification of movement. Most obvious are muscle tremors, either from being tired or from not having the steadiest hold desirable. As the shake starts, so does our effort to counter it. That just makes things worse. Breathing and pulse rate factor in here too. The stars typically align for best handheld use in the 7-10x range. You are better off, in my opinion with lesser magnification that can be held steady. Some can use more than 10x. I can handle 12x for a while, but without a tripod, I'm just fooling myself at 15x. After muscle shake, the next most obvious is magnification of heat waves. On a recent hotter than hell Beatty's Butte Antelope hunt with my nephew, the mirage was so bad that I was glad I had thrown in a couple of 7x binoculars. They were usable. The 10x were just a blur. Increasing magnification also reduces the depth of the field that is in focus.

I would venture the opinion that you probably will not enjoy the 15x freehand. Somebody said they doubted you would see a lot of difference with trhe 15x vs the 12x. I tend to agree with that view. Personally if I can't get the view I need at 8 or 10x, then 20x is about where I need to be. I dislike spotters, so I'm considering 18x and a tripod. It is also my opinion that focus quality is at least as important as optical quality at 15x and up. You can jump through a narrower depth of focus pretty quick with a tight, or too fast, or sloppy focus. At any rate I agree that with 15x, a tripod is a must have. A good tripod. Don't skimp on the tripod.

 

[Brian Fahs]

Pennsylvania boy here.

I run 10x42 el sv binos in my chest rig. I do not hunt without them. Period. I have an outdoorsmans stud in them and often use them on a quality tripod if in open field areas.

My 15x56 slc hds are strictly run on a tripod.
I own 3 alpha spotters and seldom use them
The 15s are phenomenal. I can see everything I need to 99% of the time with them in the areas I hunt.

I dont even think about hand holding the 15s. When I am rock solid on the tripod the 15s just pop. Any movement by game jumps out at you. It's almost unfair.

 

[Shakeandbake]

Pennsylvania boy here.

I run 10x42 el sv binos in my chest rig. I do not hunt without them. Period. I have an outdoorsmans stud in them and often use them on a quality tripod if in open field areas.

My 15x56 slc hds are strictly run on a tripod.
I own 3 alpha spotters and seldom use them
The 15s are phenomenal. I can see everything I need to 99% of the time with them in the areas I hunt.

I dont even think about hand holding the 15s. When I am rock solid on the tripod the 15s just pop. Any movement by game jumps out at you. It's almost unfair.

Your going to make me buy 15 slc’s lol. I listened to a lot of PA old timers for a while telling me you don’t need optics in the big woods. I bought a pair of 8x42 slc’s a few back and have been kicking myself in the butt ever since for not doing it sooner. What a difference.

 

[Brian Fahs]

In northern pa big woods guys used to hunt and shoot mountain to mountain for whitetails regularly. I remember as a kid seeing a group of guys glassing across a huge valley to a snow covered mountain. I knew nothing of this type hunting. I was fascinated by the bench mounted rifle and the long unertyl scope on it. The set of tripod mounted double spotting scopes they were using made me drool. I vividly remember looking through them and seeing deer TRACKS on the far mountain. I was hooked.

I promptly went to the local Kmart and bought my first binos. Tasco 7x35......

Over the past 40 years I have bought and sold my way up to a pretty considerable stable full of alpha optics. It has been an individual progression for me as very few of the hunters I know here own or use alpha glass.

When I discovered tripod mounting binos I knew I gained a hell of an edge in finding game. Alpha glass on alpha tripod equipment is a game changer.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I found I could use 15's handheld if I was moving slowly (low breathing and heart rates) but if I was on the move to get somewhere and saw something that I wanted to check out, super frustrating. So I guess it depends on your hunting style.