Big eyes??

[Nooch2222]

So been debating on moving to a big eyes/ Twin spotters setup! Have read a lot of reviews posted here and seems the Swarovski STC's would work great for me out here in Az! My current setup that works good for me is Swaro 12x50 els 15x56 slc and STX with 85mm objective. Had the BTX and didnt care for it. I could sell off everything or a custom rifle i have and go with twin spotters with 10 or 12 el ranges and would cover all my needs. Or am I thinking to much into it?

 

[hereinaz]

Go with 10xel ranges and 14 NL Pures. See if you still want the twin spotter if you really do want more magnification.

That’s what I am going to after having used everything you listed.

Check out Coueswhitetail forum, there are some discussions and there is a pair of Maven big eyes right now for sale.

 

[Nooch2222]

Go with 10xel ranges and 14 NL Pures. See if you still want the twin spotter if you really do want more magnification.

That’s what I am going to after having used everything you listed.

Check out Coueswhitetail forum, there are some discussions and there is a pair of Maven big eyes right now for sale.

Are you still carrying a spotter? That's where my hangup is. I like being able to zoom and digiscope.

 

[hereinaz]

Are you still carrying a spotter? That's where my hangup is. I like being able to zoom and digiscope.

I will carry one, I like the Kowa 55 for that for weight and clarity. Mostly, someone else with me has a big one.

If you like digiscoping, I would still get the two binos. The NL are amazing for AZ.

 

[nphunter]

I sold my ATC because it just wasn’t enough spotter for me, I think two STC’s would have the same issue.

Sold the ATC and my Meostar 15’s and bought NL14’s, recently bought some NL8x32’s for quick work and will be using my Meopta S2 spotter.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

big eyes are bitchin but man they are heavy and bulky when you're backpacking, atleast my kowa 30x66s are. But they are sure worth it. I killed my biggest coues ever in 2022 and would not have spotted him with 15s. I backpacked in 8 miles with them last year and it sucked ass but I'm sure glad I have them when I get to my spot. I have heard the stc's or kowa 55s are great and save a couple pounds over the 66's. This year i'll be packing the NL 12s with the big eyes. Big eyes with 12x range binos would be an az rifle hunter dream setup.

 

[willfrye027]

I am a fan of the big eyes. Especially in AZ they are pretty dang versatile and help me find stuff I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. You do lose some top end magnification/field judging ability to the ATX 85..but there is a hard to quantify benefit to looking through both eyes at 30-40x when judging animals. Lots of scanning at 17x replaces the need for 15s…and then you crank up to 25-30x for scanning thicker or way distant stuff. And full power if needed to get a closer look at a buck or something. It helps you very quickly move through the country during prime time. No time wasted switching between optics and re-finding stuff.

Currently using 8x and big eyes for some hunts, 8x and 14x for some hunts depending on terrain.

They are heavy but compact and balance really well on a tripod unlike the longer atx/btx.

They are solid for digiscoping but not as good as the ATX.

This was about 1 mile away at 35X with newest phone if I remember correctly.

 

[hereinaz]

I am a fan of the big eyes. Especially in AZ they are pretty dang versatile and help me find stuff I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. You do lose some top end magnification/field judging ability to the ATX 85..but there is a hard to quantify benefit to looking through both eyes at 30-40x when judging animals. Lots of scanning at 17x replaces the need for 15s…and then you crank up to 25-30x for scanning thicker or way distant stuff. And full power if needed to get a closer look at a buck or something. It helps you very quickly move through the country during prime time. No time wasted switching between optics and re-finding stuff.

Currently using 8x and big eyes for some hunts, 8x and 14x for some hunts depending on terrain.

They are heavy but compact and balance really well on a tripod unlike the longer atx/btx.

They are solid for digiscoping but not as good as the ATX. View attachment 870949

This was about 1 mile away at 35X with newest phone if I remember correctly.

These the STX?

 

[willfrye027]

These the STX?

STC big eyes. From my brief look through the mini kowa big eyes I thought the colors were nicer/less washed out than the swaro and I liked the dual focus knobs

 

[Antares]

So been debating on moving to a big eyes/ Twin spotters setup! Have read a lot of reviews posted here and seems the Swarovski STC's would work great for me out here in Az! My current setup that works good for me is Swaro 12x50 els 15x56 slc and STX with 85mm objective. Had the BTX and didnt care for it. I could sell off everything or a custom rifle i have and go with twin spotters with 10 or 12 el ranges and would cover all my needs. Or am I thinking to much into it?

I'll put in a shameless plug for myself. If you're thinking about going the big eyes route, I'll make you a good deal on a Kowa 884 adapter plate (see link below). Since the new Kowa 88S came out, I bet the used market on the discontinued 884s is pretty good.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/kowa-884-big-eyes-plate-adams-adapters.355336/

 

[Nooch2222]

I am a fan of the big eyes. Especially in AZ they are pretty dang versatile and help me find stuff I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. You do lose some top end magnification/field judging ability to the ATX 85..but there is a hard to quantify benefit to looking through both eyes at 30-40x when judging animals. Lots of scanning at 17x replaces the need for 15s…and then you crank up to 25-30x for scanning thicker or way distant stuff. And full power if needed to get a closer look at a buck or something. It helps you very quickly move through the country during prime time. No time wasted switching between optics and re-finding stuff.

Currently using 8x and big eyes for some hunts, 8x and 14x for some hunts depending on terrain.

They are heavy but compact and balance really well on a tripod unlike the longer atx/btx.

They are solid for digiscoping but not as good as the ATX. View attachment 870949

This was about 1 mile away at 35X with newest phone if I remember correctly.

Thank you for the response. I read your other post on another thread, that had me really debating going with the STC's. I spend a lot of time glassing and packing 10 or 12's my 15's and the spotter which probably weighs close to a chest bino and the twins in my pack. The 10 or 12's on the chest and twin spotters i think would be a great combo!

 

[hereinaz]

I contemplate big eyes every year, but if I saw something that far away I would have to go kill it, and a mile cross country in AZ desert is deceptive, Hahahha.

 

[willfrye027]

Here’s my AZ buck from January at 1.5 miles. Couldn’t count the points with the STC big eyes but I also didn’t need to..







Never felt the need for high magnification to field judge. If anything it’s led me astray in the past and talked me into bucks I didn’t really want to shoot

 

[Nooch2222]

Here’s my AZ buck from January at 1.5 miles. Couldn’t count the points with the STC big eyes but I also didn’t need to..




View attachment 871129


Never felt the need for high magnification to field judge. If anything it’s led me astray in the past and talked me into bucks I didn’t really want to shoot

Damn! Yea no need for zoom and that guy! 1.5 miles are you zoomed in on your phone also?

 

[hereinaz]

Dang son, nice hunting!

 

[willfrye027]

Damn! Yea no need for zoom and that guy! 1.5 miles are you zoomed in on your phone also?

Yes that’s zoomed/cropped with an iPhone from a video. I had also just left my phonescope adaptor on another glassing knob so it’s freehand but I imagine with a proper adaptor it would have been a little better photo quality

 

[RockAndSage]

STC big eyes. From my brief look through the mini kowa big eyes I thought the colors were nicer/less washed out than the swaro and I liked the dual focus knobs

Was this with the new Kowa 55s? Very strongly considering getting one of the setups, but they STC and Kowas each have pros and cons that haven't worked themselves out to me yet, and I haven't had a chance to look through either yet. Would love to hear your thoughts on compare and contrast between the Swaros and the Kowas, if you wouldn't mind.

 

[willfrye027]

I had a very brief look through the kowas helping my buddy get them set up. So I can’t say much conclusively but I did feel a preference for the warmer color tones of the kowa. The swaros to my eyes are just slightly too bright/washed out. Before big eyes I always preferred kowa over swaro slightly but that can certainly be personal preference. I would look at the Rokslide review comparing the two..it’s going to be the same overall differences in a big eye setup. I also like the dual focus knob on the kowa..easier to get perfectly focused. The IPD minimum on the kowa is also smaller and they felt ever so slightly more comfortable getting behind than the swaro maybe because the eyepieces are smaller and it feels closer to a normal binocular. Very minor stuff but if I could do it again I might go kowa.

The swaro being perfectly straight is such a nice compact package. I can slip them into my daypack hydration pouch.

I won’t be switching over but yeah the kowas might be a better choice for some guys and I think a little bit cheaper too. Would have to figure out a case situation for them as well.

I had the big eyes last year and my buddies kind of scoffed at them but now two of them have bought a set after glassing next to me and watching me find more deer..

 

[RockAndSage]

The swaro being perfectly straight is such a nice compact package.

Will try to dig up that article. This is one of the questions I had - footprint. From what you wrote, it sounds like the Swaros on the setup are a bit smaller of a package than the 55s?

 

[willfrye027]

Will try to dig up that article. This is one of the questions I had - footprint. From what you wrote, it sounds like the Swaros on the setup are a bit smaller of a package than the 55s?

They are a smaller package. About the same length but the kowas are taller because of the slight bend in the eyepiece if that makes sense. Not a deal breaker or deal maker just another factor. Probably comes down to personal preference on the ergonomics, focus wheel, and color bias.