Hoodie
WKR
Currently my main bino is the Meostar HD 12x50. Love the things. I can hand-hold them pretty well, but mostly I carry them in my pack for tripod use and run the Kowa BD ii 6.5x32 on my chest for easy hand-holding/timber stuff. I'm a big fan of them as well.
Those two combined weigh 58 ounces. I don't even remotely have a problem carrying both, and occasionally a spotter too, for any mountain deer hunting I do.
Next year for archery elk I'm potentially looking at bivy-hunting a few burn areas 4 plus miles from the truck. Distances I could conceivably be glassing will be up to a mile, but more likely 1/2 mile or so. The 12s seem like overkill for this but I'd like more reach than the 6.5x32s will give me.
I could lighten my pack by close to 2lbs if I pick up a 10x42 and use it as my only optic for the hunt. Tripod will be coming along regardless. I'm not looking to spend what I did on the Meoptas, but I'd like decent glass.
Stuff I'm considering from low end to high end:
Athlon Cronus UHD 8.5x42 for $269- I know it's not a 10x, but this seems dirt cheap based on what I've heard about these. Cons are they're fairly heavy.
Maven C1 used for $300- My buddy has the 8x42 in these and I was impressed for the price. FOV seems really small for a 10x42.
Kowa BD ii for $450- Love the 6.5s so I'm leaning heavily towards these. These are also the lightest at 22oz.
Leupold BX-4 for $500- Would specifically like to hear from people who can compare these to the Kowas.
Tract Toric for $690- Absolute top end of the budget, but people seem to rave about these.
I'm mostly looking for the best balance of pure image quality vs money spent. Field of view and depth of field are important, but not deal breakers. Ergonomics I can let slide.
Those two combined weigh 58 ounces. I don't even remotely have a problem carrying both, and occasionally a spotter too, for any mountain deer hunting I do.
Next year for archery elk I'm potentially looking at bivy-hunting a few burn areas 4 plus miles from the truck. Distances I could conceivably be glassing will be up to a mile, but more likely 1/2 mile or so. The 12s seem like overkill for this but I'd like more reach than the 6.5x32s will give me.
I could lighten my pack by close to 2lbs if I pick up a 10x42 and use it as my only optic for the hunt. Tripod will be coming along regardless. I'm not looking to spend what I did on the Meoptas, but I'd like decent glass.
Stuff I'm considering from low end to high end:
Athlon Cronus UHD 8.5x42 for $269- I know it's not a 10x, but this seems dirt cheap based on what I've heard about these. Cons are they're fairly heavy.
Maven C1 used for $300- My buddy has the 8x42 in these and I was impressed for the price. FOV seems really small for a 10x42.
Kowa BD ii for $450- Love the 6.5s so I'm leaning heavily towards these. These are also the lightest at 22oz.
Leupold BX-4 for $500- Would specifically like to hear from people who can compare these to the Kowas.
Tract Toric for $690- Absolute top end of the budget, but people seem to rave about these.
I'm mostly looking for the best balance of pure image quality vs money spent. Field of view and depth of field are important, but not deal breakers. Ergonomics I can let slide.