Building Your Optics “Set”

[Bowhunter50]

I definitely wouldn’t hunt mule deer without a spotter even if it’s a vanguard or an athlon.

I have 10x Swaro SLCs and a vanguard 65 spotter. I bought the vanguard planning on upgrading to a swaro down the road. I use my binos on a tripod the vast majority of the time and really only pull out the spotter to judge an animal I already found or zoom in on shady spots during the day. The vanguard has worked fine so far. I tested out some swaro spotters the other day outside a store looking at a hillside 5 miles away and they were amazing.


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[AK Shane]

You can get some excellent binos for around $1,000 these days. Beyond $1k the optical gain's for the money spent falls off very quickly. Being persistent and methodical while glassing is much more important than spending $2k on your binos.

For spotters, I bought a $650 Pentax spotter with the intent of upgrading after 3 or 4 years when I was making more money. Instead I ended up using that spotter for 10 years because it fit my needs and was pretty good glass. I eventually upgraded to a Swaro. More out of a want than a need. The Swar has better optics but my old Pentax still has better eye relief, better fine focus, is more compact and better balanced on a tripod. So there are even tradeoffs when spending the money on a Swaro.

 

[Tag_Soup]

I went with a "middle/high" end bino (Vortex Gen2 Razor HD 8x42) and an average spotter when I started out. If I had it to do again I would absolutely have gone with a premium bino like the Swaro SLC 10x42 and foregone the spotter. This may vary a bit by where you hunt, but I find in fairly big country that I am way better off finding more game with high end binos on a tripod and occasionally having to hike a bit to get a better look than I was finding less game and getting a better look at what I did find. I also found myself leaving the middle of the road spotter at home far more often than not because it didn't do me as much good as I would have hoped. The big key to me is putting the binos on a tripod any time you are going to glass.

One possible option that several friends have done is get a good set of 12x50's (again high end euro glass). They aren't easy to use handheld, but off a tripod they are amazing.

 

[Steve O]

Is it better to start with one good pair of 8x-10x binos and add more specialty optics over time (e.g. no spotter for a few years until you save up for a Swaro) or to buy something more affordable now (e.g. Athlon Ares) to “get in the game” with the expectation that you might upgrade down the line?

My instinct is that it would be better to have the affordable spotter than just binos and that the money lost in the upgrade later may be worth it for a few years of good hunting.

Didnt read all the replies. Absolutely get top not alpha 10x42; they doe just about everything very good. Specialize in the future with those as your base.

 

[307]

I look at it in terms of limiting factors.

Does my optics setup limit my effectiveness or enjoyment in the field?

Does my fitness limit my effectiveness or enjoyment in the field?

Does my shooting skill limit my effectiveness or enjoyment in the field?

Then balance that against the point of diminishing returns, and Pareto's Principle.

My Maven optics (B2's, B5's, S1) are absolutely are NOT a limiting factor in my hunting performance or enjoyment. Would a Swaro set-up be "better", arguably yes, but it wouldn't really help me other than being emotionally satisfying (we're emotional decision makers so I'm not minimizing this fact).

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

You'd be surprised how light weight and "handy" a pair of nice 12X binos is nowadays. I everyday carry 12X's in my bino harness. They aren't "shaky" at all like most guys fear, unless I'm REALLY huffing and puffing from a steep climb. Even then I can take some deep breaths and hold my breath for 30-45 seconds to glass quickly.

A quality pair of 12X binos offers you some great versatility and is honestly all I need for some of my hunts. Easy to carry in the bino harness or throw them on a tripod for glassing and they are fantastic.

If you are looking to buy a pair of binos with exceptional glass and form/function you should look into the Meopta MeoStar 12x50's. Honestly... They are comparable or as good as the Swaro and Zeiss I've owned.

 

[SkunkCabbage]

I've been an 8x guy as I find them steadier to hold free hand. Movement gets magnified with any sort of fatigue if you are not braced while glassing. Plus the areas I tend to hunt are usually closer ranges and a bunch of forest work.

If you are extremely serious about hunting I would save your money and buy a top of the line pair of binos personally. I see the value in it as these are essentially lifetime items. I initially bought a set of Zeiss HD5 8x42s and used them for years and they are good glass. I just upgraded to 8.5x42 EL as I got to fondle a pair the previous summer and I could see the difference in comparison to them and pair of top end Vortex that were in the show case.

I'll be most likely picking up a set of 10x Leica Geovid 3200.COM for a little further reach and have a tripod set up for chasing alpine critters. I would like to have the RF capabilities personally and Swarovski would get my money but Leica makes a better RF product at this point. If I didn't care about that I would probably end up with 10x50 EL

Rifle scope wise, I've been extremely happy with the Z3 series. I prefer them over the Zeiss HDs I have owned. Not saying that they are bad glass its just a preference.

For the western hunting I do my optics set:

8.5x42 EL
10x42 Leica Geovid 3200.COM
65mm ATX

 

[jfs82]

I'm using 11x and spotter only at this point. I debate back and forth going to 18x bino instead of the spotter. I have yet to even take out the spotter on a hunt yet (I am new to hunting though) as checking trophy quality has no impact on me. I moved to 11 from 8 and have not noticed difficulty in freehanding

Edit, referencing this...

12x Binoculars: The Perfect Optic For Western Hunting, By Jake Potter

Jake (@Jpott3) is very fortunate to be married to an understanding wife Kalie who supports his hunting and fishing habits. They have two young children Cal (3) and Hayden (1). They live in western Washington where he's lived most of his life. Jake grew up with a love for the outdoors, fishing as...

www.rokslide.com

 

[trey]

Appreciate everyone’s input — really helpful. So far, I’ve picked up a pair of 8x32 meostars (had a hard time steadying 10x and 12x enough for my liking). Guessing 8x will usually be enough in Western WA but will also pick up something more powerful (15x or spotter) for more open country.

The meostars seem to be high-enough quality that I don’t think I’ll be tempted to upgrade them anytime soon. So far, just used on a quick day scouting trip. Will report back after more usage. Definitely plan to pick up a tripod.