List of high end binos to research?

[Elite]

Hello so I know there is a lot of old posts asking which binos are the best but I can not find a list of all the top players that are available, Seems like Leupold are never mentioned? I am currently running a older pair of vortex diamond back 10x50, (long over due on upgrading) I purchased a high end spotting scope last year and couldn’t believe the clarity in the glass so I am looking to upgrade the binos now. They will be used for sheep hunting, mule deer hunting in open prairie and some white tail in the fields/bush at home. Weight is a consideration, So can anyone name some brands that are worth looking into?

Thanks


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[MikeStrong]

High end you're pretty much looking at Swaro, Leica and Zeiss.

What I personally refer to as the mid grade "good enough" range would be the higher end models of Maven, Leupold, Vortex, Sig, etc.

If you're willing and able to spend the money on the high end stuff you're really limited to just the 3 brands for your research. Unless I'm forgetting something, which is highly possible.

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[Newtosavage]

So are you talking "tier 1" binos? Because if you are, those aren't typically the binos that most hunters are using. Not even most birders are using true tier 1 bins.

Leupold does not make any tier 1 bins, which is why you don't see them mentioned often, despite what Leupold's marketing division may say.

Forget about brands and look at specific models. Leupold makes good stuff, and cheap made-in-China crap, and so do most other brands these days. The difference between a high end Nikon binocular and a low end Vortex is night and day, and vise-versa.

The only thing you really need to decide is what is your firm budget. Period. Then once you have determined that, there aren't going to be that many binoculars to choose from, assuming that budget is over $500. Under $500, you're going to go crazy trying to decide.

 

[Newtosavage]

High end you're pretty much looking at Swaro, Leica and Zeiss.

What I personally refer to as the mid grade "good enough" range would be the higher end models of Maven, Leupold, Vortex, Sig, etc.

If you're willing and able to spend the money on the high end stuff you're really limited to just the 3 brands for your research. Unless I'm forgetting something, which is highly possible.

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I mostly agree with this. The true tier 1 bins are still coming from the "big three" but you could make an argument for Nikon's EDG's belonging in that group too.

 

[jspradley]

What's your budget? As was said earlier that's really the #1 consideration here.

You can get some decent perfectly usable binos in the 5-600 range, some pretty dang good ones in the 1000-ish range and if you want the best you're gonna spend 2500-3000

 

[CatfishKev]

I also believe meopta is also right up there with the big three with their 15s. Imo the best bang for the dollar as far as price goes. You can get them new around $1300. Right now there is a good deal in the classifieds, actually 2 good deals. One guy is selling a pair of meopta 15s and another guy is selling a pair of zeiss.

 

[JohnJohnson]

To answer your question there are a few questions you should probably answer first.

- What is your budget?
- What is your desired magnification?
- Will you be primarily attaching them to a tripod or holding them with your hands?

For top tier glass, you're looking at the Swarovski EL/SLC models, the Leica Noctivids, and Zeiss Victory SF. I personally have both Swarovski EL 10x50 binoculars and Zeiss Victory SF 8x42 binoculars.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Meopta Meostar
Kowa Genesis
Nikon Monarch HG
Leica
Swarovski
Zeiss
It is our pleasure to discuss options, differences and what would be best for you. Some options are available in demos at substantial savings

 

[Newtosavage]

One more piece of advice is to never look through binoculars you can't afford.

 

[Elite]

Wow thanks for so many replies so far everyone! And I should have been more clear my budget is up to $1500. Is spending up to $3000 that much more noticeable in a pair of binos? I do mostly have them sitting on my tripod setup. I am currently running the field optics research bino adaptor so would like them to fit that set up. I do use them just in my hands some times tho


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[JohnJohnson]

Wow thanks for so many replies so far everyone! And I should have been more clear my budget is up to $1500. Is spending up to $3000 that much more noticeable in a pair of binos? I do mostly have them sitting on my tripod setup. I am currently running the field optics research bino adaptor so would like them to fit that set up. I do use them just in my hands some times tho


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What magnificantion are you looking at? Given your price range I'd look hard at Swarovski SLC binoculars or Meopta Meostar.

 

[Elite]

What magnificantion are you looking at? Given your price range I'd look hard at Swarovski SLC binoculars or Meopta Meostar.

I currently have 10s but with a lot of tripod use I am wondering if 12s would be a good choice not to sure how shaky they would be in my hands tho



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[Newtosavage]

If weight is a consideration, both the Swaro and Meopta 12's are going to be VERY heavy. They are already the heaviest in their respective class at the 10x magnification. Great glass - just very heavy.

So, that said, you might want to look through a pair of Vortex Razor 12x50's. Those will likely be the lightest "high end" binos that suit your specs.

Any of the true tier 1 bins by Zeiss, Swaro or Leica, in a 12x binocular, will be very heavy.

 

[Elite]

Does any one have experience with the kowa genesis? I have the kowa 883 spotter and love it so far. Also the Nikon HG and vortex razor specs also look good


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[Newtosavage]

Does any one have experience with the kowa genesis? I have the kowa 883 spotter and love it so far. Also the Nikon HG and vortex razor specs also look good


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On the bird watching forums I frequent, the Kowa Genesis is generally considered in that "tier 2" class, along with the Swaro SLC. I have no personal experience with them, but they are highly regarded.

 

[Newtosavage]

If I may say so, you are not going to be disappointed with any binoculars that retail for 1K or more. At that level, it becomes more about the fit and function than about the image. That's just my .02 after trying a heluva lot of binoculars, including everything in that $1K class.

 

[100percent]

Think about this....
Spend up to your budget on used top shelf swaro with confidence that warranty will clean up any problems for the foreseeable future. If you have problems down the road, they have reasonable repair fees.

 

[100percent]

Doug had some unbelievable deals on leicas too. If still available

 

[sneaky]

On the bird watching forums I frequent, the Kowa Genesis is generally considered in that "tier 2" class, along with the Swaro SLC. I have no personal experience with them, but they are highly regarded.

I would never take a birder's opinion that SLCs are tier 2 glass. The ELs were designed purposefully for birding, the SLCs for hunters. That's why the focus works much quicker on the SLCs and is more fine tunable on the ELs because those people are fine tuning the focus on birds 15ft away, whereas a guy running SLCs on a tripod is covering huge amounts of country, from a hundred yards to 2 miles away. It's apples to oranges usage wise. If I had a $1500 budget I would buy a used pair of SLCs and be done with it.

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[sneaky]

The Nikon EDGs are nice glass, but if you ever wanted to sell them there is a much smaller segment of buyers willing to pay that money for something that says Nikon.

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