Optic loadout help (leupold vs Maven... Maybe?)

[sndmn11]

Do you ever wish you had more magnification?
I was actually just looking at another pair of used bx4s in 10x so we could each have a pair, and it would give me options to try them both and learn.

Anything I get she gets at least equal quality LOL. She just informed me that this year she is going to look for a bigger antelope than last year so I have my work cut out for me.

What tripod are you running your 8s from?
I never considered a stool... Do you pack it in to glass too?

I had never considered phone scoping off binos. That sounds like a great way to get some more pictures of critters!

I have had numerous pair of 10s, and used those with a spotter. My wife chose 8s and 18s. This past season the 18s didn't get used, and I would steal her 8s on occasion. I have had several high end pairs of binoculars, and have settled on 8s now. We sold the 18s, and will have a heavy spotter and a light one. The BX4s are great and the 10x BX4s are a pair I wish I had not sold because they are great in the sub $600 category.

The phone skope isn't necessarily for taking pictures, it is advantageous for utilizing the zoom on your phone. Your binos are 8x, if your phone has 5x zoom, you just made a 40x optic for seeing if the phorn buck meets your wife's standards. It is also nice for taking shots on game and being able to review, or for sharing which deer looking rock you are trying to get them to look at.

I have a Manfrotto 055 carbon 3 section and love it. Way better than lighter tripods I have experienced. She has a sirui 1204 carbon.

Hillsound stool, yes it goes everywhere.

 

[Erussell01]

Thanks he is a great hunter

I use a slik tripod. I usually use either a 7x,12x, or 15x depending on the hunt or what I’m feeling like carrying

My little guy just turned 2 and I can't wait for next season already. He missed his rookie year due to a broken leg, but he more than made up for it this year.

Which binoculars do you find yourself using the most, 7s 12s or 15s? Do you mount all of them on the tripod for most situations or do you hand hold the lower mag binos?

 

[Erussell01]

I have had numerous pair of 10s, and used those with a spotter. My wife chose 8s and 18s. This past season the 18s didn't get used, and I would steal her 8s on occasion. I have had several high end pairs of binoculars, and have settled on 8s now. We sold the 18s, and will have a heavy spotter and a light one. The BX4s are great and the 10x BX4s are a pair I wish I had not sold because they are great in the sub $600 category.

The phone skope isn't necessarily for taking pictures, it is advantageous for utilizing the zoom on your phone. Your binos are 8x, if your phone has 5x zoom, you just made a 40x optic for seeing if the phorn buck meets your wife's standards. It is also nice for taking shots on game and being able to review, or for sharing which deer looking rock you are trying to get them to look at.

I have a Manfrotto 055 carbon 3 section and love it. Way better than lighter tripods I have experienced. She has a sirui 1204 carbon.

Hillsound stool, yes it goes everywhere.

Man I had never thought of that! I have a pretty crappy phone camera, but I bet with a decent one that would be incredibly useful.

Did you sell the 10x to upgrade or to just to try something else?

What heads are you running on your tripods? The 1204 comes with a va-5 right?

 

[Blue72]

My little guy just turned 2 and I can't wait for next season already. He missed his rookie year due to a broken leg, but he more than made up for it this year.

Which binoculars do you find yourself using the most, 7s 12s or 15s? Do you mount all of them on the tripod for most situations or do you hand hold the lower mag binos?

By far I like my 7x collection the most, they are very stable even when my heart rate is up or it’s extremely windy out, they have big FOV, great depth of view, and easy on the eyes. I normally only mount binoculars when I’m glassing a long period of time or I want to extend the range of the binoculars

i normally break out the 12x or 15x when I know I’ll be looking at things over a mile or for target shooting.

 

[sndmn11]

Man I had never thought of that! I have a pretty crappy phone camera, but I bet with a decent one that would be incredibly useful.

Did you sell the 10x to upgrade or to just to try something else?

What heads are you running on your tripods? The 1204 comes with a va-5 right?

I sold 10x Swarovski SLC to get Maven B1.2 10x for myself. My wife has had B1 8x for awhile and never wanted for anything until she looked through the B1.2 10x, so we ordered her some 8x. When those came my brother took them for his first ever hunt. We switched off between the 8x and 10x B1.2 and I sold my 10x when I got home. The FOV on that model in 8x is crisp throughout and is very wide. I used the old 8x B1 for a few more weeks while the 8x B1.2 came back in stock. I think if you can dig up 10x BX4 it would be perfect testing fodder for you to decide what you value in a handheld/tripod binocular.

I got both tripods headless as I already had some promaster spch20 heads. The VA5 head is a step up in capacity from that but may be a few ounces heavier. I would choose the VA5 head if I could do it again for one of our tripods simply for filming it would be smoother.

We had some of the promaster 525 carbon tripods before and I wasn't a fan. I felt like they were useless above a sitting height and because they were 5 section, they got thin further down the legs. I HATED getting my glassing system somewhere and then having it be a little useless because of vibrations from the wind. I combet that with the stout 055 Manfrotto in three sections, and this thing https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist...1643896313&sprefix=tripod+rock,aps,154&sr=8-9
I think a midweight 3 section tripod is perfect for a first go at it.

I use the phone skope from @Phone Skope Tim religiously because it saves me eye strain and also allows me to zoom in on the image. So if I am using binos or the spotter, I can still capture cool stuff.

The first two here, the elk herd and the buck sniffing my pack, were through my binos in a hurry at 100ish yards.

 

[Erussell01]

By far I like my 7x collection the most, they are very stable even when my heart rate is up or it’s extremely windy out, they have big FOV, great depth of view, and easy on the eyes. I normally only mount binoculars when I’m glassing a long period of time or I want to extend the range of the binoculars

i normally break out the 12x or 15x when I know I’ll be looking at things over a mile or for target shooting.

Awesome! That makes sense to me. I would love a little more mag for sighting in so I could save myself the steps! If you could only pick one between the 12x and the 15x which would it be?

 

[Erussell01]

I sold 10x Swarovski SLC to get Maven B1.2 10x for myself. My wife has had B1 8x for awhile and never wanted for anything until she looked through the B1.2 10x, so we ordered her some 8x. When those came my brother took them for his first ever hunt. We switched off between the 8x and 10x B1.2 and I sold my 10x when I got home. The FOV on that model in 8x is crisp throughout and is very wide. I used the old 8x B1 for a few more weeks while the 8x B1.2 came back in stock. I think if you can dig up 10x BX4 it would be perfect testing fodder for you to decide what you value in a handheld/tripod binocular.

I got both tripods headless as I already had some promaster spch20 heads. The VA5 head is a step up in capacity from that but may be a few ounces heavier. I would choose the VA5 head if I could do it again for one of our tripods simply for filming it would be smoother.

We had some of the promaster 525 carbon tripods before and I wasn't a fan. I felt like they were useless above a sitting height and because they were 5 section, they got thin further down the legs. I HATED getting my glassing system somewhere and then having it be a little useless because of vibrations from the wind. I combet that with the stout 055 Manfrotto in three sections, and this thing https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist-Stone-Tripod-Easel/dp/B07C9LZHR5/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=tripod+rock+bag&qid=1643896313&sprefix=tripod+rock,aps,154&sr=8-9
I think a midweight 3 section tripod is perfect for a first go at it.

I use the phone skope from @Phone Skope Tim religiously because it saves me eye strain and also allows me to zoom in on the image. So if I am using binos or the spotter, I can still capture cool stuff.

The first two here, the elk herd and the buck sniffing my pack, were through my binos in a hurry at 100ish yards.
View attachment 375963View attachment 375964View attachment 375965View attachment 375966View attachment 375967View attachment 375968View attachment 375969

Wow those are really awesome photos! Were those all shot through your bins? That bull and that antelope could be screensaver material!

It sounds like I should keep my eyes peeled for another used pair of bx4s to play with 8x and 10x.
The tripod I got is a used sirui 3 section, I hope it isn't too bad. I know it isn't top of the line but I went with a shorter tripod hoping it would be more stable in the wind and will work for me to learn with. It came with a ball head, but I am looking for a va-5 to see which I prefer. The va-5 comes highly recommended for the money, so I hope I can find one used for a decent price.

When you use your phonescope do you then just sit back a little farther and look at the phone screen? I really like the sound of that. Plus a guy could take a picture if you spot something cool. Do you run a back up power bank?

 

[cburgin72]

I haven't read to see if you have ruled out 15x magnification, but cameralandNY has Steiner HX 15x56 on sale for $999 I think. They usually offer additional discount to Rokslide members. You gotta call them to place your order to get the rokslide discount. Just wanted to throw that out there for you. Disclaimer: I don't have any experience with those binoculars, I just know that Steiner is a good brand and I really like my Steiner scope.

 

[sndmn11]

Wow those are really awesome photos! Were those all shot through your bins? That bull and that antelope could be screensaver material!

It sounds like I should keep my eyes peeled for another used pair of bx4s to play with 8x and 10x.
The tripod I got is a used sirui 3 section, I hope it isn't too bad. I know it isn't top of the line but I went with a shorter tripod hoping it would be more stable in the wind and will work for me to learn with. It came with a ball head, but I am looking for a va-5 to see which I prefer. The va-5 comes highly recommended for the money, so I hope I can find one used for a decent price.

When you use your phonescope do you then just sit back a little farther and look at the phone screen? I really like the sound of that. Plus a guy could take a picture if you spot something cool. Do you run a back up power bank?

The first two were in the binos, the elk herd and the muley sniffing my pack, the others through the spotter from several hundred yards.

If I am field judging, yes, I look at the screen and take video to review later because one can zoom in on the video as well. If I am talking to @KickinNDishin about something I want her to look at we use the phone screen as well so we are looking at the same image. This is really helpful for walking through shot placement scenarios as well. Lastly, I think looking at the screen is easier when something is moving. The phorn buck facing the left was on a fair little trot to go watch two babies push each other around.
These elk and phorns (cool to see them hanging out together) are over two miles away. Having the ability to zoom in on the image saves a lot of walking and lets you know what is in there.


There is a huge difference using the rock hammock thing on the tripod vs nothing, or hanging something from the hook that can sway in the wind. I genuinely would stick with the BX4s that you have, get a good tripod adapter like a kramer designs or outdoorsmans, get somethign from @Phone Skope Tim , and get the $15 tripod hammock thing and go have fun. I wouldn't even bother changing that head or tripod until you have a season or two behind them. If you got a spotter, I would change the head, but those light BX4s will be fine on the ball head if you can lock the ball but still pan.

 

[Erussell01]

I haven't read to see if you have ruled out 15x magnification, but cameralandNY has Steiner HX 15x56 on sale for $999 I think. They usually offer additional discount to Rokslide members. You gotta call them to place your order to get the rokslide discount. Just wanted to throw that out there for you. Disclaimer: I don't have any experience with those binoculars, I just know that Steiner is a good brand and I really like my Steiner scope.

I haven't ruled out anything! I haven't used a pair of Steiners but think my dad has a pair of older predators if I am not mistaken and he has loved them. CameralandNY sure seems to run good deals, and after all of the information I have gotten for free from Gr8fuldoug I would love to support them!

 

[cburgin72]

I haven't ruled out anything! I haven't used a pair of Steiners but think my dad has a pair of older predators if I am not mistaken and he has loved them. CameralandNY sure seems to run good deals, and after all of the information I have gotten for free from Gr8fuldoug I would love to support them!

Absolutely. They are the first website I go to when looking for new optics

 

[Erussell01]

The first two were in the binos, the elk herd and the muley sniffing my pack, the others through the spotter from several hundred yards.

If I am field judging, yes, I look at the screen and take video to review later because one can zoom in on the video as well. If I am talking to @KickinNDishin about something I want her to look at we use the phone screen as well so we are looking at the same image. This is really helpful for walking through shot placement scenarios as well. Lastly, I think looking at the screen is easier when something is moving. The phorn buck facing the left was on a fair little trot to go watch two babies push each other around.
These elk and phorns (cool to see them hanging out together) are over two miles away. Having the ability to zoom in on the image saves a lot of walking and lets you know what is in there.
View attachment 376009View attachment 376010

There is a huge difference using the rock hammock thing on the tripod vs nothing, or hanging something from the hook that can sway in the wind. I genuinely would stick with the BX4s that you have, get a good tripod adapter like a kramer designs or outdoorsmans, get somethign from @Phone Skope Tim , and get the $15 tripod hammock thing and go have fun. I wouldn't even bother changing that head or tripod until you have a season or two behind them. If you got a spotter, I would change the head, but those light BX4s will be fine on the ball head if you can lock the ball but still pan.

Man that is so cool! My two favorite critters to chase hanging out like that is so awesome. Throw a pheasant strutting on the edge and I could die a happy man looking at that.

Thanks for the great advice! Sounds like I can do most of what I want to do with what I have, while saving some money and watching the classifieds and sales for a good deal to pop up. I think my tripod has a short hook on it, I was thinking of hanging my Nalgene on it to help stabilize it.

What spotter are you running?

 

[sndmn11]

Man that is so cool! My two favorite critters to chase hanging out like that is so awesome. Throw a pheasant strutting on the edge and I could die a happy man looking at that.

Thanks for the great advice! Sounds like I can do most of what I want to do with what I have, while saving some money and watching the classifieds and sales for a good deal to pop up. I think my tripod has a short hook on it, I was thinking of hanging my Nalgene on it to help stabilize it.

What spotter are you running?

Opticron MM4 60mm.

Hanging stuff form the hook is cool until there is a breeze and it sways. If you do hang stuff, take a 4' length of paracord and let your weight barely touch the ground so it doesn't move in the wind. A water bladder or small backpack works out best.

I do take a little battery pack, but rarely use it. Heat of the phone and storage space was more of a problem than battery life.

 

[Blue72]

Awesome! That makes sense to me. I would love a little more mag for sighting in so I could save myself the steps! If you could only pick one between the 12x and the 15x which would it be?

without a doubt 15x…big views start at 15x

now that more 18x binoculars are available…if I did it again I probably get 18x

 

[Erussell01]

without a doubt 15x…big views start at 15x

now that more 18x binoculars are available…if I did it again I probably get 18x

Is there a price range you feel you need to get into to mag the higher mag worthwhile? If you had to recommend something south of alpha glass, is there anything in particular you would recommend?

 

[Blue72]

Is there a price range you feel you need to get into to mag the higher mag worthwhile? If you had to recommend something south of alpha glass, is there anything in particular you would recommend?

Mavens

 

[Erussell01]

Opticron MM4 60mm.

Hanging stuff form the hook is cool until there is a breeze and it sways. If you do hang stuff, take a 4' length of paracord and let your weight barely touch the ground so it doesn't move in the wind. A water bladder or small backpack works out best.

I do take a little battery pack, but rarely use it. Heat of the phone and storage space was more of a problem than battery life.

Man that is a really helpfull tip! I always pack a little paracord around my binos anyway, and if I did it right I could probably have a piece dedicated for that use!

 

[Erussell01]

For those of you who have both 12x and 15x which do you find yourself using more? Since I just picked up decent 8s, I am thinking I messed up by going 8 instead of 10 (the deal was probably too good to pass up anyway) because I for some reason have this idea that with 10s on a tripod I would be close enough to 12s to not be missing out... Is that the case or am I showing my lack of experience? Man optic FOMO is a b word!

 

[10ringer]

You didn’t mess up at all. The 8/15 combo out west is killer. Plus your 8’s will serve you better on eastern hunts. I’ve run 8/10/12/15 and have found mid tier 8’s are much more comfortable to look through for long periods vs similar priced in higher magnification. For the 15’s don’t cheap out. My brother went with budget Nikon 15’s (monarch 5 ) and glassing more than 5 minutes and your ready to toss them off a cliff. Plan to spend $1,000+ for decent 15’s. Another option is a used spotter to pair with your 8’s.
This year my buddy and I were both glassing up a mountain side covered in snow approx 2-3 miles away. Me 8’s him 10’s both on tripods. We both spotted what looked to be a heard of bedded elk. Quick look through my 15’s confirmed it was nothing but rocks. Saved us a bunch of boot leather!


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[Erussell01]

You didn’t mess up at all. The 8/15 combo out west is killer. Plus your 8’s will serve you better on eastern hunts. I’ve run 8/10/12/15 and have found mid tier 8’s are much more comfortable to look through for long periods vs similar priced in higher magnification. For the 15’s don’t cheap out. My brother went with budget Nikon 15’s (monarch 5 ) and glassing more than 5 minutes and your ready to toss them off a cliff. Plan to spend $1,000+ for decent 15’s. Another option is a used spotter to pair with your 8’s.
This year my buddy and I were both glassing up a mountain side covered in snow approx 2-3 miles away. Me 8’s him 10’s both on tripods. We both spotted what looked to be a heard of bedded elk. Quick look through my 15’s confirmed it was nothing but rocks. Saved us a bunch of boot leather!


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Thank you! This is incredibly helpful. I was looking at those nikons on sale yesterday and wondered if they were decent or not. My bx4s came in the mail late last week and I don't know if there is something wrong with them or what but I get an instant headache looking through them. I am afraid that because I bought used I may have to send them back in to Leupold, but I want to look through another set to see if I get the same issue. I really want to love them but I can't look through them for more than 5 minutes without getting dizzy. Go figure. I am hoping that maybe they are just out of alignment or something, so I am going to go spend some time looking through a pair of the same binos at a local shop if anybody up here has them otherwise I may have to send them back and try something else.

I really started looking at my total time spent behind optics and it sure seems like a decent set of 8s will be the ticket for most of my other hunting since most of my glassing for deer turkeys and coyotes is off hand, and I can chip away at saving up for nicer 15s. It makes me worried that 8s off a tripod wont be quite as useful for out west ad 10s but that might just be beginner fear of missing out.

I think ultimately I will end up with a 3 optic system, 8 or 10 binos, 15s and a decent spotter. It might take a while to have all 3 figured out, so I am trying to prioritize what I need most first.

What spotter do you run? Do you find it is easier to get into good glass in a spotter or binos for the same money?

Would you say for a nooby western hunter like myself that 15s or a spotter would be a better choice?

I will never miss an elk season barring death or the birth of a child, my wife made me promise to take her antelope hunting every year no matter what and I hunt whitetails the remainder of the year. Since I realistically spend 15 days out west a year, I am not sure which way to go for 15s or a spotter. I know I need to get my lower power binos figured out first, but then I can't figure out what I really need next. I didn't glass as much last year on my elk hunt because I was busy scaring the elk into the next county trying to cover every square inch of ground with my boot tracks. I glassed up my wife's antelope within the first 5 minutes and she killed it 20 minutes later after a short stalk, and my antelope didn't require much glassing since he walked into my lap so my experience last year did not point me in the right direction of what I really need.