Usable Range for 15x binos vs Swaro BTX

Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
462
Id like to bring this thread back up and see if anyone has had any more experience this season comparing these two tools and if you've come to any conclusion about what environments/distances/species 15s vs the BTX shine the most. I live and hunt in Colorado and field flattened 30x with both eyes has me drooling...but I do some damage with 12 ELs and a kowa 553.
 
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J

Jbone62

FNG
Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Messages
34
Alright... now who here has either a) the engineering prowess to build a btx in 15-45
b) connections at Swarovski for them to build a btx in 15-45
 

Fatcamp

WKR
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May 31, 2017
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5,659
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Sodak
Meostar 8x and 15x. The 15x are new to me. Looking out my front window they will work fine for what I do. I think it's about knowing your area and adapting tools that work there.

We hunt mule deer and most places we spend our time a mile or two is all we need to see. Most of what we need to pick apart is within an thousand yards. Now, this didn't just happen. I screwed up a bunch to figure out where deer like to be. Now that I know that I just need to be able to see in there. 15x work fine for that, and 8x for stalking are wonderful.
 
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Joined
Dec 21, 2021
Messages
76
I'm loving this thread. I have a STX, BTX, 65mm, 95mm system on its way. Next step is working in good binos. I have inferior 10x and 15x right now. I'll be doing some scouting this spring with them to see what sticks and what I can part with. Will follow with review. Throw another vote for 15-40 btx.

I'm out in Washington. I do both archery and rifle. Blacktails to muleys. Thick timber to open country burns. I need a pretty versatile system.

Based on what I've heard here and elsewhere, it sounds like a good pair of 8x, maybe a 12x (should it be 15x?), btx, and STX will cover me in almost any situation.

Agree or disagree?

I imagine with archery the 8x would be best and good for rifle too for off hand. Then it's the 800-1 mile range in open country. Finally the 1 mile plus.

Could the BTX paired with a 8x do the trick or if I get a second pair of binos, should it be 12x or 15x? 15x seems to add too much weight and 12x seems like the upper limit for hand holding. For example, I could either use the 8x and BTX and STX for archery with a stalk, or rifle with 12x and BTX and STX. I like the idea of carrying the BTX and STX together, but then carrying a 2nd Bino seems too much.

In the end I'll need to see what works for me, but others experiences will hopefully steer me in the right direction of what to try and if I'm thinking about this right.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 

JakeSCH

WKR
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
971
Location
San Diego, CA
I'm loving this thread. I have a STX, BTX, 65mm, 95mm system on its way. Next step is working in good binos. I have inferior 10x and 15x right now. I'll be doing some scouting this spring with them to see what sticks and what I can part with. Will follow with review. Throw another vote for 15-40 btx.

I'm out in Washington. I do both archery and rifle. Blacktails to muleys. Thick timber to open country burns. I need a pretty versatile system.

Based on what I've heard here and elsewhere, it sounds like a good pair of 8x, maybe a 12x (should it be 15x?), btx, and STX will cover me in almost any situation.

Agree or disagree?

I imagine with archery the 8x would be best and good for rifle too for off hand. Then it's the 800-1 mile range in open country. Finally the 1 mile plus.

Could the BTX paired with a 8x do the trick or if I get a second pair of binos, should it be 12x or 15x? 15x seems to add too much weight and 12x seems like the upper limit for hand holding. For example, I could either use the 8x and BTX and STX for archery with a stalk, or rifle with 12x and BTX and STX. I like the idea of carrying the BTX and STX together, but then carrying a 2nd Bino seems too much.

In the end I'll need to see what works for me, but others experiences will hopefully steer me in the right direction of what to try and if I'm thinking about this right.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

I was always an 8x and 15x guy that would occasionally bring is spotter and it worked very well...however this last fall I decided to run a pair NL Pure 12x and a Spotter (883 or 553 depending on the hunt). I love the 12x as my new all around bino, but I am not ready to part with my 15x just yet.

When glassing for deer and elk in that less than 2 mile range, my SLC 15x did not give me an advantage over my 12x Pures. And in several situations the 12x completely out performed because of wind vibration / extra weight of 15x.

FRP with the 12x make hand holding very doable.
 

BBob

WKR
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
3,587
Location
Southern AZ
has raged a debate between 15x binos and the swaro btx
No raged debate here in AZ. You use one or the other for different glassing distances. The std for years down here before big glass like the BTX or Twins is the 10X and 15X combo with a spotter (and it's still the #1 setup you see out here). One guy on 15's and the other on Twins or BTX is a killer combo. A heavier but in ways superior system to the BTX is the Twin Swaro 65 25-50. Most I know of with Twins or BTX carry just 12X and the big glass. We're still working on that combo and some of us are still undecided. I do find NL 12's easier to use than EL 12's. I prefer the 15's over the 12's but when carrying big glass I don't want to carry 3 optics (10 on neck, 15 and Twins/BTX in pack). Personally when carrying the Twins I never put the 12's on a tripod. I may go back to just 10's and Twins/BTX.
 
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Joined
Dec 21, 2021
Messages
76
I was always an 8x and 15x guy that would occasionally bring is spotter and it worked very well...however this last fall I decided to run a pair NL Pure 12x and a Spotter (883 or 553 depending on the hunt). I love the 12x as my new all around bino, but I am not ready to part with my 15x just yet.

When glassing for deer and elk in that less than 2 mile range, my SLC 15x did not give me an advantage over my 12x Pures. And in several situations the 12x completely out performed because of wind vibration / extra weight of 15x.

FRP with the 12x make hand holding very doable.
Thank you so much for contributing that! I am literally looking at the 12x NL pure. I figure the greater field of view will help me move away from a 10x but maybe give me enough magnification compared to the 15x. I think if it was another pair of 12x, I would be less inclined. I've taken the 15x I have (diamondbacks) and if I have a spotter it's no worth it except the two eyes. The btx fixes that but at a 30x so now thinking I may run 12x, btx only on open muleys, then 8x and BTX (maybe those 12x in there) on stalks for archery.

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TheGDog

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Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
Most stuff? Realistically? Just high quality 10x's on chest, and you're good.

Then, depending on what you know about the terrain and how thick or open it is, you decide if you need to back-down or upgrade from there. And if you want to deal with bringing the heavier stuff.

And when considering that thought.. determine if you're willing to travel into some far off direction where you've spotted something.. where it will likely require pitching a tent for the night once you arrive near to where you were looking at. And If that's not your speed? And you'd only ever be bothering to advance upon a target if you perceive the distance to be traversible within a single days time on the trip too and single nights time to get back out, then I'd say try 15's first. You'll likely be happy with them. Really it depends on the terrain/habitat you're gonna find yourself in.

If a lotta steep high elevation gain/drop up-and-down between where you are, and where that game animal is.. I believe it's likely you may find that 15's are all you need if your game plan is trying to do at most an overnighter at worst while en route.

Places I'll go usually DON'T have easily accessible water in there, so that tends to limit lofty multi-day goals like that. Unless you have the ability to pre-pack-in some water into a mid-way point on prior scouting missions or something. But... some folks live places where the mountains have all kindsa water access, and more power to them! If that's your scenario, you at least have the luxury of considering those heavier load-out options more readily.

For me if the place I'm going is such that I think long-distance glassing is a for sure, fore-gone conclusion, I'll drop back down to a set of compact 8's I have for hand-checks on the chest or jacket pocket, and the 15's for on the tripod. Or if very open country, I might even just do 15's only. Depends on how much water/fluids I have to carry. If it's 5L, or up as high as 8L sometimes in brutally hot months, I'm finding ways to drop other things I might not need. And like I said before sometimes if you've done homework and you know from cams they are in there.. but it's thicker and you can't really glass around due to habitat, on prior scouting missions you bring along unopened gallons to stash out there. In order to buy yourself more time to remain like on an ambush sit. Especially when the whole thing is in a sea of shoulder-high Greasewoods/Chaparral in-between spots dotted with Oaks where draws creates seasonal water flow lines.

Also besides weight there is space in the pack to consider, when you don't have water readily available. Since you tend to need to bring more water in with you, so more pack space getting taken up. This possibly could influence your available choices on what you could realistically bring in with you. And THAT also gets more limited as age and injuries start limiting you even more.
 

Bailer

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
187
I’m liking my 12’s and btx combo. For December coues it was about perfect. I’ve still been carrying both for January archery, but the BTX probably isn’t worth the weight for the muleys I’ve been watching.
 
Joined
Dec 21, 2021
Messages
76
Most stuff? Realistically? Just high quality 10x's on chest, and you're good.

Then, depending on what you know about the terrain and how thick or open it is, you decide if you need to back-down or upgrade from there. And if you want to deal with bringing the heavier stuff.

And when considering that thought.. determine if you're willing to travel into some far off direction where you've spotted something.. where it will likely require pitching a tent for the night once you arrive near to where you were looking at. And If that's not your speed? And you'd only ever be bothering to advance upon a target if you perceive the distance to be traversible within a single days time on the trip too and single nights time to get back out, then I'd say try 15's first. You'll likely be happy with them. Really it depends on the terrain/habitat you're gonna find yourself in.

If a lotta steep high elevation gain/drop up-and-down between where you are, and where that game animal is.. I believe it's likely you may find that 15's are all you need if your game plan is trying to do at most an overnighter at worst while en route.

Places I'll go usually DON'T have easily accessible water in there, so that tends to limit lofty multi-day goals like that. Unless you have the ability to pre-pack-in some water into a mid-way point on prior scouting missions or something. But... some folks live places where the mountains have all kindsa water access, and more power to them! If that's your scenario, you at least have the luxury of considering those heavier load-out options more readily.

For me if the place I'm going is such that I think long-distance glassing is a for sure, fore-gone conclusion, I'll drop back down to a set of compact 8's I have for hand-checks on the chest or jacket pocket, and the 15's for on the tripod. Or if very open country, I might even just do 15's only. Depends on how much water/fluids I have to carry. If it's 5L, or up as high as 8L sometimes in brutally hot months, I'm finding ways to drop other things I might not need. And like I said before sometimes if you've done homework and you know from cams they are in there.. but it's thicker and you can't really glass around due to habitat, on prior scouting missions you bring along unopened gallons to stash out there. In order to buy yourself more time to remain like on an ambush sit. Especially when the whole thing is in a sea of shoulder-high Greasewoods/Chaparral in-between spots dotted with Oaks where draws creates seasonal water flow lines.

Also besides weight there is space in the pack to consider, when you don't have water readily available. Since you tend to need to bring more water in with you, so more pack space getting taken up. This possibly could influence your available choices on what you could realistically bring in with you. And THAT also gets more limited as age and injuries start limiting you even more.
Thanks for sharing your experience, these are all great considerations. That's what left me wondering about 15x.

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