Your Long Term Optics Setups? Strategic Purchasing....

[SneakyThunderCat]

My current

Binos: swaro el 10x42

Spotter: kowa 774 25-60x

Rangefinder: vortex 1500 for bow hunting and kilo 2400 abs for rifle.

One of these days I'll get one of those sweet little kowa spotters. Tough to read all the great reviews about them and not want one! Other than that I feel like I have all my bases covered for optics..My tripod/heads will all get upgraded some day probably.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[Holocene]

Binos:
Swarovski 10x42 EL
These go everywhere, from turkey hunting to duck scouting and all big game hunting. I have the Outdoorsman pin, which is an elegant system and the only thing keeping me from looking elsewhere. Tempted to cheat on my Swaros and get some Leica 10x42 ranging binos but 1) the Leica tripod mount solution is bulky.

Redfield 8x32
This is a backup pair I got when I started hunting whitetails back in SC. Haven't touched them in years, and this post is the only thing that made me think of them. They are actually pretty good for what they are!

Tripod:

Outdoorsman's medium with pistol grip.
My buddy has one also with the micro pan. Elegant and well-built, but I mostly elk hunt so often leave it at home. It gets more use holding a chronograph and a paper tuning jig. Ha!

Spotting Scope:

None right now as they are not needed for my style of elk hunting. Would like to get the Leica someday.

Rangefinder:

Leica CRF 1000-R.
Fantastic clarity, accuracy, and range. Has angle compensation, but like a poster above said it takes a long two seconds to display the cut, which feels like forever in the bow woods. Values in whole numbers only. The new Leicas report in 0.1 yard increments, but only straight line distances and not the cut. Also annoying! Can they get this right? SIG and Leupold have smart display and quick display, but optics are not as good. For now, will settle for my old Leica and either get a SIG or wait for Leica to get their software dialed in better.

 

[Hoodie]

I've just gone through a ton of buying and selling optics over the last year to figure out what will best cover the hunting I do. I tried basically every configuration of bino and spotter.

I settled on:

1) Maven B2 9x45

2) Maven B6 12x50

3) Maven S2 12-27x56 spotter


If I'm hunting thick stuff it's just the 9x45. If I'm carrying two optics it's the 9x45 and the small spotter. If I'm hunting open country and weight is a concern it's just the 12x50. I always carry a tripod.

An 8x32 could easily replace the 9x45 and save weight, but the eye relief on most of the options I can afford doesn't work for me. After trying both I prefer a 12x50 to a 15x56 because it's a viable option for chest carry. You can save a lot of weight if you can handhold them reasonably well.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Kowa Genesis 8X33 in a AGC chest pack for free hand glassing on the move.

Kowa Genesis 10.5X44 for glassing off the tripod with RRS Cinch-LR BA

Kowa TSN-554 spotter

Leica 1600 range finder

Bog Pod CLD-3s tripod, modified with a 3/8-16 stud to accept standard attachments.

Sirui VA-5 head on tripod

RRS BPC-16 panning microball on a window mount

 

[Buelrdr29]

Well I pulled the trigger on some Maven B5 18x57s in the Classifieds. So now i have my tripod binos. Now just need a bigger spotter to round out the setup. Just not sure I need the bigger spotter. Would be nice for long range target shooting and glassing for fun while camping. Hunting needs are well covered I think.

 

[SkunkCabbage]

..........

 

[Browninglover1]

Current Setup-
Binos:
8x32 Swaro EL Gen1
10x32 Swaro EL Gen1
12x42 Swaro NL Pure (on order)
15x56 Swaro SLC HD

Spotter:
Meopta S2 with 30-60xWA eyepiece

Rangefinder:
Sig Kilo 2400 ABS

Tripod:
Promaster XC525C
Revic Hunter Stabilizer

Riflescopes:
Kahles K624i
Nightforce 3.5-15 NXS
Nightforce 4-32 NX8


My optics collection has grown a lot in the past 10 years and almost all of them were bought on great deals or used from the classifieds. I've also had the opportunity to review many other spotters and binos in the past 5-6 years and can say that you can be very happy with a lot less money invested than what I have.

 

[Buelrdr29]

Current Setup-
Binos:
8x32 Swaro EL Gen1
10x32 Swaro EL Gen1
12x42 Swaro NL Pure (on order)
15x56 Swaro SLC HD

Spotter:
Meopta S2 with 30-60xWA eyepiece

Rangefinder:
Sig Kilo 2400 ABS

Tripod:
Promaster XC525C
Revic Hunter Stabilizer

Riflescopes:
Kahles K624i
Nightforce 3.5-15 NXS
Nightforce 4-32 NX8


My optics collection has grown a lot in the past 10 years and almost all of them were bought on great deals or used from the classifieds. I've also had the opportunity to review many other spotters and binos in the past 5-6 years and can say that you can be very happy with a lot less money invested than what I have.

That last statement is far to reasonable. If it does not cost a second mortgage there is no way to spot deer and elk with it. Lol

 

[Wheels]

Binos
Swarovski EL 8.5x42
Swarovski EL 10x32

Spotter
Kowa TSN 774 25-60

Tripods
Outdoorsmans medium w/micro pan head
Slik 634

Rangefinder
Vortex Ranger 1500

Happy with everything I have at this point, but am always looking for something different..

 

[chutinlead]

Binos:
Razor 12x50 Japanese Glass

Rangefinder:
Razor 4000

Spotting Scope:
Razor Angled 20-60x85 w/ MOA eyepiece

Tripod:
Finally landed on a Leofoto LQ-284C with a RRS Anvil-30.

The spotting scope hasn't come with me yet hunting as the 12x binos mounted on a tripod have been enough. It works well at matches though.

 

[kaboku68]

Binos
Primaries:
Swaro 12x42 NL
Swaro 10X42 EL SV Field Pros
Zeiss 10X42 Victory FL
Leica 10X42 Geovid R
Vortex 12X50 UHD

Spotting Scopes
Vortex Razor 11X33 X 50 HD
Swaro ATS 65 20-60 eyepiece
Swaro ATS 80 20-60 eyepiece
Vortex Razor 85 27X45 eyepiece
Zeiss Diascope 65 fl
Zeiss Diascope 85fl

Compacts
Binos
Swaro CL Pockets 10X25
Swaro CL Compacts 8X30

Loaners
Vortex Vipers 10X42
Vortex Razors 10X42

Tripods
A Bunch I like my sirui with mini outdoorsman's panhead
Slick 553
Slik 634
Slik 770
Manfrotto 290
Vortex Ridgeview
Vortex High Country 2

Needs.
18X56 Vortex UHD
15X56 Swaro SLCs
Swaro ATX BTX + extender + 115 MM

I have two years for getting to these before I retire.