Binoculars for low light stalking

jimbo 22

Can any one enlighten me with which binos to get started stalking

I had the privilage of looking through a pair of swarovskis slc 10x50 - And they were unbelievable at gatering light even well after dusk!

How do the rest of the 1000's of binos live up to stalking in low light?

Zeiss do the Victory T - FL series in 50 + 56's and there over the K mark also... and then there is the cheaper Conquest range ....

How do they fair up against one and other in particular the swarovski?

Also interested to hear how the low end binos fair out in low light

Im guessing its like buying a high end scope - buy the best you can afford as its a life long investment:rolleyes:

jwshooter

jimbo 22 wrote: »

Can any one enlighten me with which binos to get started stalking

I had the privilage of looking through a pair of swarovskis slc 10x50 - And they were unbelievable at gatering light even well after dusk!

How do the rest of the 1000's of binos live up to stalking in low light?

Zeiss do the Victory T - FL series in 50 + 56's and there over the K mark also... and then there is the cheaper Conquest range ....

How do they fair up against one and other in particular the swarovski?

Also interested to hear how the low end binos fair out in low light

Im guessing its like buying a high end scope - buy the best you can afford as its a life long investment:rolleyes:

for stalking a 7x42 are ideal or close to that size, the 8x56 zeiss are to big for stalking .you will want good light gatering binos stick to the top four makes ,swarovski, leica ,zeiss kahlas and save yourself afortune in the long run .

John Griffin

jwshooter wrote: »

for stalking a 7x42 are ideal or close to that size, the 8x56 zeiss are to big for stalking .you will want good light gatering binos stick to the top four makes ,swarovski, leica ,zeiss kahlas and save yourself afortune in the long run .

+1

I use 7x42 Leica Ultravid. Absolutely fantastic Bins. Buy the best now and they'll serve you well, they are the most important part of you stalking kit. Good Bins and a good scope are far more important than the quality of the gun, cammo or any other accessories.

Tackleberry.

i have leupold rb500 binos with built in range finder which was the selling point i was shoothing tru a tasco rifle scope when i started out and it made these binos look very good at dusk but then i changed the scope to a Meopta and that was a different class again very good for the money better then the binos so i'm now tempted to change up with the binos but love having a range finder built in..........$$$$$$,but i would recomend these if cash was a factor as they are very good just not the best.

Grizzly 45

All of the top four mentioned are absolutely brilliant and will serve you a lifetime.
There is one option you might pick up that could be helpful in Binos,and of the same quality,albiet the finish might be rougher.
Is see if you can get EX DDR,GDR[East German] Binos.The thing was Leica,and Hendsolt were made in both West and East Germany in the postwar years.I have seen some of these for sale in Irish surplus stores from time to time.Usually made for Warsaw Pact armies and built to take the abuse of military life.IE like most stuff,functionaland built like a T 72 tank.
The East German optics is just as good as the Western stuff,[which is the most important]except it wasn't finished off in looks as well as the West German versions.
However it was made and substantially cheaper to get good Western Capitalist currency into the workers paradise,and after the wall came down those companies were taken over by the West German makers.They were closed down or made reduntant. So keep an eye open for Hendsolt,Leica and a few others with DDR or GDR on them ,you could pick up a bargin.

thelurcher

I don't know about spending the best part of a thousand on a set of binos - I see the point in getting the 'best' but if you're using them at all they are going to get battered and scratched up to some extent - coatings on the glass wear off from rain etc. After a hard season or two you're left with a pair that have optics a far cry from what you purchased - spend less and renew more often - unless you have more money than sense

I hear good things about the Nikon Monarch ATB - the price on them is good too so they'll be what I get next.

jwshooter

thelurcher wrote: »

I don't know about spending the best part of a thousand on a set of binos - I see the point in getting the 'best' but if you're using them at all they are going to get battered and scratched up to some extent - coatings on the glass wear off from rain etc. After a hard season or two you're left with a pair that have optics a far cry from what you purchased - spend less and renew more often - unless you have more money than sense

I hear good things about the Nikon Monarch ATB - the price on them is good too so they'll be what I get next.

rubbish ,,i had a pair of zeiss BGATS there were like new when i sold them after years of hard hunting .i also hunt with men that have zeiss BGATS 20 years and more .im using leica now as i like the range finder in them

Grizzly 45

Pair of Hendsolts 8x56 from the late 40s early 1950s .These were my grandfathers main hunting binos.Used up till he gave up hunting in 2000 at 98.Apart from the loss of the baked on ripple plasic.They are in brilliant condition and I use them regurlary. Quality counts.

E. Fudd

jwshooter wrote: »

rubbish ,,i had a pair of zeiss BGATS there were like new when i sold them after years of hard hunting .i

And I'm the one that bought the BGATS off him! Best pair of binoculars I've looked through!

jwshooter

E. Fudd wrote: »

And I'm the one that bought the BGATS off him! Best pair of binoculars I've looked through!

SUCKER:D
dont be late sunday morning

thelurcher

jwshooter wrote: »

rubbish ,,i had a pair of zeiss BGATS there were like new when i sold them after years of hard hunting .i also hunt with men that have zeiss BGATS 20 years and more .im using leica now as i like the range finder in them

'like new' - that's the thing - the difference between an expensive high end european set and the likes of the Nikon ATB isn't huge - even tiny microscopic scratches from cleaning on the zeiss can have a huge effect on their overall clarity etc.
Read a few of the better review site on optics in general or talk to someone knowledgeable in the trade - it's an eye opener to be honest.

Can't argue with grizzly! 60 years out of a set would justify the few bob day one

Deer Hunter DL

i have just bought a pair of these and find them very good in low light i went for the 12x50

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0039904712580a&navCount=2&podId=0039904&parentId=cat601539&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat602006-cat601539_TGP&catalogCode=QX&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601539&hasJS=true

jimbo 22

Deerhunter

Have you ever looked through high end Binos before

Are they as anyway near as good?

They sound pretty reasonable priced

Sounds too good to be true:rolleyes:

Vegeta

The problem with high end optics is this in my opinion, something that costs twice or three times the price of another product does not mean it is two or three times better.

Are they better, damn right they are. Are they multiple times better, not really.

The old diminishing returns and all that.


I'd love to have a big boards meet up where we all bring our gear to have a go and make informed purchase decisions. I'd love to look through some leica binos but unless I get them as a present from some rich sugar momma (I can dream cant I) I don't think I ever will.

Deer Hunter DL

jimbo 22 wrote: »

Deerhunter

Have you ever looked through high end Binos before

Are they as anyway near as good?

They sound pretty reasonable priced

Sounds too good to be true:rolleyes:

i have never looked through anything like zeiss or leica so i can`t say if there better the same of worse but i am very happy with them and thet suit me for stalking , i read the reviews on cabelas before buying them and i got enough info from that to convince me to buy them and if i wasn`t happy with them cabelas would refund me 100%

It wasn't me!

Vegeta wrote: »

I'd love to have a big boards meet up where we all bring our gear to have a go and make informed purchase decisions. I'd love to look through some leica binos but unless I get them as a present from some rich sugar momma (I can dream cant I) I don't think I ever will.

Heh, the day in Midlands that hasn't quite as such happened yet?

Sikamick

I have used various types of bino's over the years for deer stalking, but the best I have come across at a reasonable price are Carl Zeiss ex German army,
tank commanders, cost 320 euro.

Large enough to give the required optics and small enough to carry on the hill, they are also armour guarded.

Sikamick