10x42 OR 12x50 plus tripods

[rspecht55]

Elk hunting and some Muley hunting. Which optic do you prefer and why? Also, how does a tripod play in this? Thanks!


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[hunterjmj]

There's tons of posts on this very subject if you scroll a couple pages. With that said if you're looking to purchase just one pair then I'd say get 10's. I run 10's on my chest and 15's in my pack. Kind of wish I had 8's but it's what I have. You can cover a lot of country with 10's on a tripod and hand hold them while still hunting in timber. This is my opinion of course.

 

[OutHeavy]

Agree with above. Only thing I would add is that you won't be able to use 12x50'a without a tripod for long periods of time, so if you're only buying one pair keep that in mind. What the 10x42 lack in magnification may be made up for in versatility.

 

[BigCountry49]

Depends on the type of country your hunting. I have 8’s on chest and 15’s in pack only for tripod use. You can see a lot with 10s on a tripod…

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Any good binocular becomes a great binocular when tripod mounted. The increase in glassing quality is tremendously improved when you tripod mount any binocular

 

[roosiebull]

I would suggest 10x unless buying NL pures, they are very usable off hand, and amazing on a tripod

The kowa 10.5-44 are really stable hand holding, but I think the weight is part of the stability

Hard to beat 10x for your chest, I don’t regret my 12x NL, but am getting them in 8x as well in the future

 

[CanyonHunter]

I usually use a pair of 10x50, about the most magnification I like without a tripod. Get a nice tripod too, cheap wobbly ones are a pain to work with.