15s vs BTX

[JaredJ]

Any one have any experience with 15s and BTX. I am courteous to hear opinions on when one would out shine the other and visa versa. i Am looking for responses from those that have used them.

Thanks

 

[swavescatter]

I’m out hunting antelope right now with my Maven 15’s. My buddy has the 90/95mm Swarovski BTX setup.

Not a fair comparison rally as his blows 15’s away for field judging. But they are massive and a pita to set up if you’re just out driving roads taking peeks. Two different purposes really.

15’s still need a tripod for absolute clarity but I can still use them from the truck easy. My field of view is better obviously.

Not apples to apples in my opinion. I’ll have a btx setup some day and still my 15’s.

 

[dirtytough]

I didn’t like 15’s that much. I packed 10’s, 15’s, and a 20-60x80 spotter. I used the 15’s the least.

I got the BTX/ATX 95 and quit packing 15’s.

I don’t know if I ever spotted anything with 15’s I didn’t with the 10’s. With the BTX I spot stuff all the time that is out there that I didn’t pick up with binos.

They are so different it’s hard to really compare them.

 

[kota]

I had 15x and swapped them out for the 85mm BTX. Couldn’t be happier, and am seeing more deer, and at greater distances, because of it.

I really liked the 15s, but found I still needed 10x on my chest and also carried a big spotter for distance, field judging and picking stuff apart. I was limited by the 15x magnification and also had a hard time with eye strain and headaches when actually glassing with the spotter. Plus it was a lot of stuff to pack. That’s all gone, I just have 1 thing in my pack, and I saved a little weight.

Flip side is the BTX is still really big/heavy in the pack and I miss the higher magnification on a spotter at times. Because of the size/weight/field of view differences it’s also harder to use than the 15s at the tweener distances…where I am running out of oomph with 10x on a tripod but don’t need 25x yet.

 

[NV HUNTER]

15s on my chest and ATX 95 in my pack to confirm animals.

 

[willfrye027]

Depending on lighting, te train, time of year…15s are ideal for about 1 mile out, BTX 1-2 miles out. So if you spend a lot of time looking at stuff beyond a mile they are awesome for that. If it’s a lot of stuff closer than a mile, IMO the FOV is too narrow and the 15s are better.

My go to the last season and this season has been 12s plus BTX 85 for everything except long hikes/backpacking.

 

[ElGuapo]

Both… Different tools IMO. The BTX needs a good bit of distance to be effective.

 

[JaredJ]

Awesome, it was nice to hear the thoughts, I agree with you all. These reply’s have confirmed my thoughts.

 

[dirtytough]

I will say I think a great pair of 12’s works to get rid of the 10’s/15’s combo.

 

[Steve O]

Yep. 12 NLs got rid of my 10s and 15s. BTX is next level but I like the spotter much better for judging and digiscoping. The ATX eyepiece is not that heavy.

 

[4090Sharps]

I didn’t like 15’s that much. I packed 10’s, 15’s, and a 20-60x80 spotter. I used the 15’s the least.

I got the BTX/ATX 95 and quit packing 15’s.

I don’t know if I ever spotted anything with 15’s I didn’t with the 10’s. With the BTX I spot stuff all the time that is out there that I didn’t pick up with binos.

They are so different it’s hard to really compare them.

I loved my 15’s, but everything else you’ve written matches my experience with Swarovski 15x56 and BTX 65mm. The extra weight and bulk of the BTX is a bit of a pain, but I still pack it everywhere. Even when glassing relatively up close (less than 1000 yards) I thoroughly enjoy using my BTX. When I arrive to a glassing point I triage the landscape through a set of 8x binoculars, then get to work picking the area apart with the BTX.

If the cost and weight differences aren’t an issue, BTX is amazing.

I really want to try out the 95 and 115, but it’s probably better for my wallet if I don’t.

 

[Lionhound1975]

I have the BTX 95 and 15x Meostars. I prefer the Meostars for anything under a mile (due to FOV) or when I am backpacking deep into the mountains. I never bring both, I usually have a Zeiss SF 8x42 on my chest and bring the 15x Meostars to use with a tripod. For big canyon country where i am not covering a ton of ground I will carry my NL Pure 10x42 on my chest and then use them on a tripod to do a quick scan. Then I switch to the BTX 95 to glass any areas past the effective range of 10x binos. I am in big mountain and canyon country (Kyrgyzstan) and these 2 combinations have worked well for me here.

 

[Str8shooter]

I have used the 12ELs, 15SLCs and 85BTX. The BTX can be used in typical 15 territory but it extends well beyond. Many of the best deer hunters will tell you that the 15s are the better, more adaptable solution, but after a couple seasons of glassing with the BTX alongside my bro with the 15s (who has a damn good game eye), Im pulling away in the animal spotted department. That being said, I dont know if I spot more animals that are stalkable vs the 15s... I routinely spot animals that are a day or 2 away. The BTX has been the cause of some truly horrendous hikes and bailing out of some prime country because, well I found animals on the other mountain across the valley. Everytime I sit behind the BTX the anxiety of, " where the hell is this thing going to take me now" creeps in. Everyone laments about the role that technology plays in making hunting easier...but the BTX is an example of technology that makes my hunts harder... "Man why did you look up there?" are words that will be aimed at you if you use the BTX.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I hunt Coues deer a lot, which is basically like trying to find a Great Dane sized animal that camouflages perfectly into its surroundings. Good quality 15's on a tripod with a good quality pan/tilthead is all I ever use. Combine them with 8x50 range finding binoculars in the bino harness and it's all I bring on pretty much any hunt these days.

This photo has two mule deer and one coues deer in it. Crappy iphone photo through the 15's, but you'd be way too "zoomed in" with BTX and 12's wouldn't have been enough to spot the little couesy unless he got up.

 

[6.5x284]

I pre-ordered the BTX the second I heard about it. After spending two seasons and two summers scouting side by side with my 15's and BTX I sold my BTX. I was using a spotter to field judge anyway and I wasn't able to find any animals I couldn't have found with my 15's in that time (I was using 85 obj so less mag than 95 and 115 wasn't out yet). It was noticeably darker than my 15's as well the last hour.

I think quarry type and location plays a part. For elk primary and mature mule deer secondary I didn't feel it was worth the weight for me personally when glassing open ridges and cuts that narrow down where you can glass an animal. For deer primary or desert locations, I think it would be value added. I would love to play with a BTX and 115 now for scouting since I too replaced my 15's with NL 12x.

 

[missjordan]

I have EL 12’s and the BTX with the 115mm objective

I also think they are two different tools for the job. Use the bino’s to find game and the BTX to size them up. The BTX needs big country to be effective in my opinion


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[idahostalker]

Any one have any experience with 15s and BTX. I am courteous to hear opinions on when one would out shine the other and visa versa. i Am looking for responses from those that have used them.

Thanks

I have ALOT of experience with the 85mm BTX and a little experience with 15's. In my opinion they are two different animals. For me the 15's did not give me enough over my 10x42 NL's for me to have any desire to have them. I tell people all the time that the BTX is as close to cheating without cheating. Their is nothing better for FINDING animals. It is not the best for judging sheep rings or telling if a bull elk is a 350 or 360 bull from 4 miles away, but you will see them! I hunt extremely remote backcountry and I always carry it. People say I am crazy for bringing it with me into the place I go, but I usually kill stuff and they don't. So for me it's a no brainer.
The main advantage to 15's to me is weight. But a great pair of 10's or 12's and a tripod will do almost everything a good pair of 15's will.