15x50 vortex viper binos

[sk1]

anyone use these? considering adding these to my long list of wants for next season, really probably don't need them, but i wouldn't mind having a high power pair of binos in the glassing arsenal...and the kaibabs are a bit much

ive never had binos over 10x, i see many 15x binos are 56mm, im assuming with the 50mm you're losing a little bit of low light performance and fov? the fov compared to the kaibabs at 56mm you lose like 16ft which isn't too bad..also the vipers are 16oz lighter, and i guess at 50mm they should be

not getting too serious on these just yet, have other needs first....but you never know

 

[Mckinnon]

I have thought about picking up a pair of these and taking just them instead of both binos and spotter... I dont hunt for inches so I think they would be perfect for me. I have looked through them and they are nice

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have not seen the updated Viper HD version, but I spent some time with the original Viper 15X50. I really like the Viper series 10X42 and 8X42, and especially the 6X32 version (a light, handy, low magnification gem there), but the 15X50 wasn't in the same league as the other vipers. I could not get a really sharp image with the one I saw, and aberration control was mediocre.

The Kaibabs were much, much better. The Swaro SLCs are outstanding. The Docter Nobilems are big and heavy, but right there with the SLCs optically. If you are on a budget and don't mind a HUGE bin with individual eyepiece focussing, the 16X70 Fujinon Polaris are the brightest and sharpest of all the big eye bins I have seen. Kind of a poor-mans Kowa Highlander. I am surprised more coues hunters don't use them, but individual focus is kind of tedious sometimes.

As far as 50mm vs. 56mm, of course the bigger objective gets you more exit pupil, which is really important for a high mag bin. The objective size is unrelated to the field of view. The field of view is determined by focal length and eyepiece design. Many smaller objective optics have wider fields of view than their bigger objective brothers.

 

[sk1]

thanks bb, always like an educated response.

i wonder how much different the HD version could be.....i guess i could always take a trip to sportsmans and make them set it up on a tripod for me to see for myself if they are worth considering

 

[Matt Cashell]

Using your own eyes is always the best policy, sk1.

To be clear, the 15X50s weren't a "poor" bin, just didn't have the "pop" of the others, IMO.

I did see both versions of the Viper 10X42, and the HD had a better edge, and better CA control. The difference wasn't huge by any means.