Any 10x Bino Folks Around?

[General RE LEE]

I’m coming off the last 2 pair of binos being 8x and jumping back into 10x. Anyone else finding 10x42s to be the sweet spot for a variety of environments?

 

[KHNC]

I have a set of 10x42 Razor HD's. Had for several years since the HD's first came out. I really like them, regardless of what people say about Vortex. They have performed great. And i do like them over 8x for western hunts. I live in the SE and they are great for WT as well.

 

[BBob]

Down here hunting in the SW desert 10x has been the standard for decades. I’ve been using them since the early 80’s. Lots of guys would have 8 and 10 using the 8 for elk but I don’t. I use my 10’s everywhere. I do have NL 12’s that I’m using a lot but still have EL 10’s. I’d love to have a pair of NL 10-32’s. Probably will at some point.

 

[handwerk]

Although I have other binos, when out west my 10x Geovids are always on me.

 

[hereinaz]

10x on the chest, higher magnification in the pack.

 

[blkqi]

I usually run 10x or 12x for desert mule deer and I reach for the 8x for the woods or twilight.

 

[WormSportsman]

10x42’s are always on my chest for any hunt and can toss em on my tripod for longer glassing sessions when I don’t need to bust out the 15’s.

 

[Shō[t]gun]

What 10's did you settle on?
I love wide FOV 8's for still-hunting under 300y, 10's for everything else.

 

[nobody]

I’m a 10x50 guy and not a 10x42 guy. I have lots of reasons for why, so I’ll apologize in advance for my long winded reply.

Handheld binos, for 99% of people, consist of 4 options: 8x42, 10x42, 10x50, and 12x50. Sure some guys back east hunt with 6’s and some he-men swear they can handhold 15’s, but those are almost always the 4 combos compared. What you select all depends on your use case and where you hunt, but for me (high country mule deer and elk), I’ve unquestionably settled on the 10x50’s. Here's my justification:

Exit Pupil (diameter of the column of light that exits the ocular lens and enters your eye).
8x42 - 5.25mm
10x42 - 4.2mm
10x50 - 5mm
12x50 - 4.1667mm

The human eye optimizes around an exit pupil of 5mm. Much smaller and you're leaving light on the table, much more and you're carrying extra bulk that your eye can't use. So 10x42 and 12x50 are out.

12x is too hard to handhold. Lots of guys will say you can, but whenever guys say "buy a 12x50, it's still possible to handhold effectively," the inflection in their voice sounds almost as if they're even trying to convince themselves that what they're saying is true. It's not true across the board obviously, but objectively, lower mag = easier to handhold, especially one hand while bow hunting. I don't want separate binos for rifle vs. bow hunting, so the 10x and 8x win out again. here

So we've already eliminated the 12x50 from contention. Exit pupil is too small, and too hard to handhold. That leaves 8x42, 10x42, and 10x50. The 10x42 is eliminated here because of the small exit pupil (relative to the two other choices).

The magnification is a personal choice thing. The exit pupils between the 8x42 and 10x50 are effectively the same, with just a 0.25mm difference. But the additional 2 magnification of the 10x vs 8x does the same thing that jumping from a 10x to 12x does, but you're not giving up light. Basically, it gives the best tradeoff of FOV, light transmission, hand-hold-ability, and magnification you could hope for in a dedicated western hunting optic.

If I ever hunted back east, I might consider the 8x42. But I live in the rocky mountains and am an unapologetic western hunter, so the 10x50 is my huckleberry. My family and the guys I've hunted with have all jumped on the train as well and have become believers.

This is just my opinion, keep in mind. I'm sure lots of guys will argue an opposing viewpoint, and that's ok. But that's my justification of a 10x50 for dedicated western hunting.

 

[Fritz D]

Pretty happy with my 10x50 ELs. I live and hunt in South Central Idaho. Long vistas and ranges, generally speaking. Sometimes wish for a 12X NL or 15X SLC but the 10x50 is a great all-around bino for me.

 

[dlee56]

I have a feeling there were way more 10x binos sold in the last 5 years than all the other options combined.

 

[General RE LEE]

What 10's did you settle on?
I love wide FOV 8's for still-hunting under 300y, 10's for everything else.

Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42

 

[JohnJohnson]

I love my 10x50 ELs.

 

[pirogue]

I have a feeling there were way more 10x binos sold in the last 5 years than all the other options combined.

I would agree. But also one who lives and hunts in the West, I also hunt in the South, where I have some deer stands, I can’t see over 75 yards, and always have used my 10X42. However, I can hold my Swaro 12X42 NL Pures steadier than I thought I would, so they are the ones going with me the most now.

 

[General RE LEE]

I would agree. But also one who lives and hunts in the West, I also hunt in the South, where I have some deer stands, I can’t see over 75 yards, and always have used my 10X42. However, I can hold my Swaro 12X42 NL Pures steadier than I thought I would, so they are the ones going with me the most now.

I think 8x are great hunting here in the east, but a near alpha to alpha 10x is great here in the east cause of the lens coatings and high resolution. There are times I want just a tad more reach than the 8x.

 

[Mt Al]

I’m a 10x50 guy and not a 10x42 guy. I have lots of reasons for why, so I’ll apologize in advance for my long winded reply.

Handheld binos, for 99% of people, consist of 4 options: 8x42, 10x42, 10x50, and 12x50. Sure some guys back east hunt with 6’s and some he-men swear they can handhold 15’s, but those are almost always the 4 combos compared. What you select all depends on your use case and where you hunt, but for me (high country mule deer and elk), I’ve unquestionably settled on the 10x50’s. Here's my justification:

Exit Pupil (diameter of the column of light that exits the ocular lens and enters your eye).
8x42 - 5.25mm
10x42 - 4.2mm
10x50 - 5mm
12x50 - 4.1667mm

The human eye optimizes around an exit pupil of 5mm. Much smaller and you're leaving light on the table, much more and you're carrying extra bulk that your eye can't use. So 10x42 and 12x50 are out.

12x is too hard to handhold. Lots of guys will say you can, but whenever guys say "buy a 12x50, it's still possible to handhold effectively," the inflection in their voice sounds almost as if they're even trying to convince themselves that what they're saying is true. It's not true across the board obviously, but objectively, lower mag = easier to handhold, especially one hand while bow hunting. I don't want separate binos for rifle vs. bow hunting, so the 10x and 8x win out again. here

So we've already eliminated the 12x50 from contention. Exit pupil is too small, and too hard to handhold. That leaves 8x42, 10x42, and 10x50. The 10x42 is eliminated here because of the small exit pupil (relative to the two other choices).

The magnification is a personal choice thing. The exit pupils between the 8x42 and 10x50 are effectively the same, with just a 0.25mm difference. But the additional 2 magnification of the 10x vs 8x does the same thing that jumping from a 10x to 12x does, but you're not giving up light. Basically, it gives the best tradeoff of FOV, light transmission, hand-hold-ability, and magnification you could hope for in a dedicated western hunting optic.

If I ever hunted back east, I might consider the 8x42. But I live in the rocky mountains and am an unapologetic western hunter, so the 10x50 is my huckleberry. My family and the guys I've hunted with have all jumped on the train as well and have become believers.

This is just my opinion, keep in mind. I'm sure lots of guys will argue an opposing viewpoint, and that's ok. But that's my justification of a 10x50 for dedicated western hunting.

Thanks for sharing that. Your or someone else posted something similar quite a while ago and makes good sense.

I've had 10x42 and will look at 50s if/when I change.

Also, gives reason to consider 8x when looking at a smaller/compact pair.

 

[nobody]

Thanks for sharing that. Your or someone else posted something similar quite a while ago and makes good sense.

I've had 10x42 and will look at 50s if/when I change.

Also, gives reason to consider 8x when looking at a smaller/compact pair.

Haha I bet it was me. I’ve copied and pasted my exact same post across multiple threads regarding these types of questions. I’ll never stop proselytizing in favor of the 10x50’s.

 

[flathead#2]

My old 10x42 Leupolds have hunted a lot of places.

 

[DeerCatcherUT/CO]

I switched from 8x to 10x this year and it’s a rough transition. It feels like I’m looking through straws with the smaller FOV. Debating whether to get another pair of 8s

 

[MTWop]

I think a lot depends on your glassing style. Optics are always a compromise. I primarily hunt Montana and Alaska. 10’s are a good balance, but personally I favor 8x42 on the chest and 15x56 always on a tripod. I almost always pack both. 8’s have larger exit pupil/better low light performance, larger field of view, and more stable image compared to the 10’s. I primarily use the 8’s handheld and the 15’s on a tripod. If I had to pick only one bino, it would probably be a 10x, but the 8x and 15x combo has been the best setup I’ve settled on over the past 25 years of hunting