Best 15x binos

[PVHunter]

I have SLC 10s and Meopta 15s. I've been happy with the 15s and would not hesitate to recommend them. gr&fuldoug and the Cameraland crew helped me out.

 

[Brian Fahs]

Swaro 15 slc hd.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I actually prefer the Meopta Meostar over the Swaro SLC. My personal observation after a ton of field time using both…

Swaros are handier, lighter, sleeker. Feel better in the hands but we are talking 15 power binos. They are almost always on a tripod. Meoptas sort of feel like a tank and aren’t “pretty”. They do seem to be more durable than the swaros.

Eye relief in the swaros is better and adjusting the cups feels slightly crisper. Close up images on the swaros are “clearer” to my eye. Mid range to long range the edge to edge clarity favors Meopta, especially the center focused image. Crazy how clear the Meopta image is especially for peripheral image.

The natural “color” my eyes see matches closer to meoptas “warmer” image. The swaros were more “cool” with green trees and grey rocks looking much more blue in color vs what they look like to my naked eyes.

Chromatic aberration which I’m highly susceptible to is much better with the Meoptas. Not sure if it’s due to prism design or what, but the swaros didn’t relieve it anywhere near as much as meoptas do.

Low light conditions they are both fantastic with a slight edge going to Swaro to my eyes. They just feel “brighter” in low light but the image does get distorted easier than meoptas.

I would be more than happy to use both and have used both for hours and hours. Sticking with the meoptas for now.

 

[4th_point]

I don't know about best, but overall I really like the Canon 15x50 with image stabilization for my uses. Before the Canon I had the SIG Zulu6 16x42 with stabilization. I sold the SIG but missed having the IS, and gave the Canon a shot.

I like the 15x56 SLC a lot too. It is brighter than the Canon and has better contrast. However, during a brief side-by-side I could resolve similar detail with both. And the Canon is plenty bright enough for low light and my eyes, but the SLC view is just more pleasing.

The Canon has some CA if you really look for it, and the eyecups suck, but it is a unit that I can grab and go without a tripod. Since owning the Canon it has become my most used optic by far. Handy for hikes, or scouting from a vehicle. And you can still use a tripod, where the IS still helps with vibration.

If I didn't care about IS, I would buy the SLC. The image is great to me.

 

[sivart]

anyone have the NL 12s and the SLC 15s, to show a comparison picture in low light?

 

[sivart]

Is it possible to handhold any of the 15s?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

What keep going back to, “what if I just run the NL 12s for everything? “. Would be huge weight savings with these in my bino harness and just packing the tripod

This is the beauty of the NL 12's, one bino to do everything very well. I have the NL 12's now and had the SLC HD 15's previously for PRS spotting. If you're going to mount them on a tripod all the time the SLC 15's are the shit. I don't know anyone that can hand hold those massive heavy binos, but I'm sure someone can.

As far as NL vs SLC HD you're probably not going to notice a huge difference in glass but it is better. Where the NL image really pops for me is how immersive it is and the massive FOV for the magnification. Other than that the ergonomics and other features are what really set them apart more so than the glass.

 

[grfox92]

Is it possible to handhold any of the 15s?

For quick scanning yes. Anything long term.....some guys say yes. Many guys say no. So I think there is alot of personal preference.

Personally I've decided to get 15s and pack them instead of a spotter and keep 10s on my chest.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[BBob]

anyone have the NL 12s and the SLC 15s, to show a comparison picture in low light?

I don't think you are going to see much difference and certainly not with pictures posted on the internet. I don’t have any sort of phone scope to fit either and hand holding the phone would probably make the comparison attempt nil anyway.

Is it possible to handhold any of the 15s?

You could and people do but the vast majority carry 10’s on their neck and the 15’s in their pack for good reason. I on occasion will quickly grab and hand hold the 15’s but no way am I going to use them as main glass. If I’m carrying 15’s I’m going to have some nice light and compact 10x32’s around my neck.

 

[alpinemule08]

anyone have the NL 12s and the SLC 15s, to show a comparison picture in low light?

I compared both but never took any photos. Both binos have their applications but the NL pures were just more practical for more scenarios. If money didn't matter, I would still own both and use both. With the NLs you can still reach out there quite a ways and they are so crystal clear edge to edge with a much larger field of view. As for "shaky" handholding on the 12s, I think its silly how a lot of folks complain about it. I find 10s just as shaky but I think it's just what everyone thinks/expects when getting into a 12 so they pay more attention to it but perhaps I'm wrong. With the BTX and the 12s you can do almost everything. With the BTX, 12s, and 8s, you can do everything.

Hopefully one of these days swaro will come out with an NL in a 15 or 18. Probably wishful thinking though.

 

[nphunter]

The Meostars are great 15's, defiently alpha glass when it comes to 15X.

As far as comparing them to NL's it really just depends on the use, for me I already own some Razor 10's which are great for a 10x and small and light compared to most others. My hunting partner has NL12's and they are awesome, better ergonomics than any other bino I've used. The glass is awesome but for me the 12 is a weird power for binos, I don't really like hand-holding them, yes they are much better than the 15's to hand-hold with the large field of view but not as good as 10's. The NL is also are phenomenal on a tripod, for small canyon glassing they are the best I've used by far, for big country glassing the Meostar 15's outshined the NL.

The NL has a bigger field of view which tends to lead to finding moving animals better, the Meostar has more magnification which leads to finding bedded animals easier and is also better for seeing antlers (points) at long range. I do not like carrying the 15's on my chest but depending on the hunt I will just because they do work for a quick look at something and are awesome on my tripod. For me a lot of my hunting is done in timber and I leave my 10's in the truck often and just use my 7x range finder, I think for these reasons the 12NL just doesn't appeal to me as much. When I'm packing my 15's on my chest it's because we are moving from area to area and sitting down and glassing for long periods.

The quality of the NL12 really shines in a 12X, in 10X I don't really see the quality outperforming other good glass because honestly, most decent glass can get the job done at those distances. No matter what bino I have when I'm in big country I always have my big spotter with me, I've picked out so many deer and elk with my spotters over the years that otherwise would have gone unseen that it's always in the pack.

 

[MakAttack]

Is it possible to handhold any of the 15s?

I spotted the buck on my profile photo handholding 15's. It was bedded in the shade of a tree at 680 yards.

 

[Beendare]

I had the Meostars….loved them and they were as good as Swaro in a side by side comparison on a tripod in late season Az.

BUT, there is a new entry in this…the Vortex 18x UHD.

I know, I know- Vortex sub par glass. I had the chance to compare my Meoptas to the 18x UHD and they are impressive. Made in Japan- not China. The color is a tiny bit better in the meopta…but the image WOW, great glass…that 3x extra power makes a huge difference.
So much so, I traded off my Meopta for the 18x…and Vortex has a great guide program…..

 

[Fede]

Hi,

Anybody can tell me how much should I pay for a used SLC 15x in good conditions?

 

[swavescatter]

Has anyone compared the SLC to Maven B6? Are they comparable?

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I believe there are a couple YouTube videos on this. It’s a toss up it seems, and the price is a no brainer.

I just ordered the B6 Maven 15’s. No vendor will recommend them because they’re only direct to consumer, but they also offer a Vortex like unconditional lifetime warranty.

Drop your Swaros or Meoptas and you’re SOL. Drop your Mavens and you’re covered.

 

[Gingerbeardman26]

I believe there are a couple YouTube videos on this. It’s a toss up it seems, and the price is a no brainer.

I just ordered the B6 Maven 15’s. No vendor will recommend them because they’re only direct to consumer, but they also offer a Vortex like unconditional lifetime warranty.

Drop your Swaros or Meoptas and you’re SOL. Drop your Mavens and you’re covered.

I recently purchased a pair of Meopta second hand, proceeded to drop them, as one does, and contacted Erick with Meopta, got an RMA and sent them off the same day. Should have them back sometime next month. Sure, they are not in my hands currently, but I wouldn’t say I’m SOL, as you put it. Not sure how Swarovski would handle a similar situation.

 

[swavescatter]

They’re fixing them for free?

Both Meopta and Swarovski state very clearly that their warranty applies only to manufacturing defects, not damage. But hey, if they go above and beyond that’s great. I’d just prefer it in writing.

Everyone knows you buy Vortex for the warranty and not the glass, but with maven it seems like you might get both. I should have them in hand Wednesday!

 

[Gingerbeardman26]

Other than paying to ship them to Meopta in Florida, I haven’t been notified of any further costs. Perhaps they will charge me before they ship them back. I will certainly update my post if they do. I will send an email and let you know what I find out.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

They’re fixing them for free?

Both Meopta and Swarovski state very clearly that their warranty applies only to manufacturing defects, not damage. But hey, if they go above and beyond that’s great. I’d just prefer it in writing.

Everyone knows you buy Vortex for the warranty and not the glass, but with maven it seems like you might get both. I should have them in hand Wednesday!

What some folks fail to realize is that when a company covers accidental damage on optics they're factoring that into the price and charging you for it. Personally I'd rather pay for glass and build quality and then get a valuable personal property insurance plan that covers they against the accidental damage as well as theft or loss. That's not saying B5's aren't very nice binos, but everyone buying them is paying for that.

Razor UHD's glass is excellent, maybe even a little better than B5's. Just saying.

 

[swavescatter]

What some folks fail to realize is that when a company covers accidental damage on optics they're factoring that into the price and charging you for it.

I get that, and that's why I shopped by price to my door.

This fudd seems to indicate Mavens are on par with SLC's, so if Vortex ever makes a 15 power UHD I'll give them a look. I don't have brand loyalty with optics.