Best low light binoculars

[Bezamaelee]

The Swaro SLC 8x56 that I ended up when I posted this is the best bino to my eyes for lowlight. I also tried the Zeiss Victory 8x54 and it was exceptional. But the SLC was better to me for this purpose.

 

[KenLee]

I'd like to bump this as I am in the same predicament as the OP, except I've never even looked through good binos. The best I've ever used are vortex fury for reference and the best ones I own costed $80.

I was shopping for an 8x50 or 8x56 binocular, but I'm wondering if it matters after a certain objective for a certain zoom. I want 8's or 10's, but my primary concern is glassing basically in the dark. I like to get to my deer stand extremely early and stay extremely late because I always see deer, I just struggle to ID what they are.

Is it as simple as good glass works better, or does having huge objectives measurably help?

Added: just to clarify, my rifle is unloaded outside of shooting hours. I just like to deer watch on big openings in the dark. I'd buy night vision if I could afford it.

8x is better in low light than 10x.
A $275 Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 is a dang good binoc for the $. I used them before I bought 8x42 NL Pures. Lady friend uses the Nikons now.

 

[Choupique]

I should've specified that I'm on a budget of $300 or so. Alpha glass one day, but it's going to be quite a few years and I need to keep it cheap till then. I have a dedicated pocket change jug just for the purpose!

I keep seeing stuff about celestron binoculars. For example, they make a 9x63 binocular for astrology use that's like $200. Raving reviews about astrology use, but does that translate well to land use? Size is basically irrelevant.

 

[KenLee]

I should've specified that I'm on a budget of $300 or so. Alpha glass one day, but it's going to be quite a few years and I need to keep it cheap till then. I have a dedicated pocket change jug just for the purpose!

I keep seeing stuff about celestron binoculars. For example, they make a 9x63 binocular for astrology use that's like $200. Raving reviews about astrology use, but does that translate well to land use? Size is basically irrelevant.

I should've specified that I'm on a budget of $300 or so. Alpha glass one day, but it's going to be quite a few years and I need to keep it cheap till then. I have a dedicated pocket change jug just for the purpose!

I keep seeing stuff about celestron binoculars. For example, they make a 9x63 binocular for astrology use that's like $200. Raving reviews about astrology use, but does that translate well to land use? Size is basically irrelevant.

Doubt you'd be comfortable using 56 or 63mm binocs in a stand. They get heavy, contributing to shake

 

[Choupique]

Is the low light performance worth it? I usually have a tripod with me or a box stand wall to prop up on or something like that. I'll find a way to deal with it if it'll give me great low-light use.

I mainly just want to be able to differentiate between does and big bucks, which I can still kinda do with my crappy binos if the moon is bright. I dont want to get big ones just for the sake of having big ones if it isn't going to be a drastic improvement though.

 

[Choupique]

I ended up buying a set of 8x56 celestron skymasters since I caught a pair on sale for ultra cheap. The low light performance seems amazing to me, with limited stuff to compare to.

Problem is finding a chest rig for these things. They are very wide, and every chest harness I know of is made for roof prism binoculars. Yall have any suggestions? The pack they come with is made to go on a belt, has velco and is.totally useless for hunting.

 

[roweraay]

BTW - most 56mm and larger objective lens binoculars are not all that bright in full daylight. The 56mm SLC is somewhat of an exception in that regard.

This is a great point. In full daylight, it is the quality of the optics that matter, rather than the size of the aperture. Many low-priced big eye binoculars have poor optics, even though the aperture itself is large, leading to sub-par performance during daylight, when the aperture does not matter as much.

The 56mm SLC has great optics, in addition to the large aperture, which makes their performance really great in both daylight and also when the light fades. The Zeiss conquest 56mms also have great optics, even though the Swaros have slightly better build quality.

The common factor in both the Zeiss and Swarovski 56mms are the Abbé-Koenig prisms (with their 100% light transmissions), vis-a-vis the Schmidt-Pechan prisms used by conventional roof prisms.

 

[roweraay]

I have a pair of 10x50 Steiner Nighthunters (same line of bino. Shadowquest is the USA market model name)
They are exceptional in low light. The 8x56 could only be brighter. plus being porro prisms you eliminate the light transmission losses associated with roof prisms, regardless of whether they are AB or SP prisms.

I really like the Porro-prisms and especially the high-transmissions ones like the 7x50s and the 8x56s. I was about to purchase the Steiner ShadowQuest 8x56s (alongside the new 2023 Steiner 7x50 Commanders with the 456ft FOV at 1000 yards), but the only thing that gives me pause, is the minimum-focus distance, which is dozens of feet.

Is such a large minimum focus distance limiting during usage ? Just curious.

 

[Choupique]

I'm really enjoying hunting with my 8x56 porro celestrons. To my uncultured eyes, they are practically night vision. I can effectively glass with them well after legal shooting time. With a clear sky and some moonlight, I could glass all night. Field of view kinda sucks, they are huge and they are heavy but they are really effective in low light.

I can only imagine how great SLC's must be. One day....

 

[roweraay]

… being porro prisms you eliminate the light transmission losses associated with roof prisms, regardless of whether they are AB or SP prisms.

I love the porro-prisms a lot, even though every single manufacturer, over the past decade or so, have been putting their research/design efforts to improving the performance on the Roof designs. And even within the roofs, most design efforts are again focused on the “inferior” SP, rather than the higher transmission Abbe-Koenig (AB). To me, this is a pity.

In my mind, if Swarovski had put in as much design efforts and optics quality into an Abbe-Koenig roof version of their NL Pures, and if say it can match the 95% light transmission of the Zeiss HTs with the AB prisms, it would be a peerless product. Unfortunately, Swarovski continues to invest exclusively into the SP prism based designs, while leaving their AB designs (like their SLC line) to wither on the vine.

 

[roweraay]

I don’t know about budget category but I ended up with a 2022 model SLC 8x56. I just picked them up after the season so I haven’t hunted through a season with them yet. Playing with them in the pasture looking at cows and also looking at my 3-D target 100 yards from the porch and I think they’re going to be great, although they are bulky and heavy. But that’s OK the primary use for this is food plot specific, with the longest glassing distance being under 300 yards. On long walking hunts I’ll carry my lighter bino. Not heading west this year, so planning to make another bino purchase in 2024 that will be geared more towards western spot and stalk with long periods of glassing.

I am seriously debating between the SLC 8x56 and the 10x56. The 15x56 would be too dark, I presume, regardless of the “twilight factor”. To me, due to their aperture size, I want to go with a higher magnification, than stick to the 8s, since even with a 10x56, the exit pupil size is a decent 5.6mm. But not ruling out the 8x56 SLC either, even though those have gotten really rare, due to Swarovski stopping their production.

Having used the 8x56 for a while, if buying again, would you opt for the 8x56 or the 10x56 ? Just curious. Thank you.

 

[Choupique]

love the porro-prisms a lot,

I'm on the make poor-o great again train.

NL glass with the great light transmission of porro prisms AND the lower price = perfection

Although i suspect the lower price part makes it totally unappealing to a business. Why compete with yourself? People pay NL prices. Why make cheaper binos that give a better view?

 

[roweraay]

I'm on the make poor-o great again train.

NL glass with the great light transmission of porro prisms AND the lower price = perfection

Although i suspect the lower price part makes it totally unappealing to a business. Why compete with yourself? People pay NL prices. Why make cheaper binos that give a better view?

I think the Porro train (for general purpose binoculars) has left the station a long time back. And that train is not returning. Not a single serious manufacturer invests any more effort into refining the porro-prism designs any more. And the common public, looks at them as old-fashioned relics from a prior era. Unfortunately !

 

[Xycod]

10/12x50 el is what I went with, also the swaro slc 56’s. I’d go 10x over 8x for low light, my 8’s are a bit brighter but a closer image is more important in being able to see.

 

[ozyclint]

The Habicht has higher light transmission than NL pure's. The Habicht is a porro prism bino whose design has remained largely unchanged, except for updated coatings, since they were introduced in 1946.
Says a lot about how good porro's are.

But why sell $1k binos when you have people falling over each other to buy $3k binos?

 

[ozyclint]

I'm on the make poor-o great again train.

NL glass with the great light transmission of porro prisms AND the lower price = perfection

Although i suspect the lower price part makes it totally unappealing to a business. Why compete with yourself? People pay NL prices. Why make cheaper binos that give a better view?

The Habicht's already have the latest glass and coatings. They just rest in a 1946 design. If they modernised it for ergonomics, asthetics (I like them how they are BTW), longer eye relief, better eye cups etc then they would be hands down the best.

My pragmatic brain thinks the opposite.

Make an optically superior product which is cheaper to produce (porro's are far easier to make than roof's) and sell it for big $$ because people would pay it for the best optic there is. Increased profit margin.

 

[Choupique]

The Habicht

I dont know why these aren't immensely popular? They are vastly cheaper than the NL line, have better light transmission, presumably equal quality glass. People that worried about having slimmer binos?

 

[ozyclint]

I know, it makes no sense does it? they really aren't that big and bulky and they are lighter!
Habicht 10x42W GA- 790gms. NL pure 10x42- 850gms
The steroscopic 3d image that a porro provides because the objectives are further apart is another reason I like them.

People fall for 'latest and greatest' and care how their binos look I guess. weird.

I'm not sure who cares what my binos look like when I'm solo hunting in the wilderness?? people are vain

 

[Tourguide]

I am more than willing to go with a bigger model. Especially if it gets me a lowlight advantage.

This spring i bought a meopta 8x50 optika, the rf model. The 8x50 has been much better at low light than the German 10x40s I own. The bigger the exit pupil the better for low light

 

[Tourguide]

I am more than willing to go with a bigger model. Especially if it gets me a lowlight advantage.

This spring i bought a meopta 8x50 optika, the rf model. The 8x50 has been much better at low light than the German 10x40s I own. The bigger the exit pupil the better for low light