Binocular recommendations

[inspectorrgadget]

What type of binoculars do you sheep hunters use? My reason for joining this forum was to ask this question. Oddly, there were prior topics about bullets and stuff, by next to nothing about what kind of glass is used.

Im looking to get my son (28) some good glass as a wedding present. He's going to spent the entire summer glossing for Bighorn Sheep.

I'm willing to spend up to $1500. There's to tier names Zeiss, Swarovski, and other brands like Nikon, Vortex, and Leupold

I'm not sure what magnification you all go with. I've read 10x 42 is good.

I know you get what you pay for. But in terms of bang for the buck, what is the "Apple Iphone" of the binoculars used in going after Bighorn Sheep

 

[Stache Attack]

I would say this is a can of worms for many people. There are your classics like Swaro el’s, now the NLs, ziess sf, Leica noctovids etc.

New and kinda neat the sig image stabilizing 12-16 power… they have a great fit but glass quality isn’t there

Vortex razors are a great start in your price range

Maybe a gift card to euro optic, Scheels, or go hunt would be best so he could try a couple and see what he likes

Personally I am a 12x guy some times in hands sometimes tripod depends on the hunt or conditions. Summer time I’m on a tripod 95% of the time.

In the pickup I have 16x stabilized, vortex razors 12s (backup), and nL 12x42s (great compromise of fov and power).

I would encourage you to search for some of the great sales on Swaro ELs online right now and get him a tripod clamp like RRS bino cinch. They are the best opportunity in the market right now in my opinion. I’ve looked through a lot of optics while guiding and hunting.

 

[lundellhunting7]

I personally have given up and sold my Swarovski ELs ever since picking up Sig Zulu 6 12X binos.... The stabilization makes up for the glass quality not being the same as swaro or the other high end optics... This last hunting season I have found more animals using sigs than I ever did with Swaros on a tripod. Everyone's eyes are different.

I would suggest talking with your son. Taking him somewhere to look through different optics and let him decide for himself. To me I would rather have Sigs where others are still going to want to use the Swaros, Zeiss or Leica.

 

[Hoodie]

For sheep, weight is a concern.

Good lightweight options in the $1k price range:

1) Opticron Aurora BGA VHD 10x42 - Highly recommend reading about these over on birdforum. Not many hunters know about Opticron but they produce incredible glass for the money. I think the Aurora is probably the best 42mm bino available at $1k. Only downside is the focuser is a little stiff/slow. That's a bigger problem for birders than a hunter using them off a tripod.

2) Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 - Great field of view and color saturation. Very lightweight. Similar optics to the Aurora, but noticeable more chromatic aberration and slightly less sharp. These are a classic.

3) Maven B1.2 10x42 - Also lightweight and compact. Very bright, but slightly less color saturation than the other two options. Exceptional build quality, probably the best out of the three. Dynamite warranty and customer service.

Slightly more expensive ($1500-$2000):

1) Zeiss SFL 10x42 - People rave about them. They're very lightweight and have Zeiss's smart focus system, which is supposedly fantastic. I considered the 8x42 but read a review comparing them to the Opticron, where the reviewer thought the Aurora had slightly better optics. I'd bet the Zeiss has slightly better construction.

2) Swarovski EL - A little heavier than any of the other options, but almost certainly the best optics. I'd have a pair right now, but Swaro discontinued the use of their anti-fog coatings and I live in the PNW.

 

[Hoodie]

I personally have given up and sold my Swarovski ELs ever since picking up Sig Zulu 6 12X binos.... The stabilization makes up for the glass quality not being the same as swaro or the other high end optics... This last hunting season I have found more animals using sigs than I ever did with Swaros on a tripod. Everyone's eyes are different.

I would suggest talking with your son. Taking him somewhere to look through different optics and let him decide for himself. To me I would rather have Sigs where others are still going to want to use the Swaros, Zeiss or Leica.

This is wild to me. I've got to look through a pair of those.

 

[lundellhunting7]

This is wild to me. I've got to look through a pair of those.

If you would have told me a year ago I would give up my swaros I would have laughed. My dad also gave up his for sigs too!