Binos Vs spotter

[Hooodapp]

I’m looking to finally make the move into some nicer optics. Always ran decent binos and a cheap spotter. The question is, my “decent” binos aren’t all that decent in the grand picture. Going from leupold bx4 pro guides and their sx2 scope.

Would the recommendation go to upgrading the binos? Or the scope first?
I guess it could bring in the secondary question, I do a lot of timber elk hunting. Would keeping my current 10x50 binos and going with a big pair of binos for deer hunting and open country elk hunting be a good move? Use the spotter as well?
Just looking for people thoughts and opinions. Optics has been something I’ve always overlooked, and looking back, I think I really regret.
Thanks!

 

[bowhuntrben]

I would buy the best binos you can afford first. Don't settle for middle ground, otherwise you'll find yourself in the same situation in the future wishing you had just bit the bullet right away.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Binos and a quality tripod/head. Tripod is important because any vibration and it nullifies even the best optics on the planet.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

This has been covered a lot, but I'll always take alpha bino's over any spotter for wildlife viewing.

If your 10x50's are BX4's they only have a 5.7 degree listed FOV, you can get 12's that are the same size or smaller and have a larger FOV and do everything with one pair if those 10x50's are working for you in the woods. I was freehanding my NL 12x42's yesterday no problem, they do it better than any other 12x bino I've owned. I could see the shake at times but the detail I saw was still far superior to the EL 8.5x42's I was also using and comparing to back to back because of the added magnification. The FOV also isn't that much smaller. The NL 12's have a 6.5 degree FOV which is insane for 12's. My take away is that I could happily live with the NL12's for everything, but I'm still keeping my EL8.5's because I still need a second pair of binos for my girlfriend to use. I also have two pair of BX4's which I love for the $$ but when you own Swaros they just don't see much use.

 

[Hooodapp]

I would buy the best binos you can afford first. Don't settle for middle ground, otherwise you'll find yourself in the same situation in the future wishing you had just bit the bullet right away.

Awesome. Kind of the expected answer really. Just wanting to make the right decision. Thanks!

 

[Hooodapp]

This has been covered a lot, but I'll always take alpha bino's over any spotter for wildlife viewing.

If your 10x50's are BX4's they only have a 5.7 degree listed FOV, you can get 12's that are the same size or smaller and have a larger FOV and do everything with one pair if those 10x50's are working for you in the woods. I was freehanding my NL 12x42's yesterday no problem, they do it better than any other 12x bino I've owned. I could see the shake at times but the detail I saw was still far superior to the EL 8.5x42's I was also using and comparing to back to back because of the added magnification. The FOV also isn't that much smaller. The NL 12's have a 6.5 degree FOV which is insane for 12's. My take away is that I could happily live with the NL12's for everything, but I'm still keeping my EL8.5's because I still need a second pair of binos for my girlfriend to use. I also have two pair of BX4's which I love for the $$ but when you own Swaros they just don't see much use.

Awesome information to consider. Thanks! Makes sense. I always hear people talk about going swaro and you’ll never go back…

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Awesome information to consider. Thanks! Makes sense. I always hear people talk about going swaro and you’ll never go back…

For me it comes down to how much I'll use something as to whether it's justified. I sold all my Swaros once a few years ago because I just wasn't out in nature to use them because I didn't have the time. Kept only a pair of BX4 8x42's that I used once in a blue moon so it's all I needed. Now I'm glassing almost every day while hiking or traveling in the mountains and it made me really miss alpha glass so I'm back at it.

If you're going to use them a lot, it's a lot easier to justify buying top tier and you'll appreciate them more. Just like any other type of tool.

 

[Hooodapp]

For me it comes down to how much I'll use something as to whether it's justified. I sold all my Swaros once a few years ago because I just wasn't out in nature to use them because I didn't have the time. Kept only a pair of BX4 8x42's that I used once in a blue moon so it's all I needed. Now I'm glassing almost every day while hiking or traveling in the mountains and it made me really miss alpha glass so I'm back at it.

If you're going to use them a lot, it's a lot easier to justify buying top tier and you'll appreciate them more. Just like any other type of tool.

Makes total sense. I’d be using the crap out of them. I just glass a lot. I’ve always been intrigued by high end glass but was always skeptical especially with the price tag involved until I got to try some last year.

Would buying some high end binos and then “settling” on a cheaper spotter be a bad idea?
Or just bite the bullet and go high end all around.
By cheaper spotter, I’ve been looking at a vortex razor. It’s their top end, but I’ve heard it doesn’t even compare to swaro, kowa, etc…

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Makes total sense. I’d be using the crap out of them. I just glass a lot. I’ve always been intrigued by high end glass but was always skeptical especially with the price tag involved until I got to try some last year.

Would buying some high end binos and then “settling” on a cheaper spotter be a bad idea?
Or just bite the bullet and go high end all around.
By cheaper spotter, I’ve been looking at a vortex razor. It’s their top end, but I’ve heard it doesn’t even compare to swaro, kowa, etc…

I would buy the alpha binos and use them and figure out if you even want/need a spotter.

The NL 12's are really perfect all around binos, if it weren't for needing a second pair for my girlfriend to use I'd sell my EL 8.5's and be perfectly content with just the NL's. We went for a few mile hike yesterday on the AT in GA and I was using them to observe animals pretty close in. Got to the summit and was glassing probably close to 100 miles with them. Got back to the camp ground and spotted a red tail in a tree on one mountain about 1400 yards away and was watching squirrels run around on the same mountain. I was observing another mountain about 3 miles away to see if I could see any game moving and I didn't see any but if they were there it would have been no issues seeing them. I could almost make out individual leaves on the ground at that distance but not quite.

We're getting ready to hike another portion of the AT today and they're going with me again.

 

[uglymud]

I would buy the alpha binos and use them and figure out if you even want/need a spotter.

The NL 12's are really perfect all around binos, if it weren't for needing a second pair for my girlfriend to use I'd sell my EL 8.5's and be perfectly content with just the NL's. We went for a few mile hike yesterday on the AT in GA and I was using them to observe animals pretty close in. Got to the summit and was glassing probably close to 100 miles with them. Got back to the camp ground and spotted a red tail in a tree on one mountain about 1400 yards away and was watching squirrels run around on the same mountain. I was observing another mountain about 3 miles away to see if I could see any game moving and I didn't see any but if they were there it would have been no issues seeing them. I could almost make out individual leaves on the ground at that distance but not quite.

We're getting ready to hike another portion of the AT today and they're going with me again.

Are the 12s easy to hold steady with their FOV? I'm really debating going for them over the 10s but did just order an ATS 65 and don't know that I necessarily need the 12s with that.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[S.Clancy]

I would get good, not great binos. There is not much difference between Meopta/Maven/Zeiss Conquest and the like when compared to the top of the line, except for about 5x the price and ~5% function. Yes, they are better at the top end, but really, it ain't gonna kill more deer/elk/antelope whatever for you. Put the rest of the money into other things, or unpaid leave to actually get out and hunt.

As for power, get 10x. You really don't need more

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Are the 12s easy to hold steady with their FOV? I'm really debating going for them over the 10s but did just order an ATS 65 and don't know that I necessarily need the 12s with that.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Yes they are, I haven't even used them off of a tripod yet since I'm awaiting my outdoorsman order. All offhand and they're phenomenal. Even with the outdoorsman stud and adaptor I'll probably leave my tripod at home most of the time.

 

[Macro]

Vihtavuori N565.

 

[OKHunter84]

I went through a few lower end binos and then finally got frustrated trying to figure out which deer I was looking at closer to dark, so I picked up swaro slc 10x42 and love them. I know they're not the absolute high end but I've looked through EL's and high end Leica's quite a bit and I'm happy with my SLC's.

I sold a couple different razor spotting Scopes and recently picked up a Leupold GR 12-40 to try out this year. I like digiscoping with my spotter and being able to take pics. If I end up not liking this scope then I'll maybe look at 15 or 18 binos in the future. I couldn't justify the weight of the spotters I had compared to my binos. They really weren't that much more helpful.

 

[ZackP]

I would get good, not great binos. There is not much difference between Meopta/Maven/Zeiss Conquest and the like when compared to the top of the line, except for about 5x the price and ~5% function. Yes, they are better at the top end, but really, it ain't gonna kill more deer/elk/antelope whatever for you. Put the rest of the money into other things, or unpaid leave to actually get out and hunt.

As for power, get 10x. You really don't need more

I agree with this for the most part. That bottom sentence is all depending on the terrain you hunt. I personally hunt WIDE open desert. 10’s are not enough for that, not even close. For me anyways, although I have made due with just 10’s in the past.

Dump all you can afford into a set of bino’s and worry about the spotter later. They’re the most important piece of glass you own. Would you rather go on a hunt with only bino’s, or only a spotter? I’m going to assume you chose the former and not the latter.

There’s your answer.