binos

[flatlander51]

one of the guys going hunting with me needs a pair of binos. he has a 500$ budget. any advice?

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Zen ray ed3 or preorder the new primes with a few xtra duckets

 

[Matt Cashell]

Zen Ray ED3 or Vortex Talon HD.

You can also look for a used Meopta Meostar, which would be awesome.

I haven't seen the Primes to recommend them, but the scuttlebutt is they are pretty darn good.

 

[Titaniumman]

There are some good articles on the homepage about glass that are worth a read. I hunt a lot of timber and have been using a pair of Leica 10x25 binos for years. Lightweight, small and clear as a bell. However, I don't spend extended periods of time using them to search far and wide. Those articles will tell you that 8x42 or 10x50 are better suited for such use. I just ordered a Vortex Viper HD spotting scope. Viper seems like quality equipment from what I have read, and I have read quite a bit. Take a look

 

[ElkNut1]

Yes the Talons are a very nice Optic, I've not used one in the field but have had a few go through the shop here & looked through them, very nice look & feel to them! I also have 1 demo Viper HD 10X42 like brand new both for less than your buddys budget! Either one would work great, myself, I'm a Viper HD guy! (grin)

PM me if interested!

ElkNut1

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Last night I gave my son the Vortex Talon's for his graduation. He loved them! I felt how could I go wrong with their incredible guarantee.

 

[dotman]

Yup you can drive over your vortex binos and they will not question it, they just send out a new pair.

When it comes to glass vortex has one of the best warranties out there.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Yup you can drive over your vortex binos and they will not question it, they just send out a new pair.

Annnnnddddd.....I just so happened to have done that with my Swarovski spotting scope last year. Pulled it out to check out a buck at first light in front of my truck. Then I pulled the truck off the road, made a long stalk and killed the buck. When I got back to the truck a few hours later there was my squashed spotting scope in the road. Fortunately only the front portion was damaged, and even more fortunate is that it was still laying there!! Bad news: My spotting scope was smashed. Good news: After 30 years of hunting I still get that excited when I see a good buck, and it was only a $70 repair.

 

[tstowater]

I operated under the theory that you buy the best glass you cannot reasonably afford. There is a difference, especially in poor light conditions. I am not familiar with the Vortex, but several people on this site seem quite pleased. I personally use Swaros that I bought years ago with the idea that I would use them a long time and not need to upgrade. Other than changing to rangefinding binos, I still am completely satisfied with my decision. The quality of most of the glass has improved in the last 10 years giving people many options. Don't put an artificial budget on something, especially if you can buy something significantly better for not a lot more. By the way, I ran into the same dilemma on a sleeping bag and pad- your can see what I did yesterday on the backpacking area.

 

[Titaniumman]

Last night I gave my son the Vortex Talon's for his graduation. He loved them! I felt how could I go wrong with their incredible guarantee.

you don't want to adopt another kid do you? I'd even graduate again!

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

you don't want to adopt another kid do you? I'd even graduate again!

Ha ha...you are from NW Montana....one of my favorite places...I'll hafta give that one some thought...

 

[bbrown]

Another vote for Vortex

 

[Ryan Avery]

Get with Paul and buy some vortex!!

 

[JNDEER]

Does he wear glasses?

Three years ago I got the Diamondbacks. They were great, so I upgraded to the Razor (best bang for the buck that the time). Now other companies have competed and possibly out competed Vortex, IMO.

The new HD stuff is awesome and super clear, however the FOV sucks big time. I finally got to look through a Viper HD and it was like looking through a small paper towell roll. The FOV was far less than my older Razors, but the crisp edges were better. You would have to check on the Talon's, but I think the FOV is less as well.

The new hype are the Zen Rays (many, many forums discuss them and how good they are). I am yet to look through them, but when everyone was hyping about the Vortex I jumped on the band wagon and was not displeased with them at all. However, now with the New Razor HD being $1300 and is a price I am not willing to pay. I think the ED3 or the new Prime HD (you can still get them for $555 by the end of the month) would be worth your buddies money. I am jumping on the Prime HD band wagon as well as I strongly feel they will be an upgrade when compared to my Razor's.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=231804

 

[dotman]

The talons have a better fov.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Small paper towel roll?

I don't know about that. The Viper HD 10X42 has a 315' @ 1000 yards FOV, while the Prime has a 340' @ 1000 yards FOV. The Prime has an awesome spec, but the Viper isn't exactly narrow. The Nikon Monarch is running 288' @ 1000 yards. Now that is narrow.

Of course, the Talon HD bests the Prime by 8 feet with a 348' @ 1000 yards FOV.

 

[JNDEER]

Small paper towel roll?

I don't know about that. The Viper HD 10X42 has a 315' @ 1000 yards FOV, while the Prime has a 340' @ 1000 yards FOV. The Prime has an awesome spec, but the Viper isn't exactly narrow. The Nikon Monarch is running 288' @ 1000 yards. Now that is narrow.

Of course, the Talon HD bests the Prime by 8 feet with a 348' @ 1000 yards FOV.

My comparison was between the original Razor's and the Viper HD. I had my Razors when I went in the store and looked through both, it was highly noticable for someone who wears glasses. The glasses may have also been a factor in reducing the FOV as with the Viper's you can only screw them down so far and they have a lip between the glass and the top of the cup. With the Razor's they were flush, so I decided how high I wanted them (that was a pain as well and had to get rubber o-rings to put on it to hold it in place).

I am just saying that the Viper HD seemed way narrow when looking through them when compared to my Razors (which I think are around the 330 FOV range)

 

[Matt Cashell]

I got ya now, JNDEER.

I agree a 15 foot difference in FOV is pretty noticeable. I just never considered the Viper really a "paper towel" type view. The Monarch do to me, though.

The Primes are getting some good buzz, but they still haven't been officially released yet. We will see how it goes.