Difference between $500 and $1k binoculars

[TheGDog]

Just think of all the other ways in which you'll enjoy your high-end binos. To keep my eyes in practice I regularly go to a nearby local wetlands reserve along Pacific Coast Highway. I did it just the other day in fact when I rec'd the ZEISS from the other gentleman here on Rokslide so I could check out my new toy. Told myself I was going to sit and force myself to slowly grid thru this marsh area in front of me, just to see what I could see (figuring I might surprise myself by noting some small birds or something) then, Boop... oh cool! Look at that! I found two coyotes up in there that were lounging until the sun went down! Then.. ambulance comes along down PCH and they respond to it like an invitation howl!

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[ao3004]

You will definitely notice the difference between the $500 and $1k glass in the last hour of daylight. Ive used swarovski next to Nikon Monarch binoculars and you really see the difference in low light situations. I would recommend getting the best glass you can afford and you will not regret it.

 

[poptop]

I made the hour and a half drive to Bass Pro to check out what they had. They didn't have a ton, but they had a decent selection. I looked through the BX-4 Pro, Vortex Razor and Fury, and the Zeiss Conquest. They were supposed to have SLC's, but they didn't. They had the EL's, but I didn't even look through them, no way I can make that leap.

I'm sure there are plenty of factors, mostly not being outside and my lack of experience with higher end binoculars, but I didn't really notice much of a difference. The Zeiss were my least favorite and the Fury was my favorite, but I don't think i'm interested in the built in range finder, it was pretty hefty and I can see trying to operate it with one hand being a struggle under the right situation.

I'll keep reading and looking for a deal.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Opening up to a $1,000.00 price point gets you to;
Meopta Meostar
Leica Trinovid
Kowa Genesis
GPO Passion HD
to name a few and these are excellent quality glass in the upper end of optical options. Please feel free to give a call to discuss what would be best for you

 

[TheGDog]

Hmmph.. really? First thing I noticed with the Zeiss was how much lighter they are than those DiamondBack I have. Then the clarity, depth of field, etc.

 

[ShortMountain91]

I made the hour and a half drive to Bass Pro to check out what they had. They didn't have a ton, but they had a decent selection. I looked through the BX-4 Pro, Vortex Razor and Fury, and the Zeiss Conquest. They were supposed to have SLC's, but they didn't. They had the EL's, but I didn't even look through them, no way I can make that leap.

I'm sure there are plenty of factors, mostly not being outside and my lack of experience with higher end binoculars, but I didn't really notice much of a difference. The Zeiss were my least favorite and the Fury was my favorite, but I don't think i'm interested in the built in range finder, it was pretty hefty and I can see trying to operate it with one hand being a struggle under the right situation.

I'll keep reading and looking for a deal.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

Gotta take em outside to really see differences. The lighting in the store will make things look similar. Take them out at dusk or at night and look at the moon

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I can say the difference between Nikon Monarch 7 (~$400) and the HG ($800) was improved (less) distortion and only a little sharpness. I feel the difference is definitely not game changing. I think the optimal progression would be to get into a good $300-500 pair then save up for an used set of alpha level binos like Meopta/Swaro/Zeiss/Leica. For a total of ~$1500 you'll have two pair of reliable binos for the rest of your life. Keep one in the truck and the other in your safe.

 

[K-22]

I'm looking to get a new pair of binoculars. I wanted to stay around $5-600, but I have been considering moving that price point up to $1k. I don't have much experience with binoculars. My current pair is a set of Bushnell Trophy 8X32 (looking to move to 10X).

I'm certain anything in the $500 to $1k range will be a huge upgrade, but how much will I notice between the two price points?

Thanks for the help.

Nikon Monarch 7s offer a lot of bang for the buck.
I looked at Swaros, Zeiss, and a few others. Compare a few pair. Do not forget to take size and weight into consideration, as this can really have an impact on your overall viewing experience.
Best,
Gary

 

[Fatcamp]

I’m surprised Meopta Meostars haven’t been mentioned. Under a grand I think they are excellent, when I compared Slc’s vs meostar off the tripod it was neck and neck to me.

My change from BX-3 to Meostar is one I have no regrets over.

 

[Marbles]

The conclusion I came to while researching this was that the move from $500 to $1K was well worth the price increase, but moving up from $1K gave rapidly diminishing returns.

I have heard good things about Tract for cheaper options, but if you don't like them good luck reselling them (why I did not end up getting Tract Toric).

MooseJaw sells Ziess Conquests and several times a year they have 30% back in rewards sales. So I effectively picked up my Conquests for $700 because I got $300 back to spend on other gear. The beauty of the Conquests at this price point is I could turn around and sell them for close to what I effectively payed.

I have been really happy with the Conquests 8x42, but I was moving up from Leupold Yosemite's 8x32, so not a great comparison. I did like them better than a friends Razor 10x42 on a goat hunt, but I only spent about 30 minuets behind the Razors before switching back, so again, not a good comparison.

I will add, the Conquest work well in low light, I'm sure some of the higher end binos do better, but the Conquests let me see things clearly that I cannot see with the naked eye. It is pretty impressive.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Opening up to a $1,000.00 price point gets you to;
Meopta Meostar
Leica Trinovid
Kowa Genesis
GPO Passion HD
to name a few and these are excellent quality glass in the upper end of optical options. Please feel free to give a call to discuss what would be best for you

 

[Ten Bears]

there is a pair of 8.5 EL's in the classifieds right now for 1000. that would be my move.

 

[gcronin]

Going up in price points will give you better optical systems within a lineup. Generally, what you would notice is better clarity, resolution, and low-light performance. My recommendation is to always go with the best optical system that you can that falls in your price range as they will give you the best performance and you will be the most happy with them.

 

[TheGDog]

I will add, the Conquest work well in low light, I'm sure some of the higher end binos do better, but the Conquests let me see things clearly that I cannot see with the naked eye. It is pretty impressive.

What's crazy is how far away you can still see things rather clearly with the Conquests on a tripod! In this one Desert Mtns region I go to, that's very wide-open, I was having no problem seeing things to distances in the 1000's of yards. With the 10x42's.

 

[pc3]

I’m surprised Meopta Meostars haven’t been mentioned. Under a grand I think they are excellent, when I compared Slc’s vs meostar off the tripod it was neck and neck to me.

I compared slc 10x42 and Meopta B 1.1 HD 10x42 and gee I couldn't call it, certainly not worth the $800 approximate difference. I bought the Meopta Meostars and they are really nice. I think it's still a lot of coin to drop on binoculars when you have a wife and kids etc. I also paired it with the Meostar S2 spotter, I dont feel I'll miss any game or not see properly what i wish to look at with this combo....hell even my sons Hawke spotter and diamond back 8x32's are serviceable !

 

[Wrench]

I am currently sitting on slc neu, noctovids, toric uhd, meostars, monarch 5 and some lower level stuff.

In my past I've run the edg nikon, zeiss conquest, leica ba and bn, fujinon and Leopold.

In your shoes id look for used meopta or torics and save your money for the next level. The tract and meopta is 85-90% of what the noctovid is at 25% of the money.

 

[bigmike23]

I have a pair of field pro 8.5 EL's I got for an insane deal. I absolutely love them, but could never have paid the full 2700$ for them. I think the simplest way of putting it, is the more you spend, the less it feels like there's an object in front of your eyes and whatever you're viewing. There's so many times with the EL's the binoculars simply go away and it feels like I'm standing right there whatever I'm looking at. As others have stated, there is a huge law of diminishing returns after 1000. Moving up more you'll find subtle differences. Less chromatic aberration, slightly more edge sharpness, slightly bigger sweet spot.