Difference between $500 and $1k binoculars

[poptop]

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.

 

[Xlr8n]

It all depends on how often and how long you are glassing. $500 binos are perfectly fine for treestand hunting at shorter ranges. But if you are glassing at distance for an hour or more, you'll quickly appreciate and notice better glass
$1000 bino price point is the sweet spot imho. You can readily see a difference between $500 and $1000 binos. Are they twice as good? No, but the improvements are there. When moving up the scale from $1000 to $2000+ Alpha glass, the improvements are much smaller. Like 10% or less.

Here's my adivce: Look for deals. Nikon was just offering their MHG 10x42 refurbs for $499. Retail on brand new is $1000. The $684 Tract Toric UHD 8x42's were just on sale for $500. You can find Conquests for $750. Used Mavens are readily offered here. Plenty of bargains on $1000 retail glass.

 

[Blue72]

The $1,000 binoculars will cost you $500 more

so there is definitely a difference!

 

[ddavis_1313]

I have zeiss edl’s I believe. I bought them for $350 and have been very happy with them the last 4-5 years. Just bought my wife vortex razor HD’s. Both 10x42. Hers are for sure better. Colors are more vivid. More crisp image. And much more clear around the field of view. Tough to say they are worth the $1000 I paid for them, but they are for sure nicer than my $350 zeiss. In fact the wife hinted at me getting a pair of the same ones in 12x50 for Christmas.


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[MTSasquatch]

Think of it this way: spaghetti-O’s v Olive Garden v north end Boston sit down. All Italian food, but obviously not the same. Get what you pay for! Same goes for any type of optic.

 

[poptop]

Thanks for the feedback (well, most of the feedback, Dd1999, always has to be one). I know what I've asked is hard to answer and what might be worth it for one person might not be worth it for another, but it also sounds like getting binoculars that retail in the range of $1k is a good place to start.

Thanks again.

 

[scfreeman66]

Last season I used some Maven 10x42's and they worked well. I am primarily a tree stand, archery hunter but wanted some good glass for western backpack hunting (once per year). This is where the higher end glass shines. The $500 price point just can't hold up when you can see for several thousand yards.
I saved over the summer and stepped up onto some Leica 10x42's. They were just shy of $1000 and they are definitely better than what I had last season.
Vortex gets some hate on here but the Razor HD is solid for the price, especially used... try as many as you can and save your coins and buy what fits your style and what you are happy with.


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[JeffRaines]

If you’re stepping up to 1k keep your eyes open for Swaro SLCs at a hundred or two more used. They come up occasionally and are an awesome option for binoculars.

For me personally I went from diamondbacks to SLCs. I looked at many options in between, but didn’t find much that was worth the increase in price until the SLC. The Vipers were not worth 400 more, the razors were not worth 1k. Zeiss conquests looked nice but I didn’t like the ergos. It wasn’t until I got to the SLCs that I was like “wow these are amazing”.

 

[TheGDog]

Bump it up to $1K. You'll be glad you did. I just got some ZEISS Conquest used for $750.

The biggest difference is clarity, edge-to-edge, and depth-of-field. The depth-of-field thing is very very cool! I'm realizing more and more how much of a difference that makes. The $1K binos are going to give your eyes and your brain much more and much richer data to process while viewing thru them.

 

[agardner00]

If you’re stepping up to 1k keep your eyes open for Swaro SLCs at a hundred or two more used. They come up occasionally and are an awesome option for binoculars.

For me personally I went from diamondbacks to SLCs. I looked at many options in between, but didn’t find much that was worth the increase in price until the SLC. The Vipers were not worth 400 more, the razors were not worth 1k. Zeiss conquests looked nice but I didn’t like the ergos. It wasn’t until I got to the SLCs that I was like “wow these are amazing”.

Yep. I went from diamondbacks to Zeiss RFs. Like JeffRaines said, the cost goes up a lot but the increase in quality is relatively small until you get to the really good stuff. That said, the difference from $1000-$2000 is even smaller, so I would agree with others that the $1000-$1500 area is kind of the sweet spot for tipping the scales into a very serious bino. After that they get better, but incrementally. I’m no expert, just my experience.


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[JeffRaines]

Yep. I went from diamondbacks to Zeiss RFs. Like JeffRaines said, the cost goes up a lot but the increase in quality is relatively small until you get to the really good stuff. That said, the difference from $1000-$2000 is even smaller, so I would agree with others that the $1000-$1500 area is kind of the sweet spot for tipping the scales into a very serious bino. After that they get better, but incrementally. I’m no expert, just my experience.


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Agreed on the more expensive glass as well. I thought the ELs looked better than the SLC but that slight improvement didn’t warrant a 1k price increase.

That’s the beauty of high end glass. There’s not too much they can do differently - high end glass today is still going to be good-to-great glass 20 years from now. Sure they’ll come out with some new coating or process but it’ll be a very marginal upgrade at best.

 

[Overwire]

Going to go against the grain here but I would say it depends what $500 and what 1k bino you are comparing. I have a pair of Vangaurd Endeavor Ed 8x42 first gen, cost about $250 new, that I would put up anything in the 1k range. In fact I bought SLC HD 8x42’s and compared the two extensively. Ended up selling the SLC’s! No, the Vanguard’s weren’t better but neither were the SLC’s. Pretty much a draw with the Vanguard’s edging out the SLC’s in low light and the SLC’s slightly better at controlling CA. Clarity equal. Now, I have compared the Vanguard’s to Razors and Vipers and it is immediately apparent that the Vanguard’s are better. Maybe I just lucked out with a good pair. I’ve been running 10x42 EL’s this season and they are fantastic but honestly there have been as many times I wished I had my Vanguard’s ( for their superior low light performance) as I have been happy I have the EL’s. And that’s comparing a $250 bino’s vs a $2500 bino’s.

 

[MuleyFever]

Going to go against the grain here but I would say it depends what $500 and what 1k bino you are comparing. I have a pair of Vangaurd Endeavor Ed 8x42 first gen, cost about $250 new, that I would put up anything in the 1k range. In fact I bought SLC HD 8x42’s and compared the two extensively. Ended up selling the SLC’s! No, the Vanguard’s weren’t better but neither were the SLC’s. Pretty much a draw with the Vanguard’s edging out the SLC’s in low light and the SLC’s slightly better at controlling CA. Clarity equal. Now, I have compared the Vanguard’s to Razors and Vipers and it is immediately apparent that the Vanguard’s are better. Maybe I just lucked out with a good pair. I’ve been running 10x42 EL’s this season and they are fantastic but honestly there have been as many times I wished I had my Vanguard’s ( for their superior low light performance) as I have been happy I have the EL’s. And that’s comparing a $250 bino’s vs a $2500 bino’s.

Good post. The law of diminishing returns lives in optics.

 

[tradman]

I've also tried swaro optics. Wasnt blown away by them. Got headaches from using them. Good thing I was only borrowing them from my brother.

 

[skierhs]

Stepping up in glass quality had two major impacts. I was able to glass for far longer without the optic causing my eyes to hurt and I was able to pick fine details out such as spotting a mule dear antler in a shadow/just behind some brush. Those two things made it well worth the upgrade.

 

[42Grand]

Eye relief in more expensive binos is worth its weight in gold. To be able to glass for long periods of time and your eyes not having to focus hard, strain or battle against fuzzy and unclear objects is key.

One more thing to point out, if you’re hand holding or sitting, that makes a huge difference also. You can have crappy binos or expensive ones and if you can’t hold them still enough, you’ll never see detail. Maybe plan on buying a good tripod setup to help when you are really sitting for a long time. You’ll be surprised what you’ll be able to see with your current binos if you were to just put them on a tripod. If you think that’s awesome, then put a better pair on a tripod and you’ll be amazed at the difference.

I bought a cheap pair of diamondback 10’s a while back. Decent glass and easy to hold onto. Spent some more money on a used pair of viper 15’s and could see farther but clarity wasn’t the best, but better than the dbacks. After 5 years I bought a pair or razor HD 12’s and they’ve been fantastic! Decent hand holding, great on a tripod and just as good distance wise as my 15’s but the FOV is better and the glass is clearer. I can sit on a hillside for half a day on and off and I don’t get any headaches and can see clearly. It’s the perfect setup for me currently and I’m really glad I spent the $1100. Good luck with your search!

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

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.

 

[poptop]

I've read about a lot of brands that I had never heard of (meopta, mavin, etc.) since finding Rokslide. It sounds like the jump from 5, up to 1-1.5k is worth the wait.

 

[TxxAgg]

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 did the same thing as the OP and made the jump to the Meoptas. They can be found for under $900. Love them!

 

[JohnJohnson]

Binoculars are one of the areas where I don't have any regrets about spending more than I planned to.