HELP me out with Bino choice

[RedStag]

Hey guys

So its time, I squirreled away 2400.00 (US) for new binos, previously using vortex viper 10x42 HD

I have looked at a number of options and narrowed it down to a few, Im aware the cost ranges. Need the opinion of best bang for buck (no pun)

In order of preference so far:

Leica Ultravid 10x42
Swaro SLC 10x42
Leica Trinovid 10x42 (im told these are 95% of what the ultravid are
Vortex Razor HD 10x42

Typical hunting scenarios are Stone Sheep in Wide open terrain, Mule deer in mixed broken country and Spaced Timber, Elk Hunting in slide country and heavy timber

its a $500.00 reduction from the ultravid to swaro, and then another $730 drop to the Trinovid. I adhere to the buy once cry once, but thats a fair bit of dough for other gear, or better yet fuel/food cost for some hunts

 

[fwafwow]

Did you consider the Zeiss Victory SF? I went through a similar analysis last year and went with them.

 

[Fonkie]

Buy what ergonomically fits you & looks best with your eyes. I’ve had SLC’s since 03 & have never felt the need to upgrade. My kid has EL’s that are 3 or 4 years old & are outstanding also. I don’t think there are any right or wrong answers when it comes to Alpha glass.

 

[ORmuleys]

If you have a chance to get some Nikon EDG binos, I think you would be very pleased, I love my 10 x 42s.

 

[JollyRoger]

I’ve been really happy with my SLCs and I don’t know what more I would want in a 10x bino. If you go that route you’d have plenty of leftover coin for other gear, ammo, etc.


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[Scoutfarm]

You have a lot of options with your budget. My favorite in your list is the Swaro’s. In my opinion it’s the best glass and the best warranty of the European choices. They were on sale for $1400 last winter at a couple of retailers. You could likely get into the EL’s for your price range.

 

[fatrascal]

Go to your optics store and take all of the binos your interested in outside about an hour before dark and compare, compare, compare until dark. Your eyes will tell you whats best for you. And the store clerk will be glad to accomodate you and come outside with you if he knows that you are going to buy one of them on the spot. Fatrascal.

 

[as.ks.ak]

Hey guys

So its time, I squirreled away 2400.00 (US) for new binos, previously using vortex viper 10x42 HD

I have looked at a number of options and narrowed it down to a few, Im aware the cost ranges. Need the opinion of best bang for buck (no pun)

In order of preference so far:

Leica Ultravid 10x42
Swaro SLC 10x42
Leica Trinovid 10x42 (im told these are 95% of what the ultravid are
Vortex Razor HD 10x42

Typical hunting scenarios are Stone Sheep in Wide open terrain, Mule deer in mixed broken country and Spaced Timber, Elk Hunting in slide country and heavy timber

its a $500.00 reduction from the ultravid to swaro, and then another $730 drop to the Trinovid. I adhere to the buy once cry once, but thats a fair bit of dough for other gear, or better yet fuel/food cost for some hunts

LOVE my Swaros.


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[Brooks]

The Outdoorsmans has Swarovski EL’s on sale right now according to an email I received from them yesterday. I have the 12x50 EL......top of the food chain !

 

[gr8fuldoug]

The SLC and Ultravid's are noticably superior to the Trinovid HDand the Razor HD

It's our pleasure to discuss this with you if you have a few minutes to give a call, 516-217-1000

 

[Aaron Warpony]

Doug at cameraland is a very good source and very knowledgeable. I've bought from him before and learned alot just from conversations with him. He gives a rokslide discount and is an American business. After looking through alot of alpha glass and spending large chunks of money I've learned that every set of eyes is different. I will never buy glass that I can't look through first. Like fatrascal said above, go to a store at last light and compare. Those are all good options, pick what fits your eyes best (may take 20 minutes). I've had good luck buying from ebay since many guys do a guided hunt and use them once and then sell em. With the ebay guarantee, paypal, you have some safety nets. I've bought a couple high dollar optics off ebay and after many pms with the seller, felt good about it. Be careful with unexpected taxes though.... had a swaro spotting scope tack on some hefty California tax after I won an ebay auction. let me know if I can help with navigating ebay, I know it's alot of money

 

[Fireman03]

Ziess victory SF

 

[Brian Fahs]

Swarovski 10x42.
Slc is a great bino. Probably best value out there in its price range.
I would buy the 10x 42 els from either cameraland or outdoorsmans. They just reduced retail on els by $500 to make room for the new NL pure line.
The outdoorsmans will include the pressed in stud for free if you purchase from them. I highly recommend this and their Bino adapter. This is the setup I run and love it.

 

[KurtR]

got some slc and love them and give doug a call

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Take a hard look at the ELs. With the introduction of the NL Pure, there was a signification price drop on the ELs.

 

[bowhuntrben]

I agree with others. I’d take a good look at ELs. I got my SLC in December. Didn’t really consider ELs because of price difference. With the recent price drop in ELs I have a feeling I would have gotten them instead if I were looking right now. That said, the SLC are great

 

[TomJoad]

I know you said Ultravid from Leica but I switched to the Geovid HDB 3000 10x42 last year and absolutely love them. Having the rangefinder combined is so handy and the optics are excellent. My only gripe with them is tripod mounting doesn't allow for hinge mount. It's a small gripe and I'm pretty much over it. Buying again today I'd be making the same purchase

 

[Spiral Horn]

If you actually look through and handle the Zeiss Victory SF T* 10x42 my guess is that’s what you’ll end up buying. I went through this same exercise a few years ago and based on many recommendations the Swarovski ELs were the front runner out of the gate. But after a lot of side-by-side comparisons I forgot all about the ELs and the Zeiss clearly won out. Spectacular image, expansive FOV for a 10x, great depth of field, and ergonomics/handling is second to none. Their great balance makes them feel much lighter in the hand than they actually are. B&H Photo is currently running a promotion on them so you might be able to get them for the amount you currently have on hand.

BTW - if looking to spend a bit less and still get a great mid-priced glass, at ~$1k or less the Nikon HG is very hard to beat - and much better than some costing much more. In fact there is a great review right here on Rokslide that crowns them as the mid-priced best in class.

Anyway, my 2 cents. There are a lot of great Binos and everyone’s eyes are just slightly different. Would suggest side-by-side comparison prior to purchase if that is at all possible where you live.

 

[Binocular Henry]

Let's face it, you want top of the line binoculars. While even some ~$500 binos offer a "wow" view, they are not premium binos...

Go for the SLC and don't second guess it.

I have a Swarovision 10x50. I don't really care about the flat field feature.

 

[fwafwow]

Ziess victory SF

@Fireman03 - do you mind sharing with me how you have those Victorys set up on a tripod?