How are you integrating Image stabilized binoculars into your system?

[cwitt]

I keep my 16s in a vortex chest pack with no straps in the lid of my k4. Wanting to get them more accesible without having to fiddle with my pack.

Wearing them on your chest would allow them to be more accessible without fiddling with your pack.

The strength/upside of the sigs is their ability to quickly give you an idea if what you’re looking at is worth stopping and getting a better look, i.e. when used as a chest bino. Whether that’s when hiking and out of breath or driving or something else. If you intend on using them for anything else or pulling them out when you’re stationary then you’re probably going to be disappointed and would be better off going a different direction. If I could not use them in conjunction with a real bino for sitting and glassing then I’d leave them at home.

 

[Alpine4x4]

Wearing them on your chest would allow them to be more accessible without fiddling with your pack.

The strength/upside of the sigs is their ability to quickly give you an idea if what you’re looking at is worth stopping and getting a better look, i.e. when used as a chest bino. Whether that’s when hiking and out of breath or driving or something else. If you intend on using them for anything else or pulling them out when you’re stationary then you’re probably going to be disappointed and would be better off going a different direction. If I could not use them in conjunction with a real bino for sitting and glassing then I’d leave them at home.

I have 10x slc on my chest. My idea is to have the 16s handy for quick looks at distances the 10x are just not going to give me the info I need. If I gotta drop my pack to do it its a hassle.

 

[cwitt]

I have 10x slc on my chest. My idea is to have the 16s handy for quick looks at distances the 10x are just not going to give me the info I need. If I gotta drop my pack to do it it’s a hassle.

I understand that. What I am saying is carrying both those two binoculars, especially for that purpose, is redundant. Neither have a built in rangefinder so there’s nothing the SLCs are doing for you that the Sigs do not, other than having a little better FOV so you might as well leave the SLCs at home or in the truck. If your reason for still carrying them is to have to put on a tripod, you’d be better off selling them for something with a little more power like 12s or 15s.

 

[thegoosano]

I understand that. What I am saying is carrying both those two binoculars, especially for that purpose, is redundant. Neither have a built in rangefinder so there’s nothing the SLCs are doing for you that the Sigs do not, other than having a little better FOV so you might as well leave the SLCs at home or in the truck. If your reason for still carrying them is to have to put on a tripod, you’d be better off selling them for something with a little more power like 12s or 15s.

Yep, this is why I carry 10x30 Zulus on my chest, the 14 NLs in the pack. The Zulus shine for quick off hand glassing, if you’re not wearing them on your chest I don’t really see the point except for a truck bino


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Alpine4x4]

I understand that. What I am saying is carrying both those two binoculars, especially for that purpose, is redundant. Neither have a built in rangefinder so there’s nothing the SLCs are doing for you that the Sigs do not, other than having a little better FOV so you might as well leave the SLCs at home or in the truck. If your reason for still carrying them is to have to put on a tripod, you’d be better off selling them for something with a little more power like 12s or 15s.

Way wider FOV for one. The sigs are tunnel vision. The sigs have replaced a small spotter for me and thats their application. The SLCs are the go to set fo scanning. I may replace them with the sig 10s though as the stabilization is awesome to have and I'm no longer carrying a tripod that often because of the sigs stability.

 

[thegoosano]

Way wider FOV for one. The sigs are tunnel vision. The sigs have replaced a small spotter for me and thats their application. The SLCs are the go to set fo scanning. I may replace them with the sig 10s though as the stabilization is awesome to have and I'm no longer carrying a tripod that often because of the sigs stability.

The 10x30s have 275ish ft FOV, nothing like ELs or NLs, but better than the 200ft FOV on the other Zulu models


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Alpine4x4]

The 10x30s have 275ish ft FOV, nothing like ELs or NLs, but better than the 200ft FOV on the other Zulu models


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah its tough to leave my SLCs behind with the 330ft FOV which is why I dont just carry the sigs. Also why I'm interested in the 10x30s. The FOV on the 16s is a killer for general glassing.

 

[Wprinkle]

I noticed this using them at Scheels and I was wondering if this was just me.

I’m not taking Dramamine on my hunting vacation to use these, I already have to do that for my wife’s hunting trip payback vacations to Disney.

LMAO those Fn teacups

 

[Southern Lights]

I have owned Canon 15x50 IS binos for 15+ years now and have taken them out vs. a spotter and find they often work better. The human brain likes using two eyes vs. one so while the image is lower mag, you can often make out more detail vs. higher power spotter. It's also much easier/faster to spend time behind binos vs. using one eye on a tripod.

I still carry my range finding 10X Leica binos though as well and use them most of the time. But if I think I'll need/want a spotter I will find myself reaching for the IS binos instead if I'm going to carry the weight which is about the same as a spotter.

 

[Eastonsgrandpa]

I spent way too much time the last week or so trying to decide where I fall on this exact question. Was thinking of going straight IS, but then thinking of not looking through the NL Pure stopped me. I have the 10x32, 14x50, and the spotting scope. I’ve decided that the14x50 and spotter will be in truck, sxs, or atv for those times I need a quick ability to see things while heading in. The 10x32 fit perfectly in the belt pouch on my pack for when I’m still hunting and need a stable look in the dark timber. Other than these times I have 8 and 12 NL for chest harness for different hunts and getting a Kowa 88a for tripod glassing.

I really like the sig IS, but spending time with them, I don’t think I can be happy with the glass quality as a main optic. The more I look through them the less impressed I am with the view. It’s definitely “good enough” for those situations and the IS makes up for a lot of the glass shortcomings.

 

[WCT3]

I wonder if it'd be worth running them on a peak designs capture plate like a camera on the hip belt. Seems like those belt pouches might be a little fiddly to pop them in and out regularly

I was considering getting a pair of IS binos to use like this paired with RF binos in my regular harness but it does seem like a lot of weight and bulk all on your chest.

Edit: Has anyone tried the Canon 10x30s? Price is great, FOV is better than the Sigs (6 deg vs 5.2), weight is reasonable at 21 oz, form factor looks a little weird though.

 

[Alpine4x4]

I was considering getting a pair of IS binos to use like this paired with RF binos in my regular harness but it does seem like a lot of weight and bulk all on your chest.

Edit: Has anyone tried the Canon 10x30s? Price is great, FOV is better than the Sigs (6 deg vs 5.2), weight is reasonable at 21 oz, form factor looks a little weird though.

For ~$500 they are an interesting proposition.

 

[Middle_Ridge]

I'm really stumped over how to incorporate the Sig IS binos, too.

I've run the 16x42s as my only binos many times now and felt the deficiencies.

Maybe it will help to focus on what they CAN'T seem to do, in order to figure out where they belong in a glassing system:

They struggle:
1) Low light
2) FoV
3) High-Resolution
4) Glare
5) Laser Rangefinder

Is there an obvious compliment to bring along to fill in these gaps?

IDK, and then I think that it doesn't seem that simple. It's almost like the convenience factor of the Sig's is their biggest contribution, you know what I mean? You just pull them up quickly. So maybe the system is (1) quick scan with Sig IS, then (2) meticulous glass with alpha glass.

Or something like that? Is it a new workflow, is that the way to incorporate them?

 

[Bugger]

I'm really stumped over how to incorporate the Sig IS binos, too.

I've run the 16x42s as my only binos many times now and felt the deficiencies.

Maybe it will help to focus on what they CAN'T seem to do, in order to figure out where they belong in a glassing system:

They struggle:
1) Low light
2) FoV
3) High-Resolution
4) Glare
5) Laser Rangefinder

Is there an obvious compliment to bring along to fill in these gaps?

IDK, and then I think that it doesn't seem that simple. It's almost like the convenience factor of the Sig's is their biggest contribution, you know what I mean? You just pull them up quickly. So maybe the system is (1) quick scan with Sig IS, then (2) meticulous glass with alpha glass.

Or something like that? Is it a new workflow, is that the way to incorporate them?

People get hung up on using them in place of standard 15’s, which they don’t do well. I like them sitting next to me while glassing finger ridges and bowls where you don’t need a spotter and the FOV of any high power bino is restrictive. Sit down and glass areas with your 8/10’s until you see something you want a closer look at and then just look thru the 16 IS to figure out what it is. It’s basically just an easier version of what people are bringing a mini-spotter for, but you don’t have to switch out optics on the tripod constantly to do it. It’s great for quickly resolving whether or not something is a tan rock vs bedded deer, shiny debarked branches vs antlers, another charred stump or a bear, etc. I rarely use them to actually spot animals, but spend a lot less/no time thinking “I’ll scan back around and check that object again in a minute”. While walking they’re in the pack, while driving they’re on the dash.
That’s their only place in my setup, but I do really like them for that.

 

[Middle_Ridge]

It’s basically just an easier version of what people are bringing a mini-spotter for

Maybe that's it -- they're actually more of an ultraconvenient mini-spotter, practically speaking. At least for the 16x.

 

[Alpine4x4]

Maybe that's it -- they're actually more of an ultraconvenient mini-spotter, practically speaking. At least for the 16x.

Thats how I'm using them. The 16x havent replaced my 10x, but I dont bring a spotter anymore with the 16s as I can look easy enough with no tripod.

 

[thegoosano]

It’s painful to swap out my EL 10x42 chest binos with the zulu6 10x30s…and maybe I switch back. But for me, if I’m sitting down glassing a hillside I plan to be there a long time and will pull out my tripod with spotter and 14x NLs. I want the sigs with IS when I’m moving and unstable to quickly scan a hillside, basin, avalanche shoot etc as I’m passing through. Then if I see something I’ll pull out the big guns to get a better look.

It’s cool to see the different use cases though, if I was elk hunting I could see having the higher mag pros in the pack with no tripod as very useful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I got the 16x42 and do like them but I was getting black spots and did not enjoy the glass quality. The depth of field and focus was finicky and a small detail was no objective cover. Overall I just wasn’t that impressed with build quality but they do stabilize very well. Cool technology but I’m waiting until they are more refined. I do think they could be helpful but I’m too much of a sucker for FOV and decent glass. Seeing them used on a tripod doesn’t make a lot of sense to me as then you’re still carrying a tripod and have lower FOV and glass quality. The Swaro spotter intrigues me but I would like to see if the IS lowers the quality of the glass. I also love digiscoping and while it’s fun to digiscope with the Zulu 6 the image is not up to par compared to other optics but it is handy. I don’t think they can replace any binos for me currently but are a fun option that could be helpful.

 

[BBob]

Anyone use the Zeiss 20 x 60S?

Pretty expensive but cool kit. Mechanically stabilised, optics a bit dated compared to modern zeiss. [Slight yellow tinge, curved field]

Theres a German prince who uses them [Franz Albrecht]

A friend owned them and used them back when they were released. I spent a fair bit of time behind them as well. Not many could afford them at the time so you didn’t see many around. Randy Ulmer had them and I believe maybe Jay Scott had them? For tripod use you had to use a block of wood or something similar and strap it down against the activation button with a Velcro strap. You had to manually depress that button to activate the IS, it didn’t lock down. The image at the time was just fine and was on par with the 15x60’s we all had just more reach. If we were both on 15’s we were about equal on any given day but with him on 20’s he’d generally kick my butt finding our little deer or pigs. They were way too big and heavy to use them around your neck as your main glass. Very cool for the day but never fully caught on and when Zeiss got into financial trouble they and other expensive to produce models went away. Swarovski weathered that storm much better and that’s when they overtook Zeiss as the leader in sports optics.

As to how I’m incorporating IS binoculars? I’m not until Swaro releases their IS binoculars

 

[SikaSeeker]

The Zeiss 20 x 60S are still available to purchase, just exceptionally and stupidly expensive. The Kowa 20x in the 660s is a better view