Optics for glassing

[PAbowhunter23]

I've browsed through some of the threads on here and haven't really found an answer to my specific situation. I'm an eastern guy from central pa who hunts alot of big woods timber, for this I have been using a set of vortex Diamondback 10x42s which function well enough to determine what a buck looks like in the timber under 100 yards. But I am getting started into western hunting and don't think these will cut it in large scale terrain. I am looking to start with some mid level optics for western hunting with the possibility of using them at home as well. I was thinking a good set of 12x42 for glassing and still have practically for eastern hunting. Then getting an entry level spotting scope to really evaluate animals once I've located them with binos. Really been looking at the Maven C.1 12x42. Appreciate any feedback

 

[PAbowhunter23]

I've browsed through some of the threads on here and haven't really found an answer to my specific situation. I'm an eastern guy from central pa who hunts alot of big woods timber, for this I have been using a set of vortex Diamondback 10x42s which function well enough to determine what a buck looks like in the timber under 100 yards. But I am getting started into western hunting and don't think these will cut it in large scale terrain. I am looking to start with some mid level optics for western hunting with the possibility of using them at home as well. I was thinking a good set of 12x42 for glassing and still have practically for eastern hunting. Then getting an entry level spotting scope to really evaluate animals once I've located them with binos. Really been looking at the Maven C.1 12x42. Appreciate any feedback

Or would I possibly be better off getting a good pair of 10x42 and a tripod, then swapping a spotter onto the tripod when I need a better look?

 

[mtwarden]

I've been glassing 10x42's on a tripod the last five years (took the tip from this site) and it's been great for elk, enough so I don't take a spotter along. I'm not overly picky on the elk I shoot so don't need detailed information- I can tell if it's a bull I want to chase easy enough with my binoculars.

For other critters (or if you're picky) a spotter can be handy, but for most deer/elk hunting a good pair of 10x42's on a tripod (and around your neck) can handle the majority of the load.

I'd put a good pair of binos first, tripod second and a spotter a distant third (again there are certain critters and unique situations where a spotter is going to be mandatory)

 

[Gone4Days]

If you’re hunting coues, you’ll want 12x’s or 15x’s on a tripod. If not, you can start with 10x’s. I have 15x SLC’s for tripod and 8x SLC’s on my chest.

 

[BlaserLRH]

I'd buy 10x50 or 15x56
Zeiss Conquest
Or higher end...
You already have 10x42, next step is 15x56 with tripod.. just buy a good glass; zeiss conquest is ok, the swaro SLC new are outstanding, maybe you wont need a spotter so much...

Enviado desde mi SM-N950F mediante Tapatalk

 

[RockSlinger671]

I’ve used everything from 8x32s to 12x50s as my primary bino and only hunted the western US, so take this with a grain of salt. I looked up the specs for Vortex DB 10x42s and the Mavens 12x42s C.1s on their websites. The Vortex DB 10x42s have a FOV of 330ft/1000yrd and exit pupil of 4.2mm. The Maven C.1s 12x42s have a FOV of 262ft/1000yrd and exit pupil of 3.5mm. If you get the Mavens you’ll be gaining magnification but losing a lot of FOV/brightness (which I think you want in eastern hunting). For me hunting in the western US, I put image quality/FOV/brightness over magnification 100%. I put the most emphasis on image quality. I’ve used lower magnification alpha binos vs higher magnification non-alpha to distinguish deer/elk and I’d pick the lower magnification alphas every time because I can actually tell if it is a deer/elk. Long story short, IMO I wouldn’t choose the Mavens just to gain magnification, but I would try to find the best 10x42s that I can afford or if you don’t have a good tripod, getting a good tripod to steady your current binos would improve you glassing set-up for western hunting.

 

[WI in the west]

a few years ago i was in your same boat with 12x50 diamind backs. i bought maven B2's next, then a diamind back spotter. a cheap spotter like that is pretty well useless if you have good binos. i wouldn't even consider a cheap spotter. save up for a good one after you have some nice binos. I next bought a vortex razor 85mm. it was a nice scope but the B2's more often then not were still good enough to know what abuck or elk was that the spotter got left behind a lot since im not counting inches. then i scooped up some 18x56 mavens and loved those. they got 90 % of my tripod last year. now i sold the spotter and maven B2's for 12x42 nl pures and i have no regrets. my point is get the best binos you can. they flat out outperform a low-mid level bino spotter combo. also consider the low light capabilities of the 12x42's your looking at since a lot of white tail movement is in that last light. the extra magnification might not be worth a few minutes of light.

edit: i forgot to mention i loved my maven B2 11x45's i highly recomend if alpha glass isnt an option. you can buy them used for $800-850 on here

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

For glassing, clarity trumps magnification.

Lower quality glass gives you eye strain which means less time glassing which leads to less animals found.

You may also want to rethink what “out west” means in relation to where you’ll actually be hunting. Some places a 12x is gross overkill and other places it is not enough (not knocking 12s as I run into it with my SLC 15s). Depending where I am hunting I use my SLC 10s or 15s, even for glassing. There is no perfect size for all conditions despite what some (generic and not pointing at anyone) may say; it’s all a compromise.

Also look at what animals you’ll be hunting. It’s easier (relatively speaking) to see an elk at distance compared to a petite Coues or pronghorn.

Do not buy a cheap spotter. Figure out your needs after time in the field and then start planning a spotting scope purchase.

 

[PAbowhunter23]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it almost seems like it's worth it for me to invest in the best pair of binos I can afford for now and a tripod. Then save for either higher power binos or a spotter on down the road. I'm not planning to be too picky on mule deer or elk starting out so won't need to be counting every point.

 

[nobody]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it almost seems like it's worth it for me to invest in the best pair of binos I can afford for now and a tripod. Then save for either higher power binos or a spotter on down the road. I'm not planning to be too picky on mule deer or elk starting out so won't need to be counting every point.

Glassing 101:

1. Buy the best pair of binos you can stomach
2. Buy a solid tripod with a quality head and a bino to tripod adapter
3. Mount the binos on the tripod
4. SLOW THE FRICK DOWN DUDE.

I'd rather see you keep the Diamondbacks and pick up a solid tripod and learn to glass. The guys on the Vortex podcast talk on an episode about going Coues hunting in Arizona with some local guys. The guys from Wisconsin hauled out the 18x56 UHD's and 12x50 UHD's and solid tripods. Then they proceeded to get face crushed by local guys running crossfire and diamondback 12x50 binos on Tripods. The reason they got face crushed was because they didn't know how to effectively glass for coues deer, and they admitted it on the podcast. So yes, high end glass can help. But it can't make up for poor glassing techniques. Alpha glass can only make a good glasser better, and empty the pockets of a poor glasser.

If you can swing it, upgrade the binos. But you'll still need lots of practice to be able to maximize the usefulness of high end glass. And don't cheap out on a tripod in order to upgrade your binos.

But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet.

 

[PAbowhunter23]

Glassing 101:

1. Buy the best pair of binos you can stomach
2. Buy a solid tripod with a quality head and a bino to tripod adapter
3. Mount the binos on the tripod
4. SLOW THE FRICK DOWN DUDE.

I'd rather see you keep the Diamondbacks and pick up a solid tripod and learn to glass. The guys on the Vortex podcast talk on an episode about going Coues hunting in Arizona with some local guys. The guys from Wisconsin hauled out the 18x56 UHD's and 12x50 UHD's and solid tripods. Then they proceeded to get face crushed by local guys running crossfire and diamondback 12x50 binos on Tripods. The reason they got face crushed was because they didn't know how to effectively glass for coues deer, and they admitted it on the podcast. So yes, high end glass can help. But it can't make up for poor glassing techniques. Alpha glass can only make a good glasser better, and empty the pockets of a poor glasser.

If you can swing it, upgrade the binos. But you'll still need lots of practice to be able to maximize the usefulness of high end glass. And don't cheap out on a tripod in order to upgrade your binos.

But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet.

Thanks for the tip, I've been thinking of upgrading the binos to something better for a while now and can create the budget space, was thinking it would be best to start that way and get a tripod, then if I do a few hunts and feel I need more go from there