Im looking to revamp my optics set up. Hoping to get some opinions from people with more experience than me. I live in and hunt the Midwest, but also go out west for 1-2 hunts/year. I use my binos frequently on the move, but also use a tripod for longer glassing sessions.
I currently have Maven B6 12x50’s I’ve used for everyone the past 4 years. I can hand hold them reasonably well, but didn’t realize how much FOV I was missing out on until I tried some friends 8x recently. I was dead set on some alpha 8x. After reading tons of forums, image stabilizing binos also came into the mix. I’ve changed my mind more times than I can count, luckily haven’t spent any money yet.
My current thinking is Sig Zulu6 10x30 on my chest. I figured that would make the most sense as I’m generally moving around a good amount and the image stabilization is fantastic while on the move. 10x have about 70 ft better FOV than any of the other Zulu6’s. As awesome as the image stabilization is, they lack FOV, low light, and optical quality. So I’m planning on carrying something else for longer glassing sessions and first/last light. Any thoughts on what would be best? Stick with the 12x mavens, but then I don’t gain any FOV. Sell those and go with a higher quality 12/15x, but again lacking FOV. Go with alpha 8’s for the awesome FOV, but lacking in mag. Get an additional 10x to supplement for low light, better optical performance and decent FOV, but will already have a 10x. I realize every option has trade offs, just looking for opinions from people who have done this much longer than me about what the best trade offs are. Price is an object, but very low on the list, more concerned with having the optimal setup with as few pieces of glass as possible, thanks!
I currently have Maven B6 12x50’s I’ve used for everyone the past 4 years. I can hand hold them reasonably well, but didn’t realize how much FOV I was missing out on until I tried some friends 8x recently. I was dead set on some alpha 8x. After reading tons of forums, image stabilizing binos also came into the mix. I’ve changed my mind more times than I can count, luckily haven’t spent any money yet.
My current thinking is Sig Zulu6 10x30 on my chest. I figured that would make the most sense as I’m generally moving around a good amount and the image stabilization is fantastic while on the move. 10x have about 70 ft better FOV than any of the other Zulu6’s. As awesome as the image stabilization is, they lack FOV, low light, and optical quality. So I’m planning on carrying something else for longer glassing sessions and first/last light. Any thoughts on what would be best? Stick with the 12x mavens, but then I don’t gain any FOV. Sell those and go with a higher quality 12/15x, but again lacking FOV. Go with alpha 8’s for the awesome FOV, but lacking in mag. Get an additional 10x to supplement for low light, better optical performance and decent FOV, but will already have a 10x. I realize every option has trade offs, just looking for opinions from people who have done this much longer than me about what the best trade offs are. Price is an object, but very low on the list, more concerned with having the optimal setup with as few pieces of glass as possible, thanks!