Sig Sauer Zulu6

[roosiebull]

Having had the 10s, 12s, and 16s, I personally wouldn’t want the 20s, the eye box and finicky nature of the 16s vs the 12s kind of reinforces that the exit pupil is starting to get picky. The 16s aren’t bad by any stretch but they aren’t as easy to get behind as the 12s.

The reason I kept the 10s and 16s were the field of view in the 16s was the same as the 12 and I couldn’t resolve anything with the 12s that I couldn’t with the 16s. Even as light is fading they aren’t as bright but they are higher mag, so I didn’t feel like the 12s offered increased detail. I’m still not sure if 16s were the right choice over the 12s but I didn’t want to get rid of the 10s and keeping the 10s and 12s felt stupid. I bring maven B3 8s if I have the 16s and I bring just the 10s if I don’t need to look very far.

The increased field of view with the 10s is very noticeable. None of these are what I’d consider like super bright or ultra sharp compared to normal binos in the $1000 class, but stability is king. I can’t imagine someone out glassing you off hand with normal binos, and by the time the tripod is setup and comfy, you’ll have had a nice first pass over the hillside.

Yeah, I certainly think they could fill a niche for me, and the 10x seems like the most versatile

They would make a good pickup bino too, leave them in my rig when they aren’t being used… I’m certainly not leaving my NL in my rig, and having some with me all the time would be handy

I don’t think my daughter would really care for a tripod setup, but some 10x she could use off hand seems like the best compromise, and archery hunting thick country, I really don’t need crystal clear, I’m using them off hand usually sub 100yds for that purpose, generally in good light.

 

[mjspeers]

Yeah, I certainly think they could fill a niche for me, and the 10x seems like the most versatile

They would make a good pickup bino too, leave them in my rig when they aren’t being used… I’m certainly not leaving my NL in my rig, and having some with me all the time would be handy

I don’t think my daughter would really care for a tripod setup, but some 10x she could use off hand seems like the best compromise, and archery hunting thick country, I really don’t need crystal clear, I’m using them off hand usually sub 100yds for that purpose, generally in good light.

I've kind of been thinking along this lines. I recently bought some NLs, but definitely nice to get them steady. I don't know much, but have watched enough YouTube to respect Cliff Gray's opinion. His video has really got me thinking about trying some Zulu6s. Maybe some 16x exclusively to have in the truck.

 

[BASSFAN07]

I’m going to have to get some 16’s soon. Aziak just posted in the past few days a mount to attach them to a tripod so that would be even better.

 

[mjspeers]

Well F. You guys spend my money better than my wife. Ordered 16s. GoHunt has them for 880

 

[donrleonard]

I’m going to have to get some 16’s soon. Aziak just posted in the past few days a mount to attach them to a tripod so that would be even better.

Where did they post that. I found a solution on Amazon for $30, but it’s a little clunky. Would love to see what they came up with.

FWIW the 16s have really impressed me. Definitely not the right one for my bino harness east of the Mississippi. But out west? This plus a rangefinder with a quality 7x and you’d be covered:

 

[Nicaburns]

I snagged a set of the 16s and have been really impressed… haven’t had a chance to take them back out west yet but the stabilization is a game changer on spotting game movement even here in the SE… definitely worth the sub 900 price they can be snagged at on sale

 

[bigbuckdj]

Where did they post that. I found a solution on Amazon for $30, but it’s a little clunky. Would love to see what they came up with.

FWIW the 16s have really impressed me. Definitely not the right one for my bino harness east of the Mississippi. But out west? This plus a rangefinder with a quality 7x and you’d be covered:

On instagram, it looks sharp. One thing cliff brought up that I didn’t think about was your eye movement relative to the eye cups on a tripod, I’m curious what it’s like looking through these on a tripod. I’m also curious how they’d fit in a harness with that thing on


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[Nicaburns]

As much as I like Aziak, that is no solution for how I carry binos in a harness… I’m gonna work on a “homebrew” solution to fit in my MG medium harness

 

[NE Herd Bull]

As mentioned in a previous page....I ordered the 16x and they arrived yesterday.

First impressions glassing from my deck and through my office window:
-these Gen2 binos seem bigger than I remember the Gen1 version that I had used last year.
-the IS is as impressive as I remember....the target mode truly made me and my co-workers gasp
-glass seems pretty darn good for the price point
-the included carry bag is about 3 sizes too big. Lots of extra space. Felt sloppy with binos in the bag. I might use it to keep them clean in the truck, probably wont use bag to carry in pack.
-I am going to need to play with the pupil distance adjustment to get a more natural feel. I am an eyeglass wearer so maybe that is part of the problem.
-I had a meeting last night, so did not get to test at low light

Overall, initial thought is....excellent addition to my optic arsenal
I can see this becoming an integral part of my everyday gear.
Will they replace my 10x42EL Range? No of course not
They will be a back-up pair and probably live in the center console of my pickup.

However...they might end ups saving me space, back pain, and $$$
My normal style of hunting usually involves a day pack, and lots of walking. I usually have my EL's in a chest rig, and a full size Swaro spotter in the pack. The older I get, the heavier that spotter gets, and I often find myself finding reasons to leave it out of the pack.
To save space and weight, I had plans to replace the in-pack spotter with one of the new ATC or STC Swaros.

The Sig Zulu6 16x have me rethinking that strategy.
For the rest of my hunts this year I am going to replace the spotter with the Zulu6 in the pack, and see how I manage. Lots of hunting yet to do this year, so I will let you know how that works for me.
For this purpose, perhaps the 20x would be a better fit...

Regarding tripod mount.
I am going to keep monitoring RS for feedback on how well the different systems work in the field.
I can see it being a huge benefit for digiscoping.

 

[donrleonard]

On instagram, it looks sharp. One thing cliff brought up that I didn’t think about was your eye movement relative to the eye cups on a tripod, I’m curious what it’s like looking through these on a tripod. I’m also curious how they’d fit in a harness with that thing on


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That looks fantastic. I’ll definitely be picking it up when it is released.

They are phenomenal on a tripod. I’ve never used a Sportsmen’s head. But in scan mode the view while mounted on my dinky tripod and cheapo Charlie ball head mount feels so smooth it’s almost cinematic.

 

[Brijake]

NE Herd Bull, how did it work for you this year replacing the spotter with the Zulu’s?

 

[NE Herd Bull]

NE Herd Bull, how did it work for you this year replacing the spotter with the Zulu’s?

Hopefully still have some days afield before the seasons run out, to further test them.

Here is what I can report on my personal experience to date, from the field :

Removed the spotter from my pack and have been carrying the Zulu6 16x (in the pack)
With a pair of Swaro EL Range in my chest rig.
Also since I have been primarily bow hunting, so my tripod stays in the truck now to!
Biggest difference is I suddenly have extra room in my day pack !
Obviously not alpha glass, but to my eyes I would say that it is maybe upper-mid level quality.
I can see a lot of distant detail quickly and easily, all while handheld. Pretty simple to whip the Zulu6 out and bring them to bear on a distant object. I am amazed at how well these work for my style of hunting. I would say that the weight savings and quickness of use are the biggest advantages I have witnessed to date.

Biggest draw back I have found is the narrow field of view, that has been mentioned by others above.
But I do not see that as a crippling factor for me.

As an example, on a very windy day I found myself slinking through a canyon with bow in hand, towards some mule deer I had seen bedded. In the middle of my stalk I inadvertently walked right into 3 bedded bull elk. At 40 yards they simply stood up and walked up the ridge and out of sight. The mule deer stalk did not work out and 30 minutes later I found myself upon the ridge opposite the departing elk. I got to the ridge top and sat down to glass the huge country in front of me. (ok..mostly to regain my breath from the climb out of the canyon) Wind was really whipping me. My Swaros picked up elk moving on a distant ridge, perhaps just under a mile away. My initial reaction was that it was a band of cows, as I could not see horns as they steadily weaved trough the cedars, and the cold wind shook my hands holding the Swaros. Dug out the Zulu6 and immediately discerned that these were the same 3 bulls I had jumped earlier, that were now several ridges away. With minimal effort, in poor glassing conditions, I could see the individual antler points and easily identified the same 3 animals that I had the close encounter with. I could not have gotten my tripod & spotter set up in time to do that.

Another day, I had a new hunter in a box blind as we waited for a whitetail doe to appear. I handed him the Zulu6, gave him 5 seconds of instruction, and he quickly figured out how to use them. Simple to use. He was impressed.

I put my universal digiscope adaptor on the Zulu6 and shot some pictures during a late season antlerless antelope hunt. Again hand held in the fierce wind....I will not bore you with the pictures of the bleak Nebraska prairie in December, but I am completely amazed at the resultant detail in the pictures. I have the Aziak tripod adaptor on order. Should be a great combination, but I am not sure that I will carry the tripod into the field unless I am sure that I will need it.

I am not one to be a fan-boy but this piece of gear is quickly finding its way into my everyday/everyhunt lineup.
(Still wonder if I should have gone with the 20x)

 

[Brijake]

Thanks for the great reply. Thinking the same thing but maybe the 20’s since it’s replacing the spotter. Did you wish you had a little more power or were the 26’s adequate?

 

[NE Herd Bull]

oh the 16s were entirely adequate for me.

Ideally I would like to do a side-by-side field comparison with the 20s
However, my post-holiday pocket-book has denied my request

 

[rogerthat]

I have the 20x hdx. Great for long range glassing. I only looked through the old 16s before buying. For long range glassing they are great for my needs but if you were going to use them for more all purpose use, I would definitely want something lower power. The biggest benefit is the stabilization. In high winds, glassing is still possible. Also great out the pickup window glass. The depth of focus is really touchy on the 20x but for my purposes I like them a lot.

 

[Brijake]

Think I’ll try to look through the 16’s and the 20’s side by side. If there was a range finder as well I’d go with the 12’s.

 

[bisblue]

I'm debating between 12x and 10x zulu6. I mostly a meat hunter with a stick bow and live in Central Idaho. I have pack llamas and do a back country bear hunt, take 2-3 weeks of for September archery elk, chase javelina in Arizona in February... I'm checking for cubs spot and stalk then going after any decent bear with my bow for instance.

I've found myself gravitating to my wife's cheaper nikon 8x42 for the jungle hunting near my house, and take my b2 10x42 mavens for October mule deer, but I won't be counting points to decide if I'm chasing a buck... I have a 15x45 lightweight mid range spotter as well.
Do you think the 10s would the the best replacement for binos you will always carry or are the 12s so stable they would be worth it, and i just bring my 8x42s if I'm hunting stuff too dang thick to really glass anyway? I don't like using my range finder to look for things.
I'm going to a friends this afternoon to look through his non HD zulu6 16s.

 

[180ls1]

I'm debating between 12x and 10x zulu6. I mostly a meat hunter with a stick bow and live in Central Idaho. I have pack llamas and do a back country bear hunt, take 2-3 weeks of for September archery elk, chase javelina in Arizona in February... I'm checking for cubs spot and stalk then going after any decent bear with my bow for instance.

I've found myself gravitating to my wife's cheaper nikon 8x42 for the jungle hunting near my house, and take my b2 10x42 mavens for October mule deer, but I won't be counting points to decide if I'm chasing a buck... I have a 15x45 lightweight mid range spotter as well.
Do you think the 10s would the the best replacement for binos you will always carry or are the 12s so stable they would be worth it, and i just bring my 8x42s if I'm hunting stuff too dang thick to really glass anyway? I don't like using my range finder to look for things.
I'm going to a friends this afternoon to look through his non HD zulu6 16s.

The 12's will be stable enough but they have the same FOV as the 16's which is small. If you want one to do it all, you could grab the 16's and ditch the spotter also. Otherwise, those 10's would suit you really well, especially if you like 8's. I am the same way.

 

[bisblue]

The 12's will be stable enough but they have the same FOV as the 16's which is small. If you want one to do it all, you could grab the 16's and ditch the spotter also. Otherwise, those 10's would suit you really well, especially if you like 8's. I am the same way.

I got to check out my friends 10x30 older model, and the 16x hdx. Scored a set of 10x30 hdx on the new years sale at optics planet for 35% off.
They seem like a great bino. Excited to try them glassing javelina in February.

 

[ajbailey21]

I have 16s and 12s in my hands at home and I can’t decide which to keep. I’m leaning towards the 12s for same reason several have said. They seem more forgiving, easier to focus, etc. I can’t decide if the extra 4x magnification is worth it though. I’m going to replace my razor HD 10s on my chest with them. I think the 12s are better suited for that, but it sure would be nice to have 16s and not carry a spotter.

I hate decisions…