Sig Zulu thoughts?

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

Looking to upgrade my binos I was running some vortex 10x42s and they’re the crossfires so it’s not the greatest glass but they get the job done but I do have really shaky hands and have been looking at the Sig Zulus for the image stabilization feature specifically the 12x42s and wanted to know if anyone has ran them and what they think about them?

 

[chicoredneck]

They are the way of the future. My wife ran 16x42 zulu6s this year and out glassed everyone. I prefer the 12x42 myself because the exit pupil is larger.

I’ve looked threw the new 50mm zulu6s, and they are better and worth the premium price I think.

 

[SloppyJ]

I dont know where you're hunting whitetails but 12x would be way too much for me. I tried some of the zulus out and they are awesome.

 

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

I dont know where you're hunting whitetails but 12x would be way too much for me. I tried some of the zulus out and they are awesome.

I hunt a lot of big woods in hill country you can see rather far and I also go out west every year and hunt as well so wanting something that checks all the boxes for where I hunt and to be honest the 10x42s usually do fine for seeing animals but there’s been plenty of times I’m setup and can see bucks cruising on hillsides or ridges in early morning and I can tell they’re bucks but don’t have enough mag to get an intimate look at the rack like I’m wanting and I’m sure the fact that I’m using cheaper glass has something to do with that as well and my shakiness from my hands.

 

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

They are the way of the future. My wife ran 16x42 zulu6s this year and out glassed everyone. I prefer the 12x42 myself because the exit pupil is larger.

I’ve looked threw the new 50mm zulu6s, and they are better and worth the premium price I think.

Awesome! Thanks for the input I’m curious what noticeable differences did you see in the new 50mm 6’s?

 

[SloppyJ]

I hunt a lot of big woods in hill country you can see rather far and I also go out west every year and hunt as well so wanting something that checks all the boxes for where I hunt and to be honest the 10x42s usually do fine for seeing animals but there’s been plenty of times I’m setup and can see bucks cruising on hillsides or ridges in early morning and I can tell they’re bucks but don’t have enough mag to get an intimate look at the rack like I’m wanting and I’m sure the fact that I’m using cheaper glass has something to do with that as well and my shakiness from my hands.

Well sounds like you have a good use case for them. I know in our deer woods here youre lucky to see 100yds. I still carry my 10ks with me though for sneaking on field edges.

 

[chicoredneck]

Awesome! Thanks for the input I’m curious what noticeable differences did you see in the new 50mm 6’s?

The 50mms exit pupil is larger so the eye box was more forgiving and they are brighter.

 

[Scoot]

Yep, they are awesome! I'm a bowhunter, so the ability to hold them steady with one hand (while my bow holds the other) is a game changer. 12x would be too much for my whitetail needs, but it sounds like you understand the pros and cons of that choice.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I've been a Swarovski snob for years. I looked down on image-stabilized (IS) binos and considered them a gimmick for hunting. From a rocking boat at sea, maybe they made sense, but they weren't for me.

For the past 5 years, my primary glass has been Swaro 8x32 and 15x56, so I'm accustomed to alpha-level optics. Earlier this month, I used a set of 12x42 NL Pures on a deer and antelope hunt. They're the best optics I've used. True brilliance. Offhand, I was a bit jittery, but on a tripod, they gave me the vision of an eagle.

After the hunt, I've began testing the SIG ZULU6 HDX PRO 14x50 to see what all the chatter is about. Holy $#17! They will never compete optically with Swaro, but for handheld use, they are marvelous instruments, almost a cheat code for stable glassing. I agree with others who say this is the future. Hell, it's probably the present.

I'll take it a step further: not using IS binos is likely a handicap for hunting. The only question is what power to use. I don't know the answer to that.

 

[elktacos]

Western big game you'll find yourself using the 16x more than your spotter! They're amazing, I don't have them but a buddy let me try them out.

 

[swavescatter]

BLUF: New HDX Pro's are overpriced garbage. Save your money and get the regular HDX.

New Sig Sauer Zulu6 HDX Pro vs Gen 2 Zulu6 HDX

Background: I bought the new 18's and they sucked hard. Sig said they meet spec and I'm just a crybaby, even though I provided proof. Relevant threads here here here here. Got my 18x50 HDX Pro's back from Sig with a note that they're amazing and I'm an idiot. Grabbed another set of 18x50 HDX...

rokslide.com

 

[swavescatter]

Also this post showing my comparison.

 

[Hollywood_139]

I've been a Swarovski snob for years. I looked down on image-stabilized (IS) binos and considered them a gimmick for hunting. From a rocking boat at sea, maybe they made sense, but they weren't for me.

For the past 5 years, my primary glass has been Swaro 8x32 and 15x56, so I'm accustomed to alpha-level optics. Earlier this month, I used a set of 12x42 NL Pures on a deer and antelope hunt. They're the best optics I've used. True brilliance. Offhand, I was a bit jittery, but on a tripod, they gave me the vision of an eagle.

After the hunt, I've began testing the SIG ZULU6 HDX PRO 14x50 to see what all the chatter is about. Holy $#17! They will never compete optically with Swaro, but for handheld use, they are marvelous instruments, almost a cheat code for stable glassing. I agree with others who say this is the future. Hell, it's probably the present.

I'll take it a step further: not using IS binos is likely a handicap for hunting. The only question is what power to use. I don't know the answer to that.

Have you tried the HDX vs the HDX pro? And if so what differences have you see?

 

[StupidLightweight]

The only image stabilized SIGs I’ve used were the HDX Pro.

 

[Hollywood_139]

The only image stabilized SIGs I’ve used were the HDX Pro.

did you find the weight and size of the pros to be too much as a chest Binos?

 

[StupidLightweight]

I’m not a chest pack user, but the weight and size isn’t any more than 15x56 Swaros my buddy carries in his chest harness. You could make it work.

 

[Whitetailaddict]

I didn’t like the 12’s for timber country I would for sure go check them out in store somewhere.

 

[PistolPete911]

As someone with slight hand shakes I used the zulu 16's this year and will never go back to standard. Packed in a spotter for first hunt of the year and ended up prefering the zulu's and didnt pack the spotter the rest of the year... worked awesome for one handed quick spotting while run n gun mule deer and worked exceptionally well for picking out deer movement in thick bluff country brush while whitetail hunting.

Downside is the lowlight quality is still not as good as a decent pair of leopolds or similar..

 

[WCB]

My dad has REALLY shaky hands. Has been tested for everything you can think of and they just say he has involuntary tremors. To the point he can barley write his name. He won a pair of the 16x Zulus and absolutely loves them. For probably 3-4 years now he couldn't use anything over an 8x bino and even then he shook so much he had hard time registering any detail.

Optically they aren't the greatest glass and you will probably lose a few minutes of glassing but I might pick up a pair for on the move hunts where I also might be looking out to distance. great stabilization off hand or breathing heavy and don't need to pull out the tripod for short to medium length glassing.

 

[Tbuckus]

I’ve been looking at the Zulu6’s for a while for use as a truck set. Initially I was planning on getting the 12’s, figuring I’d have a little better magnification than my primary 10’s non IS.
After reading multiple threads on these, it looks like the 16’s are the most popular, although I’m still leaning now toward the 10’s for the truck, just to get a better FOV. The wife isn’t a hunter, and I’m thinking she’d be able to spot things easier/quicker with the 10’s.

Curious who is using a “truck only” Zulu and what magnification.