Swarovski 8x30 cl for western hunting?

[Spiblin]

Howdy,
I'm currently looking at buying some nice glass after using vortex vipers in 10x42 for a few years. Currently I'm really thinking the 8x30 CL will fit the bill nicely. I find I have a hard time getting a steady view with the 10x but I've never used 8x In the field before. Any feedback from anyone that's used these binoculars would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Tmac]

I‘ve used 8x32’s & 8.5x43’s quite a bit. I like them. Much easier for me to hold steady. If it’s real open country, I do prefer 10x40’s or thereabouts.

 

[Shraggs]

Very good glass for the money, very light too. It’s my choice for higher elevation archery hunts. Not going to get as expansive view as an 8x42 but really good in timber.

I’m an 8 fan to cause easier to hold and wider fov. For rifle I’d go with bigger objective size.

 

[antlerz]

How about new Zeiss TFL 8x40. Performance per oz and compact?

 

[Kostrize]

I have a set and like them a lot. The issue with the 8X30 CL is tripod mounting is pretty limited. If you’re not intending to mount them, go for it. You can have a lot more options though in an 8X32 format for only a few ounces more in total weight. Easier size to handhold also, especially with gloves. There have been alpha 8x32s selling on the classifieds here for only a few hundred more than the CL brand new.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Take a look at the Kowa Genesis 8x33. Your timing is perfect as we are running our Mother's Day Sale
Please give us a call, 516-217-1000, and we can discuss this and other excellent options for you

 

[Spiblin]

Zeiss glass doesn't really agree with my eyes unfortunately

 

[Spiblin]

Take a look at the Kowa Genesis 8x33. Your timing is perfect as we are running our Mother's Day Sale
Please give us a call, 516-217-1000, and we can discuss this and other

Thanks Doug, I'll give you a call later today

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Depends on where you will be doing your “western” hunting (terrain and how “open” it is), for which game and how you will hunt them.

My SLC 10s are well suited for some areas while my SLC 15s are better suited for others. I’d only consider adding 8s to my optics arsenal if I continually hunted an area with limited visibility.

But if I were a “back east” hunter who hunted 90% or more “back east” in perpetual thick stuff, I’d grab top tier 8s for that and just make do with them for “out west” while saving up more to get a pair better suited for more territory “out west”.

There are multiple ways to stabilize binoculars. May want to consider researching them. But if you plan to actually glass, you will need to get them on a tripod. Other methods can help when scanning for game.

 

[parshal]

I mostly hunt wide open sage with draws and sometimes trees. 8x32 EL has been my best glass. I used the Zeiss Victory RF 10x42 this past year and have just received the Leica 8x32 Geovid Pro to replace them.

10’s are harder for me to handhold for more than a short period. The FOV is less. If you have to pull out the spotter with 8’s you need to with 10’s.

As for tripod use, you can get the barrel wraps with an arca built in.

 

[Kurts86]

I really like the 2nd generation Swarovski CL’s and I nearly bought them a few years back. I think they would be a really good option for certain hunts like the higher elevation archery elk hunts in Colorado where you are playing in closer and where glassing isn’t as intensive or long range. They would also pair well with 15’s off a tripod.

My dad has the older 8x30 SLC’s and we took them to Western Wyoming last year along with newer SLC 10x42’s and 15x56’s and they performed really well for their size.

Glass quality goes a long way with 8x30/32 binoculars.

 

[Kenn]

You might take a look at the Nikon MHG 8x30. It has a wider field of view than the swaro, is a little lighter and a little cheaper. Nikon is also coming out with an M7+ 8x30 that will probably be around $500 and on paper it looks very good.