Which Binoculars

[jr87mustang]

I 've been wanting to pick up some new binoculars but I don't have access to look through all of them due to the smaller town I live in. Which would you pick between Leica Trinovids 10x42 for $900, Zeiss COnquest HDs 10x42 for $700, or Swarovski SLC HD 10x42 for $1400? I looked through the Swar EL's but am not a fan of the way they make my stomach feel when I pan. Would the previous genereation of EL's be worth looking at without the SV? I have seen them used for $1200 or so..... Let me know what you think is the best deal.

 

[cornfedkiller]

Personally, I love the ergonomics of the Swarovskis with the open bridge hinge design. If you dont like the newer Swarovisions, the older ELs are an awesome glass and can be found for a great price online!

I have been told that the Leica Ultravids possibly slightly edge out the Swaros optically, but I dont know much about the Trinovids. And I have looked through the Conquests, but not enough to really have a good comparison.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I would personally go with the SLCs or find some older ELs. The ultravids are top shelf glass but they are like holding a brick.

 

[handwerk]

I have the swaro El SV 10x42 and think they are the best for me, the view is stunning..ergos great. The SLC's sure have a ton of fans and no doubt they're great glass. For Christmas I bought my boys leica trinovid 10x42's from Doug at cameraland , and for $899 they are a great bino and well worth the price and then some.

 

[KHNC]

Have you thought about Vortex Razor HD 10x42? Around 1100 or less . Lifetime warranty and sharp glass. I like them as well as the SLC and better than Leica or Zeiss. I have used them all side by side outside of Cabelas this summer.

 

[WRO]

At your price range, I'd buy the SLC HDs in the classifieds right now for 1350 with the tripod adapter or the previous generation EL's that are also in the classifieds.

Other options I would consider.

Used Victory HTs - I've seen these listed for 12-1400. They are an amazing piece of glass.
Meopta Meostars/Cabelas Euro's

 

[jr87mustang]

I am leaning towards the SLC's, just wanted to get the most bang for the buck. I just wanted to make sure I was getting good glass and not spending an extra $500 over the Trinovids to get the SLC for little improvement.

I was using the Vortex HS-T 4-16x44 in Idaho this year and had a shot at a nice buck but when I set my gun up the scope had a foggy white glare on the lense because the sun was so low and I could hardly see the deer even with a sun shade on. Needless to say I didn't come home with that buck so my confidence in thier product is way down.....hence the non cosideration for the Razors.

 

[KHNC]

I am leaning towards the SLC's, just wanted to get the most bang for the buck. I just wanted to make sure I was getting good glass and not spending an extra $500 over the Trinovids to get the SLC for little improvement.

I was using the Vortex HS-T 4-16x44 in Idaho this year and had a shot at a nice buck but when I set my gun up the scope had a foggy white glare on the lense because the sun was so low and I could hardly see the deer even with a sun shade on. Needless to say I didn't come home with that buck so my confidence in thier product is way down.....hence the non cosideration for the Razors.

I can understand the frustration with that for sure! But, what is it about the other glass you think would have made a difference in direct sunlight in that situation? I am pretty sure the Razor has the same amount of multi-coatings as SLC or the others you named. But, I truly am interested in your opinion on why a different brand scope would have made a difference in that unique situation. Thanks

 

[chippewawarrior]

Why older model EL's? Cost? Is something different on the SV's?

 

[squeekieslayer]

I currently have the Zeiss victory HT's. Though work I get them at a great discount. I just got a pair of the conquest HDs for a buddy... To be 100% honest, after looking though them side by side a LOT, I would never spend the extra 1500 bucks for the HT's. Those conquests are extremely nice for the money.

JOe

 

[rileybassman]

I currently have the Zeiss victory HT's. Though work I get them at a great discount. I just got a pair of the conquest HDs for a buddy... To be 100% honest, after looking though them side by side a LOT, I would never spend the extra 1500 bucks for the HT's. Those conquests are extremely nice for the money.

JOe

I second this. I use the conquest HDs as well and am very happy with them... 90-95% of the $1500 more binos.

As to the fog, have you looked into any sort of Butler creek/bikini covers? Makes a big difference as I couldn't get a shot on an elk one year for the same reason.

 

[69ChrisCraft01]

I am leaning towards the SLC's, just wanted to get the most bang for the buck. I just wanted to make sure I was getting good glass and not spending an extra $500 over the Trinovids to get the SLC for little improvement.

I was using the Vortex HS-T 4-16x44 in Idaho this year and had a shot at a nice buck but when I set my gun up the scope had a foggy white glare on the lense because the sun was so low and I could hardly see the deer even with a sun shade on. Needless to say I didn't come home with that buck so my confidence in thier product is way down.....hence the non cosideration for the Razors.

I have followed the optics threads religiously for quite a while now and while certainly not scientific it seems to me that fewer guys are singing the praises of Vortex lately. Your particular case aside it seems that the Razor line isn't as recommended as it was 2-3 years ago. Anytime Vortex comes up the warranty is always mentioned.....in my experience with Vortex you will need that warranty. Their service was phenomenal...prompt, polite etc. but I used their warranty on both Vortex pieces I owned.

I have yet to spend any significant time behind the razor binos but my razor 11-33x50 was certainly lacking the detail of alpha glass and the Vortex Viper 15x50s were FAR from anything I would consider quality. I will reserve judgement on the Razor binos because all companies seem to release a particular optic within a "line" that doesn't quite match the reputation.

That being said, I loved my Conquests when I owned them and if the ergos of the Meoptas fit me better I think they may have been even better.

 

[Rizzy]

Who is selling the conquest hd 10x42 for 700$ ?
I would go with those for that price. The swaros are the best, but not 700$ better than the zeiss.

 

[squeekieslayer]

I have yet to spend any significant time behind the razor binos but my razor 11-33x50 was certainly lacking the detail of alpha glass and the Vortex Viper 15x50s were FAR from anything I would consider quality. I will reserve judgement on the Razor binos because all companies seem to release a particular optic within a "line" that doesn't quite match the reputation.

not to be combative... but I own the Razor 10-33X50 and the Zeiss Diascope 15-75X85. I can HONESTLY say that at 33 power, with decent light, I cannot tell a difference at all between the two. I consider to the Diascope to be as good as any, if not the best, big spotter out there. I cannot speak for the binos, but I will sing the praises of the little spotter till i find something better at that size and price point.

You cannot expect a 50mm spotter to perform as well as the big boys at higher powers and low light, but my razor is in my pack 4:1 over my big dog.

Joe

 

[squeekieslayer]

Who is selling the conquest hd 10x42 for 700$ ?
I would go with those for that price. The swaros are the best, but not 700$ better than the zeiss.

I agree with this... of the ones you mentioned, if you can get the conquests for 700 then it is hands down the best choice.

JOe

 

[AGPank]

I just bought he Trinovids and I'm very pleased. Slightly more CA than the Meostar HD and SLC HD. I prefer the ergonomics of the Trinovid over the Meostar HD. They are lighter and thinner barrels. There are several SLC HD for sell here and archerytalk for under $1350-1450, very tempting at that price. That's a good price for the zeiss conquest too.

 

[dotman]

My buddy is selling his Cabelas Euro HD 10x42 for $800 if your interested pm me. He upgraded to the swaro ranging binos this week.

 

[gelton]

If you were to consider 8x32 you might could swing the Swaros new.

 

[69ChrisCraft01]

not to be combative... but I own the Razor 10-33X50 and the Zeiss Diascope 15-75X85. I can HONESTLY say that at 33 power, with decent light, I cannot tell a difference at all between the two. I consider to the Diascope to be as good as any, if not the best, big spotter out there. I cannot speak for the binos, but I will sing the praises of the little spotter till i find something better at that size and price point.

You cannot expect a 50mm spotter to perform as well as the big boys at higher powers and low light, but my razor is in my pack 4:1 over my big dog.

Joe

That does surprise me. You don't perceive any loss of clarity or color rendition while at maximum magnification?

I should however state that the prism in my spotter (maybe an internal lense) came loose/unglued...? So perhaps it was faulty from the get go. To Vortexs credit they replaced the entire unit at which point I sold it.....so maybe the clarity was affected prior to the internal failure.

 

[jr87mustang]

Who is selling the conquest hd 10x42 for 700$ ?
I would go with those for that price. The swaros are the best, but not 700$ better than the zeiss.

I have some Cabelas gift cards to bring my cost down