Help me pick some Bino's please

[3-0-hate]

I need some new binoculars for hunting this season. I have it narrowed down to the Vortex Raxor HD 10x42s and the Bushnell Legend M Series 10x42s. Im leaning towards the Bushys because I can get a better deal on them and all my other glass is Bushnell elite (tactical, legend, etc) and I am quite happy with them. Bushnell has also stepped up their game big time in the warranty department and now also offers a no questions asked, anything happened to it warranty.

The difference in cost to me between the vortex and the bushnells is around $180. Im I being a cheap skate and should I just drop the extra cash or are the Bushnells actually worth it?

Thanks.

 

[Niles Coyote]

My must have list goes like this.

Most important- Eye relief so I do not need to remove my glasses to use them. For me this is 18mm minimum with 20mm preferred. if its under 18mm I wont even consider it anymore as I recall the frustration my old swarovski gave me.

After the above I look at field of view, go with the widest available.

Now I know your are looking at 10x, have you ever tried 8's. I can tell you that you will get not only a wider field, a more forgiving image with regard hand shake/stability but also a more generous exit pupil if you compare the same size objective lens in both. While hunting in the open hills of Montana I often can see game that my hunting buddies cant in the early& late hours when the game are in shadows. They have used 10x since they started going. This year one of them was telling me of the issues he had been having since he started wearing glasses. Just so happened, I had won a pair of vortex 8x42's at a match and bought them along with the idea of trying to profit a little from it... but from a different member of the group, which is a story unto itself and much to long for here, LOL. I loaned them to the guy at a gas full up, we were in South Dakota traveling down I90 in separate trucks, and by the time we stopped for more gas they had sold themselves. After our week of hunting I asked him how they compared to his old 10x and he told me he was impressed with how easy it was to quickly find and stay on game compared to his old pair, he was also surprised by how well he could see into darkened areas when the sun was still behind the hills. Getting them for half the cost Cabelas was selling them for was a plus too

 

[Sheldon N]

Are you sure you're talking about the Razor HD's? Those are around $1200 and the Bushnells are ~$300. Did you mean the Viper HD?

I've got the Viper HD 10x42's and really like them. Haven't had a chance to put them side by side with the Bushnell but I did look through the Razors, Swaro's and Leicas at the time and while they were all clearly better than the Vipers the difference wasn't nearly as big as I thought it might be. I think the Viper HD's are a great choice on the price/quality/value scale.

 

[3-0-hate]

Thanks for the responses. I'm also considering the 8x binos as well, especially since I will be packing a spotting scope on my hunts as well.


Has anyone had any experience with the Bushnell legend M series?

 

[Rthur]

Nikon monarchs are very good for the money.
Crooked horn harness also.

R

 

[TheGerman]

Get The Steiner Military Marine. I managed to shop around and got mine for like $160.

 

[Wyzrd]

When I started hunting, I used a 10x42 Bushnell Legend Ultra HD/ED and it did everything I needed for a couple years. Got a great deal on some Nikon Monarch 7 10x42 binos, and I must say, their ED glass is far nicer than Bushnells IMO. Another good option you might look at is the offerings from Zen Ray. I had one if their spotting scopes and chose it over the Razor and Leupold HD spotters. Great glass at their price points!

 

[MilDot1960]

I have a pair of Leupold Mark 4's 10x50's and the newer Leupold BX 2 Tactical 10x 42's, And I just bought my Brother a pair of Leupold 8x42 HD BX 4's Mckinleys, He is over the moon with them, and this year Leupold have bought the newer BX 5's HD's and from all accounts they might be worth a look,

My favourite pair are the Mark 4's but I too need a set of 8x42's, 10x42/50's can be a bit jittery when you try to pick out fine detail, personally I would be going for 8x42's in your brand of choice,

Hope this helps,

John.

 

[3-0-hate]

Well, I think I have made my decision on the Legend M series. I looked through a pair of them and for the money, I just can't say no. Just as good a warranty as anyone else in the industry, and really, really good glass (I don't notice a difference between the Bushy M glass, Sig ZULU 5 or the Vortex Viper HD glass). The Bushys are the cheapest and they feel durable and get excellent reviews online. If they end up not working out, Im sure I can at least get my money back on them.

Thanks for the help!

 

[101stinfantry]

This is probably a tad late, but the Minox BL 10X52s are pretty nice, they make a 8X as well. Cameralandny has a really good open box/demo deal on them.

 

[NewsShooter]

I'd suggest the Athlon Cronus, when I was at the Ariz PRS match there were times that I could find the targets where we were looking into the sun on a shaded hill better with my binocs than with the Swaro scopes. I know it's hard to believe but others with me and the range officers agreed.

 

[Evan03]

I'll second viper yds. Love mine.

when in doubt always go 8 power. I went 10 even though I had 8s before and regret it.

 

[3-0-hate]

Well, I ended up with the Bushnell Legend M series binos in a 10x42. I have to say I am totally impressed by them. I put them up against a set of Vortex Vipers and Swarovski's, all in 10x42, and I have to say I am impressed. The Swaros were the clearest, brightest and most color true. You could easily distinguish small features in shaded areas with very little trouble, no noticeable CA, and just a wonderful view through them overall. The Vipers were hot on the heels of the Swaros. The Vipers were not quite as bright in the shadows as the Swaros, but it was marginally less at best. The color was very good but not as "pure" as the Swaros. Overall, between the two, I did not feel that the Vipers were $500 worse than the Swaros in any way shape or form. The Bushys were about the same to the Vipers as the Vipers were to the Swaros, slightly less brightness in the shadows, and slightly less vibrant, natural color. Still no perceptible CA in the Bushys and for $400, definitely not $1300 worse than the Swaros or $700 worse than the Vortex. In fact, I think in a hunting application, the Swaros would give me 15-20 minutes more glassing time in the evening light than the Bushys and the Vipers might give 5-10 minutes more, at the most. For $400, these Bushys are a serious winner overall.

 

[Ornery]

One major consideration for binoculars (other than than lack of CA, resolution and contrast) is the field of view. Some binoculars are engineered for narrow fields of view. The field of view is a consideration for any binoculars that I would be thinking of buying.