Vortex UHD Binos
- Thread starter B4Maz
- Start date
Yeah sorry, been hemming and hawing over another nice set of Swaros for a while now, there's no way my decision will include those as an alternative at that price LOL.
Realistically these will probably be had for the 1600 range which could be really nice, who knows.
Realistically these will probably be had for the 1600 range which could be really nice, who knows.
Looks like SportOptics has some in stock. Will be waiting for some reviews on the 12x50.
$1699 for 18s, already in stock at Sport Optics.
Decent option, though with how well some of the cheaper 15x are regarded (Meostars, Zulu9, Forge, etc.), and the slight bump up to used Swaros... I’ll be curious to see how well they do.
Decent option, though with how well some of the cheaper 15x are regarded (Meostars, Zulu9, Forge, etc.), and the slight bump up to used Swaros... I’ll be curious to see how well they do.
The 18's should be a good option for PRS spotting duty. Glass may not be the absolute equal of Swaro but I bet it's close. The extra magnification of 18 power may make up for that too. Larger in size than the 15x56SLC but an ounce or two lighter.
$1699 MAP is a bit high but seems fair if these are truly alpha level glass and better than the Razor HD. I bet you'll find deals out there after a while.
$1699 MAP is a bit high but seems fair if these are truly alpha level glass and better than the Razor HD. I bet you'll find deals out there after a while.
I’m very interested but I have yet to see where they are made. I called them requesting AMG binos that would equal swaro last year.
Edit* vortex says made in JAPAN but would not commit to LOW
Edit* vortex says made in JAPAN but would not commit to LOW
Last edited:
I too am waiting for the made in USA AMG binos, really was hoping more would have come by now from the AMG group at Vortex. That said, these could be "really" good and may represent the best glass from Japan yet, but we'll have to wait and see, if they do hold up then I am hoping we'll see their LRF Unit from the Fury HD 5000 make its way into the Razor UHD line. I like the Fury HD, but it is a bit lacking optically so this would be just the ticket.
I agree. I am going to get a pair of 10 uhds. I have high hopes that they will be great glass and their Japan scopes have a record of good durability. If they can get an AMG bino out after this to cut the weight I’ll be on board for that when it happens.
Strange that Vortex doesn't have much information on their site, but grabbed this off eurooptic
Vortex Optics just added four new models to their Razor HD line of binoculars! The Razor UHD Binoculars bring a new level of optical quality to Vortex's bino lineup, putting them on par with popular European manufacturers like Swarovski, Leica, and Steiner! Vortex even released an 18x56 UHD model to provide consumers with a premium high magnification/large objective binocular – previously Vortex only offered one binocular at that magnification, the Kaibab 18x56.
The primary difference between the existing Razor HD and the Razor UHD binoculars lies in the new Ultra High Definition (UHD) optical system. The UHD offers “…unparalleled image resolution that cuts chromatic aberration; providing exceptional color fidelity, edge-to-edge sharpness, and light transmission.” Additionally, the Razor UHD binoculars features additional lens treatments like indexed-matched lenses to ensure correct color across the visual spectrum and the XR™ Plus coatings for optimal performance in low light conditions.
It's the "on par with European manufacturers" that many will find suspect, really curious to see a competent review against some of the German/Austrian binos.
From what I can tell the different optical system is the transition to an Abbe Koenig prism
I only played with the 18s for few seconds at there open house and eye relief seemed very good. I had my sunglasses on and no issues. Again a few seconds of use. More important for me is the close tighter for people not built like owls with eyes on the sides of there head!
- Apr 17, 2019
- 139
- 91
These are honestly pretty darn good for the price. Pretty close to the SLCs in optical clarity. Doesn't have field flattener tech but the edge distortion is barely even noticeable. Only thing I haven't gotten a chance to test yet is low light performance.
i used a pair directly next to my meopta meostars. pretty comparable as far as sharpness/edge clarity.
one minor negative for the Vortex's was we noticed the focus window was very very narrow compared to SLCs or the Meostars.
over all pretty nice. but i'll be hanging onto my meostars personally.
one minor negative for the Vortex's was we noticed the focus window was very very narrow compared to SLCs or the Meostars.
over all pretty nice. but i'll be hanging onto my meostars personally.
Interesting. I recall seeing that same effect with the Kaibab's. I really like having a very deep focus window with the SLC's, no need to refocus as you pan targets and you can see more foreground activity for wind (bushes, grass, bugs, mirage, etc). Likely helps pick up trace in the FOV earlier too.
I noticed this as well with my Leica HD-B's compared to my Minox bino's, both were 10x but the Leica's were clearly more forgiving with DOF - you can see much more in focus outside the specific focus plane. This also shows up in rifle scopes where some have greater DOF while others are more finicky and require more side focus adjustment. That alone is very disappointing with the new UHD's especially when the "claim" is to be on par with the best European glass, but there is more to it than just controlling CA and being able to resolve detail. I'm sure the UHD's are "better" than the HD's, but it doesn't sound like they are quite up to the best from the European mfr's
Announced Crossfire HD and Diamondback HD today, curious as to how much the new DB HD's are compared to the last generation, I really like my 10x42's.
So I just got back from a shoot with @jwknutson17 where we were comparing some of the top ultra short scopes and at one point we were talking bino's and he pulled out his Swarovski EL 10x42's and I have to say they turned the lights on for me. I've used a set of Minox HD 10x44's for a number of years now and have always been happy with them, but after looking through the EL's... well I'm no longer happy, those EL's were crazy good and what I loved most was the huge DOF where I didn't really have to mess with the focus. I was super impressed with my Leica HD-B 10x42's but these Swaro's just seemed to be amazing, would need to get them side by side to know for sure. As much as I loved the Swaro EL's, I have read that the Swaro EL Range 10x42 doesn't have the "best" LRF when it comes to accuracy and distance (if anyone believes different please steer me in the right direction but reviews seem to have the Leica HD-B's and the new Zeiss Victory Rangefinder 10x42's doing much better in this regard), but my question is are the Zeiss Victories as good optically and DOF as the Swaro EL's?
I digress, the point of my post is that on my drive home from shooting I was listening to a Gunwerk's podcast on hunting gear and optics and they were talking about spotters and binos for long range spotting and he used a 15x set of binos on a tripod that he said if he had to take one optic into the field it would be those, which got me to thinking... I wonder how good these Razor UHD 18x56's would be on a tripod... If anyone has grabbed the 18's for this I would be really curious to hear your thoughts.
I digress, the point of my post is that on my drive home from shooting I was listening to a Gunwerk's podcast on hunting gear and optics and they were talking about spotters and binos for long range spotting and he used a 15x set of binos on a tripod that he said if he had to take one optic into the field it would be those, which got me to thinking... I wonder how good these Razor UHD 18x56's would be on a tripod... If anyone has grabbed the 18's for this I would be really curious to hear your thoughts.
I have not had a chance to check out the UHDs yet as my bass pro doesn’t have them yet. However, they appear to be MUCH like the maven b2s I have, minus maybe different coatings.
The b2s are very good. They lose out to my SLCs in extreme low light, and more importantly in depth of field. I’m not sure if the UHDs will suffer from short depth of field like the mavens but that’s the only thing that would make me hesitate.
The b2s are very good. They lose out to my SLCs in extreme low light, and more importantly in depth of field. I’m not sure if the UHDs will suffer from short depth of field like the mavens but that’s the only thing that would make me hesitate.
So a new set of lets say 12x is $1600~ And swaros are 1800-2k used, am i right? I am all for more bang for buck, but at retail vs used, i feel swaros are still better, although i have not done a side by side comparison in low light. They DO interest me at a 1,000~ dollar range
Sold my viper hd’s and ordered a set of the 12x50’s from sportoptics with their 13% off deal. Going to put them up against some razor hd’s on a test we came up with in near total darkness. Also will be testing a amg 6-24 vs atacr 5-25. Should be interesting
It's been a while since Swaro upgraded the EL Range, I think it's "due" for an update, wouldn't be surprised if we see a new EL Range II or something like that on the horizon with a crazy good LRF unit. Strange that Leica has their 2800.COM which connects to Kestrel but they don't have their HD-B's with a .COM version. Zeiss has Bluetooth in the Victory RF (newer ones) units but no connectivity to Kestrel. Sig seems to be the only one really pushing the limits of connectivity between devices but I'm not too hip on Sigs glass. Would absolutely love to see a Vortex Razor HD or UHD LRF bino with Bluetooth integration and connectivity to Kestrel/Garmin 701. I believe some very good things are coming from Vortex (with regard to electro-optics), the big question is how long.
I bought uhd’s. Not expecting them to beat swaros, I don’t think they could, but close would be nice.
I have a VERY picky friend who will be playing with them. He has been behind swaros, nightforce and every major player in optics for a very long time. He will nitpick anything and everything. Low light being most important as we are hunters(he is more of a prs guy).
So i have not gotten to low low light like ive been planning, work keeps getting in the way. Anyway, just out of the package is pretty damn nice. Very nice chest rig, its like a foliage green. They are super bright at night(in the city) but there is lots of ambient light. I need to get out on a new moon, backwoods, nothing but starlight and get to playing.
Forgive my potato phone pics, it’s actually my case is scratched to shit and makes the pics look hazy.
Forgive my potato phone pics, it’s actually my case is scratched to shit and makes the pics look hazy.
Attachments
I understand you haven't had a chance to really test them in every condition you'd like to just yet. However, what's your initial impression in normal day light conditions?
Just took em out on a scouting trip. Bout 15-20% brighter to MY eyes than razor hd’s. I felt my pupils dilate switching between. I felt i needed sunglasses with the uhd and not with the razor hd. My buddy who owns the razors was mad, he wants mine now. His have only made it on one trip before! He’s pissed!
I will be doing 100 yard pitch black night shoots with pst gen 2 vs amg vs atacr and usung these as spotters for my .22 fun. Only using a glow stick for illumination on a 50 yard kyl.
This will tell me how the binos stack against other high end optics, although they are scopes, its stuff anyone can find at a local range.
Might go up this weekend to my property to do this. If work allows
That sounds like a pretty cool test. I have the PST gen 2 and an ATACR so it'll be interesting to see how they all stack up in extreme low light.
I have stacked a pst and amg together, it wasn’t pretty for the pst. I seriously could only make out the small targets out of my peripheral , the amg was easily double as bright.
