What are the best binoculars for under 500.00 dollars?

when I bought my last set I had about the same budget. I got ahold of doug at cameraland and ask him what he had for discontinued close out glass. He set me up with a pair of leupold McKinleys. they are a decent set of binocs. I wouldn't worry so much about brand. Id ask doug where my money is best spent.

quote:

Originally posted by Howard:
What are the best binoculars for under 500.00 dollars?

I sent in a Leupold 10x40 that had been smacked on a log ten or so years ago, and they fixed them.
It's an old one, not the first time this has happened in its 30-year lifetime.

Steiner Predator or Military/Marine lines depending on your preference for roof prism or Porro prism.

I didn't like the narrow/close "eyebox" of the Leupolds in that price range, so I ended up with a Bushnell Legend (L Series I believe) for about $300. Pretty decent glass for the price. It's my backup bino now that my Kahles is back from a service trip to Austria.

Go to EBAY and find some Bausch & Lomb Zephyr made in Rochester NY and you can make that $500 $1000--you wont beat them.

I've been pretty impressed with the Bushnell Legend's my wife bought for me a few years back. I didn't really need them since I also have a pair of Swarovski 10x42 HD's but I wasn't about to say anything to her!

They actually compare fairly well. If I was in the market for binoculars in the under $500 price range I would certainly take a look.

Thank you for all the good advice. Not sure how much good it did. He found a pair of Leica Trinovid on sale for 950.00 and purchased them. I think he did make a good choice. He being my son.

Howard

He made a good choice. I had a pair once (the BN model I believe) and they were excellent. My only issue with them was that they were a bit on the heavy side. But you don't notice that very much when your young. After he carries them up an down a few mountains he may want to trade them in for a pair of Leica Ultravids, which is what I did. they were fantastic as well, and I used mine for a number of years before I decided to try out a high end Zeiss unit. And they were fine until I got the bug again and bought a pair of Swarovski El's. Then the amount of money I had in them started to bother me and I sold them and ended up with a cheap pair of miniature Nikons.

the moral of the story is that binoculars can get to be like rifles. One always wants one more pair to try out, searching for that holy grail.

The used Kahles binocs I bought here....

I used to own Leicas BA's and the newer Zeiss FL's. After picking up Nikon Monarchs for under $300 both the Leica and Zeiss were sold. Don't become a glass snob. Just no good reason to spend more unless you want people to see what brand is hanging off your neck.

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
I used to own Leicas BA's and the newer Zeiss FL's. After picking up Nikon Monarchs for under $300 both the Leica and Zeiss were sold. Don't become a glass snob. Just no good reason to spend more unless you want people to see what brand is hanging off your neck.

Well unless you spend hours glassing, than the snobbish glass takes on a whole new meaning! Optics is definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for.

I been on a more than a few hunts where we glassed for hours every day and still contend the Monarchs are as good as the Zeiss or Leicas.
But hey, different strokes for different folks.

I'll 2nd the Monarchs...great glass at a great price.

I bought some Nikon Monarch 7s 10x42 in 2014, demo discount to $400. They're quite nice compared to the similar Swarovski, Leica and Pentax binos of similar size/magnification I had opportunity to look through.

Reviews and independent analysis didn't have much against the Monarchs, especially given the price.

What matters is how they look when YOU look thru them, everyone's eyes are different and even that will change as you age.

I sold my swaro binos to George Brown in Zim when I hunted his ranch. He was using a pair of $39.95 Bushnells, it was all he could get his hands on.

I spent the next SCI convention going from one booth to another, looking at binoculars, it was quite an education, the high dollar pair you look thru may not be what you end up taking home.

quote:

Well unless you spend hours glassing, than the snobbish glass takes on a whole new meaning! Optics is definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for.

+1 Cheap glass will give you a head ache after hours of glassing.

I know its common practice for todays hunters to sit on their fat butts and glass for hours on end..Ive only done that sine age set a new set of rules for me...

I wish I could still cover 15 miles a day in the mountains or plains, and use the binocs only to judge trophy quality. It just works better if you have good eyesight and the knowledge of where to look and what to look for as you move with the wind in your face.

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Originally posted by Atkinson:
I know its common practice for todays hunters to sit on their fat butts and glass for hours on end..Ive only done that sine age set a new set of rules for me...

Yeah, seeing game before it sees you is such a bad idea......

Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum Class 10x50