Hello,

I'm going on my first semi-guided deer hunt in a couple of months and I'm on a really tight budget....

I would like to ask...

What is the best binoculars to get for under $300?

Brand/Model?

Thank you for all your replies, just looking for the best bang for my BUCK!!!

Aloha,

Roland

I'm a Nikon Fan but, the best option is to go somewhere and try a few out.

There are quite a few descent binos for less than 300.

I hear some folks down grade Steiner but, I must say the auto focus can be priceless on long hunts. I get sick and tired of constantly focusing binos on a hunt. Even the expensive binos will have to be focused constantly if you are glassing a wide range of distances.

Try out a set of Monarchs at a sporting goods store and see what you think.

Also give Jon a call at www.theopticzone.com and ask him what he thinks about the lower priced binos on the market.

Good Luck

Reloader

1. Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 8x42mm $300
2. Celestron Noble 8x42mm $278
3. Leupold Green Ring Cascade 8x42mm $250
4. Olympus Magellan EXWP I 8x42mm $200

All are roof prisms.

Right now you can get Browning 10x42mm roof prisms at Natchez for $199.95.

How is the Nikon MonarchATB 10x36 vs. Browning 10x42?

Both sound like pretty good deals...

What are roof prisms?

A roof prism binocular is one with straight tubes rather than dog-legged tubes (porro prism). The prisms necessary for the optical "magic" which goes on inside the instrument are built into the straight tube, as opposed to being offset in the dogleg.

A roof prism binocular is a little more difficult to produce, thus if you are looking at quality-for-price you may find a better binocular in a porro prism model. The primary advantage of the roof prism is that it can be made more compact, but many people prefer the wider, more hand-filling profile of the porro models, anyway.

Good optical glass is cheap these days, so the optics of many modestly priced binoculars are more than acceptable. The biggest problem is with physically putting the two halves together and getting them properly aligned with each other (collumation). I've seen a lot of relatively expensive instruments which suffer in this area.

My advice is to go to the store and look throught he actual instrument that you are considering purchasing, and do so looking through an outside window (or better yet, ask the store to allow you to take them outside). You may find a signficant diffence in how well collumated an individual instrument is, and how much variation there may be between two ostendibly identical binoculars. Buy the model and individual instrument that looks best to you and is absent the eyestrain caused by improper barrel alignment.

Unless you are hunting where ranges are very long and game is expected to be spotted at great distances, an 8x binocular will be more versatile and comfortable to use than a 10x, especially offhanded. You'll find it better adapted to scanning a wider area, the "shake" will be less noticeable, and usually will result in less eyestrain. Sitting and spotting for a day with high-power binoculars that have a collumation problem will result in a headache like you've never seen before!

I looked through a 10x50 leuopold olympic at Cabela's not long ago. I think they were 389, 345 at the optic zone. Good price I think.
Okie

Stonecreek,

Thanks for the detailed explanation...I don't fuly understand everything you said...

But of the parts that I did...I got you loud and clear...

The only problem is that I have to buy sight unseen, there aren't any stores here in the Hawaiian Islands where I can just pick a few out and try them...

I need the input from this forum to help me out here...

I kind of wanted a 10x but I'll consider the 8x, I don't need all that shaking going on through my lenses while I'm glassing.

See if the reviews on this site:

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/

cover binocs that approach your budget. If they do, the Better View Desired is normally an excellent source of information.

- mike

I love my Canon IS (Image Stabilizer) 10x30 binos.
Peter.

$300 is a price point in roof prisms. you have to spend more than that for a good set. I have some pentax DCF WPs and they are pretty nice, but the were $300 some years ago. I recommend them; swfa has the current version for $319.

for hunting, get full-size models, avoid the compact stuff. 7x35 or 8x40s are good.

ETA: if you are looking for the best bang for the buck, then porros win, every time, all the time.

I like Nikon products very much but I did n ot like the ATBs I had. maybe a matter of personal fit, maybe a bad pair, but they gave me headaches.

you get more for your money with porro binocs, so if $300 really is a limit for you, go to SWFA and see what the sample list has.

You might check out Birdforum. The bird watchers are picky about their optics and can give you some info that might be useful I would look at the Swift model 828, the Vortex Broadwin and Stokes models, and the Pentax Dcf. Think you should be able to find any of them for right at your price.

Go to EBAY and find a pair of Rochester New York Made Bausch & Lomb Zephyr and you might spend thousands and match em,but you wont beat them.

Latebloomer, I would suggest Steiner Military Marine 8X32's. 199 bucks and you have a hundred left over to go towards a rangefinder. Whatever you buy I highly recommend that you buy some of the bino-buddy straps or an equivilant. They take the weight off of your neck and they hold the binos tight to your chest while you walk so they dont bounce around. Invaluable in my book.

I bought some Minox 10x42 demos from gr8fuldoug last year and I think they are up there with some much more expensive binoculars.

Hey L B

I would recommend these Steiner Predator 10x40's. They are lightweight and very good glass and are inexpensive because they are porro prism rather than roof prisms. The roof prism types of binoculars have to have phase coatings to make the image comparable to the porro prism types. That is part of the reason the roof prisms are more expensive.

These Steiner have individual eye focus that when set for your eyes are focused from 20 yards to infinity. Very useful. The slanted eye cups are also advantageous.

Price is right for a great set of binos.

If you are looking at porros, consider the Fujinon BFL 8x42 or 10x42 on sale right now for $190 and $270, respectively. Or the Leupold Cascade 10x42mm porro for $290. The Steiners alter the color of things too much for me. Even the Celestron Ultima DX 10x50mm is an exceptional value at $213, with the view rivaling that of $500 roof prism 10x50mm binoculars. If you really want one of the best views in a midrange binoculars look at the highly touted Swift Audubon 820 8.5x44mm porro ($350) called the "poor man's Swarovski EL". Their view rivals that of the high-end roof prism binoculars.

I've got a pair of Burris Signature Series 8x42's that I'll take $300 for. They went to burris for a cleaning a couple years ago and they haven't been used since......wapiti7

I've had the Burris Signatures and still have a pair of 12x50's; very good glass for the money.

Still for sale......wapiti7