Well, its finally time to break down and get a par of 15x's. I havent done so in the past because the Swarovskis wouldnt fit my eyes. I needed the swarovski eyepieces to be just a little closer together and as they are I dont get full field of view.

I have narrowed my choices down to 2 binoculars, the Vortex Kaibab 15x56 and Minox 15x58 ED, and would love to hear feedback from you guys and see what the opinions are.

http://competitorny1.reachloca...ge=vortexkaibab15x56

http://competitorny1.reachloca.../minox.pl?page=62132

The Minox are less expensive but I dont mind paying more for quality. I love the idea of Vortex VIP warranty but is it worth $700 more. This is tough for me because I would normally just go Swarovski and forget it, this time I cant do that



Thanks

Drummond

I've got the Minox, seems like good glass to me but I haven't done any side by side comparisons. Why don't you call Doug at Cameraland and ask him his opinion, they sell both? I can't make your links work, cameraland has the Minox for $550 and the Vortex for $1200.

I'm not sure what your size/wt requirements are but if money is no object you might consider the Leica Geovid 15x56s which would range 'em while you measure 'em.

In addition, while I haven't tried them the Fujionon 16x70s are highly thought of by birder types and are about the same price as Minox.

Finally, while no longer in production the Zeiss 15x60s are available here and there and are widely respected but expensive.

Similar to Swaro s quality I would take the the Leica Geovid HD with built in rangefinder, but i am not sure if it gets closer together then the Swaros...

http://www.titanium-gunworks.c...geovid-hd-15x56.html

Gato: Do you find the 15X practical for hand held use, or do you need a tripod? I've never used anything handheld above a 10X and was just wondering.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Gato: Do you find the 15X practical for hand held use, or do you need a tripod? I've never used anything handheld above a 10X and was just wondering.

I know you were asking Gato but I'll chime in as well. I use a tripod whenever possible, even with 10x binoculars. It makes a HUGE difference as is makes it easier to "grid" and it helps pick up little movements that would not be seen when holding your binos by hand.

With 15x binoculars I cannot see them being that effective without a tripod.

I have used the Swarovskis quite a bit but again, they dont fit my face well enough to justify the price tag. The 15x binos really help when glassing huge country at long range, you may not be able to judge inches but you can tell if an animal is mature. They have been invaluable for desert bighorns and coues deer in Sonora as well as elk and mule deer in western states. They also work really well with a window mount when antelope hunting.

I will try to get links that work for the above products. Any info or opinions are greatly appreciated

Drummond

Stonecreek:

I use them as regular binos, but USUALLY am resting or bracing them in some manner on a deer stand ledge. However, I've used them and some 20Xs I have with no real problems glassing reasonably close (less than 800 yards) objects. It's really kind of simple, I kind of brace then with my thumbs pulling into my cheekbones while lightly pushing the lens caps against my eyebrows. Obviously not something you would want to do for hours on end but for a quick look/check it works for me.

Obviously if you're using them for a substitute for a spotting scope or glassing far distances for hours at a time, then a tripod would be essential.

My normal binos are Leica 10x42s. I've got more binos than I know what to do with so I experiment with various combinations under different lighting conditions.

Truth be told, my area is not the area you really NEED high mag binos in, but like most gun purchases, what's need go to do with it?

Gato,

I use the thumb brace method, too. Some people who've never seen it think I'm trying to poke my own eyes out or something, but it works pretty well for improving the view when standing on your hind legs where there is no other bracing available. I can see how a 15X braced on the ledge of a deer stand or edge of a car window would be pretty usable.

I used to have a tripod converter for an 8x binocular. You'd be amazed how useful that is for long periods of glassing, even with a relatively low power binocular.