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Should I go with top line Swaroski's or something else like Minox"s for half the price? Thanks for the help. | ||
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Swarovskis. I have used their 8x30s for over 10 years and love them. Haven't used the Minoxs but have used Pentax, Bushnell, Swift, Burris and Steiner, no comparison. Have not owned but have tried out Zeiss and Leica, they are also very, very good. I have also used Swarovski's customer service and they have been very helpful. | |||
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You might like to take a look at the IOR line .... plain excellent optics and virtually undestructible - take a look at them and you will surely be surprised by its rather low price (even cheaper than the mentioned minox  ), bought an 10x50 almost year and a half ago and I couldn´t be more satisfied with it ... price? only USD 400 ...Go to any retailer and just take a look at any of them - whichever magnification you might want - and compare it side by side with any other brand ... ------------------------------------------  Μολὼν λάβε Duc, sequere, aut de via decede. | |||
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adrook, Would you pick up another pair of 8x30 on sale a Cabela's or the newer SLC 8x42's? Don't know if I can see the difference. Thanks for the help. | |||
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I have Swarovski bino's as well as a pair of Liecas and I personally prefer the Liecas _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
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Snapper, I think that Swarovski redesigned the 8x30s recently and if I recall correctly Cabelas bought the remaining stock of the old style. It is my understanding that the redesign was purely cosmetic and that optically the new binos are the same as the older ones such as I have. I wasn't aware that they made an 8x42 although I am familiar with the 7x42 and the 8x50. They are all great binos but if there is a significant difference in price I would buy the 8x30s. I think that Cabelas recently had the old style 8x30s on sale for less than $900 if memory serves correctly. Whichever you decide on I am sure that you will love them. | |||
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On a hunt I use binoculars all day long. I think some of your best money spent is on the highest quality binoculars you can afford. I would suggest that you go to a very well stocked optics department and look through Leica Ultravids, Zeiss FL's, Swarovski EL's and the top end Nikons. Spend a good bit of time looking through them and then buy the one that looks and feels best to you. Every hunter that I've talked into buying a really good set of bino's has commented that they wished they'd done it sooner. Buy the best you can and you'll be glad you did................DJ ....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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IMO the best Bino's on the market today are the 8x30 or 10x40 LEICA ULTRAVIDS. I use 8x30's for Africa and general use and 10x40s for twilight, Deer stalking and alpine use. OZHUNTER | |||
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Snapper I've got Swaro EL's and SL's..Now I've got 10x42 BFR Leica..The Leica's are great..Greater than the Swaro EL ..NO.. But great glass all the same..Leica would have been a great first pick.. I'm hear'in that the Zeiss FL is something we all should look at before we buy.. Take DJpaintles advice..Go look.. WWW.eurooptic WWW.hotbuyselectronics.com AK | |||
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I've looked through the the Saro' and the Leica's. very nice! Need to go back and look at the Zeiss FL's. I did like the Leica's with the rangefinder in them. Sweet, but kind of heavy. How did everyone decide between 8x42's and 10x42's? In the mountains bear hunting, I really like the lower power and out on the sage, I like the 10x42's for antelope. I'm leaning towards the 8x42 for general use. | |||
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My parents bought me some Siam Cat [Kmart] 10x50 binoculars in 1979. They work great for bird watching and hunting. Now I got these Nikon 9x25 Travelite IV binocs that fit in my pocket. They are $150 retail, but I dickered down a guy with a table at a gun show, and got them used for $10. I have a friend that got $14M from Microsoft, and he could afford some 7x50 Fujinon binoculars that are nicer than mine. He is a liberal non hunting guy, who got them for observing the heavens.  | |||
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I've got a pair of 10x42 EL's and prefered them to the 10x42 Ultravid's or FL's that I looked at. There have been occasions where I would have prefered a little less magnification (stand hunting in woods etc.) and less often where more wouldn't have hurt (colorado mountains etc.). I think 10's are best if you hunt mostly plains and mountains and maybe 7's or 8's if you hunt woods or bowhunt often. I'm planning to buy a set of 8x32 FL's to complement my 10x42 EL's. In the 8x32's I liked the FL's better than Ultravids or EL's. And in the small bino's I liked the Ultravids the best. I don't necessarily care which one has the best I just want to see best whatever name is stuck on it. It would be great if an American company could make something as good or better for 1/2 the price but so far to my eyes it hasn't happened yet...............DJ ....Remember that this is all supposed to be for fun!.................. | |||
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I owned a pair of Leica Ultravids 10 x 42 and didn't think they were all that great for the money. I sold them and purchased the Zeiss Fl's and am very very happy with them. The new issue of Outdoor Life has an article about some binocular comparisons. They are saying that Bushnell has really come a long way in quality on some of their models in the $400 range. You might want to take a look at the article before you decide what you are going to do. | |||
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In my mind if you are looking for the highest quality 42mm binoculars you should pick between the EL's and the Ultravids. for my eyes the Leicas and Swaros were better although the Zeiss binos are really bright. I think between the two it really depends on the person. Be sure to compare the EL's and Ultravids side by side and pick the one you like best. But I would vote for the Swarovski EL in whichever flavor appeals to you. | |||
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For years I have used Schmidt&Bender, Zeiss, Leica, Kales, Swarovski and Leopold and I have had to send two pairs of Swaro binos and one scope back to Austria for repair, as have two of my friends. I have just returned from Africa with a PH's 8x30SLC's which have moisture in one tube {cannot see through it}. For this reason I will not buy any more Swarovski products  .ozhunter | |||
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Thanks for all the ideas. I hit the road (gun stores) tomorrow and will continue the search with the thoughts posted here. Thanks! | |||
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BullDog Thanks for your thread. I have one question on the Rangefinder how good are you at getting readings at 1500 Yrds freehand..I'm good out to 300 then I need a rest for a reading..You..I just got my 10x42 BFR's[My first Leica] and think it's very good glass.. My Swaro EL 8.5x42 are outstanding but not Head and Shoulders.. AK | |||
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I have just ordered so it has not arrived yet. I will post about the laser guide if you guys are interested once I get it. From all of the reviews I have read they are very good. Both scan and single target modes. Can switch between meters and yards (geovids can't though probably not a big deal). I agree the BFR's are very good glass, though not quite as good as the EL's. For my eyes at least. As far as being able to range very far freehand I have heard they are excellent. The way a rangefinder gets increased measuring distance is with the sensitivity of the receptor that recieves the reflected laser beam. So they all have the same strenght lasers, just different sensititvity of a reflector. How far was your rangefinder rated for? I bet if you had a farther rating on them it would be much easier to get readings freehand. How do you like the BFR's? | |||
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BullDog The 10x42 BRF Leica's are rated to 1300 yrds..When you get yours and fool around with them let us know your findings.. Your technique for the longer ranges.. The Lang.. I see it's back in the inventory ? AK | |||
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As far as the Laser Guide I will post when I get it. If it does what they say it does should be great. | |||
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Bulldog563: Hi. You might want to revisit your source of information concerning the Zeiss not being waterproof. If you were commenting on the FL, it is waterproof to 2.8 atmospheres which puts it in a higher bracket than the other two premium bins. Optically the Fl has been selected as the reference standard for all premium binos in every test scenario that Ive read, to include but not limited to the Cornell study, Alula, Betterview Desired and the subjective writings found in outdoor Life and Guns and Ammo. My own (personal) testing as well as discussions with discriminating PH's and birders supports the findings and opinions of the various studies. At this time, I believe that the FL is optically the best and most rugged binocular made, if even by a small margin. However, competition is keen and computer design and engineering (among all makers) keeps the game dynamic and fast paced . Best, Bill Bill COL USMC RET NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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Bill COL USMC RET NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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| new member |
Bill COL USMC RET NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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Bill COL USMC RET NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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You are absolutely right.... The FL's are waterproof. I dont know why I wrote that other then it was late and I had just gotten done looking over the Zeiss super compacts which are not waterproof. The FL's are very nice binos. I just prefer the EL's for the ergonomics and a few other reasons I listed previously. Everyones eyes are different and if the FL's look better to you then those are the binos you should get. They are definitely very bright. But personally I don't think they are as nice as the EL's. | |||
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