I have an elephant hunt booked for this fall.

And I don't want to lug my 10x42 Swaros around. I believe my 8x30 Steiner Predators are too large as well.

I was thinking of something small, say 10 oz or less, 8x with a 20-30mm objective. And not breaking the bank.

Recommendations?

I carried my Leica 8x40 Geovids on my first 2 elephant hunts to Zim.
Yes they are a great piece of glass, and have a great rangefinder, but in Zim a rangefinder was not really necessary.

On my last trip to Zim, and my trip to Bots and Moz, I carried my Leica 8x20's.

They worked perfectly. On my upcomming trip to Australia, I will be carrying the 8x20's as well...

Your 8x30s are just fine. I have used 8x32 Leica Trinovids (a little too heavy), Leica 8x32 Ultravids and 8x30 ZEISS BGAT Binos.
Lighter the better which Steiner's are.

I would look for a pair of Leica Ultravids in I believe 8x20. Very light and fit in your pocket. Camera Land usually has these on their demo list.

Quality pocket binos are all that is required on an Ele hunt. Light weight and capable of fitting into a shirt pocket makes for ideal glass on an Ele tracking hunt. I have carried 9x25A Leupold on every safari and hunt for 40 years. Unfortunately they have not been available for many years and people who own them refuse to part with them. Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski will serve you well. My 8x32 Leica remains in the vehicle.

Swarovski 8x32 EL's. Cant beat them.

I have not hunted elephant but believe I would take my 10X32 Swaros.

I find 8x25s a good compromise and the neck appreciates it. Also, elephants are so big you won't need much and the PH should find them for you.

I've never hunted elephant but my choice for most open country when a lot of walking is involved is a Leica Ultravid HD in 10x32. An Ultravid in 8X30 would be my choice in thicker areas unless you wanted to save size and weight by going to a pocket.

quote:

Originally posted by Rsm458Lott:
I've never hunted elephant but my choice for most open country when a lot of walking is involved is a Leica Ultravid HD in 10x32. An Ultravid in 8X30 would be my choice in thicker areas unless you wanted to save size and weight by going to a pocket.

According to Pondoro, very few shots would exceed 100 yards in East Africa, and I suspect that's because you often can't see all that far in the bush.

So, unless you're hunting in Namibia or spend a lot of time peering down from one of those monoliths they have in Mozambique, a 10x32 might be overdoing it.

I have an older pair of Leitz 6x24 binoculars that just might be perfect for elephant when I think about it. It can be amazing how something that big can be that hard to identify.

Thanks

I used my Steiner's last night and today at our hunting lease. Weight was fine vs the Swaros, but still a little bulky. Yes, fitting into a shirt pocket would be ideal.

I found these I want to look at:

http://swfa.com/Steiner-8x22-P...inocular-P68047.aspx

http://swfa.com/Vortex-8x28-Vi...inocular-P44643.aspx

There are some really good deals on the Camera Land web site "demo" list. Check there before you decide.

I have examined those Vortex 8x28 Viper bins and Beau decided to buy a pair last year following a complete lack of assistance by Leica and being totally ignored by Swarovski at SCI 2013. He seems pleased with them and carried them on last years ele hunt.

I have a high end Vortex rifle scope and think well of it. Their customer service seems to be very good, if needed.

I've used my 10x30 Zeiss Victory. They have worked brilliantly. We put in a lot walking on my elephant hunts, and the 10x30's were especially on the long walks.

8x32 ELs

I've tried a couple of different bino's.

- 8x32 Swarovski SLC with bino harness, works great to keep them
Against your chest & out of the way

- 10x25 Swarovski compacts, strap around the neck & kept the bino's in
front shirt pocket

8x32's were a little easier & quicker to use, either way seems to work.

Good Luck on your hunt!

Jim

It really depends on why you carry binoculars while hunting. Especially in Africa. It also depends on how well you see. I am extremely nearsighted and wear trifocals. I am also an avid birdwatcher, in fact I just like almost all wildlife watching. I made 8 safaris to Zimbabwe with three for Elephant. On my first Safari I carried my Swarovski 10x42's. On the remaining 7 I carried my 10x56 Swarovski's and while they are heavy they really do a superb job and I cannot even estimate how many times my PH borrowed them to 'check' something. He carried 8x30 Leica's which are jimdandy glasses themselves. The ultimate decision is WHAT do you wish to see,HOW WELL do you wish to see it and HOW HEAVY are you willing to carry. Then it becomes a simple decision. I really can't tell you or even recommend.

My guide in Africa might not have even let me carry 10x56 glasses. He reasoned the client needed to stay as fresh as possible and wouldn't let me tote a light bag or day pack. Most of my time was spent 'concentratin' on truckin' right', ie following the dudes as quietly as I could, which meant my eyes were on the ground most of the time.

The first day of my first elephant hunt I carried 8x32 Leicas, the second day I carried 8x20 Leicas, the third day I carried none. That was 18 elephant hunts ago...

If you feel naked without binos then carry the smallest, lightest pair you can live with for elephant hunting.

I do wear my 8x20's, and sometimes my 8x32's, for evening stalks along a river, where you can see anything up in the riverine brush or around the next bend and when the shadows are lengthening.

JPK

I'm with JPK Let the ph carry binoculars You should be ready to shoot not peering through binoculars.

I tried some 8x22 Steiners this past week at our lease. Pretty good except low light, but good enough for close in hunting and big game.

Can you really see elephants with binoculars? I'd think a spotting scope would be needed. Seriously, go to EBAY and find a pair of Bausch&Lomb ROCHCHESTER NY made Zephyrs in 6x30 or better yet 7x35 and by all means whichever binos you select, buy a harness that goes over shoulder like suspenders. That keeps the binos against your chest--not flopping around and you don't have a strap cutting into your neck.

Well, I settled on the Zeiss Victory 8x20 for my hunt that I just returned from. I purchased a demo one from Camera Land NY.

They turned out to be perfect, since we were in a hilly area and we glassed for elephants. Later, they were perfect for the plainsgame hunting we did in the bush and along a river.

I used the factory strap (pretty small) and draped them over my neck on the right side and then under my left arm. That way they stayed out of the way and I could pull them up with one had to use them. I didn't need a 4 strap harness, etc.

Here's the best picture I could find of them. They are under my left breast pocket. That's an anti-pouching patrol that covered Kruger and the surrounding areas. They were looking for rhino poachers, saw us from a distance, and set-up an ambush for us.

The Leopold or kowa 6x32 are worth considering, or the meopta 6.5x32