Greetings,

I'm thinking about adding a set of high power binoculars to my hunting gear. I want them to be tripod mountable. I'm thinking that using a set of binoculars will be easier on my eyes opposed to a spotting scope for long term spotting.

My question is,what seems to be the best value and size (magnification and objective size). I tend to be ruff on these, so do I go high quality, or economy and figure on throwing out every few years?

Thanks in advance.
Will

Buy the best glass you can afford. The higher quality stuff is better to look through all day.

If you already have a pair of good binos, it might be better to get a good, small, light weight spotting scope like a Zeiss Dialyt. Then get attachments that allow you to use your shooting sticks as a scope tripod to avoid extra equipment.

However, here's what you need to consider before buying anything:

1. How far are you going to be using this setup?
2. What are you glassing for?

Here's my experience from long range glassing in Alaska:

1. I can spot animals with my 10x Swaros 3-7 miles out, further if the atmosphere allows

2. Then we put a big Swaro spotting scope on them to judge them and determine if we pursue

No amount of bino power will suffice for #2. Not possible. You really need a spotting scope for that.

Might try some Fujinon Polaris 16 X 70. Pretty heavy at 4.75 lbs but rugged as nails. Military grade units. Water proof and individual eye focus.
Use these on military ships. Only down side of test units is only about 12.5 mm of eye relief. Good thing is that they have had a flat fieled eye piece 20 years before Swar. began hawking that on their EL's. They are clear as a bell edge to edge. About $700.00/ pair.
I have the 10X70 Polaris units with about 26mm of eye relief and use these all the time (when not walking). They are not handy due to their size but are AWESOME binocs. I own Zeiss, Leica, etc.

EZ

I have considerable experience observing through glass. On may occasions, I have gone several days at a time when that was mostly what I was doing.

First, anything much over 10X needs to have image stabilization or be mounted. We tried and tried and found that we just couldn't keep binos with magnifications of 12X or 15X steady enough to gain any advantage over a pair of 10X or even 8X binos. Image stabilization made a difference but brought other things into play. Experience showed that 10X was the magic number in balancing maximum magnification with what a person could hold without jiggling.

Next, you need to strive for a decent exit pupil. The optimal exit pupil is about 7mm, 5mm is very good, and 4mm is acceptable if the optics are of superior quality and let a high percentage of light pass through. In a pair of 8x42mm binoculars the exit pupil is 5.25mm. In a pair of 10x42mm binoculars the exit pupil is 4.2mm.

On a bright day you can get by with a much smaller exit pupil because your iris is closed down and only allows a small diameter of light through. That's okay because under these conditions you will view the image from a small exit pupil as bright and clear.


However, when things are not so bright your iris will open wide to get as much light as possible into your eyes. At those times, when the weather is overcast, foggy, rainy, or at dusk or dawn, you need optics with a large exit pupil to see things brightly and clearly. This is where the 7x50mm binoculars, from the above diagram, provide a performance boost over the smaller glass.


For an optimum exit pupil of about 7mm a pair of 15X binoculars needs to have a 105mm objective lens (15x105mm). That isn't practicable. A 5mm exit pupil would require a 75mm objective lens (15x75mm) and a 4mm exit pupil would require a 60mm objective lens (15x60mm). For example, a premium 15x56mm binocular is pretty big but only provides a 3.7mm exit pupil. It can't be held steady and it won't be very bright in bad weather or at dusk.

So it is a challenge to have something you can hold steady and still get decent light out of. Your idea of using a tripod solves the image stabilization problem. But to get a big exit pupil you will need some big binoculars. A couple of options would be something like the Steiner 15x80mm with a 5.3mm exit pupil (a lot of glass to be lugging around) or one of the premium 12x50mm binoculars with a 4.2mm exit pupil.

One big 80mm optical system in a spotting scope weighs less and is easier to use than a pair of big 80mm optical systems in a binocular. That is why most people opt for a 10X or lower binocular and use a spotting scope for higher magnification.

WLW,
you need go into more details about how you intend to use binoculars.
Myself, I put my 20X80 binocular and tripod in my backpack or pack saddle on my horse when I do several hours of glassing across big canyons, ravines and rimrocks for elk, deer, bear and cougars.
Remember the 7mm exit pupil rule and your eyes will experience less fatigue or strain when glassing. If you are on a budget, look at Bigeyes.

Thanks everyone. Norseman, I do exactly like you. Long range scouting and glassing across canyons and rim rock. I have high quality spotting scopes but my eyes seem to get fatigued quickly. I also use 12x56 steiner binoculars. looking for something that is more powerful and easier on the eyes.

My buddy RSnellstrom has a set of 15x Swarovskis he uses on a tripod

I would get a Swarovski EL 12x50 Swaro-vision HD or Leica 12x50 HD. You will see a difference between the Steiners and either of the above. Also equally important is a high quality tripod and binocular mount such as the one produced by The Outdoorsman in Phoenix AZ. Get a comfortable seat.
If the terrain is a little varied with open parks or mountain meadows, trees and canyons, you will be set. If the terrain is usually more open and arid and you feel the need for more power go the Alpha 15x route.
With one of the above, coupled with a 7x or 8x bino. you will be able to glass longer more comfortably with no eye fatigue,disect your field of view and locate more game especially if hunting solo. Most difficult issue most find is locating game. If you have a partner and hunt as a team, then his secondary optic should be a quality spotter.

WLW: You are exactly right about eyestrain if using a spotting scope for any extended period of time. It will get your eye focus all out of whack for a little bit while your eyes recover, which can be problematic in some hunting situations.

There are just a few higher-powered binoculars made for tripod use. They are necessarily nearly double the weight and size of a spotting scope and probably more than double the cost for the same level of performance. And if they are the slightest bit out of collimation (too frequent even with very expensive instruments), then that can cause worse eyestrain than the spotting scope.

The best solution is to use a good 10X binocular for scanning, then have a spotting scope on hand for determining detail (and use it sparingly -- never stare through it for minutes on end or your closed eye will refuse to focus right for a frustratingly long time.) As advantageous as a good set of tripod mounted spotting binoculars is, they just aren't that practical for hunting situations.

By the way, having an instrument with an exit pupil as large as your eye's pupil is very helpful for low light viewing. Unfortunately, rather than the often quoted 7mm maximum eye pupil dilation (which is only in near darkness, anyway), if you're over 40 or have ever smoked (which catches most of us in one or both categories), then your maximum eye dilation will probably be more like 5 to 6mm. Getting really good glass is more important than mediocre glass with a big objective lens. After all, 7mm of exit pupil will be wasted on a 5mm eye.

Thanks everyone. Very good information.

The swarovski 15x56 have recently been updated and are really good.

I'll second Grenadier.
Swaro EL 10x42 are my choice.

Am really pleased with a Swaro 15x56 HD...although if you are careless with glass, it may not be wise...

They are best on a tripod, but I used them at 200-500 yards handheld last year looking over horns in KS and they worked well. Longer distance than that is another story, but they gave a better indication for me at 300yds than an older 8.5x42 EL...and I had the time to compare.

fwiw...

For that style of hunting high quality monster 20X or better is the ticket, Long hours of glassing calls for quality and fewer headaches.

I prefer to slow hunt and glass individual canyons with my 8x30s but your way can result in some real monster bucks being located, and save a lot of leg wear..to me its boring as hell!

Stonecreek,
"After all, a 7mm of exit pupil will be wasted on a 5mm eye" ?

I don't buy that all based on my experiences and that statement only applies to PERFECT lighting conditions in a controlled environment or lab.

Take a look at fujinon FMT-STX, Oberwerks or Vixens.

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
My buddy RSnellstrom has a set of 15x Swarovskis he uses on a tripod

That is what I do on occasion.