Hi fellas !

I did a poll the other day about the” best top brand binocular”.....I noticed that quite many talked about 10x42.....as their favourite....so here is another poll:

Question:
What magnification do you prefer on your binocular ?

Choices:
7x
8x
10x
more than 10x

 

For what purpose? And for use under what conditions?

A 6x or 7x is much better than higher powers for scanning a broad area in an attempt to locate game. The lower power (and consequently less visible shake) produces less eye strain and allows longer viewing sessions, and the wider field of view makes glimpsing an antler or movement easier. Quite obviously, a lower-power binocular is also better when the viewing range is short due to thick vegetation. As we all know, a binocular can help you pick out a deer's leg at forty yards between the sapling trunks that you cannot distinguish with the naked eye.

However, if the country is open and the ranges are uniformly long, then the higher powers come into their own. A good 10x glass is somewhat better than a 7x in telling the difference in a 10-point, 6 year-old trophy and an 8-point 3-year old. But staring through the shakes of a 10x for hours at a time is likely to give you a headache that a 7x will not.

A lower power binocular is usually lighter and more compact than a higher power one, so if portability is an issue, that that factor also comes into play.

I own good, but perhaps not great, glasses in 6x, 7x, 8x, 9.5x, and 10x. I select the one I carry depending on where, what, and how I am hunting. But when conditions may vary and great versatility is called for, the 8x is never a bad choice.

Binoculars more powerful than 10x are specialty instruments which should be used on a tripod like a spotting scope.

+1 Stonecreek, good explanation.

I just expanded to 8x in addition to my 10x, whole different animal! Another vote for 8x's...

8x(or better 8,5x)is the more universal one and even better in low-light situations, for daylight, small targets or long distances I would recommend a 10x

I'm an unabashed fan of low power bins.
I swap between 6x32 Vipers and 8x33 Minox HG's depending on the country.

Almost any magnification around 6X or 7X is ok for my eyes however when the distance may be really long then a vary power binocular was wanted.

I got some, at considerable expense.

7/12x32mm Leupold Golden Ring Switch/Power Binoculars

Link to Leu. 7-12X

Most of my hunting is in relatively open country so I like a bit more magnification. I like 10X - plenty of power but still good field of view and easy to hold. Got a pair of 16X for varmint hunting but without being well braced or using a tripod they wobble way too much.

I voted for 10X, but that is for use here in the low Arizona desert and the surrounding hills which are both predominantly open vistas.

In Western Oregon and Alberta, Canada where I lived for a combined total of about 45 years, I much preferred a pair of top quality 7X glasses. It was coastal rain forest in Oregon, and thick bush in Western & Northern Alberta, so one didn't want too much power.

With the resolving power of really excellent lenses of the best glass, design, grinding, assembly, and coatings, one can see at least as well with 7X as through poorer quality glasses of at least 2X higher power.

At least, pardon the pun, that's the way I see it.

I use a pr of Leica Ultravid HD 7x42's here in Pa. and they are just about perfect for the terrain here. Even if the ranges are a bit longer like in other more open terrain, I doubt I will be at much of a disadvantage with these top quality bino's. I do intend to purchase a pr of the 12x50 Ultravid HD bino's for when I get to africa again for glassing very large and open terrain. I looked thru them several times at various stores and did not notice any shaking so maybe their extra weight helps with this.