New Help Binoculars

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Hi there
I really recommend you try all
My experience is that each person is obviously different and one of them will suit your face and eyes better than others
I found on the Swarovski I couldn’t see the display on range finder unless I tilted them at an angle that wasn’t natural for me
Ended up with Leica where display was best easiest and clearest display
Also had great repair service too
One eye cup came
Loose and they just gave me a
New set

Regards

 

[Red Leg]

I am a huge fan of Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss. I own both Swarovski and Leica binoculars and several scopes of each. My favorite binocular is the 10x Leica HD. It is ergonomic and the range finding ap is easy to see and intuitive to use. They have been everywhere with me over the last couple of years. I have no opinion with regard to their service because I have never had an issue with any Leica product.

 

[ChasingHemingway]

I recently purchased a Leica 10x40 rangefinding bino. Lenses compare with my eyes equally to my 10x40 Swaros. Weight is very close. The one negative while antelope hunting, other than trying to hold them still in the 30mph wind (it was obviously WY!), was the led readout didn’t seem as bright as my Leica 1600 rangefinder. I need to dig both out and do a direct comparison though before I can be sure. So far I’m happy. They cost nearly $1000 less than my Swaros!
Still, most of the time in SA bushveld my Nikon Monarch 7 in 8x30 with my Leica 1600 worked great! Easy to carry. Plenty of magnification.
Best of luck on your decision!

Thank you for sharing - will keep y’all updated.

 

[Opposite Pole]

I own two of them - 10x42 and 8x56 both the rangefinding HD-B. I bought the first pair in Oz where I had to spot game over longer distances, then moved to Europe and as soon as I heard they released an 8x56 version decided to get it as well. I do a fair bit of night boar hunting and extra brightness and wider field of view are handy and do make a difference. Only problem is you can often see game clearly through the binos but not the scope and I use quality scopes, these binos are super bright. Rangefinding and ballistics work well especially if you put in your ballistic data. Picture quality and brightness are fantastic on both. The front lens covers are super flimsy and easy to loose, particularly on 10x42 version - they belong on a $10 product they're that bad! The ones on 8x56 are an improvement but still crap. I dropped one of my binos from a high seat and damaged an eye cup, they were still completely usable but the cracked eye cup was loose and irritating. I've ordered a replacement from an authorised dealer in Warsaw, Poland (5 hour drive from Berlin) and it took about a month to get it in. Cost was about $30 and I replaced it myself - I have two left hands, anyone can do it, takes 15 seconds no tools.

If you're not hunting at night I'd go with the 42mm version to save on size and weight, you'll appreciate it walking all day - 10x for open terrain and 8x for forests and similar areas, they are still bright and are perfectly fine for twilight. At night every extra bit of vision matters and 56mm versions have a definite edge there.

If you buy them it's worth spending few minutes adjusting the oculars to your vision, both sides are independently adjustable. Once you've adjusted them remember the settings, you can't lock it and every time my friends look through them they just have to fiddle with it.

 

[ChasingHemingway]

I own two of them - 10x42 and 8x56 both the rangefinding HD-B. I bought the first pair in Oz where I had to spot game over longer distances, then moved to Europe and as soon as I heard they released an 8x56 version decided to get it as well. I do a fair bit of night boar hunting and extra brightness and wider field of view are handy and do make a difference. Only problem is you can often see game clearly through the binos but not the scope and I use quality scopes, these binos are super bright. Rangefinding and ballistics work well especially if you put in your ballistic data. Picture quality and brightness are fantastic on both. The front lens covers are super flimsy and easy to loose, particularly on 10x42 version - they belong on a $10 product they're that bad! The ones on 8x56 are an improvement but still crap. I dropped one of my binos from a high seat and damaged an eye cup, they were still completely usable but the cracked eye cup was loose and irritating. I've ordered a replacement from an authorised dealer in Warsaw, Poland (5 hour drive from Berlin) and it took about a month to get it in. Cost was about $30 and I replaced it myself - I have two left hands, anyone can do it, takes 15 seconds no tools.

If you're not hunting at night I'd go with the 42mm version to save on size and weight, you'll appreciate it walking all day - 10x for open terrain and 8x for forests and similar areas, they are still bright and are perfectly fine for twilight. At night every extra bit of vision matters and 56mm versions have a definite edge there.

If you buy them it's worth spending few minutes adjusting the oculars to your vision, both sides are independently adjustable. Once you've adjusted them remember the settings, you can't lock it and every time my friends look through them they just have to fiddle with it.

Thank you for differentiating where you would use the 8v10 - very helpful as well as weight. I don’t do much night hunting so the 42mm looks to be the best option.

dt

 

[ChasingHemingway]

Found this comparison of Leica vs Swarovski: http://blog.scopelist.com/ultimate-faceoff-leica-geovid-10x42-vs-swarovski-el-10x42/

 

[Opposite Pole]

Thank you for differentiating where you would use the 8v10 - very helpful as well as weight. I don’t do much night hunting so the 42mm looks to be the best option.

dt

No worries. I find that in an environment with thicker vegetation and shorter distances, say in a forest, too much magnification makes it tiring to glass for extended periods. For deer stalking through the woods I'd probably go with 8x whereas if I was to look for said deer across the valley in the hills I feel 10x would be better. I have however used my 10x in thick paperbark forests in Northern Territory on buffalo hunts and they were just fine. In reality I'm confident any of them will serve you well. One last thing, 8x are easier to hold steady vs 10x but if you haven't got a drinking problem or moto neuron disease it shouldn't be an issue, except perhaps after a bit of running. Much like with higher magnification scopes, though rifle tends to allow for a steadier hold then unsupported hands.

 

[Milan]

I have a Meopta 10x42. I used to use 7x50 Steiner. The Steiner is most excellent for spotting game but I found 10 power better for judging game, especially at longer distances. 10x50 Steiner was very bulky and heavy and I do not hunt at night so I opted for the smaller 10x42. The Meopta is better than my Leupold scopes and on par with my buddy's Zeiss Duralyt scope. The only binocular I found superior to mine was Leica 10x42 HD (both the original and B versions) and only in slightly better contrast and detail during dusk just before dark. Plus the magnesium Leica body makes the binocular noticeably lighter. Zeiss and Swarovski did not seem any better optically or lighter or slimmer for that matter. Numbers may say otherwise but I could not be bothered for the difference in price. If I were to pay 2x or 3x as much as Meopta, I'd get the Leica no question. No disrespect meant to the other brands, as they are most excellent but the difference in quality and weight (or lack of) would not sway me enough. With the Leica, the differences, albeit minimal, were at least tangible or noticeable and while still minimal, at least I would know what I'm paying for.