Suggestions on binoculars

[DG Gunsmith]

Hunted today with the Swaro 15 X 56 - for Coues deer. Found no bucks today, but the glass is very good. Heavy, require a tripod, and they are fairly expensive. But when you need to glass for hours for bedded deer at 1/2 a mile or more, they are the deal. I will not take them to Africa as that optical power is not really needed... I will take my Zeiss rubber armored 10 X40s.

I'm a diehard fan o' Rubber Armoured Optics... Steiner, Zeiss, Swarovski, & Leica, have all made excellent Rubber Armoured Binoculars...

 

[CBH Australia]

Kahles is owned by Swarovski. Same glass with different (less expensive) coatings.

From what I have read.
Swarovski own Kahles. There was no Eyre to continue the family business so they wanted to sell to appropriate company.

Swarovski consider themselves the premium brand or maintain the control and higher end models. They own both but technology, research and development is seperate.

Local gunshop once told me Ziess are "The Best".
I think Meopta produced their Conquest series.

Not sure , of accuracy of the information I read but that's my summary of what I recall.

 

[DG Gunsmith]

Kahles is owned by Swarovski. Same glass with different (less expensive) coatings.

Then they definitely have Carl Zeiss glass...

 

[Milan]

Both Zeiss and Meopta use Schott glass made in Germany. Meopta grinding, polishing and coating its own lenses. Their high end optics are completely made and assembled in CZ. The cheaper ones may have few components that are outsourced but their assembly and main components (glass and I assume bodies, etc.) are still done in house, unlike most other companies. Zeiss Conquest line was or is assembled in the USA. Whether it uses Zeiss ground and coated lenses or those done by Meopta I don't know.

I believe during commie times Meopta either made glass for Zeiss Jena or Zeiss Jena used the CZ silica sand to make the glass. Either way it used to be best glass for camera lenses, binos and scopes in Eastern Europe and maybe world bar perhaps Leica or Schmidt & Bender.

I believe Leica makes their own also, though like most they now have less expensive lines assembled elsewhere and perhaps using outsourced components. They have had Portugal assembly plants for years.

Swarovski and Kahles are Austrian so I figure they'd have their own glass facilities rather than use Zeiss. But I have no idea.

 

[wesheltonj]

Schott (Zeiss) makes glass blanks. They make a few lens, one off projects as requested by other manufacturers for prototypes.

At one time Leica cooked their own glass, but I am not sure if they are still making glass or buying blanks from Schott or both. Each company will have to grind the blanks into lens or have them ground for them.

 

[DG Gunsmith]

Schott (Zeiss) makes glass blanks. They make a few lens, one off projects as requested by other manufacturers for prototypes.

At one time Leica cooked their own glass, but I am not sure if they are still making glass or buying blanks from Schott or both. Each company will have to grind the blanks into lens or have them ground for them.

Basically there are only 2 Lens Manufacturers left, Carl Zeiss & Nikon... They supply Lens or Lens Blanks, to all other Manufacturers...

 

[Doug3006]

Swaro pocket binos are the future, who needs a kilogram aroung their neck. Go light, go bright, go happy.

I bought the Swarovski CL Companion 8x30s for my last Safari and I love them. Small and light but with super clear optics. I’m done with full sized binocs for overseas trips.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

I like my $200 leupold binoculars.

 

[Tra3]

I just spent last weekend At Yosemite national park. (Wife planned the trip, I’ve always wanted to go so I gave up some of my favorite hunting days to be a supportive spouse and father.) I brought my swaro CL 10x32 binos. They have great glass, but the swaro El range that I hunt with are much more comfortable for longer use. At twice the size and weight, the El range isn’t really a tourist bino that sneaks into your pack.

For low light glassing, the El range are the best I’ve ever used. This year I had multiple mornings glassing elk or deer well before shootable light, the swaro glass is good enough to not only see in very low light, but to know if you are looking at a good animal or not.

Since I use binoculars for more than hunting, it is easier to justify a high end pair.
@justin wiles my son has a pair of $200 leupold binos, they are surprisingly good for the cost.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I like my $200 leupold binoculars.

+1. Just bought Leupold 10x42s for $130 during a Black Friday sale. Nice and clear, not too big or heavy and I'm sure will outlast me and my old eyes.

 

[Milan]

+1. Just bought Leupold 10x42s for $130 during a Black Friday sale. Nice and clear, not too big or heavy and I'm sure will outlast me and my old eyes.

I like my $200 leupold binoculars.

Nothing wrong with that. If anything I envy you. My eyes are just not that good. Few years ago I simply started replacing most of my glass with higher end. Had I known that eventually even that won't be enough during low light conditions, I would not have bothered. But I will keep what I have and just shorten my hunting hours to those when I can actually see something. Hey I have an excuse to sleep in and/or pack it in earlier.

 

[Kalthoff]

An in-depth tour of Nikon’s Hikari Glass factory​

So I was really happy to receive an invite from Nikon to tour their Hikari Glass factory in Akita Japan, following the annual CP+ trade show in Yokohama this year.

This was a pretty special tour, as we got to see the whole process, from start to finish, hosted by three of Hikari's top executives.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/ne...-in-depth-tour-of-nikons-hikari-glass-factory



Meopta Sports Optics FAQ:

Q: What kind of glass is in your scopes? Is it the same in MeoStar and MeoPro?

A: We use Schott glass in our optics, of which we are one of the largest purchasers in Europe. In addition, with our in-house cutting, grinding, polishing, and coating capabilities; we can provide you with some of the clearest optics in the market.

https://www.meoptasportsoptics.com/us/faq-7485/

 

[Milan]

I would think that while their upper and lower end optics have the same glass, the grind and coatings may be different.

 

[Paul G]

Zeiss Victory, Leica Noctivid

 

[Longwalker]

Something almost nobody mentions is that very good glass is a waste of money if your eyes are not good. All my life I suffered from astigmatism and myopia. Glasses corrected that and gave me reasonably OK vision, but not excellent vision. I still had some astigmatism.
The first time I was on a guided hunt, at age 42, we were hunting sheep in the Yukon. Lots of glassing at long range every day. I was invited to try my guide's truly excellent Leica binoculars. He was really proud of his binoculars. I could not tell the difference in quality from my Bausch & Lomb's costing about a quarter as much. I'm afraid I accidentally insulted my guide because I told him I could see no difference.
Then a couple years later I got laser eye surgery, which improved my vision considerably. The difference between mid level binoculars and top level models became obvious to me then.
I now use Swarovski EL 8.5x42's and CL Companion 8x30's for hunting and some more economical but still excellent Steiner 10x42's that I keep in my truck. My old Bausch and Lomb 10x42's are used as loaners. The difference is obvious. but it would have been a waste of money for me to buy my current favourite binoculars back then.

 

[steve white]

Kahles most likely has Carl Zeiss Glass, as do Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski, & Steiner...

The 8x30's have Japanese glass...but they are great--it all comes down to QC

 

[Huntingjrsy22]

I settled on a vortex fury HD. Just unpacked it today. Will try it out soon.View attachment 410473

I bought the same exact ones and love them. Have you used them in the field yet?