What Binoculars

[scope eye]

Looking for some binoculars in the $250.00 range, so far vortex Diamondbacks 12x50 are my top pic any input would be great.

Tanks Dean

[Deerhunter 28]

I use Signtron
I am completely satisfied with them
In low light I don't think any will beat them including Swarkos


PSE EVO 57 Lbs.
Blacked out

[thomae]

What do you want to use them for?
For Hunting, I have a pair of Leupold Mojave 8 power (x 42 maybe? I can't remember). They are light enough to carry all day and are very very clear and easy to use. A friend who is a retired game warden tried them and liked them so much that he purchased them , but in 10 power. He regrets not getting them in the 8 power because the 8 power is good enough for glassing across a long field and the extra magnification he has is not needed and just means that his are less steady. For quick use offhand, unless you need something for longer ranges, I'd think seriously of something much lower than 12 power. If you are using them with a tripod while looking for Groundhogs or prairie dogs, it's a different story.

[Admin]

Agree - for what and how are you planning to use them? That will really dictate what size/power you want/need more than anything. Personally I've found that anything over 10x makes it real hard to get a steady view of anything as the higher power also magnifies your shakiness. And if you need that close-up of a view of something that far away, you should probably be looking at spotting scopes instead.

[scope eye]

I ended up with some Bushnell 12x50 trophy xlt's,
I am very happy with my purchase I guess that's all that matters,
Tanks to all who replied.

Dean

[Titan_Bow]

I've got a pair of older 10x50 Vortex. I think they were called the Vultures or something like that. They were in the neighborhood of 300-400 bucks if I recall. I absolutely love Vortex optics. I cracked a lens on a bighorn sheep hunt a few years back, and they sent me a new pair, no questions asked. The clarity, especially on the 50 obj, is comparable to glass a lot more expensive.
As others have stated, what binos to buy really depends more on what you are hunting, and where. If you are sitting in treestands on the east coast, glassing over bean fields, your needs are going to be different than if you are humping up and down hills out west for elk, and again different, if you are sitting on a hill top in Wyoming looking for antelope a mile away or more. Out west where I hunt, I am happy with 10 power, and would rather have a little more than less magnification. However, I can see where if I were not needing to look out at animals a loonng way out, Id rather have 8 power. When I hunt back east, stalking pigs in Georgia, or whitetails in NC, I have a pair of small 8 power nikons that are great for that.