Good pair of binoculars?

I need to get a new pair of binos and frankly to me the binocular scene is more confusing than rifle scopes. The primary use of these will be IDing deer and hogs up to 350 yards all all times of the day including dusk and dawn. What are your suggestions for:

1.) Best inexpensive pair. (Low cost but still usable)
2.) Best value pair. (Performance >>> Cost)
3.) Best period.

Also I do most of my hunting from tree stands/blinds with 4x4 access so weight is not really a primary concern at this time.

Best: Be willing to spend $2500 or so for Swarovsky, Leitz or Zeiss. They will outlast your grandchildren, and they are built so you can practically drive nails with them

Best value: Lots of others. Lots of compromises.

Cheapest: Will pull the eyes right out of your head, or go out of alignment the first time you bump them.

Your money, your choice.

3 is easy, IMO. Zeiss Victory FL or Swarovski EL's. Since you are not walking much, go with the 10x56 (Zeiss) or 10x50 (Swaro's). Honorable mention goes to the Nikon EDG's, but its lack of a 50mm objective limits it.

2 is a bit harder. The Meopta 10x50 Meostars are a great overall value and a bargain at ~$1,000. The Vortex Viper HD's are not quite in the same league as the Meopta's but ~$350-$400 less, and good in their own right. At a lower price point, the Japanese made Mojave's from Leupold are better than the Nikon Monarch's, but Nikon outsells them.

1 is also hard. Look at the Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 or the Pentax PCF WPII, again in 10x50. The Nikons are a bit larger and heavier, with a wider FOV, but not all of the FOV is usable, so it is a wash in my book. The Leupold Rogue are not Fully Multi Coated and suffer when compared to the two others I mentioned.

Honestly, if you are going to do serious glassing, get a spotting scope.

I have some Steiner 8x30s I like. This looks good too:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Reviews/72084_Steiner-Full-Size-Binoculars-10x50-Waterproof-Rallye.html

I've got a n old pair of IOR's 7x40 paid $350 for them 10 yrs ago and damn are they brite, they have very good glass for the money the JENA line is good too

IMO - If you can afford higher end Steiners or any Zeiss or Swarovski binoculars, you should find them more than capable at Dusk/Dawn. Anything less is somewhat of a gamble and very subjective to personal preferences/comparisons - that said, here is my .02 -

I went down this path last year myself, and did not have a very large budget (around 200-250). That of course was the primary requirement for any binocular I finally decided to purchase.. I ultimately stumbled on a set of Leupold Acadia (Green Ring) for around $170 on closeout at BassPro. IMO they were brighter than any other binocular they had in their display case for under $350.00 (that had at least a 42mm objective). This actually surprised me as I expected a couple of other brands (specifically Nikon & Vortex Diamondback line), to do as well or better in my side by side comparison.

I recommend you look through any of the binoculars you might want to purchase before buying, preferably somewhere that has at least 100 yard LOS and hopefully has most of the models you want to compare side by side. Stores like BassPro & Cabella's both were useful places to visit while testing various brands since they have plenty of stuff to glass on the 'far' walls across the store, and at BassPro the lighting varied a bit throughout the store. Not quite dusk/dawn lighting, but it did provide a nice 'brightness' comparison between the various models. I was able to rule out several models very quickly this way, and also managed to talk myself out of 12x binos down to 10x (I found the FOV was just a little too restricted at < 60 yards, and the eye relief just wasn't enough for me on the 12x binos).

GL!

Whomever said, "money can't buy happiness" never spent it on quality optics ––- spend the long dollar on top of the line and you'll never regret the sacrifice. Spend less for inferior glass, and you're doomed to self-recrimination, and will have cheated yourself out of a lifetime of enriching experience.

I recently bought a pair of these and have been extremely happy with them so far....http://www.cdnninvestments.com/leyo8xmooakb.html


Leupold 8 x 30 binocs for 80 bucks!!

The Yosemite's are nice binoculars for their price point. I prefer the 6x30 because they are a bit brighter. These are NOT good for glassing out the 350yds.

I bought a pair of Bushnell 12x50's for $25 on Amazon and they work great for coyote hunting. Sorry but I can't spend $1000 on a pair of binoculars.

Can you afford $150-$180, because the ones you are using are sub optimal?

Canon stabilized. Hands down.

1) Steiner Predators.
2) Steiner Predators.




3) Leica.


HTR

Gonna get a pair of Vortex Talon HD 8x42mm this week. They seem the best for the money. I am becoming less and less a fan of Leupold. Sold a pair of Leupold Olympic 12x50's. Clear but built like shit.

I bought my wife the same 12x50's. She loves them. Yes the glass is very nice but they are not built to be hunted with. The housing is thin and very delicate. She treats them like crystal stemware and they still get dented inside the (cheap) soft case which is in her maxpedition manpurse.

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