What makes good hunting binoculars

Without question, for western and mountain hunting, the most popular magnification these days is 10X. It's powerful enough to reveal distant details, but it's modest enough for quick, off-hand glassing when necessary. So, if you're buying binoculars primarily for western hunting, think 10X first. If you have really steady hands, you might even consider binoculars with 12X magnification. While you can hand-hold such binoculars in a pinch, you'll see far more game by using a tripod.

Steadiness is almost as critical as power in game spotting. I would go so far as to say you will spot far more effectively with a 7x binocular on a tripod than with a 10x hand-held. Magnification is not the critical variable, but steadiness is.

In the field, one quick way to steady up your binoculars is to sit solidly on the ground, brace your elbows on your knees, and press your knuckles against you forehead. Today it's a rare binocular of any power that comes factory direct with a tripod mount, but plenty of after-market mounts work great. Vanguard's BA Binocular Tripod Adapter screws in between the objective lenses to ensure a stable mount. I've used both styles for years. You cannot always use a tripod, of course, but you can easily find ways to steady your binoculars.

For a quick-but-solid glassing platform, sit on the ground, brace your elbows on your knees, and press your binoculars against your eyes. Here's another option: While hiking I often carry a trekking pole for hiking stability, but I find it just as valuable as a glassing monopod. For this use, I plant the tip of the trekking pole solidly in the ground and rest my binoculars on the handle.

This works great either sitting or standing. As another option, I use my hunting pack as a glassing platform. Whatever it takes. When it comes to glassing big game, steadiness is godliness, but good glassing starts with adding a quality pair of binoculars to your hunting gear.

A trekking pole makes an excellent monopod for stabilizing binoculars. You simply need to adjust the pole for the right height and set the glasses on top. It works equally well while standing or sitting. Depth of field — Distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in sharp focus.

Field of view — The widest area you see when looking through binoculars. Eye relief — Maximum distance from eyepiece at which your eye can see the entire field of view. Ocular lens — Also called the eyepiece. The lens closest to the eye when glassing. Objective lens — The big lens on the front of binoculars, measured in millimeters.

For example, a 10x40 has 40mm objective lenses. Our editors have hand-picked these essential pieces of gear to make you a more successful hunter when you hit the game trails this season. Give a Gift Subscriber Services.

See All Special Interest Magazines. All Petersen's Hunting subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow. Zeiss binoculars were designed for the professional hunter and are second to none in low light performance.

They feature a beautiful minimalistic design yet are extremely durable. These are world class, award winning binoculars well suited for the most demanding hunter.

Show me all the other hunting binoculars. We are fascinated by nature. We love the excitement of observing a spectacular moment, crystal clear and in perfect detail. Whether your passion is traveling, bird watching, hunting, star gazing, sailing or simply exploring your environment — our expert buyer guides above will help you choose the best tool to enjoy it.

Hello My grandson is 5 next week. He would like binoculars for his birthday. Do I have to consider the size of his face. What would be the best pair for a child…Sylvia. Hi I just asking if you know about vixen artes 8.

Thank you for your message. Hello i am involved in search n rescue for lost dogs and would like to be steered in the right direction i mainly would use them in the country for a sighting long distant and to see good clarity what would you suggest.. Hello Adam, Great work with all the information you have provided.

In your opinion would it be worth spending the extra money and getting the Vortex Viper HD? Thanks in advance for your help. Regards Graydon. The Zeiss binoculars outperform the Vortex Viper HD in terms of both design, performance and image clarity so a better buy all together. I will go with the zeiss. Both work very well for early morning, twilight and daytime. The Zeiss are much more compact, pocket size actually. Below are links to both models. Thanks for coming up with top 5 and explaining each in details.

How do you rate them against monarch 3 and 5? In terms of sharpness, brightness, low light performance and ease of focus. On top of that, they are slightly lighter than any of the Nikon models, compact designed and very comfortable to use. So in many ways similar or even better than the Nikon binoculars and sold at about half their price!! So both brands and models are excellent for hunting as well as any other kind of viewing. The Nikon Monarch 3 were replaced by the Nikon Monarch 5. Avalon binoculars are designed in Australia and manufactured like most other optics brands now in China.

I never use these before. Hi, Looking for a pair of hunting binoculars, Am really loving the zeiss victory, both HT and SF, What are the main differences and which would you recommend? Or any other manufacturer in that price range?

We can highly recommend Zeiss Victory binoculars. They are probably the best available these days!! Leica come pretty close but they are normally bulkier and in our opinion over priced for what they provide. The focus is smoother and they work well from as close as 1.

They also featuring an outstanding low light performance and excellent detail. The design is open-bridge so better for use single handed. You can read more about all the Zeiss Victory models on their site here:. We sell all of them and offer the most competitive price too. Need to get a new set of hunting binos. Apart from weight what are the pros and cons between 42 or 50 field of view and yes cost is a major factor?

Cheers Stu. As you mentioned, size and weight. On the upside the larger objectives take in more light resulting in brighter images at dawn and dusk. Field of view is NOT relative to lens size. So you need to look at FOV for every product. These days high end 42mm hunting binoculars can produce nearly the same brightness as 50mm models.

So many people opt for them as they are much easier to carry and handle in the field. Regarding magnification, 8x, 10x and 12x all work well. The more power you have the narrower your field of view will be. But you will see in more detail. If you are hunting in open spaces and long distances then 10x to 12x work best.

To whom it may concern, I am looking seriously at a pair of vortex vipers on your website and they appear well priced. I would want them primarily for deer stalking but a secondary use would be general everyday viewing in my role as a park ranger.

One of the critical importance is light gathering and twilight factor as I would need them both early morning and late evening. I have had a look through a few different brands of binoculars and many pairs seem suit my eyes and are more than adequete during full sun daylight days. My question is will these be more brighter than the 10x 50mm during low light, early morning and last light?

Does the lifetime warranty apply if I purchase from you? How popular have you found these binoculars by your customers for hunting purposes? Any further advice regarding the suitability of these binoculars for my purposes would be appreciated. I look forward to your reply. Regards dan. First of all we must say that the Vortex Viper HD models are outstanding binoculars and quite popular for deer stalking as well as other outdoor use nature and wildlife viewing etc.

We believe that they can easily be compared to the highest end european brands such as Zeiss and Sawrovski but for half of their price! They especially excel in low light performance and were indeed designed for hunting and viewing during these hours.

They have an outstanding low light performance compared to nearly any other binoculars on the market! The Nikon Monarch 5 have been around for a while now and are extremely popular with bird watchers and other avid users worldwide. The Monarch 7 is a slightly improved version. Short eye relief can range from 9 to 13 mm, with midrange at 14 to 16 mm. Long eye relief starts at 17mm. Eye relief is important for hunters because many people wear eyeglasses or sunglasses while out in the field.

You may have very thick lenses on your eyeglasses or you may want to wear them further down your nose. Those conditions will require midrange or even long eye relief. Basically eye relief is the distance from your eye that you can hold the binoculars and still maintain a full field of view.

Some binoculars have extendable eyepieces which will ensure proper eye relief. The prisms in your binoculars are what allow you to see your images right side up instead of upside down. You have roof prisms, which have become the industry standard. The other kind is the Porro prism, which to be fair offers brighter images as is. But then with roof prisms you can get the same image quality when you add the coatings.

Anytime that light hits a glass surface, some of that light is reflected back. When you consider that a set of binoculars may have light striking 6 to 10 glass lenses, that is a lot of reflection. As a result, manufacturers use optical coatings to reduce the amount of light reflected and produce a clearer image. Coated Optics: This is the least expensive and means that one or more surfaces are anti-reflective coated with a single-layer coating.

Fully Coated Optics: This is fairly common in mid range binoculars and mean that all air-to-glass surfaces are anti-reflective coated with a single-layer coating. Multi-Coated Optics: This is getting into more expensive binoculars and means that one or more surfaces have anti-reflective multi-layer coatings.

Fully Multi-Coated Opics: This is used in the most expensive binoculars and means that all air-to-glass surfaces are anti-reflective multi-layer coated. The optical coatings used will vary based on price with the more expensive binoculars using the better coatings. According to Wikipedia , binoculars utilize two systems for adjusting the focus, independent focus and central focusing.

Independent focus is an arrangement where the two telescopes are focused independently by adjusting each eyepiece. Binoculars designed for heavy field use, such as military applications, traditionally have used independent focusing.

Central focusing is an arrangement which involves rotation of a central focusing wheel to adjust both tubes together. In addition, one of the two eyepieces can be further adjusted to compensate for differences between the viewer's eyes usually by rotating the eyepiece in its mount. Because the focal change effected by the adjustable eyepiece can be measured in the customary unit of refractive power, the diopter, the adjustable eyepiece itself is often called a diopter.

Once this adjustment has been made for a given viewer, the binoculars can be refocused on an object at a different distance by using the focusing wheel to adjust both tubes together without eyepiece readjustment.

This is the most common type of focus used in the best hunting binoculars. Image quality is determined largely by the type of glass and coatings used and is usually indicative of price.

The higher quality the image, the higher the cost. Size and weight will vary with the type of prism being used as well as the size of the objective lens. We feel that a 42 mm objective lens is a good compromise for the best hunting binoculars. If you go with a smaller lens, you sacrifice quality and a larger lens gets to be heavy when carried around in the field. This is a major consideration for the best binoculars for hunting. We are using our equipment in all kinds of weather and all sorts of conditions.

Our equipment needs to be protected from the elements and needs to be able to withstand changing weather conditions. High quality hunting binoculars also often feature some type of rubber coating around the casing. This protects the binoculars should you drop it or bump it into something hard. As we stated earlier, you should buy the best binoculars that you can afford. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to optics. With that being said, you can still get a quality set of binoculars for hunting at a reasonable price.

The type of hunting that you do is a major factor in choosing the best hunting binoculars for you. To illustrate that point, we can look at the difference between a bow hunter hunting whitetail deer in thick brush and a rifle hunter hunting Dahl Sheep in the mountains. These hunters are going to choose very different hunting binoculars. Always consider what type of hunting you do. Some binoculars boast of some features that hunters may find extremely useful.

These include having a laser range finder built in to the binoculars, so you can immediately find out the distance to your target. Shopping for binoculars today is much different than it was just a few short years ago. Today, you can read reviews of all of the best binoculars available to determine which ones work for your particular situation. If you are shopping on Amazon, in addition to reading the reviews, you can determine how popular the binoculars are by the number of reviews.

Considering the fact that very few Amazon shoppers actually leave reviews, so any hunting binoculars with more than reviews is an extremely popular set of optics. Color used to be a major consideration when choosing binoculars for hunting, but we don't feel that it is that important anymore. In the past, most hunters wanted camouflage hunting binoculars, but all hunting binoculars today have a matte finish and perform equally well in green and black. If you insist on camo binoculars, there are still many great options to choose from although you will be slightly limited.

As you are shopping for the best hunting binoculars, you may want to consider what accessories are available for the binoculars that you are considering. Different brands often offer specific accessories made only for their own brand. Things such as harnesses, specialty cases, tripod adapters, tethered objective lens covers and sun shades just to name a few.

The good news is that there are some incredible high end hunting binoculars available today for very reasonable prices. Choose the best hunting binoculars that you can afford and you will be rewarded with many years of performance in the field. Hi folks! I am what you call a year round deer hunter. I am in the whitetail woods year round preparing for the next years season and I love to share the knowledge that I've gained over 40 years of chasing the wily whitetail!

In full disclosure , it is safe to assume that I am an affiliate for products that I recommend. I will make a commission if you buy through my link. You will not pay more when buying through my link. In fact, oftentimes I have negotiated a lower price or bonuses for my readers than you will find anywhere else online. Also, when you buy through my link, it allows me to continue to provide you with tons of FREE valuable information through this website! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Best Hunting Binoculars for with Reviews. July 25, We also reached out to our readers and asked the question: "What are the best binoculars for hunting and why? Zeiss Terra ED Binoculars 6. Vortex Crossfire HD Binoculars 8. Nikon Prostaff 7s Binoculars 9. Bushnell Trophy Binoculars Celestron Nature DX Binoculars Barska Blackhawk Binoculars Quality 2.

Brand 3. Magnification 4. Objective Lens 5. Exit Pupil 6. Relative Brightness Index 7. Field of view 8. Eye Relief 9. Prism type Optical Coatings Focus and Adjustment Image Quality Portability Size and Weight Waterproof Ruggedness Affordability Type of Hunting That You Do Hunting Specific Features Reviews Color Editor's Choice.

They are available in both 8X42 and 10X42 models. Both models weigh in at just over 24 ounces. The 10X42 has a field of view of feet, while the 8X42 has a very impressive feet. They are completely waterproof and fogproof thanks to sealed o-rings and argon gas purging.

It's about taking care of you after the sale. Unlimited Lifetime Warranty Fully transferable No warranty card to fill out No receipt needed to hang on to If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you. Jim Gentry. All in a lightweight magnesium chassis with soft touch grips, but that's not the best part.

With this kind of quality and the legendary Bushnell name, you would expect to pay a lot more. Joel DelGado. While Nikon does not provide as good of a guarantee as Bushnell, it still is pretty good. The Monarch 7 has the most advanced optical system in any Monarch yet and it shows.

You can see them below. Zeiss Terra ED Binoculars. Here's why you should consider these high quality optics.

They are lightweight with an easy to grip, non slip surface and a large, smooth focus wheel. Fiberglass reinforced polyamide chassis for super lightweight and rugged design. Crystal clear, sharp images due to Schott ED glass and Zeiss hydrophobic multi coated lenses. Rubber armor coated with soft textured grip for comfort and durability.

Large center focus knob for quick, easy adjustments. The Terra ED comes with a binocular harness which keeps the binoculars comfortably on your chest. Aluminum body for super lightweight and rugged design. Twilight Max Light Management System for vivid, high contrasting images in low light. Functional mechanical parts are custom made to fit their sockets perfectly which High definition, calcium fluoride lenses provide unparalleled clarity.

Vortex Crossfire HD Binoculars. Vortex HD Optical System. Fully multi coated lenses for crisp images and superior light transmission. Tethered objective lens covers. GlassPak Binocular Harness Included. Nikon Prostaff 7s Binoculars. Ergonomically designed with depressed hand grips and a rubber texturized no slip coating. Enhanced knurling and smooth focus rings make focusing simple with just a fingertip.