Are 15X's that much of an advantage

[joeinaz0]

Curious if 15X binos are that much of an advantage over 10X's. For example are Vortex Kaibabs HD 15X56 better for glassing then a high quality pair of 10X42 such as Swarovski, Leica or Zeiss?

 

I understand they see further but the feild of veiw and image qualiaty from the three brands mentioned are quite impressive.

[Coues79]

I would much rather have a pair of 10 power swarovski or leica binoculars than a 15 vortex. Clarity and edge to edge quality are much better. For a few hundred more, you can find swaro 15's nowadays with folks selling them cheap. Unbelievable glass as a great price.

 

I've never been impressed with vortex binoculars. Just my opinion.

[rcdinaz]

Yes... Closer areas 10's are great but the amount of area you can cover with 15's is enormous. You need to try them out to see how valuable of a tool they are.

[Couestracker]

I have both the 10x42 and 15x56 Swarovski's. I was javelina hunting and using my 15's, found a herd feeding on a hillside about 3/4 miles out. I brought up my 10x42's and couldn’t see them even though I knew where they were. And yes, I hiked up and got one with my bow. ☺

[outdoor rush]

Split the difference and just buy a good pair of 12x50s. Much lighter and the best of both worlds!

[Whitetailcurse]

When I started glassing, my first pair of optics was a pair of Kahles 10x42's. Although they were superb optics with great clarity, I found it difficult to pick out beded animals or animals in thick cover. When trying to spot an animal in thick cover, a twitch of an ear or slight turn of its head can be a vital clue, and a pair of 15x56 binoculars will absolutely catch the movement as long as you're not trying to spot something a mile off. If you're only looking for animals standing out in the open, then it won't matter too much which power you go with. I guess it really depends on how much walking you want to do. A powerful pair of optics will save you some walking, but your field of view will be rather small and it might take you a while to pick apart a hillside. I now use my 10x42's for spot and stalk, but I use my 15x56's primarily for glassing.

Oh, and I just recently purchased a pair of Swarovski SLC 15x56s, but I was using a pair of Brunton's Eterna's for a few years. For a starter pair, I was plenty happy with them and found plenty of bucks and even a flock of Gould's turkeys one year.

[Lucky Draw]

What Couestracker said.

 

The 15's can be no fun to haul around sometimes, but I have found way more critters with them than my 10's.

[desertbowhunter]

Yes!!!! Worth every penny 15 swaros are the most used piece of hunting equipment I use.

[Flatlander]

Yes,

[chico]

can't go wrong with the 15's. I carry them in the pack and use a set of 10's around my neck when moving . Worth the space that the Swaro's take up in the pack. Buy once and beg for forgiveness later. Momma will understand.

[trphyhntr]

comparing 10's to 15's is like comparing apples and oranges.

[Titanium700]

Without my 15 power swaro's I could never have helped my son identify his 2" spike buck he shot at 400 yds among 4 other does last year.

[452b264]

Cabelas, http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Optics/Binoculars%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104217480/Cabelas-Instinct8482-Euro-HD8482-15x56-Binoculars/1776890.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fbinoculars%2F_%2FN-1100245%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104217480%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104792580%253Bcat104752080&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104792580%3Bcat104752080%3Bcat104217480

 

Zeiss, 15x56

 

Options?

[PRDATR]

Earlier this year I looked through a pair alongside Swarovski's at Ben Avery and could tell a difference.

10's are great, 12's are better, 15's are even better to say 12's are better that 15's is like saying 400 Horsepower is better than 450 Horsepower or three sticks of dynamite is better than five.

 

Makes zero sense, but to each their own.

[Flatlander]

Earlier this year I looked through a pair alongside Swarovski's at Ben Avery and could tell a difference.

10's are great, 12's are better, 15's are even better to say 12's are better that 15's is like saying 400 Horsepower is better than 450 Horsepower or three sticks of dynamite is better than five.

 

Makes zero sense, but to each their own.

The argument I have heard for 12x over 15x is that you get brighter picture and a larger FOV. Brightness increases as the difference between objective and magnification grows. So a 12x bino with the same size objective as a a 15x bino would allow a brighter picture, assuming all other properties of the glass are equal.

 

Brightness is a huge benefit when trying to identify small objects in a camouflage environment. However, I rely on magnification for identifying a good buck vs a marginal one.

 

I went two years without my 15x and it sucked.