Best 10x42s under $500?

[100%DIYazCOUES]

I love my vipers,and they blow the ed3s outta the water in my opinion

[Sonof12]

For my eyes the Zenray ED3 easily beats all the mid priced Vortex line (vultures, vipers, talons) and I've looked through them all. In fact, besides being bigger (15x vs 10x) I think my ED3's give my bros Kaibabs a run for the money on clarity, resolution, and brightness. Do your research on bird watching forums and you'll see most people that actually use these things daily agree that the only complaints against Zen and the the ED's are from folks who are caught up on the "made in China" debate and frankly have never touched them. In the end though you need to test them out against each other outdoors and then decide what works for your eyes. Unfortunately nobody local carries Zen Rays but I would feel fine letting you look through mine up against those Vipers anytime - in fact come on down to 35B this weekend where I'll be looking for big bucks. You can help.

[lancetkenyon]

For around $500, the Cabela's Outfitter Series 10x42 for $519 are very hard to beat. I have had a set (formerly the Alaskan Guide series) for 12+ years, and they are still going strong. They are just about as clear as the $1300 Vortex Razors, and better than the Vortex Viper HDs by a long ways to my eyes. I am not impressed by the Vortex binos at all.

[Sonof12]

Great point Lance - Cabelas does make good stuff - a few extra coins gets you into the Meopta made Euroline which are really good.

[lancetkenyon]

I dropped a bunch of coin on two new binos this year. After looking through a ton of glass, I opted for the Meopta HD 10x42s. The only other binos that barely beat them out were the Swaro EL HDs, Zeiss Victory HT, and Leica Ultravid. But at double+ the cost, it was a no brainer to me. I got mine for $949 from www.sportoptics.com as a demo model. There was not a single mark that I could find on them.

 

I also purchased the Cabela's Euro Meopta HD 15x56s this year. They are, in MY opinion, better than the new Swaro SLC HDs. And I compared both side by side for hours in all conditions.

[lancetkenyon]

I would like to revisit this topic. After my recent deer hunt this year, I added about 60 hours behind my 10x42s, and probably another 15 behind my 15x56 Meoptas. Hands down the best money and most used item this season. They are leaps and bounds better than my Cabela's Alaskan Guide Series 10x42s, which were $500 12 years ago. And those are still a great set of glass!

 

I had zero eye fatigue, which is amazing with the time I spent behind glass for 5 days straight.

 

One concern I have. The 10x42s rock for glassing out to 1000 yards and being able to identify bucks and the caliber of antlers. And for glassing deer out to a mile is easy. The 15x56s pick up from there. The 15s are too powerful for glassing stuff under 800 yards unless you are picking out details or want to really identify antler size.

 

Also, even on a high quality tripod and head as low as I could get, in very high winds (20+mph), the 15s shake a bit. Making glassing more difficult.

 

With that being said, I think a high quality pair of 10x42s is a must for any hunter. Buy the absolute best you can afford. Even if it means saving up for a year or more. Don't think about buying a set a month before your hunt unless you are wealthy or have a high limit credit card. The amount I used my 15s was quite a bit, but about 25% of how much I used my 10s. And the deer I found with my 10s was about 95% of all deer located. The 15s were for closer inspection, or picking apart the thick cover looking for bedded deer at long distance.

 

I would not change the glass I bought, but my advise has changed a bit. But the highest 10s you can, and if you need to skimp a little, do it on the 15s. But a cheap ($200-300) pair of 15s might not be worth the money at all. Midrange is as low as I would go for decent glass.

[Sonof12]

This is why 12x50's are justifiably so...the new rage. Next up for me are the 12x50 Meopta's or Euro's unless Zen Ray finally wises up and makes something bigger than the 10x.

[backcountry_brad]

vortex diamondbacks are phenomenal

[Norteno]

vortex diamondbacks are phenomenal

You've obviously never looked through anything else. DBacks are good for the money, but this is a discussion of binos two classes better.

[backcountry_brad]

I know they're nowhere near as good as most glass but for optics under $500 they are great

[lancetkenyon]

I know they're nowhere near as good as most glass but for optics under $500 they are adequate

Fixed it for you.

[YoteHunter]

I currently have nikon monarchs, zenray ed3, and vortex Viper hd's and the Zenrays are by far the best to me. I really want to save for some swaro's though.

[Havasuhunter]

My buddy brought out brand new Viper HDs on our hunt a week and a half back. They were sharper and had better color contrast than my old Leupolds, but I was not blown away.

I looked through a pair of 12x50 Swaros recently though and everything else seems to suck! I'll have to own a pair of those someday. For now I'm still looking at various 10s, trying to decide. I have the German BL 15x56 Minox and have been playing with them on the tripod. They are very good for the money I'd say. Been looking out on the lake and over to the CA side from my house and I'm quite impressed For the price.

Thanks for all the comments and opinions.

[muledeerarea33?]

I love the bino debates. Yes there is better glass and worse glass, stuff you can afford now and stuff you gotta save for. Many good choices under 500 and I'm willing to bet most folks started in that price range and some are still there. Best advice I can give is to look thru several pairs. Eyeballs don't have a standard viewing perspective, distance apart from one another, or the same vision. Just like binos, eyeballs are different from pair to pair. Just because an expert on here tells you something isn't great doesn't make it true. It may be great for your peepers but not theirs. I use zeiss 10x56 victory and they work great, also have my wind river 10's from several years ago.

[Havasuhunter]

Probably the same ones I have. Mine are the wind River Cascades. I refer to them as Leupolds since that's who made them. Think they were only $300 back when I bought them and have been very good for the money too. I'll keep on looking for there replacement. A good pair of 10s is probably the most useful thing you can have on a lot of hunts.