Jacob...soaz Report post Posted October 11, 2018 Looking to add to my optics. I have 12x50 vortex diamondback binoculars. So my question is should i go for 15x56 binos or get a spotting scope in your opinion what is more important to have first? thanks in advance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adicted Report post Posted October 11, 2018 You will get all different answers...i hate spotting scopes, unless i buy the btx which as 2 eyes (4000$)...They give me headaches and just are not comfortable. I am a 15x56 guy and absolutely love it....Can spend all day 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gr8fuldoug Report post Posted October 11, 2018 If you're talking of bringing your 12x50 + a 15x56 or 12x50 + a spotter I would suggest the 12x50 + spotter. Use the 12x50 for scanning and spotting (of course tripod mounted for best results) and the spotter for confirmation and inspection 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted October 11, 2018 If you had 10x42s, my no-brainer answer would be 15x56. The 12x50s make it a bit more difficult. But....what is your budget? Unless you are talking $700-1k+, it is hard for me to suggest either. I would take a great set of 10x42s over a $400 pair of 15s or a spotter. Put a great set of 10s on a tripod and find way more game than sub-par 15s. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacob...soaz Report post Posted October 11, 2018 39 minutes ago, lancetkenyon said: If you had 10x42s, my no-brainer answer would be 15x56. The 12x50s make it a bit more difficult. But....what is your budget? Unless you are talking $700-1k+, it is hard for me to suggest either. I would take a great set of 10x42s over a $400 pair of 15s or a spotter. Put a great set of 10s on a tripod and find way more game than sub-par 15s. my budget is its hard to spend the money on the swaro . so i have been looking at meopta or vortex. would you call kiababs sub par? i think i will post another question about just that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacob...soaz Report post Posted October 11, 2018 1 hour ago, Adicted said: You will get all different answers...i hate spotting scopes, unless i buy the btx which as 2 eyes (4000$)...They give me headaches and just are not comfortable. I am a 15x56 guy and absolutely love it....Can spend all day what kind of 15s do you run and suggest. im sure most people will say swaro but im not sure if im ready to spend the money on them . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cjl2010 Report post Posted October 11, 2018 Spend some time on here and contribute a little and you will find there are lots of guys on here that can hook you up with deals on high end optics. Lots of good people willing to share deals. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TOBY Report post Posted October 11, 2018 buy once cry once. After 10x you couldnt chase me fast enough to give me a pair of vortex.Keep buying subpar multiple times and the swaros are paid for. If you dont want both go with a 12x swaro and call it good. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dustin25 Report post Posted October 11, 2018 ,and I use 15x swaros and 8x32 meostars, and a razor spotter. I carry multiple binos because they both have circumstances that they excell in more then having one pair (12x) that does everything decent,but can't pick apart hills at distance as effectively (15s) , or scan close areas as well as my 8s. I mostly bowhunt, and I feel 8x32s are the best out there for stalking situations. Having said that,if my optics disappeared,and I had to get a setup that I would feel very confident in, on a budget, I would get some meostar 12x50 hd's and a good tripod. In my opinion, those are the highest performance, most versitile,highest bang for the buck binos out there 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted October 11, 2018 I have Meopta 10x42HD, 15x56HD, and a Meostar S2 20-70x82 spotter. I keep the 10s in a chest harness, glass with them out to a mile all the time. 15s are my main long range glassing optic. 1 mile out to 3+ miles easily. The spotter is for taking a good look at game that I find WAY out there. I actually have the 15s out at work this week. I was glassing towers for MW shots from my mountaintop from 7 to 51 miles away with the 15s. I have thousands of hours behind them. No eye fatigue, amazing color (I actually prefer the color a bit over Swaros), great clarity (only giving up the outer 5% of edge to Swaro), good contrast, and light gathering so good you can easily glass game during a moonlit night. I got my 10x42s from Sportoptic as a demo set. Saved a couple hundred and they were like new. I got my 15x56 from Cabela's. I had full intentions of buying the Swaro 15x56 when I went, with cash in hand. I took them both outside on a tripod for an hour with the optics counter lady. Side-by-side, I compared them. For the "$700" difference I thought I was saving, I could live with the outer edge being a bit distorted. Then, I got a great surprise. They were on sale, saving me another 10%. Then, I opened a Cabela's card and saved $200. Then, got an additional 10% off at the register, AND made Cabela's points. I basically paid $1100 for them when all was said and done. The Spotter is a Cabela's branded too. Got it in the Bargain cave and saved $500. Even at full price, they are a great buy. I would buy them again in a heartbeat. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacob...soaz Report post Posted October 11, 2018 37 minutes ago, lancetkenyon said: I have Meopta 10x42HD, 15x56HD, and a Meostar S2 20-70x82 spotter. I keep the 10s in a chest harness, glass with them out to a mile all the time. 15s are my main long range glassing optic. 1 mile out to 3+ miles easily. The spotter is for taking a good look at game that I find WAY out there. I actually have the 15s out at work this week. I was glassing towers for MW shots from my mountaintop from 7 to 51 miles away with the 15s. I have thousands of hours behind them. No eye fatigue, amazing color (I actually prefer the color a bit over Swaros), great clarity (only giving up the outer 5% of edge to Swaro), good contrast, and light gathering so good you can easily glass game during a moonlit night. I got my 10x42s from Sportoptic as a demo set. Saved a couple hundred and they were like new. I got my 15x56 from Cabela's. I had full intentions of buying the Swaro 15x56 when I went, with cash in hand. I took them both outside on a tripod for an hour with the optics counter lady. Side-by-side, I compared them. For the "$700" difference I thought I was saving, I could live with the outer edge being a bit distorted. Then, I got a great surprise. They were on sale, saving me another 10%. Then, I opened a Cabela's card and saved $200. Then, got an additional 10% off at the register, AND made Cabela's points. I basically paid $1100 for them when all was said and done. The Spotter is a Cabela's branded too. Got it in the Bargain cave and saved $500. Even at full price, they are a great buy. I would buy them again in a heartbeat. thanks for the reply . so are all of yours cabelas branded and what does the warranty look like with them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeerarea33? Report post Posted October 12, 2018 Swaro are awesome! I’ve looked thru the HD 15’s, the regular, and the btx. All very clear (although I had a hard time finding stuff with the btx. I don’t own any swaro yet but I own Zeiss. The conquest 15x56 are as good as the older swaro and usually a bit cheaper. Point to my rambling, buy good glass, old or new but buy good. Personally I can’t see well out of vortex. Especially after I got my Zeiss victory 10x56! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted October 12, 2018 My 10x42s are Meopta. My 15x56 & spotter are Cabelas. I had a relative drop my 15x56s about 8' down off some rocks. Cabelas ordered a new pair and shipped them to me no questions asked. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
broadhead Report post Posted October 14, 2018 Like a couple people who have already replied I'm one of those guys that just doesn't like using a spotting scope. Before I upgraded I had diamondback 10x42s in a chest harness and Kaibab 15x56 that went on a tripod (which is an absolute requirement for 15s). I found plenty of deer. I'm not a trophy hunter and I found that setup to be adequate for identifying bucks from does as well as the general size of the animal. Take the advice of the guys on here that can recommend a good mid-range pair of 15s and personally I recommend pairing them with a set of 8 or 10x42s that you can wear on your chest and you'll be very well covered. Some guys will also recommend a good set of 12x50s with a pair of 8s. That's what I went to and I really like it. The 12s are a little lighter and easier to freehand and I don't feel like I'm giving up much of anything in magnification. Really at that points it's all personal preference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted October 14, 2018 For the guys who don't like looking through spotters why are you? I hook my phone or camera to it and watch the screen comfortably with my hands in my pockets, and I get video I can save for later. That alone makes the spotter #1 for me. I use my binos on the tripod then when I see something I swap to spotter video mode Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
