doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT-compact/pocket binoculars

Have a discussion over on SSMBBS going but thought I would post here for more input. Right now I'm considering these two:

http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/spectator-binoculars/minoxbd10x25brcompactbinoculars.cfm

http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-viper-10x28-binocular-v210.html

JR

Several things to consider.

Lot to be said for small binoculars that you are not afraid to break or loose. I used a pair of Nikons for years bought out of a duty free shop cheap. Did fine, when I upgraded gave them to my Son who still uses them. Caution is cheap binoculars you have to look through before you buy same brand & model one will be better than another.

I upgraded to a pair of Swarovski 8x20�s they are wonderful little binoc�s almost as good as my larger Swarovski�s but expensive, which makes me worry about them traveling. I had a pair stolen out of my hotel room one trip.

Real caution is small binoculars are hard to hold steady and small objective lens needs good light, avoid high power. 8 is all you want 7 x may be better Little 10's are hard to use.

Boats

Hi John,

My choice would be Steiner's, tough as nails and excellent optics.

http://www.steiner-optics.com/binoculars/tactical/mm30-militarymarine-8x30

I have no personal experience with the ultrasharp binos.
http://www.steiner-optics.com/binoculars/nature-travel/safari-ultrasharp-8x22

All depends upon the intended purpose. Neither of your choices is good for serious hunting in my opinion. I carried a pair of compact Nikon 7X20 binoculars for years. They were very clear, and light as a feather, but when you needed them the most, they fell way short.

I'm talking about early in the morning or late in the evening, or in the brush on dark dreary days. They had a less than 3 mm exit pupil which does not transmit enough light under those conditions. The 10x binoculars you are considering would be even worse, and they will be harder to hold steady than a lower powered glass would be. Compacts would be fine if we only hunted at noon on clear days.

Binoculars are often a compromise. When I bought my last pair, I shopped carefully and did a lot of research. I learned that the most critical reviews of binoculars come from birders and bird watching magazines, because all those people do is look long and hard at small details of small creatures in the brush. I decided to go no higher than 8x because they are much easier to hold steady than more powerful glasses. I arbitrarily set a weight limit of 21 ounces which was almost twice as heavy as my Nikon compacts, but much less weight than most very high quality binocs like Zeiss, Lieca, and Swarovski. I just did not wish to hunt all day with 40 ounce glasses around my neck. I wanted excellent optics and lens coatings, and I wanted no less than a 5 mm exit pupil. I also wanted roof prisms because they are more compact. I looked through as many different brands as I could, and would absolutely suggest that you look through anything on a dreary day before you buy it. I returned a set of 8x40 Nikon Monarchs which were highly rated, because they were not as clear as a pair of 1960's vintage Sans and Strieffe 7 x 35 porro prism binoculars I have which fell out of a tree stand and got knocked out of collimation. Most Nikons are now made in China too. I used to really like Nikon, and also have a pair of Nikon porro prism 7 x 50 which are great, but too large and heavy for most hunting.

I ended up buying a pair of 7x36 Swift Eaglet binoculars from B&H Optical in NYC. They meet all of my criteria, and I feel they are the optical equal of binoculars which cost twice as much. I did really like some of the Steiners, but they all had individual focus lenses which are slower to operate while hunting than dual center focus glasses. Swift has some cheaper models, but the better ones are still made in Japan, and their lens quality is right up there with the best in the world for half the cost or less. I got mine for well under the MSRP shown here in Swifts website, and could not be happier with them although I have seen them in excellent condition on e-bay sell for even less.

http://www.swift-sportoptics.com/binoculars.html

I see Swift has discontinued the Eaglet in 7x36. That's a shame, but maybe someone still has them in stock. Actually, I think 6x would be even better for most hunting. Everyone is sold on power when resolution, light transmission, and optical quality is much more important.

John,

I learned a long time ago not to skimp on optics. Over 25 years ago I purchased a pair of Zeiss compact 10x25 binoculars. Yes... they are expensive but I never regretted the purchase. They are a joy to carry and use and they weigh less than a half of pound. As Keith said... what you choose depends on the purpose. For hunting out of a blind, I use my 10x42 Leica's. For still hunting, I use the compacts. Your eyes are worth it!

Ron

Well said on any being a compromise.

Nice Glass I use is a old Bureau of Ships deck binocular made by B&L. 7x50 no fancy coatings but low light it performs very well. Heavy absorbs vibration and 7 power is real easy on your eyes scanning. It�s the 50 mm objective lens that makes it so good low light. Best I have ever looked through is Swarovski 8x56 with HD glass. You would not want to carry either hunting unless somebody else was carrying your gun for you.

One I use the most is a Swarovski 7x30 good compromise, size weight & resolution, with the smaller 8x20 Swarovski when real small is a better choice one reason or another.

Compact more you spend better they are is a good rule of thumb.

Other thing that's true is don't pay attention to what bird watchers use. Identify something fairly close, located by somebody else, and move on, they never look long at anything, makes no sense to me. Seems if somebody likes birds they ought to watch them for a while.

Boats

B&L 7 X 35 is my go-to, not too heavy, right weight for cold and windy days, used them for decades on deep-sea trawlers from Gulf of Maine to north of Iceland and the worst kind of gunning on North Atlantic shores. The right weight is important, too-high magnification almost worthless at any price.

John Barsness has a book titled "Optics For The Hunter" that is very well done as all of his writing is. He does a great job of explaining the compromises that must be made in selecting optics.

The OP never said what the main use for his compact binocular is but I will agree with most of the posters here that high magnification, small objective diameter & light weight are usually not a good choice.

I currently have Swarovski binoculars in 7x30, 8x30 & 10x50 plus a 35 year old Leitz 10x40B (all roof prism). I prefer the 7x30 Swarovski over the 8x version & I always thought the Leitz 10x40 B (great glass in it's day) would have been better in 8x.

The 10x50 Swarovski glasses are wonderful in low light & for glassing all day long when you are not too far from a vehicle but heavy suckers if you are doing much walking around.

If I was going to look for a compact binocular in the 20 to 25 mm objective range I would look for something in 6x & the best quality I could find. Good luck finding that as everyone seems to think 10x or up is a must these days no matter what the objective size.

For hunting, when I carried a pair, it was my Leica 7 x 20Bs. Compact with roof prisms, good optics, each barrel individually focused at the aperture. I really didn�t need them as most of my use was running and gunning for turkeys. Where I hunt, I�m lucky to have a clear view of 75 yards. I stopped carrying them as I was bound to lose them. For marine use and truck use, I have a pair of armored Fujinon Meibo 7x50 porro prisms. They are heavy enough to kill a rhino with a head whack. For general birding or astronomy, I use a pair of lightweight Zeiss 6x42b Dialyt, roof prisms. They do a good job of gathering light despite having 70% of the aperture of 50 mm. Aperture trumps all when it comes to light gathering all things being equal. I prefer 7x, but the price was right. I had a fine pair of inexpensive Nikon 7 x 50 porros. Star images were pinpoints and they were relatively light. I traded them for the Fujinon. If I were thinking of buying another pair, it�d be Swarovski regardless of size. None finer. There are some bargains on the used market. Local camera shops often carry used binoculars, but some may need collimation. In steadying binoculars of any size, anchor the binoculars against your check bones or under the eye sockets with your thumbs. If anyone is interested in a good discussion of exit pupil size and optics, take a look at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/a-pupil-primer/

If you can find them, the old Bushnell Custom Compacts are a great choice. 6x25 and 7x26. They are a small poro prism design and very bright and clear. You will give up a bit during first and last light, however, I won't be shooting at anything in those low light conditions so it's not much of a bother to me. They are small enough to fit in a coat pocket and easy to always have with you. Any binocular you own won't do you much good in the truck.

If you want to go up a bit in size the Vortex Viper 6x32 are another consideration. I have a set of Swaro 7x30's and use the Vortex binocular much more often.