8x42 vs 10x42?

[Hunter4life]

I want to buy new binos and i am wondering what your opinions are on 8x42 and 10x42 binos. What zoom do you use, what are some pros and cons?


Thanks for the help

hunter4life

[Krico]

8x42 offers a larger field of view, 10x42 a more powerful magnification. I have found the 10x42 I purchased to be a little difficult to steady after hours of glassing, it is easier with the lower magnification. That being said, the extra power does come in handy at times...It's a matter of personal choice based on what you'll be doing with them.

[Steeleco]

I just bought a pair of Nikon Monarch's in 10x42. I too mulled which to get 8x or 10x. My old pair my son now uses were Nikon Egrets on 8x42 and they don't even compare. The one thing I would advise is by the best you can afford. Weather you get the 10's or the 8's once in the bush you won't be dissappointed.

I got mine for www.binocularscanada.com (http://www.binocularscanada.com) and they told me they sell the 8 paris of 10x for every 1 pair of 8x. Food for thought!!!

[bigwhiteys]

I use a pair of 8x30 swarovski's that my dad gave to me. They are nice and compact and the image quality is superb.

My dad has a set of zeiss in 12x40 they have excellent clarity and work much better then my swarovs in low light conditions especially. The problem is that they are heavy and harder to keep steady without a rest. Not something you'd really want to pack with you if you were backpacking.

I like the 8x30 the best.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[brotherjack]

8x will have a larger exit pupil, and therefore be useful in significantly lower light conditions than the 10x. FYI: Exit pupil is a MUCH better indication of low light performance than all the optical coatings or marketing buzzwords in the world. The 8x will also be less eye strain for long periods glassing, as already mentioned. However, 10x (or more x) will get you a closer view of what you're looking at, which can be nice when trying to count tines/points from long distances.

The pair I am currently using is a lower end set of 12x30's. They get the job done during the daytime, but they are useless in low light conditions, and the eyestrain after long glassing is annoying (because of the 'shake' you get with higher zoom). I do like the extra 'reach' they give me, but, my new theory is - if I need to get an up close view from a long long ways away, I have a spotting scope for that.

If I was buying a pair of binoculars today, I would probably go with something from lower mid-priced ($200-ish) pair of 8x's with at least 42 inch objective lenses. Two reasons - lower zoom means less eyestrain due to 'shake', and lower zoom combined with 42 inch objective lenses also means a larger exit pupil, which means it will work decently in low light conditions. The high end/high dollar glass is definitely a cut above the cheap stuff, but by the time you get into the $200 class, if you pick and choose the best of breed in that price range, acceptably decent glass (IMHO) can be had.


Side note no exit pupil - your eye can probably only dialate to 7mm, and that's if you're eyes are young and healthy. 5mm is probably about the minimum for low light use, and likely in the neighbourhood of what our eyes will dialate to for most of us middle age (or nearly so) folks.

Just $0.02 CDN funds, from a guy who's by no means the most experienced fellow in these parts.

[Triggerman]

My 2 cents.

By the best you can afford, and but them once. I also suggest 10 power. It's better to have to much power than not enough and with the point counting we have to do these days on animals, it would really suck using 8x and being wrong.

I use Swarovski 8x42 ELs and they are unbelievable. If you can afford them or can save for them, they are the best and they prove it hunt after hunt. It's when you need them most in the early or late light that makes the difference in Binoculars. I would suggest the Kahles (made by Swarovski) as a second choice.

[Steeleco]

BrotherJack makes a good point about exit pupil, but one must think if you can't see it with your bino's what are the chances your going to see it with your scope??

You may find you get a lot more bino for your money if you buy porro prism's rather than roof prism's but the trade off is in size and weight. It took me 6 month to decide which pair I wanted, and some days I still wonder what might have been if I'd had more money.

[Fred]

David, next time you see EX ask to look at his new cheap binos. I don't know how well they will hold up but the gaurantee is straight replacement if anything goes wrong and do they ever Work! Fred

[brotherjack]

if you can't see it with your bino's what are the chances your going to see it with your scope??

Actually, the chances are very good that you can see it with your scope, well before/after your bino's can gather enough light to see by (unless your bino's have an exit pupil north of 5). Most scopes with zoom in the typical hunting ranges (3-9's, 2-7's, 4-12's, etc) have an exit pupil well in excess of the 7mm maximum your eye can make use of on the lower end of their zoom - which means, if the glass is even vaguely resembling clear, your scope will give you as much light into your eye as you could possibly make any use of. So you can see at 3 or 4 or sometimes 5 or more zoom (depending on the exit pupil on the scope in question), with every bit as much brightness and clarity as you could with a naked eye.

Bino's on the other hand, rarely have an exit pupil anywhere near 7mm (even 8x42's are usually only around 5). So the image seen through the bino's in low light, will be dimmer than the image seen with the naked eye.

I have field tested the theory, and yes, I can see - clearly - with my rifle scope on 5 or less zoom, long after my bino's have gotten too dark to be of any use.

[Hunter4life]

I would use the binos for all sorts of conditions but i think mostly glassing for longer periods of time. I keep my spotting scope very close at hand so if i cannot see something clearly at longer distances in my binos, i can quickly use my spotter. I think the 10 power would be nicer for longer distances but i also like the 8 power for its low light ability(as brotherjack said) and its "steadier" image. I was just curious to hear your opinions and what you prefer. I think i'm leaning more to the 8 power though.


thanks for your opinions

Hunter4life

[Hunter4life]

I have another question for binoculars. What do you guys look for in a binocular? What separtes the good from the bad, besides price?



thanks again

Hunter4life

[todbartell]

I like 10x's, but 8s will give you bigger field of view

I currently use Nikon Monarch 10x40s

[cwocarsten]

Tested many, but now I have Swarovski EL 10X42 binos. Now I can pack lighter as I do not use my spotting scope as much.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I think it depends more on what you are going to use them for. If it's mostly deer hunting when you're going to be glassing clearcuts in twilight hours or sheep/goat hunting when you're glassing all day at longer ranges. If you see yourself getting into sheep and goat hunting(or alpine mulies), go with the 10x otherwise I would go with the 8x for better light gathering capabilities.

SSS