10-42 or 10-50 binos

[burger]

I hear you Mr friendly. I already have a set of nikon travellite 8x25 binocs and am very happy with them but I am always thinking when glassing that I wish I had a little more magnification.

How many of you have bought optics off of e-bay? I am always weary of stuff like that as there is way too many scammers out there. Once the product is in your hands then there is very little recourse in the event of a problem.

[Avalanche123]

Great post Mr. Friendly! Lots of good info there.

[Steeleco]

check out binocularscanada, I bought mine there and had excellent service, that is after you check our site sponsors first

[martyonthewater]

I carry a pair in 10 x 50 - magnesium housings make a huge difference in weight , they're lighter than a pair of bushnell 12x32 i have as well, try as I might I just can't leave em in the truck when i take to the trail

[Poguebilt]

I have a 10x50 monocular... stupid eyes won't let me use bino's!

im happy with the 50 for the lil extra benifit I get from it!

[troutseeker]

I have some Leupold's in 10X32. If I need better the spotting scope comes out!

[Mr. Friendly]

I have a 10x50 monocular... stupid eyes won't let me use bino's!

im happy with the 50 for the lil extra benifit I get from it!

well, in your case having the single optical tube assembly, it will be as light as some of the smallest bino's you can get on the market. what do you have/use?

[BCRiverBoater]

My 10-42 Swars do the trick. They gather more than enough light for me and they are lighter than the 50's. I would say 90% of people I know run 10 by 42's.

[Bow Walker]

Very generally speaking - 10 x's are heavier and/or bulkier. x 42's obviously let in less light in certain situations. x 50's let in more light, but coupled with the 10x's can be hard to hold steady and fairly heavy to pack around.

This leads me to my choice, both in brand name and in size. Vortex 8.5x50's. These puppies are amazing. Plenty of clarity. Easy to hold steady, not a strain to carry all day, and one of the best guarantees on the market.

[6616]

High quality 10x40's or 10x42's seem to be the standard for sheep/goat hunters, etc, who are primarily backpack hunters and are very fussy about weight and size of equipment and also demand the highest optical preformance from binos and spotting scopes. High quality 10x42 often will actually gather more light then lesser quality 10x50 just due to the better lens coatings and overall glass quality. The quality binos sheep hunters would all use if all could afford them are made by Swarovski, Lieca, and Ziess, etc, and can run up to or more than $1000.00 for a set.