undecided on binocular power

[twoSevenO]

I'm getting a new pair of binoculars soon. Either the Nikon Monarch ATB or the Vortex Diamondback. Quite possibly the latter due to slightly lower price and brotherjack's support of the vortex vs. the nikon.

However, i am debating whether to get 8x or 10x magnification.
As far as i can weigh my pros/cons i've come up with this:

8 times magnification:
- bigger field of view
- bigger exit pupil
- not as good for cut-blocks far away

10 times magnification:
- can be shaky with high heart rate ;)
- extra magnification for scanning hills further away

i'm not sure ... i'm thinking if i get A i'll regret not getting B ... and vice versa :?

Thanks!

[jeeper]

I like the 10x .

As for the shakin I always try to set up where i can lean against something to compensate for that !

Bruce

[Steeleco]

When I got mine for Binoculars Canada a few years back, I had the same dilema. When I asked the guy that owns the place which he sold more? He told me he sell 8 of 10 he sells are 10x I went that way also. I've only had 1 time when the light became an issue, but a few times I'd wished they'd been 12x!!!!

[oldtimer]

I borrowed my sons Vortex Vultures in 10 X50 and they are awesome for me. Outside of being against the 3Drules I would recommend them for Hunting. Mike

[hunter1947]

I borrowed my sons Vortex Vultures in 10 X50 and they are awesome for me. Outside of being against the 3Drules I would recommend them for Hunting. Mike

I agree with oldtimer on this one ,10x50.

[NaStY]

I bought the 10X also.

[Big Daddy Ryan]

Another vote for the 10x50 here

[BiG Boar]

Go with the 10. You are using them to look at things far away. So use them for that. Thier not reading glasses.

[Elkhound]

If it's cutblock hunting you are doing..the 10x are better. If you are in the timber more I would go with the 8x. I personally like my binos to be 10x

[Little Hawk]

I went from little 10x25 Bushnell's (absolute junk!) to a new pair of 10 x 50 Leupold Olympics. I am extremely happy with them. For me it was a toss-up between them and the Nikon 10 x 42 Monarchs. I went with the Leupold's because of a previous Customer-Service experience I had with them regarding an old (late 1960's) 4X scope I own. I'm really big on companies that stand behind their product - NO QUESTIONS ASKED. If you want more on what happened between Leupold and I, PM me. Good Luck!

Cheers,
Terry

[twoSevenO]

great ... 10x42 it is then! :)

Thanks guys.

[Tikka7mm]

10 x like everyone else has said. You'll find taht you'll appreciate the extra magnigication more ofen than you'll appreciate the field of view...

[Gun Dog]

8x42 will be brighter than 10x42 which matters at dawn and dusk when you're counting points. My 8x42 Nikon ATBs lets me see things my partners can't.

[shantz]

I have the Vortex Diamondback 10x42 and they are awesome was on an elk trip last month and one of the guys had a set of Bushnell ledgends and these were just as good if not better. 10x42's are nice too

[KevinB]

The detail that you can see in the image is more important than the magnification. Just because the image is bigger doesn't necessarily mean that you will see any more detail. All else being equal, 8X42's will usually show as much or maybe slightly more detail than otherwise equivalent 10X42's, and they'll be a bit lighter and smaller. More magnification requires a larger objective and/or higher quality glass to take advantage of it.

You have to think about where and when and how you will be using them.
I use a pair of 8X42's and I find myself wishing for an equivalent 7X a lot in the timber, but I haven't yet found myself wishing for a pair of 10X. I can't utilize the resolution limits of my 8X42's as it is, without putting them on a tripod, and making the picture bigger probably isn't going to help!

Of course that's just me, YMMV.

[sneg]

I like 10X for magnification.But 8X is much more usefull in dask and dawn.It is quite handy for scanning at this time, because you can not see game by naked eye. It is also good for quick scanning inside the woods.
It all depend where and when you gonna use them. When I hunt in thick coastal woods,there is no use for too high magnification. In interior, Okanagan, Cariboo 10x or even 12X would be much more preferable. We have 8X and 10x, also spotting scope 20X 60. So far 8X is used most of the time.

[K-1]

I just packed a Vortex Viper 10x42 around for 10 days in the 7-13 area. Seen rain, frost, fog, sun & hale and everything in between. In the timber, open cut blocks, accross lakes & grass fields and was very impressed with them. I have had 7-50,& 8-42, but the 10-42 are the best IMO.

[todbartell]

I would not buy a 8x42, but would buy 8x32 if I wanted a more compact pair. Either the 8x32 Swarovski EL or Leica Ultravid binocs are fabulous glass in a nice small package, but in a medium price pair I would most likely go with 10x42's.

[Edward Teach]

I bought a pair of Vortex Vulture 12x50s and I really like them.

[Shooter]

I got the vortex viper 10x40 and really like them a as well.

[Shermdog]

I just bought a pair of 10x42 sightron SIII. They are nice. I think vortex vipers are very very nice but I couldn't afford the extra 150 bucks

[Nimrod]

Not to go against the pack but I would almost always go with the 8x42. the only exception would be for sheep hunting. I've done a lot of sheep hunting with the 8x but I've occasionally wished for a bit more. I've used a friends 10x for deer hunting ...didn't like it. if I was hunting massive cut block exclusively maybe, but for the amount of time I'm in the trees, even the thick stuff , with the 8x is amazing how far your gaze can penetrate the forest. I've tried this with the 10x ...just makes me dizzy.