Hunting Binos: Is a 12x too much?

[JIL_24/7]

Hello All,
Considering getting some new binos. I ran across a deal on the Zeiss Conquest 12x45 B T*. Here's a link:
http://www.opticsplanet.com/zeiss-conquest-12x45-binoculars.html

Is this magnification too high to hunt with? Any other suggestions? The deal is REALLY good, so I just want to know if these are practical for hunting. I currently have Bushnell Infinity 10.5x45. Thanks.

[mikeboehm]

i had a pair of vortex viper 12x42 and i didnt like them. was very shaky and hard to focus. but the ziess binos are higher quality

[Singleshotneeded]

Most peeps would say 8X for built up areas has the least shake and is all you need, but as this is BC
most of us, at least I think most of us, use 10X. There's some shake but if you hold them properly
it's manageable. I'm thinking a 12X would shake a bit much unless you leant it against something...

[Gateholio]

8X or 10x at the most for me. Unless you are using a tripod all the time.

[JIL_24/7]

Ok. Thanks. What about an 8x56? What would be the downside of the the 56? Thanks for all the insight.

[Jim Prawn]

The 10x is perfect for myself, mostly glassing slashes and alpines. Occasionally I find them a bit too powerful at closer ranges but more often with my 8xs I wished I had 10x. I think 12 would be a bit much, unless you were mainly doing long range glassing for sheep/goats etc.
JP

[Steeleco]

Exit pupil

The magnification and the diameter of the objective lens determine the size of the exit pupil. The diameter of the exit pupil determines how much light is transmitted to your eye. The exit pupil can be seen by holding the binoculars at arm's length and looking through the eyepieces. The pencil of light you see is the exit pupil.
The actual diameter of the exit pupil is easily computed. Divide the diameter of the front objective lens (in millimeters) by the magnification of the binocular. For instance, take a pair of standard size 7x50 binoculars. Divide 50 (the diameter of the objective) by 7 (the magnification) and you get approximately 7.1 (50/7=7.1). 7.1mm is the diameter of the exit pupil for 7x50 binoculars. Now let's figure the exit pupil of a pair of compact 8x25 binoculars. Divide 25 by 8 and you get 3.1 (25/8=3.1). So the exit pupil of 8x25 compacts is only 3.1mm. A lot less light reaches your eye from compact binoculars than it does from standard size binoculars. Light is what you are sacrificing to get compact size and weight.
Why does the diameter of the exit pupil matter? It doesn't as long as there is enough ambient light so that the pupils of your eyes are smaller than the exit pupils of your binoculars. But when the ambient light gets dim, and the pupils of your eyes adapt by enlarging, the exit pupils of your binoculars may become the limiting factor. With the 8x25 compacts in the example above, when it gets dim enough for the pupils of your eyes to exceed 3.1mm in diameter, the binoculars are restricting the light available to your eyes. Ideally, human eyes in excellent condition can achieve about a 7mm pupil opening, so a 3.1mm exit pupil from your binoculars can be quite limiting in dim light. You can probably see more without your binoculars. But the 7x50 binoculars in the first example above have 7.1mm exit pupils, as large as young, fully dark-adapted human eyes, so they never limit what you can see, even at night.
The human eye loses its ability to adapt to dim light as it ages, so a middle-aged person's maximum pupil size is typically down to around 5mm. Elderly eyes are often limited to about a 4mm pupil maximum pupil. So as we age, the exit pupil size we need decreases.



Taken from http://www.chuckhawks.com/binocular_basics.htm

But in short, other than they are Fkn BIG you may actually be paying for more glass than you eye can make use of. When I bought my Monrach III's a few years back, the place I used in Ont told me they sell 8 times as many 10x42's than they do 8x42. Anything bigger they seldom sold and as such only on special order so they didn't have $$ tied up in inventory that was slow to move.

[RiverOtter]

12x - 15x in a pair of binos is "Big Eyes" territory, and as such are used for tripod glassing. Do a search on 24hr Campfire, there is a good write up on high power bins over there.

[swampthing]

I saw the great price on those too! I tried out the 12x but think it would be too much , definately shaky. The 8x are just too damn bulky. The price made me flinch though.

[Weatherby Fan]

If you looking to spend that much on Zeiss Binoculars look at the new Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 or 10x42,for the money the best binocular on the market,I have compaired them to my Leica Trinovid's 10x42 BA and they are much clearer and sharper,I was like wow !

We also did a side by side comparison with several brands and they were right up there in Clarity and brightness, and also 5 oz lighter then my Leica's.
WF

[swampthing]

They are selling the 2 in question for about $700. Cheap. I would also go with the conquests.

[brian]

The biggest problem a 56x object would have is size. Bigger bino's tend to get stuffed in the bottom of a pack or simply left at home. Also higher magnifications need larger objectives in order to transmit light to the eye (low light performance). Magnification really depends on need. Lower magnification If you hunt heavy bush and higher magnification if you hunt wide open spaces. I have a pair of vortex viper 6x that I really like, but I am usually in thick stuff.

[Singleshotneeded]

8X42 in closed in country, 10X42 is most likely the best bino for general use in western Canada.
Something huge and heavy like a 10X56 would probably work for road hunters at first light and
at dusk...where it doesn't leave the truck...but isn't practical for carrying around.

[bigwhiteys]

I have a set of Zeiss 12x60 glasses that have become my "goto" set for everything except sheep hunting. They are the cats a$$ for deer hunting in low light (you won't find anything better!) but can be tough to keep steady without some type of support be it a tree, rock, your knees, whatever...