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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

New Binos (1 Viewer)

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dfasano

Active member
Hello all. I have been looking through reviews of Swaro and Zeiss binos on your site. I have noticed that bird watchers have very good knowledge of binos and have more detailed reviews compared to your average hunter.

I currently own Meopta Merostar B1 10x42 HD and Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32. I bought the Zeiss for bowhunting and love them. They are compact lightweight, crisp, clear, and have good low light transmission.

I am about to sell my Meoptas and upgrade to higher end binos. I have been reviewing the Zeiss Victory HT , the Swaro EL/SLC and Leica Ultravid HD Plus in 8x and 10x, 40 and 50 mm objectives.

I am looking for low light transmission and clarity first and foremost. I need to be able to study deer 30 mins to 1 hour past official sunset. I was in the tree last night 45 mins after sunset with a full moon and my Zeiss just couldn't do it. I made out the deer fine, but being able tell what was on its head not so much.

I appreciate all of your input.
 
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Most of the research I have done leads me to believe the Zeiss Victory HT is the best purely for low light situations but i'm trying to go into this open minded.
 
Theo98 said:
Great Suggestion as aperture rules! :king:

However, top end rifle optics still offer coatings that are very sensitive to game and illuminate more detail in extreme low light, particular venison!

Ted
Click to expand...

I've got a Meopta Meostar R1 3-12x56 on top of my rifle. The 8x32 Zeiss trumped that scope big time last night.

I'm planning on upgrading to the Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56.
 
I use 3 pair for hunting, depending on whether it's bow season(thick cover),,,,or late bow/gun season(open foliage & leaves down).

1)Zeiss Victory FL 8x32
2)Swarovski EL 8.5x42
3)Zeiss Classic B 10x40

The 8x is plenty for detailed antler viewing in timber, I hunt Booner class only bucks...so it's important to me also. If you're out west in wide open country, the 10x & 12x will suit your needs better...and get a whole lot heavier.
 
No disrespect to any members, but I hunt 4 states a year,,,and packing bins for long distances and many hours, weight/size becomes a serious concern. The larger bins would be great if you are viewing very long distances, but for hunting in timber or scrub areas 8x or smaller 10x will be all you need.

If you need large bins for distance, buy a spotting scope and tripod...then digiscope for future reference.
 
dfasano said:
I am looking for low light transmission and clarity first and foremost. I need to be able to study deer 30 mins to 1 hour past official sunset. I was in the tree last night 45 mins after sunset with a full moon and my Zeiss just couldn't do it. I made out the deer fine, but being able tell what was on its head not so much.
Click to expand...

What you need first and foremost, is a larger exit pupil size on the binocular. The 4mm exit pupil on your 8x32 is not enough for twilight use. Of course light transmission and optical quality do help in the end result. But light transmission by itself only becomes the primary factor driving the experienced image brightness during daytime when your eye pupil is smaller than the instruments' exit pupil size.

Do you know your eye pupil diameter in twilight conditions? If not, what's your age?
If you have large eye pupils, something like an 8x50 will be quite noticeably better.
 
I have been big game hunting since 1971, and have owned, or own, the following:
Zeiss Conquest 10x42HD
Meopta Meostar 10x42HD
Leupold Gold Ring 10x42 HD
Swaro SLCneu 10x42
Swaro SLC HD 10x42 HD
Cabelas Euro 8x32 HD
Zeis Terra 8x32 HD
Swaro SV 10x50
Swaro SV 10x42

Without going into great detail so as not to bore you to death, the 10x50 SV is the finest hunting glass I've ever owned or looked through. Razor sharp, slow enough focus to "nail it" every time, 3D like view (hard to explain unless you've seen it), edge to edge sharpness and clarity......and when mounted on a tripod the view is nothing short of astounding. I've been hunting with it almost every day for 3 weeks now and can not say enough good things about it.
 
jgraider said:
I have been big game hunting since 1971, and have owned, or own, the following:
Zeiss Conquest 10x42HD
Meopta Meostar 10x42HD
Leupold Gold Ring 10x42 HD
Swaro SLCneu 10x42
Swaro SLC HD 10x42 HD
Cabelas Euro 8x32 HD
Zeis Terra 8x32 HD
Swaro SV 10x50
Swaro SV 10x42

Without going into great detail so as not to bore you to death, the 10x50 SV is the finest hunting glass I've ever owned or looked through. Razor sharp, slow enough focus to "nail it" every time, 3D like view (hard to explain unless you've seen it), edge to edge sharpness and clarity......and when mounted on a tripod the view is nothing short of astounding. I've been hunting with it almost every day for 3 weeks now and can not say enough good things about it.
Click to expand...

AND you live in Texas ;)
 
I mainly use my 8x32 for bowhunting close quarters. I'm keeping them for bowhunting. I just happened to have them while hunting last night as my Meoptas were in the safe.

I'm selling my Meopta 10x42 and want to replace them with an 8x or 10x 40 or 50 mm pair for low light scenarios.

I'm 31. Do not know my eye pupil diameter.
 
I'd look at the Razor HD 10x50 if you want that configuration. The SV was too heavy (for hunting) in my opinion, whereas the Razor had a very similar but narrower (though still not awful) view, but weighed and was balanced much akin to a standard 10x42....

J
 
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I respect your opinion but I just tried the Razor HD 10x50 because I heard so much about it before I bought the Swarovision 10x50 SV and I really don't feel they are similar at all. The Razor felt too me like you were looking down a tunnel compared to the Swarovision. IMO there is a world of difference between the two. The Swarovision 10x50 SV not only has a much bigger FOV than the Razor but 100% of it is sharp to the edge. The Razor is lighter but the Swarovision is balanced very well so you don't notice the extra weight as much as you would think. I think if you are used to a nice large FOV as you have on the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 you will feel the Razor restrictive. Swarovski's are known for good low light performance and bringing out detail in hunting situations like you described.
 
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