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Best Binocular $500 or Less (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jgraider
- Start date
Just noticed you posted this so I did a little research. I haven't personally used any Leupolds recently, but overall specs don't look to be as good as the Bushnells yet the price tag is higher. Field of view is inferior across the board. Every power/aperture configuration is narrower than the corresponding Forge or Engage configuration. They have phase coated prisms, but that's pretty standard for roofs of this price range, so nothing special there. No mention of dielectric coatings. That would be a big consideration for me and is largely why I went for the Bushnells because this typically isn't something you see except in very high end roof prisms. Getting a dielectric diagonal for my telescope was a game changer. It reflects noticeably more light than without it. Having both phase AND dielectric coatings at this price point makes the Bushnells a no brainer IMHO. Most of the "features" on the Leupolds sound like brand trademarks rather than actual optical industry jargon so that would turn me off.
I remember Leupolds being synonymous with top notch when I was a kid. They seem to have faded into a somewhat obscure brand today. Not saying they make crappy binoculars by any means, on the contrary, they're solid offerings, but they just don't seem to be one of the more popular brands, so you gotta wonder if that's for a reason....as in not that special for the price.
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You might want to actually look through a pair of Leupolds They are quite nice , high quality glasses made in Japan. I’ve owned a pair and would rate them well above the Bushnells. I’ve compared them side by side and liked the brightness and sweet spot of the Leupolds better. That’s just my opinion of course and everybody’s eyes are different so others might see them the exact opposite way. They are a nice bino in the $500 retail price range and you can often find them cheaper than that.
Chuck - have you also used the EDII and if so, how does the ED IV compare? Typo once mentioned he thought the EDIV was a step backward, but this was before production.
For me, I'd recommend the old Viper HD (the model before the redesign as it appears the new model is subpar in comparison), the Meopro HD, or the BX-4 Pro Guide HD. I have not tried the Endeavor so I will not attest to it.
For me, I'd recommend the old Viper HD (the model before the redesign as it appears the new model is subpar in comparison), the Meopro HD, or the BX-4 Pro Guide HD. I have not tried the Endeavor so I will not attest to it.
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Nixterdemus
Well-known member
"Jet.com is an online one-stop variety store."
Deals were better before being swallowed by WallyWorld plus there was no tax levied at that time.
Best under an uber-fin eh?
Are you very sensitive to chromatic abberation?
If you only had two choices would you prefer more of a globe effect/rolling ball or a fairly heavy hand of pincushion?
Deals were better before being swallowed by WallyWorld plus there was no tax levied at that time.
Best under an uber-fin eh?
Are you very sensitive to chromatic abberation?
If you only had two choices would you prefer more of a globe effect/rolling ball or a fairly heavy hand of pincushion?
Monarch 7 and Vortex Vipers are the best of the $500 and below price point. I have looked through many bins below this price point and not found any that hang with these two including by Bushnell, Vanguards, Leopold, Alpen, and Zeiss Terra. I find Monarch 7's wide field of view appealing and Vortex's warrantee and light weight appealing. Optically they are very close.
justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
Add Bushnell Engage to that list. Every bit as good as the Monarch 7 and Vipers (better than the Vipers IMO) in a compact, durable frame. Of the three, I'd pick the Engage first, and then flip a coin between the 7's and the Vipers.
Fact is, these are good times for binocular users. You can get pretty spectacular binoculars these days for under $500 and sometimes under $400.
justabirdwatcher
Well-known member
I think the "rage" with the Vipers is the quality for the price. And the Vortex name which really took off in the hunting community due to a lot of sponsor support and warranty.
I don't consider Vipers mediocre. I consider them the benchmark for that price range. Some will be better, some worse, but Vipers are a very solid value for the $ spent IMO.
I don't consider Vipers mediocre. I consider them the benchmark for that price range. Some will be better, some worse, but Vipers are a very solid value for the $ spent IMO.
I just recently compared the newer Vortex Viper HD to several different binoculars at Cabella's in different magnifications. I tried the Leupold BX4 and I didn't think the build quality or optics were as good as the Viper. The Leupold BX4 has a really weird feeling focuser. Almost spongy feeling and the armor on the Leupold was IMO very plastic looking and feeling. I also tried the Vortex Razor HD 12x50 and I didn't think it was that much better than the Viper especially at twice the price. In fact I thought the Viper 's FOV felt wider and the Viper was more compact. Anyway, I bought the Vortex Viper HD 12x50 and I am pretty impressed with it for an under $500.00 binocular. I use it for astronomy and sometimes long range birding. Cabella's had no Engage's to try. I worry a little bit about the warranty on the Bushnell's. A couple of times I tried to contact Bushnell about a problem I had with one of their binoculars and received no reply. Kind of different than Swarovski where you always get an instant reply.
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We can agree to disagree on that then. The Endeavor EdII is better as well, and the build quality of the new Chinese Viper is very average at best. The warranty is the only reason to ever buy a Vortex anything.
Not a Viper fan either. I owned a Japanese made pair and they were just ok. The new generation have a wider feel of view but don’t feel as nicely built. I checked a pair of Legend M side by side with the Vipers the other day and would take them over the Vipers. I’ve also owned the Leupold Pro Guides and would take them over the Vipers. You pay a lot for the Vortex warranty! There are better options at every price point in my opinion.
I don't know I don't notice too much difference having had Japanese built Vortex's and now a Chinese built Vortex Viper. The Chinese one doesn't seem much different. I can't find a thing to complain about with it. It is all in how much emphasis Vortex put's into quality control. They now their reputation is a stake if they put out a bunch of junk. It certainly is comforting to know they have a no-fault warranty and such a fast turn around if you have any problems. I would imagine hunters do like that because hunting can be rough on your equipment. Drop them off a cliff or into a river and Vortex replaces them no questions asked. The trouble I had with the Legend M was how BIG they are! That is one thing I like about the Vortex's. They are compact and light. The12x50 Viper I bought at 28 oz. is lighter than my SV 8.5x42's. This new Bushnell Engage looks much smaller than Bushnell's of the past though. For me that is a good thing.
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I've always really liked the Viper HD series, and many of my wildlife colleagues seem similarly impressed. They are very robust and provide very good central performance in all aspects, e.g. sharpness, control of CA, and brightness. The narrow FoV was their biggest flaw, but the new MiC models do not have this issue. I do not know if they will hold up, long-term, as well as the MiJ models but I will not fault them solely for that difference.
If the MIC models don't hold up you can just send them to Vortex and they will send you a new pair.
I agree. Leupold has always had excellent customer service.
