habiv

I'm hunting black bear in BC later this month. I need a pair of binoculars, but I have to watch the budget (the price of the hunt is already killing me). I am considering buying Steiner Military Marine 8x30 binoculars. They seem to get great reviews and the price ($199) is right.Any suggestions.
Thanks.

r33h

I have a pair of the Nikon Action Zoom. The are 10-22 x 50 and I absolutely love them! They are so clear and being able to zoom up to the power of 22 is a very, very nice feature to have. Some of the place I hunt are on the tree edge of a wide open field and it is really nice to be able to see the animal and study it from such great distances. These binocs costed me about $150...but that was two or three years ago. I believe I saw a pair of them for around $100 just the other day...I don't remember where though.

savage3006

They are on Amazon.com for just over $100. Decent reviews there.

mouthcaller

First a question for you:

1. How important are the binos to the success of your hunt? If the answer is critically to very important, then I would look to invest more than what you intend to spend. I presume that you are spending thousands of dollars on this hunt, and if binoculars may possibly mean the difference in success or failure I would encourage you to step up to a higher quality bin.

In my experience, there are no shortcuts in optics. I admit that I haven't used the Steiners you mention so they may be terrific, I just don't know. You can find some decent glass at the$200.00 price point but only in a poro-prism design. These are bigger, heavier, more prone to failure from a waterproof standpoint, and more difficult to carry comfortably than roof prism bins. With that said, the Steiner brand is a good one and the bins you mention may work for you.

I recently spent a considerable amount of time and effort researching roof-prism binoculars in the 300-500 dollar price range. Stepping up to this level of optics gets you fully-multi coatings on all glass surfaces. You also get multiphase coatings to correct the bending of light resulting from the prism design. The roofs in this price range are nitrogen or argon purged and completely waterproof. In summary, you are buying a high quality glass that is more rugged, waterproof, and handier to usethan the poro-prism bins.

I ended up purchasing the Pentax DCF-SPs in 8X43, which is the next to top of the line that Pentax makes (they were top of the line for many years until Pentax introduced a new binocular this spring, the DCF-ED, which offers extra-low dispersion glass. These retail for $900.00 and are, thus, out of my range). The DCF-SPs are a terrific binocular, offering a very flat view that appears focused out to the edges. The dioptor setting locks in place once set for your eyes. They have a tremendous amount of eye-relief, making them easy to use when wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses. Many experts considered them, when introduced, to rival the optics of much more expensive offerings from the European companies. These binoculars set the standard for high-quality roof prisms at an affordable price. They retail for just under $600.00, but you can find them at Amazon.com today at $409.00.

Just under the SP line is the Pentax DCF-WP II. These are anoutstanding roof-prism bin that can be had for $339.00in an 8X42. They are a few ounces heavier than the SPs (the SPs have a lighter magnesium alloy body) and a very small step below the SPs optically, but I would be happy to own them if I didn't purchase the SPs.

For the small difference in price I would not hesitate to go with the SPs. In case you were wondering, I don't work for Pentax, I simply learned from researching the purchase and examining a lot of binoculars from Bushnell, Nikon, Leupold, etc, that Pentax offers a very high-quality product at a price that represents a terrific value.

I failed tomention that they both contain a full lifetime warranty - for twenty bucks to cover return shipping they will fix anything that goes wrong.

Good luck,

mouthcaller

Jayhawk_Vortex

Check out the Vortex line of optics

great product, great price, lifetime warranty (with no charge for return shipping), no warranty paperwork to fill out.

Can't go wrong

www.jayhawkoptics.com


Ron

r33h

I can see spending a pretty penny on a scope because that is used during the shot, however, I can't see spending $500 or more on a pair of binocs. I know for my purposes, I just need a pair that has good low-light capability and are very clear so I can see what is coming my way from several hundred yards away. My Nikon Acitons do just that for me...after I see what is coming, I don't use my binocs any more. I put them down and don't move anymore. I like to guage what is coming my direction before it gets to my stand, and that's really the only reason I use binocs. So I guess you could say that binocs aren't a vital part of my hunting needs. I do love having them and they help greatly, but they are going to make or break my hunting chances. For the price and the functionality of the Nikon's....I just don't think you can go wrong with a 10-22X50 pair of Nikons for about $100.

Dan in Alaska

habiv,
I have a pair of Steiner 8x30 Military/Marine binoculars. I hate them. The individually focused eyepieces are a pain to use quickly. They aren't as clear as I would have hoped, and they aren't worth a darn when you used them with eyeglasses. I didn't realize how awful they really were, until I started comparing them to friend's binoculars. Many of their "cheapies" were much better than the Steiners.

Check out www.camerlandny.com. Doug will give you the straight scoop on optics in your price range. He also has many demo models that can be had for hundreds less than retail. After months of looking, I ended up buying a demo pair of Minox HG's from Doug for $300 less than a local retailer. They were in absolutely perfect condition. Along with the Big Three, he carries Nikon, Minox, and Vortex brands.

Good luck on your hunt!


r33h, I respectfully disagree on where to spend money on optics. In Alaska, much of the big game hunting is "spot & stalk" type hunting. I spend hours and hours looking through my binoculars to locate and size up game. The actual shot lasts just a short amount of time. A reasonably clear and waterproof riflescope is needed, for sure, but many quality riflescopes can be purchased to handle this task without costing large sums of money.

Quality binoculars really prove themselves by leaving the user free of eyestrain after long days of glassing. I spent a week last spring bear hunting. We spent five straight days on the water glassing the shoreline for bears. At the end of the week, I was the only hunter (of five) that didn't complain of eyestrain and headaches. I was using an older pair of Zeiss binoculars loaned to me for the hunt. This made me a believer in using quality binoculars.

Your type of hunting may dictate different equipment requirements, but personally, I would much rather have an excellent pair of binoculars and a modest riflescope than the other way around.

r33h

Dan in Alaska -- where I do my hunting, there isn't much area where I can spot and stalk. I understand that when doing a spot and stalk, a good pair of binocs are needed. I am saying that you don't have to spend $500 to get a good pair. Most people that I let look through my Nikon Acitons are floored at how crisp they are for around $100 to $150. In fact, a buddy of mine went and got a pair after he looked through them. I would much prefer to spend the extra money on a scope, which is involved in getting a good clean shot on the animal. For the type of hunting I do in Texas and the land terrain I live in, spot and stalking doesn't do me much good. I would end up scaring more animals than anything. $500 bucks for binocs...thats a little too high for my blood.