Title pretty much says it all. Looking to finally get a really nice set of binos pretty much strictly for stand hunting, though may do some stalking from time to time, but very little and weight is not really the issue. Have a couple cheap pairs.....one Bushnell and one Nikon and both <$100 to maybe $150....that I've had for some time and have realized how poor they are. Been reviewing Leupold, Nikon and even a few Cabela's brand models.

Love to get some honest reviews on some specific models and what they cost. Looking to spend anywhere from $200-$400.

Thanks in advance!!

Steiners are a great piece of glass for the money. I have used the Marlins and Predator (I think that is the model). I have a few different pair and like to take others in the field to compare. I have a pair of Nikon Monarchs and they work great, but the Steiners are better for clarity. I believe they cost a little more, but worth it IMO.

I have not tried many others in that price range, but I have found that in the $600-$800 range, you can find some great binos that I can't tell much difference, during field trials, with some that cost additional $1k.


Good luck

On that price range, Nikon Monarch 8.5x56 for around $300.

Nikon is the best bang for your money.
I have 10x50 Nikon Lookout since early 80's.
Saw a buck few years back (Bronte area) at about 300 yards shortly after 6AM with them.
It took another 5 minutes before the Leupold VX-III 3.5-10 on my Sako 25-06 would see him.
He was still in the same spot checking the pasture to cross.
Held 6" above his back and it shattered the heart.
(There goes the factory ballistics charts........)

To be honest, scope vs binocular comparison isn't a very fair one for the scope. That being said, it will be very hard to beat the 56mm Monarch in performance. They are heavy and big but if the OP is looking to use them in a stand that won't matter much.

I have owned Nikon, Steiner, Wind Rivers, Leicas and was given a pair of Leupold last year all 10x42s. I had the Wind Rivers first about 20 yrs ago and they were great but heavy. Then got a pair of Steiner Predators and they were better but heavy also but had trouble with them after year or so with blurriness in one side. Sent them in and they sent me a new pair. I sold them when I got me Leica Geovids. I won a pair of Nikon Monarchs a few years ago and they did not hold for me in day to day use in the off season. Just not made well enough for daily use. They were clear and pretty good in low light but lens coatings and moisture did them in. Sent them in and got a new pair for free with warranty. Still new in the box and never been out of it. The Leupold were given to me last season and they were used and are pretty good glass. About the same as Nikon in low light but much better quality on glass and manufacturing. If I was going to buy a pair of what you have listed it would be Leupold due to manufacturing. You might check out this site for specials on all lines you are interested in and check out the Vortex line of optics as several guys on here have optics by them and really like them. They really get great reviews and have an outstanding lifetime warranty. http://www.cameralandny.com/

Just saw the Minox BV 10x42 on sale at Camera Land for $179 (in orange camo, but I don't care). How would these compare to the Nikon Monarch, Leupold Olympic, or a comparable pair of Steiners, if anyone knows? Just don't know nor have heard much about the Minox and am a bit leery of buying without actually holding and looking in the store.

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62038

Call and talk to the guys there and they will tell you what you want to know. They are really good people and will give you the info you will want. If you can go to a BPS or Cabelas or Academy and put your hands on several different pair of binos and look thru them that is the best way. I have never looked at or thru Minox.

I've had a pair and while I like Minox quite a lot, I don't think that model compares to the 56mm Monarch. Of course, I don't have any experience with 42mm Nikons. I'll take Minox scopes over Nikons any day but I just don't think they will have anything in that price range that I would take over the 56mm's. If weight isn't an issue, I'd spend the extra $100-125 on the Nikons.

I do have a pair of 10x25 Minox binos in a box but I haven't had a chance to evaluate them yet.

Thanks to Sami and STX and everyone else for their comments and tips....wealth of knowledge as usual here.

Heading back to the hunt tomorrow and will be out of town over Thanksgiving, but will probably give the guys at CL a call and even make a trip up to Cabelas to take a look at some of these myself within a couple weeks. Just want to finally step up and get a decent pair without getting into the upper range pricewise (Leica, Zeiss, etc.) and want to make a good choice.

The Minox on CL has me intrigued if for no other reason than they're $100 to $200 less than what I was looking at while at that sale price. Any further comments or reviews are appreciated!!

FYI-You can get a pair of the new 10x42 Nikon Monarch 3 ATB's for $250 or less. They have even better low light performance than the previous ATB's.

I love My Stiener Predator's 10x42. You cant tell inside the store how good a scope or bino's are. Ya have to tak'em outside right as it's starting to get dark to see how much light they gather and how far You can see. Well thats what I do.

I have Steiners and am happy.

About 10 years ago a friend and I were hunting and it had gotten dark. We were driving out and I noticed a lot, about 100, of deer in a wheat field. I stopped and got out my Gen 1 night binos. He jumped out with his Steiners. While the night binos were "warming up" he said all does. My night binos agreed. When I got home I bought the Steiners.

While you're talking to Doug at Cameraland, ask him about the Zen-Ray ED2 and ED3 binos. My usual glass is a Leica 10x42 ,but based on writer John Barsness' (and others') reviews, my brother and I bought one of the Z-Rs, his a 10x43 and mine a 8x43. You can buy them for around $300 +/-. Compared side-by-side with my Leica, the Z-R is fully its equal, except for just a barely-perceptible loss of resolution right at the outer fringe of the FOV. The center of the view, where you do your looking, is frankily astonishing for a glass in this price range.

I took my Z-Rs to Quebec for a caribou hunt, and my brother took his to Alaska for brown bear. Rain and wind were the norm in both places, and our Zen-Rays performed with distinction.

I love the Monarch 8.5x56
Bill Wilson turned me on to them and they are outstanding in low light and have a huge field of view

Normally I'm not a fan of China's manufacturing, but the ZenRay bino's are very nice. I compared some for a customer between the Zeiss Victory's and couldn't see the difference in glass quality, only the price tag.
Personally I have the Vortex Viper HD's and I love them, but Zen Ray has some great binos for the money.

I almost bought a pair of Zen Rays.. Most of the lower and mid priced binoculars are made in China.

There is a set of steiner merlins in the classifieds that is a pretty good buy

Had to opporunity to check out several today at Cabela's, including the Nikon Monarch and Monarch X, Leupold Olympic, Steiner Predator Xtreme, and Cabelas Outfitter Series (by Steiner) all in 10x42. The clerk asked me to take a look at the Vortex Viper HD....and all I can say is WOW!! The only thing that came close was the Nikon Monarch X in terms of clarity just within the store...and they were very, very close.

This will necessitate another thread since the Vipers are out of my range (although not by much). The Talon HD is in my price range and per Vortex's website is very similar in glass, though the construction and weight, etc. is different.

Thanks for all the input.

Steiners...

As luck would have it, Cameraland ended up with some Nikon demos today which included the Monarch X 10.5x45 for $350. After comparing 7-8 in the $400-$600 range over the weekend and ending up with the Monarch X and the Vortex Viper at the top of the heap in my opinion, I just couldn't pass up these 'nocs at that price. They were a very, very close #2 to the Vipers at now $250 less.

That's a good pick! I have a pair of 8.5x56's and I feel that 56mm lens really makes a big difference late at night. Mine aren't the X model, just the Monarch ATB's which are at CameraLand for around $250 now. Big but beautiful!

Saw those two Sami and really liked the Monarch ATBs, but the X's just seemed to have that extra bit of clarity and sharpness when I looked through them at the store. Was prepared to pay a bit more for them or perhaps the Vortex, but when these came up in the demo list today, it seemed a no-brainer. Kinda glad they did too because I was having a hard time making up my mind.

I just talked to Doug at Camera Land about a new pair based on the recommendations here. The Minox BV 10X42 (Orange Camo) was on special for $149. He said they were very slightly better optics than the Nikon Monarch 10X56 (not the "X") but the Nikon was slightly better in low light.

I figured for $100, I could wait 5 minutes for the sun to rise a little more & ordered the Minox.

Either one should blow the lenses off my old 10X42 Winchester binoculars. With them, I thought I saw a bird with a bright blue head. I started to show my wife & then realized I was looking at my game camera and blue bungee cord.

Steiner or Nikon.

TSG has some sales on right now - or at least free shipping.

See what they have.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/binoculars.aspx?c=135