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Swarovski or leica. Leave the advil at home.
It's likely that the ones that give you headaches have a a parallax problem. Have you contacted Vortex about them?
Scott, if you can swing double the money the Meopta Meostar HD's are outstanding in that $1k price range. They aren't quite Swaro's but they are in the ballpark and considerably cheaper.
If I bought swaro or leica Id have to leave my truck at home and ride a bike
If you go to Swfa sample list they have a pair of Nikon monarch 7 in 10x42 for 399. These are demos. That would be my vote in that price range. I own a pair and thought they were better than the vipers and I used them both side by side.
Scoot I just decided to sell my 10x42 SLCs. 5 years old perfect condition. Very fair price. Shoot me a pm if interested
Brianhood...boom;! You are soon right!
I was running the Zen Rays before I bought my EL's. The Zen Rays worked just fine.
I have the 8x Vipers and use them for short pull up and glass run and gun elk hunting type stuff...for the $$ they are pretty nice- plus they are a lot lighter than my 10x SLC's. I like them.
I haven't spent a lot of time behind them...if i were doing that with binos I would err on the side of better glass.
If your getting headaches there is most likely a problem with them. Vortex has a reputation for excellent costumer service. Id give them a call.
I have a pair of razor HDs in 10x42. I have compared them next to cabelas euros and Swaro's. There the same as the euros for all intent and purposes. The swaro's are better no doubt. $1.200 / $1,500 dollars better, well I don't know about that.
there is no way to know the answer to your question without knowing if something was wrong with the diamondbacks that was causing the headaches.
given that both you and your son had headaches, I would say there was something wrong with the binos and it is unlikely the same would occur with the vipers.
binos may work well for one person and not another. I have looked through a few diamondback and vipers and they simply are not for me. I find much better glass and viewing comfort with some other brands in those price ranges.
one of my favorites for around $300 is the sightron SII blue sky.
Scoot, years ago I did use the Diamondbacks for two years & had no issues with them as far as eye strain, they're actually pretty darned good for the money. The Viper HD are definitely better glass & you wouldn't be disappointed in them, they are not known for eye strain.
Are you making sure you are focusing your optics to both eyes? Many hunters fail to do this. To do this close right eye & focus left eye with center focus wheel until crystal clear to about 100 yards or so, now close left eye & focus your right eye with the right eye diopter wheel found on your right eyepiece lens until clear to your right eye, you are now focused. Now when glassing you will only need to focus center focus wheel as distances change.
When hunters hit the Sporting Goods shops & compare optics side by side most do not do this focusing part, instead they throw glass up to their eyes & use center focus wheel thinking it should focus both eyes automatically, it doesn't work that way! (grin) Lots of optics get a bad rap right from the get go when this is done, both eyes must be focused properly!
ElkNut1
When hunters hit the Sporting Goods shops & compare optics side by side most do not do this focusing part, instead they throw glass up to their eyes & use center focus wheel thinking it should focus both eyes automatically, it doesn't work that way! (grin) Lots of optics get a bad rap right from the get go when this is done, both eyes must be focused properly! ElkNut1
Bingo!! I got a free pair of Leupolds off craigslist. The guy said they wouldn't focus. I sent him money for shipping. When I received them I focused each eye and they work fine nothing was wrong with them.
Bingo!! I got a free pair of Leupolds off craigslist. The guy said they wouldn't focus. I sent him money for shipping. When I received them I focused each eye and they work fine nothing was wrong with them.
Hahaha, classic. Why Can't I find some swaros like this!
I have a pair of 8x32 Viper HD binos. They are pretty darn good, and suitable for all day pronghorn hunting, for example.
Bass pro has some "six months same as cash" or almost the same, at times, so the pain isn't so severe.
My other binos are 10x40 Kahles, so I do know what the good stuff is. Best of luck.
Scoot, I bought a pair of vortex Viper HD Binos 10x42 and I have the same problem. It seems to be much worse when I track moving objects with them. My previous Binos were Nikon monarchs of the same power. The glass wasn't as good but eye strain was never a problem with them as well as the tracking issue. From reading other threads in this post it sounds like mine may have a parallax problem or something is not lined up correctly.
The glass in these is crystal clear and the color definition is amazing, but after any extended time grassing my eyes come out crossed for a few minutes afterwards. I have the individual eye focus thing tuned in as best I can.
Look LONG AND HARD at the ZenRay offerings before you do anything. PM me and we can get you some info.
I have the Vortex Viper, the older ones, not the HD. And I couldn't be happier. As a matter of fact, I have done side by side comparison with Swaro three different times. And to be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell a lick of difference. All I know for sure is I ticked three guys off because my $500 glass was as good as theirs that cost four times that much.
I spend a lot of time behind my glass and have never had eye strain or headaches. Give Vortex a call. I'll bet they can solve your problem.
IF the Vipers are better than the Diamondbacks I'd say get 'em! I have the Diamondbacks and love them!
Minox porro prism BL's in 8x44 are a simply fantastic underrated bino. Talked to many people that have owned them myself included and they are the best value I've ever come across in a bino. Also German.
I'd just send the vortex binos back. The return form is on the internet. Mine went back because the eyepiece wouldn't stay on, returned fixed perfectly in ten days. Great warranty repair dept.
"Minox porro prism BL's in 8x44 are a simply fantastic underrated bino"
Prorro's ARE better...but the market is totally dominated by roof prisms because of the form factor.
That is a decent way to optimize your quality for the buck if you can handle the size difference.
Scoot, +1 on the Minox products. However, I would recommend the Zeiss Conquest HD line in either the 8X32 or the 8X42mm. You can possibly find a demo at Cameraland or RedHawkrifles for $699-$950. Be careful, I ended up buying the 8X45 Victory HD Range-Finding model as the price was too good to pass up. Leave the Advil at home friend! These binos are so sweet! The 8X32 HD Victory T was my 1st chose, but was out of stock at the time. This is some fine glass and you will only regret it for the moment of payment. Life-time transferable warranty on the Zeiss equip. I hope this helps you out.
LaGriz
