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I'm looking for decent binoculars up to $60.00. Anyone know any decent ones around that price??
Hard ton imagine you'll get anything but disappointment for that price. Maybe something used from a garage sale will be a lucky find?
No. Save for something better. For whitetails in the east, low power lets in lots of light. I like my Minox 6.5 by 32. They don't make them anymore, but I attached the link. Maybe on ebay? You will spend a little, but they will do you for the rest of your life and your children's too.
I picked up a pair of steiner binos for around $75 from sierra trading post a few years back. They have some decent prices on steiner and leupold binos last time I checked. You may have to shell out a bit more than you want to, but it is a piece of equipment that you should not skimp out on.
A good pair of binoculars is something you only have to buy once so make it count. A good set of binos will treat you good for a lifetime.
save your $60.00 and use your eyes. it's hard to imagine you could find anything in that price range that won't give you a head ache. Mediocre binoculars will run you at least 5 times that much
Damn. Thanks guys, I had no idea that $60 would get me cheap ones. I thought that was a decent price for a pair. Rookie mistake I guess. How about range finders? I picked up a used wildgame innovations halo 400 for $50 on eBay last year and I think its slowly starting to die.
Wouldn't know about range finders, never used one, never will.
If you want a decent bino for the price the Nikons are a good value. Anything less than $300 and you really aren't going to do yourself any favors in the long term. It's impossible to get good glass below that price. A good quality pair will have a lifetime warranty and you'll never regret it.
I second the Steiners. I've used a pair of actual German army issue ones for the past 10 years (8x30). Beat the sh*t out of them and are on me for each and every hunt.
Good range finders that you can trust, are not cheap either. Usually cheap glass will fog up and get wet inside at which point you throw them away, they also are terrible at gathering light in low light conditions, not to mention the accuracy of the rangefinder itself. I use a leica, but I think there are less expensive out there, maybe nikon, leupold etc. that will work well.
Check out cabelas bargain cave for Swarovski or Leica - great glass. You might find a deal. Cheaper but excellent quality are Vortex. I also have the Cabelas Alaskan which is great glass and a good value.
Caelas has a sale on the leupold rx 1000 with tbr and lighted reticle for $300. Great deal. I have it and no complaints. My elk gide had leica 1200 - awesone rangefinder but super expensive. Make sure it has a lighted reticle and stay away from Nikon ...the lighted reticle is garbage.
Speaking of German binos - I picked up a pair of vintage WWII Carl Zeiss 7x50 binoculars at a tag sale this past summer for $5. It was missing left eye cup which I found on eBay for $9 (I know, eye cup cost almost 2x the binos did), and although they are big and bulky, I'm so impressed with them. I like to wonder the road they traveled before getting to my hands while I'm up 20ft+ glassing the woods. I leave my expensive Leupolds at home now. If anything they are good luck.
yeah Griz, steiner 8 by 30's are very bright. Compact and fit the hand well too
Get a NIKON from CABELAS
Fro the money as sharp as some of the high end German ones from ZEISS or LEICA!
Just about all of these recommendations are great, but they (and I) mostly ignore the $60 max price limitations of the original post.
Now that I know that $60.00 will buy me junk I'm going to ignore it too. Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
"Fro the money as sharp as some of the high end German ones from ZEISS or LEICA!"
Only if you are trying to compare them by looking through them in the store. They all look good then. sit behind them in the field all day and you WILL see a distinct difference. Optics are one of those products that you truly get what you pay for. Low end optics don't compare in any way shape of form to high end optics no matter how you try to justify it. What it boils down to is how are you going to use the optics. If all you do is hunt from a tree stand in the east, you really don't need high end optics, they aren't going to do that much for you, mid priced optics will serve you fine. If you hunt in the west where the method of hunting is to get a good vantage point and glass all day, where an animal may be bedded under a bush in the shadows the better glass will let you see the animal in the shadows where the mediocre glass will not. Low light conditions dawn and dusk, the high end optics are substantially better at those times of day. All you need to do is develop a headache once from staring through cheap optics all day and you will never do it again. Then the High End optics can't be beat at any price.
I spend whatever I need to. Glass a lot out west. My 15's are Swarovski, my 10's are Vortex, my 8's are vortex and my 6.5's are minox Spotting scope I went cheap and got Leupold. Good features and guarantee but in the 300+ range. You can spend low to mid 1000's on spotting scopes, but I don't "live" in them as some people do. Don't have that type of endurance for glassing. But I can look through those 15's on a tripod for a good few hours.
I used to own some Zeiss Jena armored 7 powers that were used by german military to watch "the wall" at night. They were the brightest glass I ever used. See them on ebay for 6-700 sometimes. Clunky but so, so bright in low light/no light.
I really don't see the need for glasses in CT. Going out west for elk, absolutely.
I spent over $800 for my New Mexico trip, the binos are excellent. I would strongly suggest trying different brands, because the different in price may not translate into a huge difference in performance.
I have a pair of Steiners and a pair of Zeiss...the Zeiss were 600...the Steiners alittle under 2....
the steiners are fine for CT....
up your price to 2 and you will find a decent pair
I was actually thinking on getting a monocular. Dick's Sporting Goods had a Bushnell 9x32, Bear Grills Model for $40.00 I don't feel the need for viewing a great distance here in Ct. Just my opinion.
I have a monocular. It's called a rangefinder.
Try Nikon Trailblazer ATB #8218 - $86.95 on Amazon
Nikon 8218 Trailblazer 10X25 Hunting Binoculars.Nikon Trailblazer Binocular 10x25, Waterproof ATB, The waterproof/fogproof Trailblazer is Nikon's newest compact All Terrain binocular. Sleek, lightweight body, lead-and arsenic-free Eco-Glass optics and rubber coating provide a comfortable grip. Multiple layers of anti-reflective compounds offer crisp, sharp viewing. Magnification: 10x Objective Diameter: 25mm Angular Field of View: Real 6.5; Apparent 65.0 FOV @ 1000 yds (ft): 342 Close Focus Distance (ft): 11.5 Exit Pupil (mm): 2.5 Relative Brightness: 6.3 Eye Relief (mm): 10 Length (in): Width (in): Weight (oz):, Mfg No: 8218, Manufacturer: Nikon, Warranty: Lifetime Full Warranty. If any product is found to have defects in workmanship or materials, Nikon will, at their option, repair or replace it at no charge, even if you're not the original owner. * Magnification: 10x * Objective Diameter: 25mm * FOV @ 1000 yds (ft): 342 * Relative Brightness: 6.3
Grunt, here's what I did, I went to Dicks and asked to try out every pair in the case in my price range. Looked to the far end of the store and compared clarity and focus, brightness.
Then I looked at a couple pairs that were much more expensive, just to make a comparison.. I found a pair of Bushnells for $120.00 that Im very happy with. If your going out west where your glassing vast acreage I can definitley see the value in a really good pair. For me Im lucky if I can see 200 yds through the woods, thats far in my neck of the woods., Get the very best ones you can afford. You'll be glad you did.
Harbor freight 10X binocs $9.99. Price is right and in New England your lucky if you can see more then 75 yrds without trees.
Low power better for the east. 10x is too much. Shaky when holding with one hand. 6,7 or 8 power max. Also, the brightness factor is the power decided into the objective lens size. 8x32 has a brightness factor of 4. 6.5x32 has a factor of 4.9. Much brighter. 10x20 compacts have a factor of 2. Bad for hunting.
Ideally you want to purchase optics with an exit pupil diameter of 5mm. Multiples of 5 are what you are looking for in the relationship of the power and objective lense diameter. Optimum ratios are 10 x 50, 8 x 40, 7 x 35 etc. This will give you your optimum clarity and brightness for any given lense manufacturer.
