Bino Question

[cantexduck]

15x50 Leica
I love them and see no problems holding them steady .

[LWD]

This is very true.

Spend your money on better glass, not higher magnification.

This and make sure you have AT LEAST a 5mm exit pupil. Exit pupil is the objective size divided by the magnification. So for 10x you'll want at least a 50mm objective for better low light performance.

[RMW]

10x42 Swaro’s

[Smart]

Bino Question

10x42 for 20 plus years and my next sets, if I need any, will be the same. It’s just the perfect happy medium for what I need them for.

[RdRdrFan]

You are asking the wrong group. Ask the birders. When it comes to glass recommendation.

I don’t claim to be an expert but I can regurgitate what I’ve learned from reading on their forums.

Exit pupil and light transmission - the human eye cannot process anything greater than a 4. That is why 10x42’s are a good sweet spot. Anything more than that in a 10 power bino is just adding weight to your neck as it relates to light transmission.

That doesn’t mean that there can’t be other advantages to larger exit pupil binos. I had a set of 8.5x42 EL’s that were amazing. They were SLIGHTLY more crisp than my 8x32 EL’s but the difference was extremely minimal and it had absolutely nothing to do with low light performance. They performed the same for me at low light. I sold the 8.5x42’s to save weight and size on my chest for western archery hunts. The 8x32’s are my go to elk and high country bino.

If I’m riding in a truck most of the time or sitting on stand where I can glass a ways then I take my 12x50’s. The extra power is pure awesomeness.

Anyway, went down a rabbit trail but the main point is that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to objective size. The sweet spot for exit pupil is 4.