The choices made when buying binoculars is a weighty decision for every hunter and outdoorsman. As we develop into more advanced hunters, we learn that high quality optics become more important. So, will we take the easy path with a pair of cheap hunting binoculars that may or may not even survive through the next season?
Or instead, do some basic research and choose something with more quality that will not only last but will vastly outperform the cheap off the shelf binoculars. Buying better optics should be viewed as a long term investment. Today’s best binoculars for hunting are highly engineered to provide us with brighter and clearer vision while in the field. Making a wise investment in binoculars today will benefit you with more successful hunting trips for years to come.
Contents:
Comparing the Top Hunting Binoculars
| Model: | Price Range: | Weight: | FOV: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vortex Diamondback 8x42 | $$$ | 25.2 oz | 420 ft |
| Vortex Crossfire 10x42 | $$ | 23.3 oz | 325 ft |
| Vortex Viper HD 8x42 | $$$$ | 24.2 oz | 347 ft |
| Steiner Predator 10x42/td> | $$$ | 26.5 oz | 316 ft |
| Cabela’s Intensity HD 8×25 | $$ | 8.3 oz | 357 ft |
| Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 | $$$ | 20.8 oz | 330 ft |
| Vortex Fury HD 10x42 | $$$$$ | 31.8 oz | 314 ft |
Hunting Binoculars by Price Range
If you have a specific price range you’re shopping for, we have separate articles comparing the best hunting binoculars in several price ranges.
7 Best Binoculars for Hunting
In general, you want to pick binoculars within your budget that have the best magnification for you, the widest field of view, coated lenses, waterproof, fog-proof, and still lightweight. That’s a lot to ask for, but we’ve narrowed down the field to find the top picks in a variety of price ranges that are great options for most hunters.
1. Vortex Diamondback HD
Deer hunting presents us with a choice, because some hunters prefer hunting in the big woods, while others like to setup across open fields. That leaves deer hunters with a decision; buy the binoculars with more magnification or with a brighter and larger field of view?
8×42 binoculars are a great all-around choice for whitetail hunting. You get a good magnification with a wider field of view. Woods hunting, and bow hunters, in particular, do not need the higher magnification. They need a greater field of view and a brighter picture for the lower light environment. In this case, a quality set of 8×42 magnification binoculars are strongly recommended. On the other hand, if you hunt fields or are an avid muzzleloader, then 10×42 would be an excellent choice.
We highly recommend the Vortex Diamondbacks as the best deer hunting binoculars. They are bright, lightweight, high-quality glasses that come highly rated by hunters. The best part is they can be had for around $300 or less.
2. Vortex Crossfire HD
The entry level Crossfire may cost a fraction of the premium models, but they are anything but cheap. While they lack the fancier phase corrected prisms and fog-proof features of the Diamondback and Viper series, they have fully coated lenses and the rugged body Vortex is known for.
The 8×42 and 10×42 models weigh about the same as the other Vortex series. Their size is only slightly larger at 6.0-6.2” tall, and 5.1” wide. The Crossfires come in 4 magnifications. There is a model for most hunters, including bow and field hunting, as well as 10 and 12×50 for longer range scouting capability. Throw in the Vortex VIP warranty and Crossfires easily earn our pick for best cheap hunting binoculars.
3. Vortex Viper HD
The best 8×42 binoculars for your money, in my opinion, are the Vortex Viper HD. The Vipers have many of the features the high dollar glasses do but at a fraction of the cost.
The lenses are made from high density, extra-low dispersion glass, with phase correction, and anti-reflective coatings. This design means you get bright, clean, and crisp viewing with little to no glare that I always seem to get with cheaper binos.
I love that I can go from sun to shadow and still maintain a highly detailed image. I also never seem to develop a sore neck from using these for several days. They are very light weight and I don’t have to strain my eyes.
The housings are rugged and can take some abuse. They are covered with a rubberized coating that Vortex calls “ArmorTek”. The ArmorTek makes for no slip holding and absorbs the bumps and falls that inevitably happen in the field. Don’t worry about a little rain because they are also waterproof and fog proof.
One other feature I really like the locking diopter. The diopter lets you adjust the glasses to account for the slight differences between your two eyes. If the diopter didn’t lock, it would make for a long day of refocusing and tired eyes.
When you take all those great features and performance, then throw in the Vortex Lifetime Warranty, you have one heck of a pair of hunting binoculars. If I haven’t convinced you how awesome the Viper HD are you can read more reviews here.
4. Steiner Predator Pro
Steiner is a German company, with precision and quality optics being something that country is well known for. The Predators are made directly in Germany, and come with the Steiner Heritage Lifetime Warranty. This model is highly rated by users, and can be had for less than $500–600.
10×42 binoculars are strong enough for good downrange scouting, perfect for the open fields and vast farmlands of North America. The Predator binoculars are equipped with Color Adjusted Transmission lens coatings that help brighten up the low light dawn and dusk periods. All things considered, if you stalk big turkey, or rifle and bow hunt for deer, the Predator 10×42 are a top option to consider.
5. Cabela’s Intensity HD 8×25
Check Price at: Cabela’s
If hunting light and fast is your thing, you may consider compact binoculars. Optics are considered compact when the objective lens is 28 or smaller. The most common sizes being 8×25, 8×28, or 10×25. The bodies are much smaller, and the tradeoff is the amount of light transmitted to your eyes.
To achieve the compact design, the lenses are smaller in diameter (25mm objective) to achieve the tubular shape. To achieve the same magnification as the larger models, these smaller lenses provide a substantially less bright image. To get a brighter view you’ll need to move down in magnification to 6x or lower. If you are an active hunter or you like to travel light, compact hunting binoculars can be a great option.
The Intensity HD are true compact binoculars. The tubes are nearly straight and can fold underneath the bridge for storage. Cabela’s has packed in a ton of good stuff into a small package. The Intensity HD are water and nitrogen purged fog proof. For the lenses, you get both sides of the lenses fully multi-coated, and the prisms are phase coated to bring out more light intensity.
Compacts have a bad rap as being the cheapest binoculars produced, but Cabela’s has put together some of the best compact hunting binoculars for the money. Not only are the glasses good, but you get a soft sided carry case with strap and a microfiber cleaning cloth. If you need good optics in a compact and lightweight size, look at the Intensity HD.
6. Nikon Monarch 5 8×42
An 8×42 set of binoculars is perhaps the smartest choice for bow hunting. The 8x magnification is powerful enough to pick out details in thick cover, yet small enough to be easy to carry into a tree stand. Choose a model with an objective of 42 or less and you’ll have optics than are versatile enough for most types of hunting.
Some bow hunters might turn their nose up at the need for binoculars when they can only shoot an animal 25 yards away. I would argue that binoculars can help you pattern those animal’s movements, indicating you might need to move your tree stand. You can also use them to track the animal after a shot. I’ve used my binoculars to in the past to follow the deer until I see them die, making for much easier tracking of the animal.
The Nikon Monarch series is well known for optical clarity and ease of use. The Monarch 5’s focus easily and the ED glass provide bright images. The Monarch 5 are also some of the lightest binoculars in their respective sizes, sometimes weighting up to 5 ounces less than the competition.
7. Vortex Fury HD 5000 – Best Rangefinder Binoculars
Have you seen these marvelous creations on TV hunting shows yet? These binoculars go the extra mile and have a built in laser range finder. Rangefinder binoculars use lasers to measure the distance to a target. They use sophisticated technology to measure the reflection return of the laser back to the binoculars and then displaying a target range reading.
Vortex has come out with the new Fury HD Rangefinder binoculars. They are expensive, no doubt, but compared to the competition not bad at all. The optics are equivalent to the Viper HD, and the construction is typical Vortex stout and balanced.
The rangefinder is controlled with two large, easy to toggle buttons on the right side of the bridge. Users have reported the rangefinder function to be fast and accurate if a little washed out with lower light backdrops. If you want an alternative to the expensive Swarovski and Leica ranging binos, the new Vortex Fury HD deserves consideration.
Getting the Best Hunting Binoculars for the Money
Like most pieces of outdoor gear, there is a broad range of binoculars with varying features and quality. The best binoculars for hunting will have distinctive features compared to birding or stargazing binoculars. It’s your task now to understand these features and how you will be using the binoculars to get the best value for your money.
Does the adage “you get what you pay for”, apply to hunting optics? Yes, it certainly does, to an extent. If you have the cash to drop on the latest German engineered binoculars, then go for it. Those are some crazy awesome hunting optics.
While I don’t ever recommend buying anything under $100, it is not required to spend $2,000 either. Some of the best binoculars for hunting that I have ever owned have cost less than $600. To get the best optics for your money, I would look to the mid to middle-upper range of binoculars for the best blend of performance and value.
Important Binocular Features for Hunters
Anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors should invest in a good pair of binoculars; however, shopping for them can be a confusing experience for the uninformed. To understand how to buy binoculars for hunting, you need to understand the basics of how to read binocular specs.
Quality Components, Quality Build – Quality should come first when shopping for hunting binoculars. It’s extremely important when looking for a reliable pair of binoculars to find a pair that is top of the line both optically and mechanically.
If you cheap out and spend just $100 on binoculars, you are bound to be disappointed. But you don’t have to take out a loan to get good binos either. There is a middle ground that you need to seek, where quality components merge with sane pricing. I would stick with the trusted brands like Nikon, Pentax, Steiner, Vortex, Leica, and Zeiss.
By understanding the different binoculars specs, you will make a sound decision and end up with a reliable and long-lasting purchase.
Magnification – Magnification, also called power, is the first number in a binocular model and is one of the most important choices you’ll have when buying hunting binoculars. For example, 8×42 has a magnification of “8x”. 8x means the object you are viewing will appear 8 times larger or closer than with your unaided eye.
In this video, Ben and Diane of Eagle Optics, do a great job demonstrating the differences between magnifications. Watch the video below, and think about how you like to hunt, I think it will help make sense of which power to choose when buying your new binoculars.
- 8x Magnification – Wider field of view, collect more light for a brighter image, usually more compact and lightweight.
- 10x Magnification – Much closer view of your target, but sacrifice field of view, some steadiness, and some brightness.
Objective Lens – This is the second number in a binocular specification. When you see a binocular marked as 10×42, this simply means that the objective lens is 42mm in diameter. The objective then focuses that light into the prisms, which flip the image right side up, and into the magnifying lens near your eyes.
The larger the objective diameter is, the more light that is gathered from the field of view. So a 10×50 binocular will produce a brighter image than a 10×42.
As you move up in objective power, you also move up in price and size. 42mm is by far the most common size objective, as consumers have found it to be an ideal size with good performance and maintaining a compact overall size.
Field of View – The FOV is determined by the binoculars’ optical design. This is the width of the picture you can see with the binoculars at a specified distance (usually 1,000 feet). Pay attention to this number, as better binoculars will many times have a slightly larger field of view.
Prisms – Prisms are extremely important in a pair of binoculars because they are what allow you to see the image right side up through the eyepieces. Look for binos with prisms made from BaK-4 glass. BaK-4 is an optically superior glass compared to the BK-7 that you will find in the cheapo units.
There are two types of prisms used in most binoculars today, Porro prism, and roof prisms.
- Roof Prisms – These have become the industry norm, due to their compactness. Roof prisms allow for the objective lens to be aligned directly with the eyepiece, allowing for straight optical tubes that can fold up into a more compact size.
- Porro Prisms – These prisms are arranged in a z-shape, meaning the objective lens and ocular lens do not line up and require an offset and boxy shape for the optical tubes. Porro prisms normally provide brighter images than roof prism, due to the fact roof prisms use silvered finished, and the result is an approximate 12% reduction in transmission of light.
So why do most binoculars use roof prisms if they tend to have inferior optics? Consumers demanded a more compact design, and the manufacturers have in turn spent most of their efforts on those designs. There are exceptions, like the Leica Geovid HD-B rangefinder binos, but those are an extremely premium piece of equipment.[/su_spoiler]
Lens Coatings and Their Function – Lens coatings are a vital part of any pair of binoculars. They assist in the transmission of light, as well as cut down on glare, and other optical phenomena.
When you look at a pair of binoculars, you may notice colored reflections in the objective lenses. This is due to anti-reflection coatings. Anti-reflective coatings are used to reduce the amount of light lost at various optical surfaces by reflecting at each surface, and aid in a clear image being shown. You will most often see these four descriptions on binoculars:
- Coated – A single layer of anti-reflection coating, usually only on the objective and magnification lenses.
- Multi-Coated – Some lens surfaces will be coated multiple times.
- Fully Coated – All lens surfaces touched by the air have a coating.
- Full Multi-Coated – All lens surfaces will have multiple anti-reflection coatings.
You can probably already guess that you want either fully coated or fully multi-coated lenses on your binoculars.
Collimation – Collimation is just a fancy word meaning optical alignment. A well collimated binocular will have the lenses optical axis aligned together with high precision. Lenses that are out of collimation will result in poor performance and a nice headache for the hunter.
The other factor is the pivot points between the two optical tubes. These pivot points form the bridge of the binoculars, and must also be aligned precisely for your eyes to see properly and effortlessly.
As you would expect, it takes costly instruments to achieve this, meaning the higher quality binoculars will have well collimated optics, and the cheap pairs will seldom meet that goal.
Exit Pupil – Exit pupil is determined by the magnification and the diameter of the objective lens. The diameter of the exit pupil will give the amount of light that reaches your eye. You calculate the exit pupil by dividing the objective (second number) by the magnification (first number).
Exit pupil matters for hunters because it controls the amount of ambient light that reaches your eyes. The human iris is around 7mm in diameter, so the closer to 7mm, the closer you are to see the image with maximum brightness. Therefore an 8×42 (exit pupil = 5.25) binocular produces a brighter image than a 10×42 (exit pupil = 4.2).
For hunters, they need to think about how and where they usually hunt. If you spend most of your time in low light conditions, then you will want to purchase either 8×42 or 10×50 binoculars for the best light transmission. Hunters in open spaces and daylight conditions can more easily get away with a smaller exit pupil on a 10×42 because there is simply a greater amount of light available for transmission.
Relative Brightness Index (RBI) – This is an index used to describe how bright an image is seen in a binocular. You simply multiply the exit pupil by itself to get the RBI. Looking at an 8×42 binocular, the exit pupil is 5.25, so 5.25 x 5.25 is 27.56. An RBI over 25 is considered to be suitable for low light conditions.
Twilight Factor – Twilight Factor is a subjective specification, and is somewhat useful to hunters, as it is supposed to be determined by how much you will be able to see in a dawn or dusk situation. The larger the twilight factor, the brighter that binocular is supposed to be at sunrise and sunset.
Which Magnification is best for Hunting, 8×42 or 10×42?
8×42 and 10×42 are the most popular sizes of binoculars for hunting. They have a good combination of power and light gathering capability, which is perfect for low light hunting conditions. Those 2 numbers are important and you need to think about how you hunt and your personal vision abilities to determine which is best for your hunting trips.
The first number is magnification, which simply means you will be seeing an object “8 times” or “10 times” closer than with an unaided eye. That sounds great and all, but higher magnification also means you will potentially experience a magnified unsteadiness in the eyepiece. Having a sweet pair of 10×42 lenses doesn’t do much good if have the coffee shakes out in the field!
If you hunt mostly in the woods where visibility is limited in the first place, then 8×42 binoculars will be a fine choice. My female hunter friends also like 8×42 binoculars for their lighter weights.
Alternately, 10×42 is better for hunting in open fields, and if you have excellent vision and steady hands. 10×42 binoculars are almost always heavier, and if you tend to scout with your optics for long stretches of time, your hands and arms may get tired. For those hunting in the western US, you could benefit from even higher magnifications, but you may need a monopod or binocular harness to steady your view.
*Last updated 2024-09-17 at 14:45 / Product Links & Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
