AT Hiker Report post Posted October 7, 2015 OK, so here is my situation. I opted out of upgrading my bow, backpack and sleeping over the past couple years to save up for a pair of high quality glass. My hunting style; -Backpacking away from the truck is my ideal world, although I do glass from the pickup occasionally for pronghorn/mule deer -Lighter weight gear is preferred -Im not a long range hunter, so I need to close to the distance with a rifle -I do archery hunt and will likely pick it up more -I have a Vortex Razor 11-33x50 spotter, I often pack it in with me. I gave a brief introduction of myself on the AZ Coues hunting section, I drew a late 31 tag. Here is what I am looking at, my price range WAS $1,500 max. Vortex 10x42 Razor HD Swarovski 10x42 SLC After long consideration about the quality and investment I decided to look at the SLC and up my budget. Well, once I went into that price range I discovered the 10x42 EL and EL Range. Way over my price point, BUT I am willing to sell a kidney to possibly consider them as a purchase. I love the idea of range finder/binoc combo. However, I have read that close ranging is not always possible. So that is a MAJOR drawback, as archery hunting gets the most range finder use from me. Im not dead set on range finding binocs, but if Im do purchase some EL's I figured the few extra hundred bucks might be worth it. What do you guys think? Any other ideas, sadly I am not in a area where I can go and look through multiple pairs. Also, Im not stuck on 10x42 but research leads me to believe these are the best bet for my style of hunting. I have an old pair of Nikon 10x50 but they are so obsolete its not worth mentioing. Thanks! **I should add that I will try to add a stud to use these binocs on my tripod. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AverageJoe Report post Posted October 7, 2015 If you are thinking about using the el range as your only archery rangefinder...dont. You would be hard pressed to get a quick read on a deer at 40 yards as 10 power is way too much for close up ranging. If you have a normal rangefinder for archery and want the el's for rifle hunting that would work out fine. That being said I would rather have a separate rangefinder and binocular combo. Get some used 10x42 slc's and a leica rangefinder and you will be in well under the price of el range's. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cactusjack Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Im glad you learned "Buy once, Cry once" when it comes to optics. I have the Leica Geovids 10x42. I love them. however they like the Swaro have to be activated with your left hand. Not so good for right handed bow hunters. Also, the warranty on binos with electronics in them is not the same Lifetime you get with just binos. (5 years Leica and 2 Swaro - I believe) Had I known that I would have just bought the Swaro 10 EL HD and a Leica 1600b. Just a couple of thoughts 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AT Hiker Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Yes, I have a normal (and very affordable) range finder. It does the job for me and a good job at that. Basically I use a range finder for archery, less than 50 yards. I will use it on rifle hunts but since I rarely shoot past 300 yards its not all that important. It ranges out to 500 yards so I use it a lot in stalking too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big or Bust Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Good tripod first then get a pair of non hds 15x56 slcs that you can likely find for under $1500... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertmafia21 Report post Posted October 7, 2015 I would go with the razor 12x50s over the 10x42. A little more power and super lightweight. I have them and love them. Save money and get a used pair then send them in for service and they will come back like new 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big or Bust Report post Posted October 7, 2015 And some country you may be unable to get as close as 300, especially cross canyon. Trust me. Practice and extend your range. You gave a good tag. Dont constrain yourself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost85 Report post Posted October 7, 2015 Here ya go. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/60920-10x42-leica-geovids/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rageinthesage Report post Posted October 7, 2015 ^^^^yup, also $1500 can get you an incredible pair of glass. My father-in-law was recently in the market for 15x swaros, so I did my research, checked CL all across the state and found a pair listed for 14 in Tucson, I offered 12 he countered with 13 and threw in a jim white tripod head(which is $300 alone) to sweeten the deal! Couldn't believe it, and the glass is literally a 10 out of 10. Do your research, head to sportsman's, look through as much glass as can get your hands on, find what fits you best and start your search. Good luck! P.s. Welcome to the site! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesertBull Report post Posted October 7, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-EL-12x50-Binoculars-35012-w-Swarovision-/111791032448?hash=item1a0743c880 or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-binocular-slc-15x56-/131619557470?hash=item1ea523105e Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Report post Posted October 8, 2015 I'm not sure you want swaro 12's @ 35 oz around your neck. I say 10x42 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outdoor rush Report post Posted October 8, 2015 If you are a bow hunter look at the Leica Typ 402 HD-R 8x42. They will give you incline/decline from 10-600 yards (EL range will only go down to 33 yards.) If you are not looking for a bino/rangefinder combo the new SLC are awesome glass and you can also pick up a used pair of EL for $1500-1900. Any one of these binos would be worth saving a little longer to purchase then just getting a lower end optic. Jake 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertmafia21 Report post Posted October 8, 2015 http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/111790023508 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kwp Report post Posted October 8, 2015 Like some others have said, I'd consider some 12 power binos. That being said, if you are choosing between 10x42 slc hd and el without the range I would go with the slc. The slc hd are amazing glass and I don't think the price jump up to the el is worth it. I have 10x42 el and I feel like the slc are a little more rigid construction. I have had to send my el in for service multiple times. Swaro always fixes them but I'd rather not have to send them in at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daryl_s Report post Posted October 8, 2015 ^^^^yup, also $1500 can get you an incredible pair of glass. My father-in-law was recently in the market for 15x swaros, so I did my research, checked CL all across the state and found a pair listed for 14 in Tucson, I offered 12 he countered with 13 and threw in a jim white tripod head(which is $300 alone) to sweeten the deal! Couldn't believe it, and the glass is literally a 10 out of 10. Do your research, head to sportsman's, look through as much glass as can get your hands on, find what fits you best and start your search. Good luck! P.s. Welcome to the site! Wow!!!! That's a steal if I ever saw one. Patience can be the key to finding the best deals. After spending a lot of time trying out different binos I found that I liked the new Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 a lot. After using the same Nikon Monarchs for the last 8 years I felt it was time to enter the world of premium binos. Due to my inexperience on eBay I watched a very nice used pair of the new Zeiss go for $670. I goofed big time on that one. There are some great deals on Amazon right now with some added incentives from Zeiss. They have upgraded their warranty. It is now lifetime and the first five years are no fault coverage. You can find a new pair for around $900 and these binos are awesome. http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=zeissconquesthd10x42 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
