Bino Upgrade Justified?

[StevOH]

I didn't see an optics category so I figured I'd post this question here. The one piece of advice I'm hoping not to get is - buy the best optics you can afford. It never seems that helpful to me - I could probably "afford" $1000 binos, but it wouldn't be comfortable and other gear would have to wait. I'm currently using a pair of Nikon 8x42 Prostaff 7 Binoculars - they're just under $200 binos. My question is, if I were to upgrade to a pair of Vortex Viper HD's (around 3x the price), are they going to look 3x better or even twice as good? I'm a firm believer in good glass, but dropping $1000 on binos would be tough for me to justify, so is there a sweet spot in terms of return on investment above the $200 price point I'm at now?
Thanks.
Steve

 

[Nicholas909]

I bought my first pair of bino's based off of what I could afford at the time, which were a pair of Bushnell's. I hated them after a few hours of use. Then I bought a pair of Leupold that were in the $200 range. They weren't much better. So I saved more & bought my Vortex Talon HD bino's for around $500. I'm extremely happy with them. If I had more time before I needed them I would of bought the Viper HD's. The quality in the Vortex glass is far better then any other glass I've used.
To answer you Q: about if the Viper Hd's will look 3x better? Not sure about 3x better, But yes you will notice a big difference especially in low light. With that said, If you have the money to buy the better glass then I say buy it. It's worth it. If your Nikon's are working for you, and your not straining your eye's then your good.

 

[ilovesprig]

Always used Bushnell's and for lack of better reasoning, I thought they were good enough.....I then bought some Vortex Diamondbacks......Much better glass all the way around and not very expensive.

Well about 3 years ago a friend said he had some brand new Swarovski 10x42 EL's that he would sell me at half price ($1,300.00).....I bought them and I can tell you under any conditions they are without a doubt the best looking glass I've ever used (I've borrowed friends binos).....3x's better, don't know. Just know I wish I would've pulled the pin years ago......2 cents

Little story.....Jacob and Stefanie came over and I had just bought the Swavo's.....It was literally dark....I asked them if they could see anything on my lawn (about 50 yds away).....I gave him my Vortex's and still nothing.....I then handed him the real glass.....5 rabbits on the lawn.....He asked me if they were night vision.....Nope, just plain old 10x42's.....

ps.....I'm sure Leica's, Steiner's, etc. are very good as well.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Bino's are the most used item in my gear collection other than boots. low quality binos will fatigue your eyes and the image will not be as crisp and clear, that could make the difference in spotting game in low light or partially obscured animals. Buy the best you can afford it will pay off over time

 

[Josh Pearson]

For what it's worth I'm in your situation and I have a pair of binoculars(Leupold Cascades's) that are fairly close in price to your Prostaff 7's and I'm not very happy with them. Instead of bumping up to a $500-$1000 pair I'm going to skip the midrange stuff and continue saving for a pair of the super expensive binoculars like Swarovski or Leica etc.. I looked through a pair of Swarovski EL's and then through a pair of Leupold Cascades and the Swarovski's were a lot more than 3x better.

 

[Lungpopper]

The problem with buying lower end binos is that they always leave you wanting something better. So you buy something a little better but still not what you really want. After doing this 5 or 6 times you could have bought really good glass with what you spent. I know because that's how I worked my way up. I should have bit the bullet years earlier.
Like SC said. Boots and Binos get used more than any of your other gear. Good binos will last for many many years. Think of it as a long term investment.

 

[sunny417]

Wish I would have bitten the bullet the first time. Nikon to leupold to vortex to now zeiss. All good, but from first to last I see at least twice the quality in certain light conditions.

 

[Bonejour]

...The one piece of advice I'm hoping not to get is - buy the best optics you can afford. It never seems that helpful to me...

I get your meaning, but the fact is you get what you pay for when you buy optics. But the relationship isn't linear, meaning triple the price won't necessarily triple the quality. Other than the excellent insights offered above, I'd add that if you look through the binos, you'll know in a few minutes whether they are comfortable. Go to a store with a big selection and look through a lot of them. Pay attention as you look through them, and you'll feel your eye muscles straining with poor quality lenses. If you can, go in the evening when light is low, and see how much light they gather. That's more related to lens coating than precision grinding, and it's worth a lot because in low light, good binos collect light so you can see thing that are invisible to your naked eye.