what are your favorites and why? Can a guy get a nice setup without breaking the bank too bad?

Ok, what he said. But....
There really is nothing like a pair of Swarovski ELs. Really. However, I think that there are very serviceable binos in the $300-400 range. Leupold, Nikon, bushnell, among others make some pretty nice glass in this price range. I can't comment too much on spotting scopes, but I've looked through a few and anything less than a $600 price tag was a complete waste of time. Check out
http://swfa.com/default.aspx
I bought a couple scopes and a pair of binos from them. Check out the sample list, the stuff they bring to shows and the like and the box is dinged or the case scratched.



Willy

wish I'd done that years ago.
have a Swarovski EL binocs and STS 20-60x Spotting scope for the last couple seasons.
Far and beyond my previous Bushnell, Leupold and Redfield optics; the clarity, eye strain relief and spotting more game easier than ever.
These travel with me to AZ for the Dec and Jan archery deer seasons. Invaluable down there for spot-stalk evaluation.

expensive yes, performance....priceless.

when you guys say, "go green" what do you mean? I'm not finding a Green brand of binoculars.

oh, is it because the Swarovski el's are green?

Swarovski

Swarovski +1000000

Of course the Green bino's are the bomb but not everyone has $1400 to spend on them.

If i am correct steeliedrew if fairly new to hunting and probably has already stretched the pocket getting outfitted (please correct me if I'm wrong). To be honest I think you would be happy with a pair of Nikon action ex. they are around $200. you can allways upgrade down the road.....

yes, between major house work and getting outfitted very basically, my pockets are damn near non existent. I'm trying to start getting setup better for next year already though.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/binoculars.html

not a bad place to get a price idea

Swarovski is absolute first choice hands down... but I have carried these for the last ten years without a single complaint



www.nikonhunting.com/products/binoculars/monarch_atb/10x36/7514

And you don't need a spotting scope for what you are doing this year (in my opinion).

As far as binos get as good as you can afford. I just bought my son some Nikons (+/-) $250 and they are pretty nice for the price. I like 10x42 for a nice overall size/weight compromise.

Bought a pair of Leica binos about 3 decades ago. Figuring cost/year of faithful service, they were cheap....

Would suggest going to a place like Cabelas that carries a number of top quality glass options and doing the bino sandwich trick. Hold 2 or 3 pairs atop each other, oggle from top to bottom and discard the poorest one. Repeat until you are left with the top dog. There are deals on eBay for used glass....

Most can not afford swarovski. Infact few can. For a good bino for about 1/4 the price you can get an 8~42 nikon monarch. They are lifetime war and seem to do fine. They are not Swarov but will most of the time do the job.

Now that being said I have a ziess scope on my 300 that I would not trade anything for. Sometimes you get what you pay for........but you pay for what you can afford. Dont trade good boots, raingear, or warmth for a better pair of binos. You can hunt without optics. You can not without feet and frozen fingers.

Been hunting with Nikon Monarchs for the last 6-8 yrs. Excellent glass for the money! My next pair will be Steiners. Yes the green ones are nice. I'll bet anyone $1000 I've killed just as many if not more animals than most of the guys sporting a green pair around their neck. Carring a pair of Swarovski's doesn't make you a better hunter! It does make you look cool! If money was know object I might own a pair.

thanks everybody. so far in my optics arsenal I have a Nikon archers choice rangefinder which I love. I also have a large pair of old military looking binoculars that I just keep in the truck for glassing clear cuts and what not. I'd like some binoculars that are compact and easy on the eyes though.

where u should be bow hunting for blacktails, not open clearcuts, u really dont need any glass, but a pair of nikons will be just fine.

Do yourself a favor and look at Stieners.

I've got buddies with Liaca's, Zies and Leopolds that for some reason keep borrowing my Stieners.

About $500 to $600.

Unless you are strictly hunting eastern Wa or plan on hunting Utah, Az or any other big time open country I'm not sold you need $1500+ pair of binos. If you can afford them then definitely get a pair of Swarovski's but if not you'll be very happy with a mid range pair.

I've got a few rules when it comes to shopping................

Leather boots come from Italy!
Optics come from Germany!
Firearms come from America!

Swarovski's are excellent, but another great, affordable option that is also green is Vortex. I have had a pair of the Talons for a couple years and really like them. They have a great warranty too. I think mine retailed for around $450.

Vortex and Zen-Ray seem to hit the price-performance sweet spot.
Both are worth a look.

I use Leupold gold rings. Both 10x42 binos and 15-40x60 spotting scope. Use a Manfroto tripod.

Great optics, Oregon Made. When I did the pepsi challange, I really liked Swarovskis, leica, Leupold. But I could not for the life of me see a $500+ difference. So I chose a quality optic that is made local. So far, I have not been dissapointed with Customer service or quality. I just purchased a Leupold Full Draw Range finder. Best range finder for archery hunters period. It actually ranges TBR out to 175 yards not that I will need it for that, but many of the older models stopped giving true distance at 60 some yards. It is much simpler to use as the features are limited to archery.
Kyle

Cabela's Euro HD binos are the best bang for the buck. They hang with any of the Swaros or Leicas.

The reason people say that their binoc's (non Swaro, leica, or Zeiss) is because they can't properly judge glass.

To judge glass, the first test is to map the glass. Pick an object with a lot of detail and focus on it, from there move your glass up/down and left and right. Notice the point where the distortion start, on the cheap glass about up to 40% of the lense will be blurry.

Why does this matter? Imagine hunting with no peripheral vision, when you use cheap bino's you loose it. Also the distortion causes headaches and eye fatigue over time.. Look though a pair of nikons or vortex's all day and you will have a headache and eye strain.

Next look at the color, good color distinction allows you to pick the brown of a mule deer out of a dirt patch of sage, or an ear tip out in a clear cut.

Also scan with the binos and you'll notice distortion when you do that as well.

Most of them look good in the center but fail in the details.

Just keep telling yourself that........

WRO gets it. Glass lenses have sweet spots. Some are just bigger'n others, and priced in accord.

When hittin' sweet spots, I don't like headaches.....

Headache free after using a pair of Nikon binoculars for two decades. Buy 'em and you'll have to find another reason for not having sex...like "you're ugly".