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Need help deciding on binos

2Twenty3

2Twenty3

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Minuteman
Mar 13, 2023
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Georgia
So I have found myself at the point where I am in need of some good quality binoculars, but also need a rangefinder as well. So naturally I have been looking at the various rangefinding binos on the market, but have heard/seen too many complaints about image quality, and lowlight performance. My main question is should I go for a bino unit with LRF capability, or pick up some Vortex Razor UHD's (or some other comparable model with good glass quality) and a decent RF monocular? I understand that I could go for the alpha-tier offerings from Leica, Swaro, or Zeiss and not really have the issues I stated earlier.. but would rather not spend more than $1500. So here are the options I have looked into, would love to know what anyone's thoughts/experiences are. These are what I'm primarily interested in (but not limited to) these units:

Rangefinding Binos:
-Vortex Fury 5000 10x42
-Athlon Cronus UHD 10x50
-Burris Signature HD 10x42
-Meopta Optika LR 10x42
-Minox X-Range 10x42
-Steiner Predator 10x42
-Leica Geovid R 10x42

Anyone that has real experience with any of these, I would love to know what you think! Thanks luv u


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OREGUN said:
In your price range. The fury 5000 is a no brainer. Get the AB model and throw your kestrel away too.
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That's what i've been leaning towards. Just wanting the best low light performance I can get. Was thinking the Cronus might be a little better with a 50mm objective.. just not seeing an abundance of feedback on them though. I know they both have a no questions asked warranty.
 
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What is the intended uses of the bino? Of the LRF?

Hunting? Are you going to be spending long periods "glassing"? Competitions? Ang competitions where you have to range on the clock? What is your magnification for the binos?
 
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kthomas said:
What is the intended uses of the bino? Of the LRF?

Hunting? Are you going to be spending long periods "glassing"? Competitions? Ang competitions where you have to range on the clock? What is your magnification for the binos?
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Hunting is the primary use.. Longest shot distance would be probably 500 yards, so no need for crazy far distance ranging capability. Main priority would be low light performance, but want something to range with instead of having to carry a mono RF.
 
I have only used the Sig 10k and the fury AB. Can’t speak to any of the others or to “low light” conditions, whatever that means to you exactly. The sigs come up with a ballistic solution faster and the glass is a little better. They seem to have a bluish tint to my eyes but it’s not bad enough I would not buy because of it. They are also many times more expensive. Ive used the Fury 5 AB dozens of prs and hunter style matches (50+ Match days last year) for spotting and range verification and as a backup to my kestrel. The glass is good enough to see hits on plates at 1000 yards, the range finder does fine at least that far out and the ballistic solutions match my kestrel exactly. I’m not a Hunter so I can’t really say what makes sense. I would say that with onboard AB, you can ignore everything and just spot, range and engage without having to wonder if the dope you wrote on your arm board when you were at sea level is still going to work on the hunting ground at 6000 ft, or if the batteries in your RF and in your Kestrel are still ok, for example.
 
For hunting, I would up my game and go big three. Z, L or S. These will give the low light capability and contrast you need for hunting. IMHO all others fall short.
 
mrmarklin said:
For hunting, I would up my game and go big three. Z, L or S. These will give the low light capability and contrast you need for hunting. IMHO all others fall short.
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But I just can’t justify spending 3k on binos
 
Leupold BX4 binos are considered good glass by many, and I think they just announced a LRF version.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
Heard too many people say that SIG's optical quality is like looking through a jam jar
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Look through them yourself. Until you adjust everything, of course they'll look like crap.

I personally can't stand any of the ranging binos. The display screws with my eyes bad. But that's probably because my brain is broken.

I played with a set of vortex fury's for a few hours and absolutely hated them.
 
For hunting glass quality is paramount for finding animals, you can't shoot what you can't see. I would not want any of those for a hunting binocular as the glass quality on the cheap BLRF's is poor and the barrels are always different tints which will give you hella eye fatigue when glassing for longer periods.

Between the two options I'd get the UHD's and a stand alone LRF. Personally though I'd take advantage of the Swarovski sale and pick up some EL's for $2K. If you buy them from outdoorsmans they'll come with the stud installed for free too. You'll have the gold standard pair of alpha binos that you'll never need to upgrade.
 
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redneckbmxer24 said:
For hunting glass quality is paramount for finding animals, you can't shoot what you can't see. I would not want any of those for a hunting binocular as the glass quality on the cheap BLRF's is poor and the barrels are always different tints which will give you hella eye fatigue when glassing for longer periods.

Between the two options I'd get the UHD's and a stand alone LRF. Personally though I'd take advantage of the Swarovski sale and pick up some EL's for $2K. If you buy them from outdoorsmans they'll come with the stud installed for free too. You'll have the gold standard pair of alpha binos that you'll never need to upgrade.
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I've heard/seen that the $1500 range of standalone binos really blows away the same price range LRF binos as far as glass quality goes. So you would agree?
 
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Phoenix Phantom said:
I've heard/seen that the $1500 range of standalone binos really blows away the same price range LRF binos as far as glass quality goes. So you would agree?
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Lrf binos will pretty much always suffer in comparison to a non lrf bino. For hunting I use swaros and a dedicated rangefinder so I don’t give up anything in glass quality
 
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Phoenix Phantom said:
I've heard/seen that the $1500 range of standalone binos really blows away the same price range LRF binos as far as glass quality goes. So you would agree?
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To a degree, yes. The Leica Geovid R's that I just sent back for factory defects did have very good glass in the center of the image, but the outer 30-40% of the image was just a blur and totally unusable and others have reported similar blurring on the edges. So what was there in the center I would say was good for the $1400 price point, and the differences in tint between the barrels was almost not noticeable but you could see it if you looked for it. I would not use them as my primary unit for glassing though. They still weren't alpha though but nothing that costs $1500 new retail is. I've used the Sig's and Fury's and the glass in them was not very good at all, about what you'd expect out of $300-$400 binos.

UHD's are a damn good pair of bins for what you can buy them for but I wouldn't pay more than $1200 for any of them. At their MAP price you can get Swaro EL, SLC or Meostar B1+ for the same or a little more (also new retail) that blow them away. I would buy them over BX5's or Trinovids though.
 
Altoonabcm157 said:
Lrf binos will pretty much always suffer in comparison to a non lrf bino. For hunting I use swaros and a dedicated rangefinder so I don’t give up anything in glass quality
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This is true in everything I've tried but the EL Range TA's. They give up absolutely nothing in glass quality to EL's and NL's, the glass is simply amazing. They also cost $4K though.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
Hunting is the primary use.. Longest shot distance would be probably 500 yards, so no need for crazy far distance ranging capability. Main priority would be low light performance, but want something to range with instead of having to carry a mono RF.
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Hunting. Coming from someone from MO I can say long distance shot is 150 yards, and that just does not happen all that often, well under 100 is where 99.9% of all game in MO is shot from.

I would first say, are you realistic in your estimates. I agree you do need something that will let the light in, you can't shoot what you cant see....and if you can see it in your binos, but not your scope, well what good is it. All that range stuff, at the distances around here you should be able to hit the fricken thing, but you would be shocked, or likely not at those that can't make an ethical shot at even those short distances.

I am big on buying what you need, I am also big on not paying for what I don't need. Really think about it, and think of the life it is going to live bouncing around in a UTV or whatever. If you need something "fancy" then do it. Around here you just don't need it.

My two bits that is not worth two quarters.
 
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I just noticed that you're right up the road from Outdoor Depot in Gainesville who has an excellent selection of glass including swaro, zeiss, sig, and vortex's high end stuff (they even had NL's on the shelf). I would highly suggest going there and testing out some different stuff. They let me take a few pair outside to look at and their pricing is very competitive to what you'll get calling around to dealers for specials and discounts. They're surrounded by parking lot so I'd try to go on a cloudy day otherwise you'll just get a lot of mirage and miss the detail differences between them that you'll appreciate in the woods or field.

Picking your own from a nice selection is always the best route since you get to pick what works best for you and your budget instead of a bunch of people on the internet telling you what they like or what they're satisfied with that could either look like complete dogshit to you, or could be something that you would be pleased with, or could be something completely unnecessary for your uses and budget. It can also be very hard on your wallet when you look through something that absolutely blows you away... that was the very first place I laid my hands on NL 12's and I had to have them afterwards and should have just bought them on the spot.
 
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redneckbmxer24 said:
I just noticed that you're right up the road from Outdoor Depot in Gainesville who has an excellent selection of glass including swaro, zeiss, sig, and vortex's high end stuff (they even had NL's on the shelf). I would highly suggest going there and testing out some different stuff. They let me take a few pair outside to look at and their pricing is very competitive to what you'll get calling around to dealers for specials and discounts. They're surrounded by parking lot so I'd try to go on a cloudy day otherwise you'll just get a lot of mirage and miss the detail differences between them that you'll appreciate in the woods or field.

Picking your own from a nice selection is always the best route since you get to pick what works best for you and your budget instead of a bunch of people on the internet telling you what they like or what they're satisfied with that could either look like complete dogshit to you, or could be something that you would be pleased with, or could be something completely unnecessary for your uses and budget. It can also be very hard on your wallet when you look through something that absolutely blows you away... that was the very first place I laid my hands on NL 12's and I had to have them afterwards and should have just bought them on the spot.
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Yeah man i'm actually the guy that sold you the Proof .223 barrel in Helen a few months ago lol.

I am a frequent customer of Outdoor Depot and forget that they have binoculars there. I will be around that area tomorrow actually, so I will go by there and check out what they do have.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
Yeah man i'm actually the guy that sold you the Proof .223 barrel in Helen a few months ago lol.

I am a frequent customer of Outdoor Depot and forget that they have binoculars there. I will be around that area tomorrow actually, so I will go by there and check out what they do have.
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Ohh, I didn't recognize your username for some reason. That's a great store, they had all of the 42mm NL's and EL's in stock when I was there and some others like 12x50 EL's and a couple pair of SLC's. They had Sig BLRF's and Vortex when I was there too and some Vortex binos.
 
fpgt72 said:
Hunting. Coming from someone from MO I can say long distance shot is 150 yards, and that just does not happen all that often, well under 100 is where 99.9% of all game in MO is shot from.

I would first say, are you realistic in your estimates. I agree you do need something that will let the light in, you can't shoot what you cant see....and if you can see it in your binos, but not your scope, well what good is it. All that range stuff, at the distances around here you should be able to hit the fricken thing, but you would be shocked, or likely not at those that can't make an ethical shot at even those short distances.

I am big on buying what you need, I am also big on not paying for what I don't need. Really think about it, and think of the life it is going to live bouncing around in a UTV or whatever. If you need something "fancy" then do it. Around here you just don't need it.

My two bits that is not worth two quarters.
Click to expand...
I agree whole heartedly with what you're saying and where you're coming from. But I take good care of my stuff, and believe that buying quality items actually saves you money in the long run more often than not. My goal is to buy something that I am not going to be easily persuaded into upgrading down the road. I don't necessarily believe in the "buy once cry once" for everything I need, but when it comes to something like optics, I want the best bang for my buck that is not in the budget tier.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
I've heard/seen that the $1500 range of standalone binos really blows away the same price range LRF binos as far as glass quality goes. So you would agree?
Click to expand...

You don't even need to spend $1500 to get in the "Alpha minus" bino territory.

Kowa Genesis 10.5x44's are regularly available at CameraLandNY for $999 on open box deals. Optically, they don't give up much at all to Swaro's. Edge to edge clarity is not as great, but otherwise you are getting amazing optical quality for a killer price.

Unless you see the need for an integrated LRF into a bino, for your needs and budget I would do separate bino and LRF. Having them combined saves an extra step, but its a luxury and unless you are shelling out top dollar (even if, really), you are making compromises.

A Kowa Genesis 10.5x44 at ~$1k + a handheld LRF at ~$500 (Leica, Sig, etc.) can accomplish a lot, and you would likely need to spend at least x2 on a LRF bino to get the same quality and features. Where LRF binos shine is with speed - you can identify + range in one step, and depending on what set of LRF binos you have, get your ballistic solution as well.

As nice as it would be to have an "all in one" unit, I personally wouldn't give up glass quality to do so. Which you would definitely be doing within your budget.
 
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Phoenix Phantom said:
I agree whole heartedly with what you're saying and where you're coming from. But I take good care of my stuff, and believe that buying quality items actually saves you money in the long run more often than not. My goal is to buy something that I am not going to be easily persuaded into upgrading down the road. I don't necessarily believe in the "buy once cry once" for everything I need, but when it comes to something like optics, I want the best bang for my buck that is not in the budget tier.
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You can buy top quality, but not top of the quality line. Not sure if I am getting what I am trying to say across.

If model A has every new feature known to man, but model Z from the same company has the same basic features, missing that cool Mossy Oak camo that you pay for and does nothing for the end product, and leaves off all the techno wiz bang stuff that talks to your cell phone, scope, god knows what else, why bother.

Now if you really want those features, or think they would be fun to play with go for it.

The camo pattern thing is what popped into my mind when I was reading the thread. Why pay for that, hell in some places you are wearing a blaze orange vest anyway, do you really think the camo on that little hand held device is going to be a game changer. I feel the same way about the clothes, blue jeans and a flannel shirt, work up from there as the temps drop. You don't need all that crap. The pretenders do think they need it however.
 
In the past year or so I have owned these Rangefinder Binocular.
1. Swarovski TA’s- pro’s great glass fast RF out to 1500-2000
con’s comes with just OK ballistics app and VERY expensive and bulky ergonomics
2. Sig 10K ‘s Pro‘s best RF I have used or seen so far better than old Terrapin by far. Price is fair for that class of RF. Con’s BLUE Tint bought them sold them quickly due to tint.
3. Bought another pair hoping for less tint nope still there sold them. slow learner.
4. Lecia Pro’s the pro‘s are very good glass good RF out to 2500 or so and AB ballistics are also very good app works good.Ergonomic very good too.
Con’s the delay between the yardage readings and the data for your holds is too slow when you’re in an NRL type situation. For hunting it’s fine under most all situations so for money good all around choice.
5. Vortex 5000 AB pro’s RF is very good out to 2500+or so and glass while not Leica / Swaro class is not bad at all. Think Vortex Fury HD class which is 500.00 glass. Ergonomics are good . IF you can get a good deal on these with the warranty not a bad way to go.
Con’s They are still slow on data like the Leica are so in a nutshell you get same RF and ballistic data for about 1500.00 less with better warranty but sacrificing a little on the glass.
6. Revic BLR 10 my latest acquisition. Pros very good RF and Ballistics app works very well and both ranging and data info are fast… very fast. I swear I thought these were same as Vortex except body color but the on board computer is definitely different and in a good way.
Now the con’s. You are paying another 1000.00 to get just a slightly faster processor/ data readout as the glass to me looks similar to the Vortex. I need to get a little more time with these as one person said that looking thru these versus the Vortex he thought the Revic we’re obviously better but maybe my old eyes can’t see it.

one last point noted above but to reiterate most binos with onboard electronic only have 3-5 year warranty then you are on your own. Except Vortex.
 
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FWIW, the Vortex Fury Bono’s use Viper-class glass, per an email w/ Vortex.

The glass is pretty decent, but you’re probably not going to be able to spot trace @ 500 yards if there’s even the slightest bit of mirage. Also, the computer is a little slow to resolve both the range and then the AB firing solution. Both seem to slow down further in poor conditions (mirage or very light rain). I’ve also struggled to get readings on anything other than a barn/silo/etc. past 1500 yards when there is mirage, but that shouldn’t be too surprising.

I won’t be selling mine, but the Fury’s limitations are apparent.
 
Honestly leaning towards going the direction of a dedicated lrf and standalone bino at this point. Took a hard look at the options around the $1k price point for the binos and found a video on YouTube comparing several models around a grand to the Athlon Cronus G2 10x42's ($499), and the Athlon beats out some of the models while costing about half as much WITH the no questions asked warranty. Anyone here that thinks they can persuade me not to go this route, I am all ears.
 
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One of the advantages of doing that is upgrading one unit and not the other.

If you’ll only ever range out to 500, you don’t need a premium LRF & whatever you buy now will likely suffice for that kind of use. On the flip side, you’re much more likely to want better glass on your binos at some point in the future.

ETA: Also, carrying two units isn’t a big deal at all if you’re using a chest rig. Your only disadvantage are 1) not being able to glass & range at the same time and 2) a few more ounces
 
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I was in the same dilemma. I have a pair of Sig 3000 range binos which are great at the range but scouting the other week I realized the glass is not what I want for hunting. I ended up ordering Vortex Razor UHD’s 10x42 and a Vortex 4000 GB rangefinder through the Liberty Optics sale going on now with Scott. It would be nice to have it as one unit but for hunting I want the best glass I can afford. I also seriously considered the new Leica Geovid Pros to have the best of both worlds. I had an opportunity to look through both UHDs and Geovid Pros this summer and find the glass a little better on the UHDs. Plus, it was much better on my wallet with Scott’s sale.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
Honestly leaning towards going the direction of a dedicated lrf and standalone bino at this point. Took a hard look at the options around the $1k price point for the binos and found a video on YouTube comparing several models around a grand to the Athlon Cronus G2 10x42's ($499), and the Athlon beats out some of the models while costing about half as much WITH the no questions asked warranty. Anyone here that thinks they can persuade me not to go this route, I am all ears.
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I think this is the right move. I picked up some Zeiss 10x42 SFs used a year ago on here for a reasonable price. The glass quality is incredible. I have an old Swaro Laser guide for range finding which is more than adequate for hunting. I typically make a quick range card on a 4x6 card after getting to a hunting spot. I sketch terrain features, range the feature, right yardage and mils next to feature and wind call. Now when I see game I only have to take a quick look at card and dial/hold for range. Also a good idea to do upon arrival so if it starts raining/snowing when animal presents or you get the fever, you don't have to struggle to get a range!
 
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Phoenix Phantom said:
Jump to the Fury AB's? Or just any RF Bino?
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If warranty matters to you, Vortex, Athlon and Burris have a lifetime warranty including their electronics. None of the others have a lifetime warranty if it matters to you in making your final decision to purchase.

If you don't qualify for EV for at least 40% off then check places such as DVOR who offer similar sale prices sometimes cheaper like 50%-60% off on select Vortex brand items. Their sales are only a week long but they are pretty regular off and on. Or you could always buy from Scott at Liberty Optics for Vortex.
 
Phoenix Phantom said:
Honestly leaning towards going the direction of a dedicated lrf and standalone bino at this point. Took a hard look at the options around the $1k price point for the binos and found a video on YouTube comparing several models around a grand to the Athlon Cronus G2 10x42's ($499), and the Athlon beats out some of the models while costing about half as much WITH the no questions asked warranty. Anyone here that thinks they can persuade me not to go this route, I am all ears.
Click to expand...
The ScoopX on Amazon is the same Chinese made scope as the Athlon Cronus but without a warranty (they may state they include a lifetime warranty but possibly not honoring them anymore so who knows) and there's currently one of the open box returns left for $130. They normally sell for $225-$250.

Cheapest I've seen the $499 Athlon Cronus version is $375 I think it was during a past Black Friday sale probably much cheaper through EV though if you qualify.

Chinese made stuff are really ridiculously cheap to manufacture so pay as little as possible whenever buying made in China. Lots of the huge markups are for USA corporate profits and not necessarily for the best quality.

Watch out some of the Vortex Razor line aren't made in Japan anymore. Did they juggle between Philippines and China manufacturing who knows where they're made now like the $2000 G1 Razor 20-60x85 on sale for $799 being sold at Sportsman's that's cheaper than the old but still current Burris Signature HD version.

Even the SVBony or was it Gosky version of the Athlon Cronus was recently on sale for less than 1/3 the price of the Athlon Cronus version of the spotting scope. I forget which one but a good buddy had both compared to the Cronus who swore they were the exact same and ScoopX binoculars as well with the Chinese Athlon Cronus binoculars.

The next rangefinder I plan on buying is the $450 Maven next time they have a sale hopefully $300-$350. They seem to be the best clearest longest handheld rangefinders today not made in China with a real lifetime warranty including their electronics. I suggest you check out the reviews on YouTube and they gave a try it you like borrow it and use it program as well. It appears as though it's 7x optics is unmatched.
 
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