Great review! I have the sig sauer 10x30 gen 2 stabilized version. Total game changer for run and gun archery elk and Turkey hunting. Yeah, I sacrificed some low light glassing and some field of view, but the one handed operation + compact + light weight = amazing and worth some sacrifices. Hands down one of my best purchases.
What a great review. I have the HDX in 12x and wasn’t sure if I would want to upgrade. Looks like I will hold for now. They changed my hunting experience this last season, particularly still hunting.
Great review. I have the OG Zulu 6’s and can without a doubt say they are the reason I was able to kill my bull elk this season. I was glassing and for less than half a second saw a rack pop up in a patch of brush. If I had any other glass I would have certainly attributed that to a branch or limb and carried on my way. The fact that the image was so clear and stable left no doubt in my mind that I was a large bull and that’s when I started my stalk in to eventually take him. Big fan and would recommend even the HDX over any other bino no matter the price point. One hand glassing will change your life.
Would figure it would be hard with Image stabilization. But if they could throw a range finder even a simple 1000 yard one they would be a home run for archery in general. 8x32 or 8x42
Great review as per usual. $600 more for the pro and needing to upgrade my already expensive FHF Fob bino harness to a large size. I'll be going with the regular HDX zulu.
20:25 maybe I’m wrong here, but aren’t you sacrificing more than 20% total viewing area? FOV reduction translated to the circle area is more like 30%+ reduction in total viewing area at 1,000 yds, which is sounding even more significant to me when trying to dissect a hillside. Great review!
I'll be straight with you, I bought the 10x sigs at TAC last year in MI. I love them for whitetail hunting. Yeah the glass isn't stellar, but the stable image is such a huge advantage that I have no regrets buying them.
I was so pumped for image stabilization but people have been successful without it for a long time. With this being a new segment in the market I’ll be patient and wait until they get a little better. They’re not cheap so I won’t want to constantly upgrade them. I’m good for now.
I tried out the HDX at a Cabela's and I'm thinking the advantage is pretty good right now. The PRO has come out since then and I'm seriously considering getting a large magnification model. I keep going to the Cabela's website and have been indecisively hovering over the order now button. It is pricey. The true reason I'm holding back is that I really would like to see a stabilized range finding binocular.
@ I agree that a stabilized range finding binocular would be awesome. I just got the Vortex 4000 GB last year, but I’d swap it for a pair of those in a heartbeat! I’m operating with inexpensive Vortex 10x42’s and am open to a totally new setup for my western trip this year. That’s what got me looking at stabilized binos. Heading out with a buddy that has a limited budget so was thinking about giving him my 10x42s for the trip and replacing them with something else for me. The HDX PRO’s seem great in 14x. I just hope I wouldn’t be too early to the stabilized game, or miss out on an opportunity to get something like a rangefinding set, etc. Ahhh….it’s only money right?!
Since the FOV is the same on all magnifications, I wonder if there is any stabilization differences between them? Using your box inside a box idea, you would think the higher magnification ones would need to make the inside box larger to get the same FOV, therefore leaving less room inside the larger box for stabilization.
After I watch your video on the binocular from Zeiss victory SF is bought a 10 X40 Zeiss SF . I carred the binocular on a chest harness. Doing my viewing, i put back the binos in the hardness and when i binded down to grab something ( no more than 1foot 1/2 ), the binos fell down hitting a rock . As I put them back against to my eyes, i was now seeing double vision through them. I just wanted to let know that I have a big question about they durability . Cheers ! Sorry for my grammar, I am French .
Very curious as to how these compare to the canon IS 10x42 L IS WP binos. With the added weight of the hdx pros the canons don’t seem like a bad option and I’ve heard they have excellent glass too.
Super thorough. Great job! I just reviewed the 16x42 gen 2 on my channel. Amazing technology. One con I had was how the glass reacted to extreme temp condensation (fogging) compared to my razors. Was this something you noticed?
@@MindfulHunter Ya it was only on two very cold pre-sunrise mornings (15F). But they were pretty much useless for a short period. Other than that I'm in love with the binos.
I have a pair of the Gen 2 16x. I think you did a good job of highlighting this, but you can't compare these apples to apples with standard binoculars. The stabilization changes the paradigm of how you're glassing. Leaving tripods behind, glassing more locations as you don't have to get out the tripod or sit down to stabilize yourself, etc. I would also add that each magnification kind of 'punches above its weight'. 16x stable image is like a shaky 20x in it's value to you as a user.
The comparison you missed was the Zulu hdx pro 16/18 vs compact spotting scopes. I pick the old zulu16 hdx over the swaro STC most days unless wanting to digiscope... which is why I'd probably pick 18x sig zulu hdx pro. Also the zulu hdx 10s are better to carry on a stalk I think. I think 8x swaro NLs are still nice to see the entire hillside all at once. And I'll take sig zulu hdx on a tripod over 15s on a tripod personally--super stabilized.
Have you tried the Stabilized 10x30's? I run both the stabilized 10x and 20x for my glass. Love the combo, the 10's are by far my favorite, the 20's I am just OK with. It's really surprising to see the 10 does not get more love.
@@MindfulHunter Yeah, it's lacking. My Monarch 7 8x42 smoke em in low light. I still favor them GREATLY compared to the 20's. "No solutions, only tradeoffs."
I own the HDX 16 and 20 I also have a pair of 18 HDXPROs as well as a pair of 15 Mavens and had for a while the Vortex UHD 18s. When someone asks me about what I think about my IS sigs I’m going to just tell them to watch this video because a 2 min conversation isn’t going to cut it there’s too much involved in the topic to just give them a simple answer and this is absolutely what I would say if we both had the time. But my simple answer I give to guys is do you use and always have a tripod with you or handy? If they answer yes....then I say don’t get em. Use your Maven or Swaros or higher quality glass on a tripod. And for me personally I prefer the gen 2 HDXs form factor and lightness in almost every situation. Almost regret buying the PROs even though they are a pleasure to use. I am hiking a lot of miles light and compact is more important to me at the end of the day. Another top notch review by this gentleman
@ I actually sold my 20’s about a month ago. Kinda of regret it but I end up using the 16’s for run and gun and the 18 pros for truck binos or long sits. Only got one set of eyes 5-6 pairs ofbinos was just too many for a guy to use
@@TheNickademas1 Thanks. I have the 20s and hate spending time behind them so I was thinking of moving down to the 16 or trying the 18. I run the 10s on my chest and love those.
i get it with field of view, nobody wants to give it up. But if you think about it, a 50 yard loss at a thousand yards is quite literally made up for with a slight movement of your head. Also, the weight of HDX Pro, I really don't care, because I've left the tripod back in the truck. Also, glassing at a thousand yards with stabilization is possible. Without, forget about it.
New HDX Pros are total garbage. Reduced performance on everything but low light. I love my gen 2 16x42's and bought the new 18x50's excited to try them. They had horrible clarity compared to the cheaper 16's and I sent them back to Sig. SIG told me they meet spec and to go pound sand. I then went to buy another pair of 18's as well as the 16x50 Pros. Resolution was all over the place between the three. Returned all three Pros and bought another gen 2 10x30's for under $800. HDX Pros = hard pass. Low light difference for me was less than 2 minutes. Both gen get you well past legal light for hunting.
Hard disagree. To each their own. And not sure where you live but here in BC we get an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset and neither of these options get you close to that.
@ I only get 30 min before and after. Plus none of these are rangefinders so there's no scenario in which I don't have to run my Sig Kilos, which mop the floor with any HDX model at low light. I run the Maven 15's when glassing for extended periods of time. The significant added cost, lower clarity for 99.999% of hunting hours, added weight, reduced field of view, poorer performing image stabilization... Crazy that anyone thinks these fit any niche.
Great review! I have the sig sauer 10x30 gen 2 stabilized version. Total game changer for run and gun archery elk and Turkey hunting. Yeah, I sacrificed some low light glassing and some field of view, but the one handed operation + compact + light weight = amazing and worth some sacrifices. Hands down one of my best purchases.
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What a great review. I have the HDX in 12x and wasn’t sure if I would want to upgrade. Looks like I will hold for now. They changed my hunting experience this last season, particularly still hunting.
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Great video. Keep doing what you’re doing. Trusted reviews are hard to find these days.
Yessir 💪
Great review. I have the OG Zulu 6’s and can without a doubt say they are the reason I was able to kill my bull elk this season.
I was glassing and for less than half a second saw a rack pop up in a patch of brush. If I had any other glass I would have certainly attributed that to a branch or limb and carried on my way. The fact that the image was so clear and stable left no doubt in my mind that I was a large bull and that’s when I started my stalk in to eventually take him. Big fan and would recommend even the HDX over any other bino no matter the price point. One hand glassing will change your life.
Yeah the more I use them the more indispensable they are.
Best reviews on TH-cam
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I've been hoping you would do this review since the pros came out. Great review. Cheers.
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@@MindfulHunter the Canons are sweet. Canon Glass is top notch. And their I.S. Amazing. Battery life was lacking in the OG Canons.
Best reviews out there, hit the nail on the head, I want 8’s.
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Would figure it would be hard with Image stabilization. But if they could throw a range finder even a simple 1000 yard one they would be a home run for archery in general. 8x32 or 8x42
Great review as always. Was looking for a review comparing all 3 options. Firm handshake.
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Been waiting for you to do this one! Thank you so much
You bet!
Great review as per usual. $600 more for the pro and needing to upgrade my already expensive FHF Fob bino harness to a large size. I'll be going with the regular HDX zulu.
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Love the reviews keep up the great work!
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The 14x50 had a much better-quality image than the 16x50 in my testing. Great review!
I think a lot of people are missing the boat on that larger exit pupil.
@@MindfulHunter Do you agree that 14 has a better overall image than the 16?
20:25 maybe I’m wrong here, but aren’t you sacrificing more than 20% total viewing area? FOV reduction translated to the circle area is more like 30%+ reduction in total viewing area at 1,000 yds, which is sounding even more significant to me when trying to dissect a hillside.
Great review!
You are 100% correct. It would be circle math not square math. Appreciate the feedback. And no matter what you are taking a hit in FOV for sure.
You betcha, really enjoying the content. New viewer, but I’ll be staying around for sure. 👍
I'll be straight with you, I bought the 10x sigs at TAC last year in MI. I love them for whitetail hunting. Yeah the glass isn't stellar, but the stable image is such a huge advantage that I have no regrets buying them.
How’s the low light with the 30mm objective. Those things are super compact. Great option.
Love TAC man see you this year !
I was so pumped for image stabilization but people have been successful without it for a long time. With this being a new segment in the market I’ll be patient and wait until they get a little better. They’re not cheap so I won’t want to constantly upgrade them. I’m good for now.
I tried out the HDX at a Cabela's and I'm thinking the advantage is pretty good right now. The PRO has come out since then and I'm seriously considering getting a large magnification model. I keep going to the Cabela's website and have been indecisively hovering over the order now button. It is pricey. The true reason I'm holding back is that I really would like to see a stabilized range finding binocular.
@ I agree that a stabilized range finding binocular would be awesome. I just got the Vortex 4000 GB last year, but I’d swap it for a pair of those in a heartbeat! I’m operating with inexpensive Vortex 10x42’s and am open to a totally new setup for my western trip this year. That’s what got me looking at stabilized binos. Heading out with a buddy that has a limited budget so was thinking about giving him my 10x42s for the trip and replacing them with something else for me. The HDX PRO’s seem great in 14x. I just hope I wouldn’t be too early to the stabilized game, or miss out on an opportunity to get something like a rangefinding set, etc. Ahhh….it’s only money right?!
Since the FOV is the same on all magnifications, I wonder if there is any stabilization differences between them? Using your box inside a box idea, you would think the higher magnification ones would need to make the inside box larger to get the same FOV, therefore leaving less room inside the larger box for stabilization.
I was having a very similar thought myself the other day. I’ll ask sig next time I talk to them.
After I watch your video on the binocular from Zeiss victory SF is bought a 10 X40 Zeiss SF . I carred the binocular on a chest harness. Doing my viewing, i put back the binos in the hardness and when i binded down to grab something ( no more than 1foot 1/2 ), the binos fell down hitting a rock . As I put them back against to my eyes, i was now seeing double vision through them. I just wanted to let know that I have a big question about they durability . Cheers !
Sorry for my grammar, I am French .
Appreciate the feedback!
My hope is that , Zeiss will not charge me a arm and a leg for the repairs . I paid close to $ 1,750 for them .
Very curious as to how these compare to the canon IS 10x42 L IS WP binos. With the added weight of the hdx pros the canons don’t seem like a bad option and I’ve heard they have excellent glass too.
You read my mind. Way closer to the HDX Pro’s. I’ll try to get a pair.
Super thorough. Great job! I just reviewed the 16x42 gen 2 on my channel. Amazing technology. One con I had was how the glass reacted to extreme temp condensation (fogging) compared to my razors. Was this something you noticed?
No I did not and I had them in some pretty severe temps. They should not do that.
@@MindfulHunter Ya it was only on two very cold pre-sunrise mornings (15F). But they were pretty much useless for a short period. Other than that I'm in love with the binos.
I have a pair of the Gen 2 16x. I think you did a good job of highlighting this, but you can't compare these apples to apples with standard binoculars. The stabilization changes the paradigm of how you're glassing. Leaving tripods behind, glassing more locations as you don't have to get out the tripod or sit down to stabilize yourself, etc.
I would also add that each magnification kind of 'punches above its weight'. 16x stable image is like a shaky 20x in it's value to you as a user.
Agreed. Another reason I recommend the lower power options with larger eye pupil is their outperformance compared to binos with similar magnification
The comparison you missed was the Zulu hdx pro 16/18 vs compact spotting scopes. I pick the old zulu16 hdx over the swaro STC most days unless wanting to digiscope... which is why I'd probably pick 18x sig zulu hdx pro. Also the zulu hdx 10s are better to carry on a stalk I think. I think 8x swaro NLs are still nice to see the entire hillside all at once. And I'll take sig zulu hdx on a tripod over 15s on a tripod personally--super stabilized.
Fair points. Appreciate the feedback.
Have you tried the Stabilized 10x30's? I run both the stabilized 10x and 20x for my glass. Love the combo, the 10's are by far my favorite, the 20's I am just OK with. It's really surprising to see the 10 does not get more love.
I had concerns about low light with the 30mm objective. I’ll try to check them out.
@@MindfulHunter Yeah, it's lacking. My Monarch 7 8x42 smoke em in low light. I still favor them GREATLY compared to the 20's. "No solutions, only tradeoffs."
@ yeah the exit pupil in those 20’s is very small.
Do you know a retailer in canada that sells these? I can't find them anywhere
Precision Optics has the original HDX but not the pros. I’ll ask Sig.
I own the HDX 16 and 20 I also have a pair of 18 HDXPROs as well as a pair of 15 Mavens and had for a while the Vortex UHD 18s. When someone asks me about what I think about my IS sigs I’m going to just tell them to watch this video because a 2 min conversation isn’t going to cut it there’s too much involved in the topic to just give them a simple answer and this is absolutely what I would say if we both had the time. But my simple answer I give to guys is do you use and always have a tripod with you or handy? If they answer yes....then I say don’t get em. Use your Maven or Swaros or higher quality glass on a tripod. And for me personally I prefer the gen 2 HDXs form factor and lightness in almost every situation. Almost regret buying the PROs even though they are a pleasure to use. I am hiking a lot of miles light and compact is more important to me at the end of the day. Another top notch review by this gentleman
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How do you like the 16 compared to the 20?
@ I actually sold my 20’s about a month ago. Kinda of regret it but I end up using the 16’s for run and gun and the 18 pros for truck binos or long sits. Only got one set of eyes 5-6 pairs ofbinos was just too many for a guy to use
@@TheNickademas1 Thanks. I have the 20s and hate spending time behind them so I was thinking of moving down to the 16 or trying the 18. I run the 10s on my chest and love those.
i get it with field of view, nobody wants to give it up. But if you think about it, a 50 yard loss at a thousand yards is quite literally made up for with a slight movement of your head. Also, the weight of HDX Pro, I really don't care, because I've left the tripod back in the truck. Also, glassing at a thousand yards with stabilization is possible. Without, forget about it.
25:29 say louder for those in the back
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New HDX Pros are total garbage. Reduced performance on everything but low light. I love my gen 2 16x42's and bought the new 18x50's excited to try them. They had horrible clarity compared to the cheaper 16's and I sent them back to Sig. SIG told me they meet spec and to go pound sand.
I then went to buy another pair of 18's as well as the 16x50 Pros. Resolution was all over the place between the three. Returned all three Pros and bought another gen 2 10x30's for under $800.
HDX Pros = hard pass. Low light difference for me was less than 2 minutes. Both gen get you well past legal light for hunting.
Hard disagree. To each their own. And not sure where you live but here in BC we get an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset and neither of these options get you close to that.
@ I only get 30 min before and after.
Plus none of these are rangefinders so there's no scenario in which I don't have to run my Sig Kilos, which mop the floor with any HDX model at low light. I run the Maven 15's when glassing for extended periods of time.
The significant added cost, lower clarity for 99.999% of hunting hours, added weight, reduced field of view, poorer performing image stabilization... Crazy that anyone thinks these fit any niche.
Sure looks like a paid review since Sig is the only thing on the table. How do these compare to the Canon IS binoculars?
Don’t know Canon wasn’t willing to pay my fee. 🤡