Best Binoculars Under $1500 - Pros and Cons of Each
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video we look at some of the best binoculars under $1500 and how each of them performed in our recent testing. Our panel lined them up on tripods and scored each of them based on several factors. Whether you are looking for the best binoculars for hunting, best binoculars in this price range, or just the best value on binoculars, you'll want to check out this series and this comprehensive article as we compare them side by side.
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Buy the Meopta Meostar B1 Plus: amzn.to/3ALCVaE
Buy the Kowa Genesis 44: amzn.to/2XX3N9x
Buy the Sig Zulu9: amzn.to/3EVwpAy
Buy the Swarovski SLC: amzn.to/2XSZag0
Buy the Vortex Razor UHD: bit.ly/3wRE1Qc
0:00 Intro
1:05 Meopta Meostar B1 Plus
2:43 Kowa Genesis
4:29 Sig Zulu9
6:53 Swarovski SLC
7:32 Vortex Razor UHD - กีฬา
Those Kowa eyecups are a good idea, in my opinion. Too many binoculars don't have enough adjustment range for non-glasses-wearers, and you end up sort of bracing an edge of the eyecup against a brow. This is a problem on both cheap and expensive optics. A binocular that has adjustment range which allows full face contact beyond eye relief is a blessing.
Thanks! Yeah, a lot of binos have eye cup challenges for sure! Thanks for watching.
Great Video Brother and Great Information !
Thanks Billy!
thorough review!
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
I’d like to see comparison between top ranking binos from each group of price ranges that you selected. How big of a difference in visual performance between $500 vs $1000 vs. $1500 etc?
Yes sir... working on that one right now! Should be a fun project! Thanks for watching!
@BackwoodsPursuit did you ever create a video comparing the winners of each category? The $500 vs $1000 vs $1500?
I like these reviews he seems to emphasize a lot about edge falloff. Most all binos have a curved field (unless the optics include a field flattener) so all will have some amount of falloff nearing the edge. I’d like to hear more about distortion, CA and color rendition. That would help us to understand how each manufacturer goes about tweaking or approaching their optical objectives (no pun intended).
Thanks for the feedback! Really appreciate it as that help us make these reviews better next time! Thanks for watching!
You are 100% correct.
As of March/April 2022, Vortex has raised the price for their Razor UHD binoculars significantly. Outstanding glass performance regardless. 🔥🎯🔬
Oh dang, I hadn't heard that. That's a bummer, but yes, the Razor UHD is very impressive glass!
Great reviews! If you could chose one, would you take GPO Passion HD or Kowa Genesis??
Thank you! Between those two, I'd go with the Kowa. Better all around performer. Thanks for watching!
Lots of great information in here. Thank you for this video.
Do you think the Sig Zulu would work as a primary bino? How much of an issue is the weight/size? Have a line on a 9x45 at a good price.
Thanks Myles! Appreciate the feedback. Whether the weight & size of the Zulu is a deal breaker is definitely a person to person decision, but it wouldn't be for me. They are fantastic binos and a great value. You might need a larger bino harness (depending on what you have), but that not a huge deal.
I need a harness anyway. Have a recommendation?
@@mylesstafford8172 you bet! My favorite of the ones I've tried is the Marsupial Gear Enclosed Harness. Haven't reviewed it yet, but used it all this year.
Hi, you said the hinge tension is a bit loose on the Razor UHD. Can that be easily tightened by owner, or do you need to sent to Vortex to tighten? Thanks!
Hey there! I'm not aware of a way to tighten the hinge, but you'd want to contact Vortex to be sure. Thanks for watching!
I'm curious what your opinion is between the Vortex Razor UHD 12x50 and the Swarovski NL Pure 12x42. There is a $1,400 cost difference and there is a point that where the cost difference doesn't equal performance difference. In your opinion is there $1,400 worth of better low light and increased field of view that a guy should go with the NL Pures?
Hey there Marcus! I'd say if you can afford it, the NL Pure are noticable better in all optical departments as well as build quality. That said, I was extremely surprised at how well the Razor UHD performed. They are seriously good optically, just not quite as good. If you can save the extra $1400 for the NL Pure, you won't be disappointed, but if not, the Razor UHD is a very good option. Like you said, the law of diminishing returns does apply here and the differences become more and more subtle, but they are there for sure.
Another question for you. With the Kowa, so long as the eye cups are all the way closed, can you press them into your eye socket and get the full view?
Yes sir you can! If the eye cups are all the way in, you get a full field of view no problem. Good question!
Hey love your reviews! I’m trying to decide between the razor uhd’s and the Zulu 9’s. Mainly interested in optical performance. How do they compare in your opinion?
Hey there Kurt! Thanks! Those two were extremely close optically, with the Razor UHDs slightly better in low light. The Zulu 9 is gonna save some money, but they are extremely close. Another option that recently came out (and much much smaller and lighter weight of that matters) is the new Zeiss SFL. They are amazing as well. Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit do you think the SFL’s are even better than the Zulu’s or the uhd’s?
@@kurtlarsen279 I put the SFLs next to the UHDs and I preferred the SFL except for very last light...the IHDs were a little better in really low light. Otherwise, I'd take the SFLs personally. They are at least 10oz lighter than either of the others you mentioned and have incredible edge to edge clarity and overall optical performance. Here's our review video on them if interested ...th-cam.com/video/K6cBnfDIi_w/w-d-xo.html
Thank you sir!
@@kurtlarsen279 you bet!
The Sig Zulu 9’s are impressive. From what I’ve heard same performance as the Maven B2. What I love about the Sigs is the rubbery feel. Also I like that you talked about the importance of eye cups. With the Sigs I can have them all the way out and still have a great FOV. I’m surprised how this is not the case with so many higher end binos. All the way in they are perfect for a tripod. Absolutely perfect. To me this makes them very universal and my all around choice for hunting. The eye cups are also very comfortable. Thanks for these reviews.
Thanks for the feedback! Agreed....they Zulu9s were extremely impressive! One of the standouts especially given their price point within this group. They are a great bino for sure and the rubber armor has a great feel to it. Love the eyecups as well!
Looking at the Razor UHD's. Having a hard time deciding between the 10x42's that did so well here or the 10x50's. Haven't been able to compare them side-x-side. Have you been able to compare the 10x50 UHD's, and if so would they have scored on par with the 10x42's? Between the two, which would you recommend 10x42 or 10x50?
Hey there Shane! I haven't been able to compare the 10x42 to the 10x50 in the Razor UHD, but I'd assume the 10x50 would be better in low light, but heavier and larger of course. Thanks for watching!
@Backwoods Pursuit Thanks. The 10x42's are already on the larger size with the Abbe Koenig prisms. So 10x50's don't seem that much more. I would assume all the qualities that the 10x42's scored so well on would hold true on the 10x50's, but I don't like to assume. Not much reviews on the 10x50's, and local stores didn't have 10x50 's to look through.
@@shane3978 yeah, personally, those 10x42s are already very large for a 10x42, so I'd probably stick with them...but that's just me.
I just bought a set of used but mint Leica Ultravid 12x50 bins for 1400 and an outdoorsman stud for my tripod. I'm curious how you think they'd compare to these mid range but new sets for glassing across canyons.
Hey there! I haven't personally tested those Ultravid binos, but I'd imagine they would compare favorably to this category. Sounds like a good deal. Thanks for watching!
Great vid. Thanks. Nobody seems to talk about it, but one should get their pupil measured with your eye doctor. Just had my measurements @ 6.5mm in office lighting and 7.2 with the lights out. Anyway, just a thought. Nice to know.
Thanks! And that's a great idea... that'll tell ya if a particular pair of binos will work for you! Thanks for watching!
Have you tested the Steiner HX? I really want to see how the 15’s stack up.
Hey there Brandon! Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to test rhw Steiner HDX yet, but hope to soon.
A 15x review is something we'd like to do before long as well! Would be cool to put a bunch of 15s side by side. Thanks for watching!
I have zero complaints with the kowa genesis. People make a big deal about the eye cups, but I have no idea what they're complaining about. I always have my eye cups all the way down. I have no idea why someone wouldn't.
Thanks for sharing! Yeah, with the eye cups all the way down they aren't bad, although they still have a more bulky feel to them and some folks seem to have issues with fitment on the face. For me personally, the eye cups were just less comfortable in all positions than others we tested. Thanks for watching!
What I was expecting from the Sig Zulu. Thoroughly shocked Zeiss Conquest and Leica were not on this list.
Hey there Eric! Yeah, the Sig Zulu were amazing! We did get the Zeiss Conquest and Leica Trinovid in our $1000 and under review! Here's that link if interested! Thanks for watching! th-cam.com/video/TJ-7-hZV5ug/w-d-xo.html
Ahh - That makes sense. Yeah I’m in the struggle of wondering if I should pick up the Zulu 9 and keep my Vortex Razor 4000 range finder or pick up the Zeiss victory range finder and ditch the vortex. Any opinion on that?
@@ericspearo5731 oh man...that's a tough call. I'm actually testing the the Zeiss Victory RF right now and they are pretty sweet. I like having the ballistic profiles integrated into the rangefinder and Zeiss makes a great one. Main question you have to answer is would a rangefinding bino or separate handheld rangefinder fit your needs best. I find a separate handheld with a lower 6x or 7x vs the 10x of the bino works better for archery hunting, but for rifle hunting, the 10x of the bino is just fine. That's just my two cents though.
I'm trying to decide if I should search for some used SLCs (hard to find), or just go with some new Kowas that I can get for $1k. Tough decision!
Hmm...that is a tough one! Personally I preferred the SLC, but both are great glass. Thanks for watching!
Have you had a chance to review the Sig Zulu10?
Hey there! I haven't yet had a chance to check them out, but hoping to soon! Thanks for watching!
Great Review. But why wasn’t the Maven B2 in this Review?
Thank you! Byeah, should have tried to get the B2s for this group. We covered the C1s and B1s in those other price categories though. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for taking the time for making these Videos
@@randymelyfb absolutely! It was fun comparing glass!
The sigs are basically the b2 11x45
@@TsiRoadkill yeah, they seem similar.
Why don’t anyone include steiner in there review I would like information on them
@josephhofer7382 hey there! Unfortunately we weren't able get Steiner in this one, but we did get them in our big rangefinder bino review: backwoodspursuit.com/11-best-rangefinder-binoculars-for-hunting/
We also put together an individual review on them:
backwoodspursuit.com/steiner-predator-lrf-review/
Hope that's helpful and thanks for watching!
Not really a fair comparison if you use a 42mm Meopta vs everything else here which are all bigger. Would have liked to see fair comparison in their corner because Meopta has amazing glass.
Hey there Matthew...thanks for taking the time to comment! We tried to get together pairs that were as close as possible, but some (like the Kowa and the Sig) didn't have a 10x42 I'm this price class, so we went with the closest there was. The Meostar, SLC and the Razor UHD we're all 10x42 though.
Thanks for watching,
How do the Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 binoculars compare to the Vortex Razor UHD 10x42 binoculars? Thanks for the great binocular comparisons!
Hey there Arch! Great question, and one that's probably best answered over in our big review article on the 26 binoculars we tested side by side. Short answer is that the Razor UHDs performed better optically, but there is a big weight and size penalty. Here's the full review with all our rankings! backwoodspursuit.com/26-best-binoculars-for-hunting/
Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit I read it again. I’m leaning toward the Conquests but there are some refurbished Razor UHD’s that caught my attention. Thanks for the reply!
@@archstanton9703 absolutely! Happy to help. The other ones to possibly consider are the new Zeiss SFL. I was able to put them next to the UHD and they are phenomenal...much much lighter and smaller as well. Let me know which way you go!
@@BackwoodsPursuit I’ll have to check out the SFL’s and will let you know what I end up getting. Thanks again and have a good day!
@@archstanton9703 you bet! Here's a link to our review on the SFL...if interested. th-cam.com/video/K6cBnfDIi_w/w-d-xo.html
Regarding the Kowa Genesis, you mentioned a design flaw about the eye cups being too thick. The 8.5x44 has an eye relief of 18mm, I think, and I need at least 17mm. So when you say too thick, are you saying they have too much eye relief or that the wall thickness (like a rind, or the tire around the wheel) has too much thickness and they must be used at their minimum eye relief to enjoy the full field of view?
Hey there! Great question! I should have specified what I meant in the video. Yes, I meant that the wall thickness is too much so it forced me to have them rolled all the way down to get the full field of view. Just too thick/bulky like the tire analogy you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
Okay, thanks. Sounds like these only work for users that require low eye relief, and other need not bother experimenting with such a pricey set. I do not wear eyeglasses when using binoculars, so I wasn’t sure if your original comments were from testers that did wear eyeglasses. It’s unfortunate since the Kowa Genesis seems to have been around for over a decade and is still relevant despite weighing more than two pounds.
@@seasterl I actually think they would be just fine, if not better with eyeglasses since eyeglass wearers typically roll the eye cups down anyway. The only people affected by the thicker eye cups are those that don't wear glasses, so you should be fine if you wear glasses. The eye cust on the Genesis are just too thick around the edges to sink them into your eye sockets at all(at least they were for us). I hope that helps!
I really appreciate your quick replies and all the work you put into these testing sessions and with other testers. Unbiased, objectively-performed evaluations are so helpful. I just subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work. Since I do not wear glasses when using binoculars, I think I’ll pass on them. I want comfortable, ergonomic bins with at least 17mm of eye relief. I’m loving my Nikon Monarch M7 8x42 and wide FOV, but would be nice to get something in 8.5 - 10x to compliment them.
@@seasterl absolutely and glad the review was helpful! Thanks for the sub as well!
I wonder how do the following ones compare one another being all positioned in a similar price bracket:
- Fujinon Hyper-Clarity HC 8×42
- Kowa Genesis 44 Prominar XD 8.5×44
- Leica Trinovid Classic 8×40
- Meopta MeoPro Air HDED+ 8×42
- Nikon Monarch HG 8×42
- Sig Sauer Zulu 9 HDX 9×45 / Maven B2 9×45
Hey there! We'd have to test them all side by side in the 8x42 variety, but several of those are in our review in the 10x42 variety: backwoodspursuit.com/26-best-binoculars-for-hunting/
Thanks for watching!
Seems no one considers IPD. My eyes are wide set at 74.5mm, and it is aggravating to find whether I can use a pair of binoculars or not. Few go to 75mm, those I can use, most only go to 74mm, those I cannot use. But to find that information seems to be asking for state secrets. Will these hot new bino’s work for me or not? Please consider adding IPD to your reviews. It does not matter how good or poor a set of bino’s are if I cannot even use them.
Thanks for the recommendation to add that info to the reviews! Is there a certain pair you are looking at? I can try to find the IPD on them. Thanks for watching!
Good video thank you I got a lot from You’re forgetting one brain Lupold
Thanks for watching! We covered Leupold in the videos on both the $1000 and $500 categories. Check those out here on the channel as well if interested!
Great video! So, would you be interested in selling the SLCs?
Thanks! And thanks for watching. Shoot me and email if you'd like to chat more about the SLCs. Email is backwoodspursuit.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
Canon image stabilized binoculars blow all these away by not requiring a tripod/bipod for steady viewing. 10x42L used by marine sta teams and the 15x model
Thanks for the insight! Yeah, image stabilization makes a huge difference (we've been playing with some lately). They are a whole different beast. I'll have to try those Nikon. Thanks for watching!
so you put the amerian brand at number one, no surprises there
Yeah, we pulled together the results based on the group rankings. Some thought others ranked better, but that was the cumulative result. It was pretty close though for sure. Lots of great glass in this group.
The defense mechanisms that come out of people’s minds in order to defend their purchases is always amazing to me.
It’s a consumer product guy, an object. Who cares. And all of these videos are splitting hairs anyway. I bet you’d be hard pressed to even notice any of these slight differences if you had them on hand
You missed the best one yet, Leupold santiam beats them all I’ve tried them, if you hunt in wet and freezing conditions.
Thanks Jeremy! We had the Santiam in the $1000 price category video and review. Leupold makes good stuff. Thanks for watching!
Vortex paid for this guaranteed!
Haha...no one paid for this review...it was based on the average of 14 different independent folks ranking them. It was definitely interesting to see how different folks' eyes liked different binos. Thanks for watching!
hallo, habe Ihren TH-cam Kanal entdeckt richtig toll, so was fehlt in Europa, ich hätte ein Wunsch, mich würde Ihre Meinung von Kahles Helia S 10x42 interessieren. Danke. Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz
@marioallevato5592 hey there! Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to test those, so I can say for sure how they would compare. Thanks for watching though!
Y los Athlon cronus 10x50
@frandelalvarado5910 yup...those were in the rangefinder bino review. Thanks for watching!
I bought a pair of uhd and used them shed hunting for a day while my meopta were being repaired. Absolute joke. My buddy who also runs meopta consistently spotted horns at long distance that neither of us could make out through the vortex. Extremely disappointing. Pathetic price point for what you get.
The Meopta binos are definitely nice and give a great image! Thanksnfor watching!
Где фото через бинокли? Где видео через окуляры биноклей? Пустой трёп.
Thanks for the feedback. Photos and video are certainly helpful, but it is difficult to accurately show differences while digiscoping, as well as cover this many binoculars very well. Thanks for watching though.
Vortex better than Slc?? You’re a liar!! 🤣🤣
Personally, I'd take the SLC over the Razor UHD as the build quality is much better and they are much smaller and lighter. Too bad the SLC is discontinued. Edge to edge clarity isn't very good on the SLCs though unfortunately. I use the NL Pures now though LOL (used the SLCs for years).
Absolute nonsense! there is no way on this planet the razor hd came first in your review above the meopta meostar not possible, shill.
Hey there! You are correct...the Razor HD did not come in ahead of the Meostar, but the newer Razor UHD did (at least that was the opinion of the group as a whole). Both are amazing glass though!