High-end hunting binoculars

High-end hunting binoculars

Reviews say binoculars in the $200 to $500 range are best for most uses. Over that, you're in the realm of luxury enthusiast binoculars. Perhaps not surprisingly, we found many excellent reviews for binoculars in the $800 to $1,500 price range.

Though not reviewed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, outdoorsmen might consider the Bushnell Elite 8x43 binoculars (*Est. $865), which won the Field & Stream 2005 "Best of the Best" award. The review praises these binoculars partly for their Bushnell RainGuard coating, which makes water sheet away from the lenses so the binoculars are usable even in wet weather. Eye relief is fine at 19.5mm, and eyecups twist up. The Leupold Golden Ring 8x42 binoculars (*Est. $750) are also included in Field & Stream's "Best of the Best" list for 2005, although none of the testing or fieldwork is documented, and the binoculars aren't rated or ranked in this review.

For higher-powered hunting binoculars with great performance in low light, the 2005 Outdoor Life review recommends the Steiner Predator 10x50 binoculars (*Est. $950). Images were clear for as long as 45 minutes past sundown, according to the review. Steiner claims that the special "CAT" high-contrast lens coating helps hunters "distinguish game against leafy backgrounds by filtering out green light." However, one of the testers notes that in hunting season, there usually isn't that much green foliage, so the testers reached no consensus about the coating. The Steiner Predator binoculars weren't included in any of the big comparative reviews we found.