Trying to find the best budget binoculars for hunting or tactical use can be quite confusing. You might see two different sets of binoculars, that appear exactly the same, and are priced thousands of dollars apart. As someone who’s used quite a few optics in the Marine Corps, and for hunting, I’m going to cover the features you really need to consider for your specific use, and those you don’t. Keep reading for more.
This article is going to focus on budget binoculars for hunting and tactical use. To be honest, there really isn’t much of a difference between use cases. If you’ve read any of my other gear related articles, you’ll know that I prefer to rely on professionals who use the gear the hardest in order to find the best pair of binoculars.
There are two types of people that will use binoculars the most, professional hunters, and military and police snipers. Both groups of people will spend hours looking through glass, and can readily tell you the best options and features for each price range of binocular.
In this article, I will cover the basics of each type of binocular, including prism design, and materials used in construction. I will then break down my top recommendations by price point based on professional recommendations. We’ll go over budget binoculars, average prices binoculars, and high end binoculars, keeping in mind that we are looking for the best value for our money at each price point. Now, let’s get into the key features we should be concerned with.
Key Considerations for Selecting the Best Budget Binoculars for Hunting
- The amount of time using them equals the amount you should pay
- Hunters and Snipers need to be weight conscious
- Larger objective lenses are better for low light conditions
- The highest magnification isn’t always the best
- Image quality is a combination of lens design and lens coating
- Intermittent binocular users can buy cheaper optics
- Low power binoculars have a wider field of view compared to higher magnification sets
- Binocular carry methods matter, and having a good case makes a big difference
- Tripods, and monopods can be a game changer.
Now let’s talk about some specifications that we commonly see on binoculars so we can determine what features we actually need, and what’s useless marketing hype. You might be surprised how little a good pair of binoculars can cost.
Binocular Lenses and Prisms
Any set of binoculars is simply an arrangement of lenses and prisms that magnifies distant objects. Depending on your use case, there are some clear benefits for certain types of binoculars for hunting and tactical use. It’s important to understand that the majority of the cost for binoculars are in the precision grinding of the lenses. In fact, I would say that lens quality should be the number one consideration.
Binocular Lenses
The lenses that you place against your face are the eyepiece lenses. The larger lenses, that are closer to what you’re looking at, are the objective lenses. In general the larger the objective lens the clearer the image, and the more light that will be transmitted to your pupil. This relationship between objective lens to magnification creates what’s known as exit pupil.
You can determine the exit pupil by dividing the objective, or large lens, by the magnification. If you have a 42mm objective lens and a 10x magnification, you have an exit pupil of 4.2mm. If we used the same magnification, with a larger objective lens, say a 10x power and 50mm lens, you get 5mm exit pupil. This means that your eye is receiving roughly 19% more light.
Most people cannot expand their pupils past 7mm, which is the real limiter of light entering your eye. Sure some people might be able to go up to say 9mm, but 7mm is a good number to go with. For low light use, it’s better to use a lower power binocular, and larger objective lens. A 7×50 set of binoculars would be perfect, as that leaves you with a 7.14mm exit pupil.
Before we get into lenses, we should briefly mention that when reading the rating on a binocular, you’ll commonly see 7×50, or 10×42. The first number refers to the magnification of the lens, and the second number refers to the objective lens diameter. Now you know how that relates to exit pupil and light gathering. Let’s talk about lens coatings.
Lense Coatings
Lens coatings make a big difference to the amount of light that is transmitted to your eye. An uncoated lens might reduce the amount of light by five percent, once it passes through it. A coated lens reduces that to a few tenths of a percent light loss. This really adds up when you have multiple lenses between an object you’re viewing at long distance and your eye.
For tactical users, anti-reflective coatings can make a big difference too. There’s nothing worse than a reflection off of the objective lens. This gives your position away, and you’re most likely unaware of it. For the purposes of hunting and tactical use, we would prefer a fully coated, or multicoated lenses. The good news is that the best budget binoculars for hunting are all coated.
Extra Low Dispersion Glass
Extra-low dispersion glass (ED glass) is a quality of the lens construction that corrects chromatic aberration. As you’ve probably seen, light can split into its component colors when passed through a prism or glass. This splitting causes trouble when we are trying to get a clear picture.
Manufacturers have overcome this by constructing lenses with multiple components, or by grinding them into specific shapes to focus the dispersion of colors into one point, allowing us to see a clear sharp image. This type of glass is generally found on the more expensive binoculars. It’s definitely a nice to have.
Porro Prism
This is a type of prism arrangement that has the objective lens offset from the eyepiece lens. This is the traditional binocular shape. Most binocular experts believe that this arrangement transfers light better to your eye than the roof prism. This can lead to a brighter image in appearance.
Roof Prism
Roof prisms are the type of alignment you see in most newer binoculars. It allows the objective lens to align with the eyepiece lens. The primary benefit of the roof prism is that it allows a more compact design for the binoculars. As a result, all the best compact binoculars have this type of prism. It is; however, more expensive to produce, even if it does look like a simpler setup. Next, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, magnification.
What is the Best Magnification for Binoculars?
This really depends on the type of outdoor activities you plan on doing, and the type of environment you find yourself in. For the best hunting binoculars, more magnification isn’t always better. For tactical uses, and for hunting, you are using your binoculars to locate a target, not see every detain of the target. A bird watcher on the other hand, is probably more interested in seeing every detail of their target.
You also need to realize that your physical terrain might dictate what type of binocular is the best for you. If you’re operating in very dense forest, having a 15x magnification binocular will be useless. Similarly, if you’re hunting in the mountains, with miles to glass, then having more magnification would certainly be beneficial. If your sight lines are less than 300 yards, then 8x or 10x binoculars will be your best bet. If they are longer than this, then I would go with 10x up to 15x magnification.
Which Binoculars are Most Durable?
Cheap binoculars are made mostly of plastic. High end binoculars will be constructed of metal, like magnesium. They will also have a rubber armor over the metal. This keeps the lenses and prisms from being jarred out of alignment.
Most binoculars manufacturers will also fill the body of the tube with a gas like nitrogen, this makes the inside effectively fog proof by keeping condensation out of the inside of the optic. We should stay away from plastic bodied binoculars.
I should point out that all links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. This means that we receive a small fee for referring you to them, if you make a purchase. Thank you for the support. It helps keep the lights on here. Now let’s get into my top 5 best budget binoculars for hunting and tactical use.
Top 5 Best Budget Binoculars for Hunting ($100-$250)
Let’s be honest here, these are going to be a good option, aimed at occasional use. I should also mention that many of these binoculars that I’m going to recommend come with different options, such as magnification, eye relief, and objective lens diameter. Click on the link to see if they have the specific version you want. These are the best budget binoculars for hunting.
Vortex Optics Crossfire HD Binoculars (Best Budget Binoculars for Hunting)
I don’t really see how you can get a better value in binoculars than the Vortex Crossfit HD. They make excellent quality optics, and they have an unlimited lifetime warranty. These are quite cheap, and have over four thousand positive reviews on Amazon. They also come in various magnifications, from 8x up to 12x, with different objective lenses. These are your best option if you’re on a tight budget.
Bushnell H2O Xtreme 10×42 Compact Waterproof Binoculars
Bushnell makes good optics that provide excellent value. The Bushnell H20 Extreme binoculars are waterproof and fairly compact. They also have a very pronounced rubber coating that will help you keep a grip on them in wet conditions. If you find yourself hunting in rain and snow, these may be a good purchase.
Steiner Safari UltraSharp Binoculars Compact
The Steiner Safari UltraSharp Binoculars are very compact binoculars. These would be great for someone that only needs short term use, and doesn’t want to carry a lot of extra weight. Steiner has a good reputation for making rugged optics, as they provide most binoculars to the US Military. They’re a little more expensive than the others, but they’re still a relatively affordable option.
Leupold BX-1 McKenzie HD 10x50mm Binoculars
The Leupold BX-1 10×50 binoculars would be a good choice for hunters and tactical users who find they need low light capability at a relatively low price. They have a very large objective lens, and the optics are multi coated, which should maximize light transmission to the eye. The are on the heavier side, but should be quite durable.
Steiner Predator Series Hunting Binoculars
The Steiner Predator series binos are made specifically for hunting. They’ve coated the lenses to provide more color contrast to help pick out game animals. They vary from 8x magnification to 10x magnification. They’ve also added a few features that allow them to be carried a little easier for hunters that are moving around a lot.
Top 5 Best Mid Grade Binoculars for Hunting ($250-$800)
These binoculars are the sweet spot in terms of value for money. The market today is flooded with cheaper options, but these binoculars have great features you won’t find on cheaper optics. You’ll find some units with auto focus, laser range finding, and electronic image stabilization. These units are probably the best budget binoculars for hunting, at least for serious users.
Steiner Military-Marine Series Binoculars
The Steiner Military-Marine Series binoculars have been around for years, and are widely used by the US military. They feature a porro prism design, and are 8×30. These binos are light weight, and will do a good job gathering light in dawn and twilight conditions. These would be a good choice for medium distance imaging needs.
Zeiss Terra ED 10×42 Binoculars
The Zeiss Terra ED binoculars, would be a great choice for medium distance hunting in inclement weather conditions. They have a special hydrophobic coating on the lenses that help water bead off of them. Zeiss is also know for extremely high quality lenses.
Steiner 7×50 Navigator Pro Binocular
These Steiner 7×50 Navigator Pro binoculars have one specific feature you are unlikely to find on any other set. They auto focus so you don’t have to manually adjust the focus knob, once it’s been set. These are porro prism binos, with the widest exit pupil we are likely to be able to use. These would be a great choice for general use, especially at low light.
Vortex Optics Viper HD Roof Prism Binoculars 12×50
These Vortex Viper HD series of binoculars are the best value in the Vortex line up. The Viper range is the mid grade line up. You would be hard pressed to notice the difference to their UHD, best in class binoculars. They feature an anti-reflective coating, and have several options in magnification. These 12x magnification binoculars would be great for longer ranges.
Sig Sauer ZULU6 Binocular, 16x42mm (Best Budget Binocular for Hunting)
The Sig Sauer ZULU6 binoculars are very interesting, as they are image stabilized. This is almost a must have as a 16 power binocular will wobble a lot off-hand. You would have to use a tripod to be able to see much of anything otherwise. These stabilized binos allow for off-hand use without any accessories needed.
They are made of polymer, which may not be as durable as a metal body, but it does allow them to be made at a lower price point. It also keeps the weight rather low, at 20 ounces. These would be an excellent pair of binos for hunting in the mountains, or wide open country. This is probably overkill for most wooded areas.
Top 5 Best High End Binoculars for Hunting ($800+)
These are professional grade optics, that offer the best build quality. You’ll find the clearest glass, with several options for magnification. Some of these sets cost several thousand dollars, but they can do things like provide ballistic corrections, and precise range finding to a target.
Steiner Optics HX Series Binoculars
The Steiner HX Series binoculars show that they can make excellent roof prism optics as well as porro optics. These have more aggressive eye cups, that will help block out ambient light from leaking around the eye piece. This can help reduce eye strain, and make long sessions easier to do.
Zeiss 10×42 Conquest HD Binocular with Zeiss Harness Strap
The Zeiss 10×42 Conquest HD binoculars, are a great all around choice. This specific model comes with a chest strap, which is a needed accessory. Generally speaking, you need a strap, or a specific pouch that will hold your binoculars. It can be super annoying having to dig through a pack for binos all the time.
Vortex Optics Fury HD 5000 10×42 Laser Rangefinding Binoculars
The Vortex Optics Fury HD 5000 binoculars are a great reasonably priced set of range finding binoculars. They have a very accurate laser, and will help you get on target much quicker. In fact, accurate wind calls, and range estimation are the two biggest factors affecting shooting accuracy.
SWAROVSKI EL Range with Tracking Assistant 10×42
The Swarovski EL Range binoculars are an incredibly high tech piece of kit. These binoculars provide laser range finding and can even correct for angle of tilt. This is super important in mountainous terrain, as most of your shots are likely to be at some type of angle. It also has an associated smart phone app that can help you shoot even more precisely. This truly is military sniper grade technology.
Vortex Optics Razor UHD Binoculars 18×56
The Vortex Razor UHD 18×56 binoculars are the highest power binoculars on this list. They would be best used for the longest range applications. You won’t be able to use these off-hand, and will have to use something to stabilize them like a good tripod.
The Best Binocular Accessories
One of the best accessories, especially for high magnification use, is a tripod. Most hunters and tactical shooters have gradually started to use tripods for mounting their rifles, and for mounting optics. This allows for a variety of shooting positions, and is a more accurate method of target engagement.
The SIRUI carbon fiber traveller, is an excellent budget option. It comes with a ball mount which allows you to easily move your binoculars, or rifle through any range of motion, without having to adjust the legs. There are certainly more expensive tripods, and cheaper ones, but this is probably your best budget option.
Lastly, you need a secure, and quiet method of carrying and deploying your binoculars. The binocular chest harness has entered the chat. The Badlands Binocular case is waterproof, and features a magnetic closure. This allows you to open and close it without the annoying zipper sounds, which can spoil your hunt!
Final Thoughts
Picking the best budget binoculars for hunting, is one area where you need to think long and hard about your intended use. If you’re only using binoculars for short durations, then you can err on the cheaper side of the list. If you plan on using them for several hours at a time, then you should consider the mid grade optics. Honestly, I don’t think most users could tell the difference between the glass on the best optics, and the mid grade.
However, if you’re a professional user, then you might want to consider the most expensive sets. If you have any questions, or comments, put them in the comments section below, and I’ll get you an answer.
