8x42 vs 10x42 steadiness

[roberte65]

Hey, want to drill into the age old 8x vs 10x topic, but specifically to hand holding the binos.

I got my first big-boy binos, Bx4 Hd 10x42s, after using some old Leupold 10x50s forever. I thought 10x would be just a standard all-purpose magnification. Maybe it’s the higher resolution than I’m used to, but the image just seems jumpy and twitchy unless I can get a decent rest on them. Will 8x just only be slightly better for non-tripod use?

Just curious about y’all’s experience here.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I recently switched from 8x to 10x and cannot tell a difference in jumpiness. But I am not an optic guru.

 

[AndyPOW]

Haha. . . I just bought a pair of Maven C.1 10x42s, which are my first pair of hunting binos. I'll watch the replies with interest.

 

[MarvB]

No difference for me...jump to 15x and whole new story

 

[hank4elk]

or jump to 10x50 and there is a difference.
No difference between my 8x 30's & 10x42's except 42 can see farther clearer.

 

[footingit]

I wonder if the field of view makes a bigger difference than the magnification for “jumpiness”. I just recently upgraded to a Zeiss Conquest 10x42 from an REI-brand 8x32. They list very similar FOV and seem to be about the same shakiness. But of course a much brighter, clearer, larger image with the 10x.

if your 10x50s had a larger FOV, that could explain why the 10x42 feel shakier.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I would suspect you are just seeing shake that wasn't discernable before. As for the difference between my 10x42 Swaro ELs and 8x42 Zeiss Conquest HDs, both of which I use regularly, I don't notice a great difference but some exists. This is the same idea with your riflescope, turn it down to 3x and it will seem like you are holding steadier than if you crank it up to 10x. You could compare on your rifle scope at the highest setting (say 10x) and then reduce it down to 8x.

Some things I do (likely common sense, but I will share them):
- Clamp your hands around the bill of your hat while you glass, and make sure you have your elbows in against your body.
- Lean against a rock or tree.
- Use a trekking pole, tree, fencepost, etc as a hasty stabilizing rest.
- When rifle hunting I carry my rifle in a gunbearer, and I often use the barrel to rest my arm on when glassing.
- Nothing will replace a tripod and bino mount....

 

[SCliving Outdoors]

I use 10x and hold them to glass with no issues. Its all a preference, but I don't think you'll have an issue. Ive actually been seriously considering going up to an 11 or 12x.

 

[roberte65]

Thanks for all the input. Going to blame it on the enhanced clarity showing me more detail and twitches than im used to. May get some top end 8x42s down the road, but for now i like 10x to help me judge age and antler size from mid-long distances. I'm sure the same can be done with 8x, but I also like how easy it is to pinpoint any movement in thick timber and discern if its an animal or brush with more mag.

My usual hunting style is in a box blind or tree stand when i can get a darn good rest. When i make trips out west, i think a tripod and adapter will be worth its weight.

 

[roberte65]

I wonder if the field of view makes a bigger difference than the magnification for “jumpiness”. I just recently upgraded to a Zeiss Conquest 10x42 from an REI-brand 8x32. They list very similar FOV and seem to be about the same shakiness. But of course a much brighter, clearer, larger image with the 10x.

if your 10x50s had a larger FOV, that could explain why the 10x42 feel shakier.

i would have though the same until i saw that most binos have a SMALLER fov in their 10x50 configs that the 10x42. I believe its more a function of the length of the optical system than the actual lens size.