8×42 vs 10×42 Binoculars for Birding, Safari or Hunting

Whether you are a bird watcher or a hunter, you may want to compare the 8×42 binocular vs the 10×42 binoculars.

It is not wrong to take 10x binoculars for hunting, but 8x binoculars are not that bad either.  The 8×42 binocular can give you a wider field of view, a larger exit pupil, and a better stable image.

Choosing a pair of 10×42 binoculars also has some good reasons. So let us compare these two.

8×42 vs 10×42 Binoculars

If you know the two types of binoculars, you can easily decide which one is good for you. Let’s learn about them.

Pros and Cons of 8×42 Binoculars

When comparing the 8×42 and 10×42 binoculars, you may think only about the magnification at first, but there are lots of other things to compare.

PROS

CONS

 

Pros and Cons of 10×42 Binoculars

Now it is time to see the pros and cons of 10×42 binoculars.

PROS

CONS

 

10×42 vs 8×42 – Which Wins

Now we are going to look at which binocular is good for which type of work.

For Bowhunting

Unlike rifle hunting, you don’t need a binocular that has extra power for bow hunting, because your arrow does not reach as far as a bullet.

But to see a target, you need a binocular that has enough power.

Here an 8×42 binocular is better for you. With this binocular, you can locate and follow the moving target in the forest area.

We recommend the Bushnell Trophy XLT Binoculars for bow hunting.

For Rifle Hunting

For rifle hunting, you need a bino with maximum reach and for that extra reach, the 10×42 binocular is helpful and very effective to spot the prey.

This binocular also gathers more detail to help identify the target.

We recommend Vortex Optics Viper HD 10×42 Binoculars for rifle hunting.

For bird watching

I recommend for you the 8×42 binocular for your bird watching. It has a larger exit pupil and a wider field of view making it perfect for birding.

For the slower and larger birds, you won’t need the larger field of view of the 8×42 binocular.

We recommend Henry Pahvant 8×42 HD Binoculars for birding.

For Safari

When you go on safari in the plains, you need a high-powered binocular. Spotting animals like the lion, bear, and hippo with a pair of 10×42 binoculars will provide you with a better experience.

When selecting a binocular that has enough power and one that will not put you in danger, then the 10×42 binocular is best.

We recommend the Steiner Predator 10×42 Binoculars for this job.

In the case of the  8×42 binocular vs the 10×42 binoculars, both binoculars are good for different purposes and you should take the one that suits your purpose.

For bird watching and bow hunting the 8×42 binocular is better. For safari and rifle hunting the 10×42 binoculars are appropriate.