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Sig Sauer ZULU6 10x30 Binocular Review
Full disclosure here: When I first saw the Sig Sauer ZULU6 10x30 mm image-stabilizing binocular by Sig Sauer, I thought it was kind of a gimmick. I thought, how would that even work, and why would I even need that? Well, fast-forward to this fall on my Wyoming elk hunt. My buddy Matt showed up with one, and he just kept raving about how cool it was.
Build
As you can tell from the description, the Sig Sauer ZULU6 is a 10-power binocular with 30-millimeter objective lenses. This optic is fairly small at only 5.9” long. Thanks to its polymer frame, it weighs a mere 18.6 ounces.
In The Field
First off, the Sig Sauer ZULU6 doesn’t look like most modern binoculars. The shape is more reminiscent of an old Nikon I used in the early ‘90s. That’s not to say it isn’t cool-looking; it just looks different than what most of us use nowadays.
The image stabilization feature can be turned on and off, so it can be used as a normal binocular. To toggle the image stabilization, you simply flip the switch on top of the binocular. This switch is located near the focus wheel. The first time you use image stabilization mode is somewhat weird. It’s kind of hard to explain, but there is just a more “fluid” view than I was accustomed to, but once I was used to it, I didn’t notice it as much.
Once you figure it out, it is remarkable how well it works. You can pick out details on a distant object much more easily than you can while hand-holding a standard binocular. Is it as steady as a binocular on a good tripod? No. But it is much steadier than hand-holding other binos. Over the course of that elk hunt, I spent quite a bit of time looking through Matt’s ZULU6 and enjoyed it. He was constantly counting points on distant animals with it. As crazy as it may sound, he even spotted several animals using this binocular while riding in the truck.
Optics
As cool as this binocular is, optically, I don’t think it is on the same level as many other binoculars. The 30-mm objective lenses don’t let in as much light as the 42s or 50s that most of us generally use.
That being said, the image stabilization does close the gap a little. I have asked some questions about why Sig doesn’t have a way to mount it to a tripod, thinking it would be amazing if it were image-stabilized and on a tripod, and I’ve been told it doesn’t work. The combo of image stabilization and a solid platform seems to mess with the whole system.
Where The Sig Sauer ZULU6 Shines
This optic would work well for any hunter, but for the wide-open areas I hunt and I spend a lot of time long-distance glassing on a tripod, I don’t think I will ditch my current binocular/tripod setup.
However, on hunts where most of the time is spent glassing in timber or at medium distances, I think this is a great option. This binocular is very effective even using it one-handed. That is ideal for bowhunting in the timber when you want to glass something while still holding your bow.
As I mentioned, optically, it isn’t on par with others, but if Sig goes big and puts this image stabilization technology in a binocular with top-end glass, the competition had better pay attention.