Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x 42mm Roof Prism Binocular
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x 42mm Roof Prism Binocular Reviews
A brief summary of this review is that, after comparison with the Bushnell Legend HD 8x42, A Nikon Prostaff 7 10x42, a Nikon Monarch 5 10x42, and a REI 10x50, I decided to stick with the Bushnell 10x42 Legend HD; BUT the decision is a compromise, and I an not totally happy with the Bushnell product. To understand how I came about to compare so many models, let me give you the entire story. Firstly I had decided to get a good pair of binos. I decided to get the Legend HD 8x42 mostly because of the good reviews, its larger Field of View and brighter image (as compared to the 10x42). So after I got it from Amazon and carefully testing the optics visually, I noticed that in the left side scope there was a slight misalignment of optics so that there was a larger than normal area of image blurring on the left side field of view (the normal for the Legend series, from my subsequent observation, being about at 25% of the edge area you begin to get blurring). This was only noticeable when focused on a uniform flat surface; something I could possibly live with. So I took the binos out to the beach for an afternoon of testing. The image clarity was great, so was the color saturation and contrast... but there was one thing I couldn't live with--the eye relief was too long for a non-eyeglass wearer like me. Observing objects at eye-level and above was okay, but when the binos were pointed downward, say at birds at the waterline from above, the binos actually had to be awkwardly positioned away at a distance without touching any part of your eye socket or face. Very awkward, unnatural, and uncomfortable positioning of the binos; something not sustainable for a any extended period of time without introducing hand-shake. So I decided to return the 8x and buy a 10x Legend because the latter had slightly shorter eye-relief. The process was very easily done with Amazon, and the 10x binos came quickly. Immediately, out of the box, I noticed the right side eye-cup was crooked at an off-angle. I tried to lightly adjust it, but it was permanent. As I retracted the cup, it was rough and had no click stop like the other side. BAD QUALITY CONTROL. So I decided to give it a comparison test so I can decide whether to exchange it or simply return it and buy another brand of binoculars. I went to a local REI store which carried Nikon binos, and had the salesperson let me take a look at the afore-mentioned Prostaff 7, Monarch 5, and REI models. The quick summary is that REI unit did not stand out (even with the extra 50mm aperture)... the Prostaff and Monarch models performed very close optically (the salesman said the Monarch was slightly better but he bought the Prostaff for himself because of the price; I personally thought the Monarch had some flare/fringing issues worse than the cheaper Prostaff!) but the Monarch had better build quality... From the build quality of both Nikons, it was immediately obvious that they were built better than the bushnells: the materials were more solid, and the movements smoother than the Bushnells. So after taking the 3 binos outdoors and looking through them, I asked if it was okay if I were to pull out the Bushnell I had to compare side-by-side. He said no problem. (I have to commend REI staff on their sales service!) Pretty obviously, optically, the Bushnells were superior. This was obvious in the color saturation and contrast. Even the salesperson, after looking through the Bushnells, stopped trying to sell me on the Nikons. Since binoculars are mostly optical instruments, you pretty much have to judge them via optics--and not build quality, so I decided to stick with Bushnell and ask Amazon to exchange my current unit due to the eye-cup problem. And the 2mm-shorter eye-relief of the 10x model made it useable for me--a non-eyeglass-wearer. Voila, in two days, my replacement came. The eye-cups are okay... but left/right performance still had some variance--indicating bad quality control. Also the focusing knob was not smooth through its entire range. I can live with this as the image quality is excellent. So, if you think you can handle the possible need for returns and exchange, I feel the Bushnell Legend HD 10x42 is an excellent binoculars for its price... but only 4-and-half stars, not 5. (I want to add that if your budget only allowed spending below $150, the Nikon Prostaff 7 would be a great choice. You forego some saturation, contrast, and FOV, but still get sharp optics, and get better build quality at a lower price... At about $300, I would not recommend the Monarch 5.) (Have to also give kudos for Amazon and REI too--for their excellent customer service '.). this is my Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x 42mm Roof Prism Binocular reviews
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x 42mm Roof Prism Binocular Specs
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- Price for both: $253.93
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