Leica Geovid R - EHR frustration

[Antares]

Looking for some suggestions here. I've been using the Leica Geovid R 10x42s for two or three years now. I really, really like them except for one thing.

When they are in EHR mode... THEY SHOULD ONLY DISPLAY THE EHR RANGE... or at least show the EHR range first and then show the linear/LOS range second.

But, no. They display the LOS range first and the EHR range 2 seconds later. I try to drill myself into remembering to wait for the EHR range, but sometimes I forget, especially when things get "exciting." I do a lot of alpine hunting, so a lot of high angle shooting where the diff between LOS and EHR matters.

I did it yesterday. I'm a little rusty because I haven't shot much over the winter, so that's on me, but I was out shooting one of my plates and I dialed for 340 yards instead of 330 yards because I forgot to wait for the EHR to display. I still hit the plate, but that's not the point.

I don't remember what episode, but I think I remember @THLR shooting over the top of a chamois for this exact reason, so at least I'm in good company.

How do I fix this? Anyone got any hot tips, mental tricks, etc.?

 

[THLR]

It's here, right around minute 16.

In my opinion it's shitty engineering and lack of understanding what chain of events the display can trigger. I do not find any scenario where it would be right to show the shooter a false value.

 

[dreamingWest]

I had to upgrade all my Leica rangefinders to Pro models because of this exact issue. Same deal with RF Binos and Compact. You have to buy Pro model to get EHR only.

A simple tweak to fix this and I would wholeheartedly recommend R models to pretty much everyone I know.

 

[Jordan Smith]

Both values are useful, LOS for wind drift (and drag), and EHR for drop. A mental trick would be to think wind first and drop second.

Keep in mind that Leica’s EHR is not just simply the cosine of the shooting angle, but also considers environmental factors (they’re vague on exactly what it does and how they model it, but I assume it adjusts for the drag of the LOS distance and derived air density).

 

[mtnwrunner]

Yeah, it's kind of a pain in the ass but you can get used to it.
You've heard the expression "wait for it......." quite frequently so thats my mantra when pressing the range button. Also gives me a moment to relax if its a hunting situation.
I have both the 10's and the 15's and use them exclusively as well as always ranging stuff when I glass so it's just habit.

Randy

 

[THLR]

I'll still say LOS has little value to the shooter; keep it inside the chip please, don't display it.

In the horisontal plane, EHR and LOS values merge. When the angle is sufficient to be significant, shooters windcall will be different if he's shooting along, across or abeam the valley, wether the valley has U or V shape and if you are shooting from/past/into terrain features or gaps. Sometimes time of day can also affect the shot. (Literature on cross country hanggliding has perhaps the best illustrations)

I use base value wind and +/- that hild depending

 

[Jordan Smith]

In the horisontal plane, EHR and LOS values merge. When the angle is sufficient to be significant, shooters windcall will be different if he's shooting along, across or abeam the valley, wether the valley has U or V shape and if you are shooting from/past/into terrain features or gaps. Sometimes time of day can also affect the shot. (Literature on cross country hanggliding has perhaps the best illustrations)

Very true, and the actual LOS distance that the bullet traverses in the wind is also important, which is why I like to see it.

Ultimately, Leica's display in most models is sadly outdated. There's no reason they can't display both values at the same time. The Max is a step in the right direction.

 

[Antares]

It's here, right around minute 16.

In my opinion it's shitty engineering and lack of understanding what chain of events the display can trigger. I do not find any scenario where it would be right to show the shooter a false value.

Did you find a way to overcome this or do you just not use the Geovid Rs anymore?

Yeah, it's kind of a pain in the ass but you can get used to it.
You've heard the expression "wait for it......." quite frequently so thats my mantra when pressing the range button. Also gives me a moment to relax if its a hunting situation.
I have both the 10's and the 15's and use them exclusively as well as always ranging stuff when I glass so it's just habit.

Randy

I like that, Randy. Thanks! Maybe I'll put a sticker on my binos that says "Wait for it..." Maybe even "Wait for it MF'er!" and a little pic of Samuel L. Jackson to really drive it home. Ha!

Very true, and the actual LOS distance that the bullet traverses in the wind is also important, which is why I like to see it.

Ultimately, Leica's display in most models is sadly outdated. There's no reason they can't display both values at the same time. The Max is a step in the right direction.

I personally do not want to see LOS. I want to see the range that I need to correct elevation for and that's it.

I don't call wind well enough for the diff between EHR and LOS to be meaningful at the ranges and angles I shoot. For example, I just compared two 500 yards shots with my current rifle in my ballistic app, both with full value 5 mph wind: one shot that is flat (0°) and one shot that is high angle (30°). The flat shot wants 3.4 mil of elevation and 0.6 mil of wind; the high angle shot wants 2.8 mil of elevation and 0.5 mill of wind. The diff in elevation (0.6 mil) is meaningful and will cause a miss on deer size vitals, but the diff in wind (0.1 mil) will likely be swamped by the error in my wind call, and this is an extreme example (for me), 30° is very steep.