NL/BR4 vs Geovid Pro

[Elk Chaser]

Apologies in advance as I know this discussion has gone on ad nauseum but I’m curious about these two setups (RF bino vs bino/rf) in particular. I’m tripod glassing dominant here in Montana and mainly a rifle hunter. I’m fully prepared to buy 10 or 12 power NL Pures and a BR4 but I’m wondering if anyone has compared this setup to Geovid Pros, with or without AB+ and whether or not the glass and ballistics compare. Any insight would be appreciated either way.

 

[wind gypsy]

I'd think the BR4 laser would be at least on par with the leicas and the NLs are definitely a step up from geovids optically. Whether or not you'll really miss out on the faster workflow of RF binos is pretty hunter specific.

I could get on board with geovids for glassing if 10x was all i was using for binos. 12x is a nice upgrade for tripod glassing though.

I've got good Sig 10k gen 2s, monark HG 10x42s, and Swaro EL12x50s, and a OG sig 2400ABS rf with Applied ballistics and still cant make up mind mind what to use lots of the time.

 

[willfrye027]

IMO for elk, which are not as hard to glass up and also not as stationary as deer, a range finding bino would be advantageous over two separate units.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Br4 and pures. I can't think of a better duo. I can't stand LRF binos for glassing. Only in a NRL hunter do I see any advantage to a LRF bino over a handheld like the BR4. If it was a late season elk hunt I may just bring my LRF binos, but for any trophy hunt including elk I am running pures

 

[schmidty3]

Ive got the br4 and the geovid Ab+.

Geovid glass is quite spectacular. I haven't compared to pures. But it blows my maven B2s out of the water (which I've been very satisfied with). They've also been nicer then several different EL ranges I've looked through.

I think they will be a great hunting unit.

The ranging features are kinda shit. The reticle is too big, and the laser hits the left edge of it (which actually works better ). The app sucks. The user interfaces suck. The way it cycles through the data sucks (it does one second of range. One second of elevation. One second of wind...then blank... that sequence is configurable). Battery life sucks if leaving Bluetooth on (went thru 3 at the last nrl)

For the last nrl, I kept my phone in the AB app, the bino pushed data to the app, but it doesn't go from the app to the bino. The leica app doesn't have wind on a cardinal direction, just relative to shooting direction. So id set the wind in the ab app before my stage...start, Range, look at my phone and write the solution down on my wrist. It actually worked pretty well other then eating batteries. I'd hit range I was happy with. And look at my phone, it was faster then watching the screens cycle through, and I didn't have to memorize info as the bino cycled through the outputs.

It's a $2000 bino with a $300 rangefinder that they charge $3800 for. I would not have paid full retail for it, I snatched a 40% off at an nrl.

Overall I like the br4 as a rangefinder much better. The app works well. The data outputs are fast and clean and much more usable. Not sure if you can do cardinal direction wind, or if it'll Bluetooth to kestrel etc. So it may not be as useful as a rangefinder that does for getting exact wind data. But the base wind outputs are super easy to use.

Now I've got the binos setup with an arca attachment, slap them on top of my tripod in a manfrotto fluid video head. I'm getting much more accurate ranges that I'm more confident in then when I was just "freehanding" the br4 by resting it on my pack or tripod. I could arca it as well, and I'd probably get better ranges.

Anyway, here we are. I just ordered a kestrel 5700 elite. Going to try pairing that to the leica. See if I can get it to push solutions to the bino display. Also will strap it to my tripod for nrl so I can read the bino outputs there instead of waiting forever watching the bino cycle.

I could also be retarded. If anyone else has some helpful tips for it I'm all ears. If this kestrel does what it's supposed to do then I'll be much more satisfied with this system. The ability to find targets and get a confident range with my system is top tier. The data outputs are frustrating the hell out of me.

I'll also add....

I think the pures would be a lifetime unit. These ABs are already using an outdated rangefinding display. Sig and vectors are sweet. The br4 is pretty great too. But there's not a rf bino that checks all of the boxes.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Apologies in advance as I know this discussion has gone on ad nauseum but I’m curious about these two setups (RF bino vs bino/rf) in particular. I’m tripod glassing dominant here in Montana and mainly a rifle hunter. I’m fully prepared to buy 10 or 12 power NL Pures and a BR4 but I’m wondering if anyone has compared this setup to Geovid Pros, with or without AB+ and whether or not the glass and ballistics compare. Any insight would be appreciated either way.

I’m fully prepared for this to happen as well. Been prepared for better part of a year.

My one comment would be on the RF, you’re more looking at CRF Pro (800, not $300) for onboard laser with all the ballistic features/adjustments. Given how fritzy that unit’s display has been, it’s a bit sketch. I think the rifle hunting first pushes the all in one unit quite hard for you though.

You want NLs so…..

 

[willfrye027]

I will add here my current chest binos are the swaro 8x32 range. The glass is good to great (not as great as nl pure), the rangefinder is fine (accurate range and quick solution out to 1000 yards).

There is better glass out there and better rangefinders out there. I am a glass snob so for me to be “settling” for the el range TA is saying something about how useful they are in actually killing something. Some situations for sure you have plenty of time to switch to a handheld RF..but damn the RF binos are quick and simplify the process of getting a dope and getting an animal in the crosshairs. So far I’ve killed 10ish big game animals using them and I can’t go back to separate units no matter how much better the glass is or how much farther a standalone RF unit will range/provide a solution.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I understand that it is a pricey setup, but Revic BL-R10B's (or the new Gen 2 coming out here soon) in the bino harness and Swaro NL Pure 14's in the top of pack or easy access outside pouch is the best duo available right now in my opinion.

NL Pure 14's are a big enough step up in FOV, weight, and overall image for folks to upgrade from any currently offered 15x56 bino and a huge step up from any 18 power bino.

Of the ranging units I've used, the Revics continue to offer the quickest and most accurate ranges with the most accurate weather data and trued BC calcs I've seen.

One caveat being, don't take them out of an air conditioned Jeep that is 60 degrees inside, and take them out into 118 degree weather and expect them to be accurate on a coyote at 715 yards. In general they need to "sit" in the shooting conditions weather for a little bit to be dead on. This is not a likely scenario when hunting big game unless the opposite happens I'd imagine (100 degree body dumping heat into bino harness under a puffy and outside temp is below freezing) as an example.

 

[willfrye027]

I understand that it is a pricey setup, but Revic BL-R10B's (or the new Gen 2 coming out here soon) in the bino harness and Swaro NL Pure 14's in the top of pack or easy access outside pouch is the best duo available right now in my opinion.

NL Pure 14's are a big enough step up in FOV, weight, and overall image for folks to upgrade from any currently offered 15x56 bino and a huge step up from any 18 power bino.

Of the ranging units I've used, the Revics continue to offer the quickest and most accurate ranges with the most accurate weather data and trued BC calcs I've seen.

One caveat being, don't take them out of an air conditioned Jeep that is 60 degrees inside, and take them out into 118 degree weather and expect them to be accurate on a coyote at 715 yards. In general they need to "sit" in the shooting conditions weather for a little bit to be dead on. This is not a likely scenario when hunting big game unless the opposite happens I'd imagine (100 degree body dumping heat into bino harness under a puffy and outside temp is below freezing) as an example.

Chest RF binos and NL pure 14s is the way to go if you can swing the funds