Rangefinding binos VS Regular. Are you sacrificing optical quality??

[Rbw1989]

Looking into the high end range finding Binos, swaro el range and Leica HD-b, are you sacrificing any noticeable optical quality? I used to own the vortex fury hd and ended up selling them not long later because I just couldn’t handle the green blue tint in 1 eye, among a couple other things. What are your thoughts and experiences??

 

[gr8fuldoug]

You lose about 5% optical quality with the laser through the optic, however, the Leica and Swaro are such great optics it does not cause an issue

 

[Rbw1989]

You lose about 5% optical quality with the laser through the optic, however, the Leica and Swaro are such great optics it does not cause an issue

Doug you are on it! I called up your shop and talked to Neil for a bit yesterday. I’ll most likely be checking some options out in person tonight and giving you a call again tomorrow to pick your brain a bit.

 

[Agar426]

What about durability of the rangefinder as compared to the bino?

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I do not think the incorporated rangefinder would be an issue

 

[SDHNTR]

I noticed a considerable loss in low light clarity when I switched from Leica Ultravids to Geovids.

 

[wyosteve]

I agree with what Doug said. Last year my buddy bought a new set of Zeiss with rangefinder. I had my Swaro EL's and looked at the same thing with both sets. Slightly less light transmission on the Zeiss, but not enough to keep me from getting some if I was in the market.

 

[Agar426]

What about obsolescence? Hunters aren't much different than other folks in that they are always looking for the latest and greatest. Sure, there's a point of diminishing returns, and in the past few years, great strides have been made in rangefinders, so the need to constantly upgrade (out of necessity) will be reduced as time goes on. I can picture the average guy buying 2-3 rangefinders before upgrading their binos. I absolutely believe that a pair of rangefinder binos on a tripod is much better than a handheld to give an accurate reading. I am thinking of two things....will the rangefinder crap out after a point in time, and you're stuck with a pair of binos whose rangefinder doesn't work. And the second thing is for the gadget junky....if you always have to have the latest tech, than dropping $3k every couple of years is pretty tough, even with good resale values of the top end stuff.

My own personal experience is very limited, so I hesitate to opine on the optical clarity differences, but I have looked through both the Fury HD and EL Range in the field during a hunt. I had never seen "regular" ELs at that time, so I didn't have anything to compare them to. But the Fury HDs were noticeably, if not very much so, producing a poorer image than my old Leupold Mojaves (original Mojaves....pre "guide" series, pre-BX series). I am not sure what level in Vortex' line the Fury's glass is supposed to be, but it wasn't great. They appeared darker, less crisp, and made it feel like the day was overcast, even though it was a sunny day. And, my Mojaves, while adequate, don't have much of a "wow" factor. My guess is the higher end glass has enough top end that a slight loss is a reasonable tradeoff?!?

Me personally, I just picked up a new Sig RF and it works great, Saving up for a pair of high end 10x42s right now. Would love EL 10x42s, but unless a great deal comes up, the SLC 10x42s may get the nod. Had I not just picked up the Sig RF, I might think differently.

 

[Rbw1989]

I’ve owned the vortex fury hd and sold them after less than a whole season. Those don’t hold a spot as a comparison between the leicas and swaros. I checked both of those out last night and compared against the standard ELs (in store not in the field) and couldn’t tell a difference in optics quality. Really reaLly great glass.

 

[jacknifejc]

I have both the ELs and EL Range. There is a noticeable difference at first light and the last fifteen minutes of the day. The Ranges are still better than anything else I have used though.

 

[handwerk]

I have had 3 generations of geovids, the swaro EL ranges, swaro SLC's and swaro SV 10x42 , and ultravids...all amazing glass no doubt. To my eyes the SV's had the best view, but in the end I sold the others off as I continue to be impressed with my old HD-R Geovids and have not once felt like I didn't get on game because my view was a couple % less.
The other factor that rarely gets mentioned is for most folks it's much easier/quicker to get readings from a RF binocular than it is a small hand held RF.

 

[Rbw1989]

I have had 3 generations of geovids, the swaro EL ranges, swaro SLC's and swaro SV 10x42 , and ultravids...all amazing glass no doubt. To my eyes the SV's had the best view, but in the end I sold the others off as I continue to be impressed with my old HD-R Geovids and have not once felt like I didn't get on game because my view was a couple % less.
The other factor that rarely gets mentioned is for most folks it's much easier/quicker to get readings from a RF binocular than it is a small hand held RF.

This is really interesting to hear. I was/ am considering trying to get some slc 10x42s (mostly to satisfy the swaro itch I’ve had for years now without spending more than 2,000) but finding deals on the Leica geovid makes me think that might be the way to go.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

We are down to 1 of the Leica Geovid 10x42 HD-B 3000 Rangefinder Binocular for $1999.99. Cannot believe how many we have sold in the past month

 

[Stingray]

my eyes arent good enough to let me notice much if any difference in the alpha glass. I personally like the new Zeiss RF binos better than the EL or Geovid. But i can’t tell much difference with the Zeiss RF versus the Victory SF or the EL and other non-RF alphas.

if you can swing it, the price Doug just published is a STEAL. Someone needs to buy those!

 

[david2duck]

I have the zeiss RF and they are top notch. Glass is up there with the best binos and the rangefinder is a step above other RF binos, in my opinion. I think you almost always have to give something up to get something but with the zeiss I didn’t get that. No buyers remorse at all.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

For me, years from now I dont want to chance a pair of high end binos that have faulty electronics in them so I went with the zeiss victory SF's and use handheld range finders...

 

[Rbw1989]

So I ended up messing around and waited too long to get the last pair of geovids from Doug at camera land... missing out on them made me realize how much I actually wanted them haha. I looked around and found that sportsman’s warehouse was blowing them out for 1899, and my awesome wife drove 2 hours to the nearest sportsman’s that had 1 pair left while I was at work and snagged them up!! Super super happy I got my hands on some!

 

[wilydawg]

I have the Leica HD-B's as well as a pair of Swaro EL's. For me, there's no "functional" loss of performance between the two. They are both optically amazing IMO. I also have handheld rangefinders (Leica nd Sig). For most things I definitely prefer ranging through the bino.

In short, my Leica's are my primary use binos and my Swaro's are my back-up...

 

[Rbw1989]

Very nice. I think the thing I’m most curious about now will be how the HD-B rangefinder compares with my current rangefinder for archery as for as the yardage cuts for incline/decline shots. I’ll do some comparing in the coming weeks and check it out

 

[WJAadams]

Do any of these binocs adjust for angle compensation?