fingerz42

Hey guys I saw a topic a week or so back on bincoluars and it was very informative. Since I've been in the market for a new pair of binoculars for almost two years, I keep a kean eye open. After last weeks bino help thread, I decided to go take a look at some of the binoculars that were spoken of. I check the Nikon Monarch ATB, Leupold Danaci or something like that, the Nikon Trailblazer ATB, and then finally the Leuphold Yosemite.. In that order.

First off I was impressed by the Monarch's clear vision but discouraged by the price.. ($315)
Next I looked through the Leuphold Danaci(?) set and was not all too impressed. The image was clear in the center but straying from the center it got blurry.
I then looked through the Nikon Trailbazers and was a bit let down by the image I saw. It seemed as if the image from the trailblazers was very 2D and depth seemed to be lacking..

Now keep in mind that I am typically a big fan of Nikons and in my opinion the Nikons have better optics than Leupholds 9 times out of 10.. Nonetheless, I had looked through the three bino's I had chosen but the store clerk asked me to take a look through the Leupold Yosemites because of their clarity and dependability.. When I did, I saw the clearest picture of all the bino's I had looked through.. The image looked 3-d, and was very clear, even on the edges.. This particular pair is 8 x 30's but the field of view is actually better than the 8x42s of the Nikons.. (something to do with the type of prism used) Most importantly, the price was only $115..

Now my question to some of you bino buffs is... What is the catch? What am I missing about these binos that makes them so "cheap" when compared to the others, even though I think the Leupold Yosemite was "better" than the others...? Other than lowlight conditions, what other setbacks am I missing about this pair of binos? Because as of now, I just about have my mind made up and its for the Leupold Yosemites..........

Someone enlighten me...

PABowhntr

The Leupold Yosemites are a great little bit of glass. You aren't missing anything. Fairly inexpensive porro prism binoculars perform at a level that is equivalent to roof prism glasses that are two to three times their cost. Porro prism binoculars are just easier to manufacture. The light path from the objective end to the eyepiece is also "simpler" meaning that the image tends to brighter and sharper...assuming the quality control is there.

I actually prefer the 6x30s to the 8x30s but many folks feel 6x is too little magnification to be sufficient for different types of hunting.

The drawbacks of the 8x30 is the smaller exit pupil thus poorer lowlight performance. Other than that you really aren't missing much.

If you are interested in the Yosemites you might also check out the Eagle Optics Raven and the Vortex Raptor. They use the same basic design as the Yosemites but they have been "tweaked" a bit to get slightly better optical performance.

Oh, and the field of view issue has nothing to do with the prisms. Field of view is almost totally the result of the eyepiece design.

Hope this helps.

fingerz42

Cool.. thanks bud.. I'll check out the ones you mentioned..

fingerz42

Well after a few more trips to the shop I decided the Yosemites(8x30) were it for me. i found them on sale for $99.98 through a Dicks Sporting Goods promotion... $20 less than the usual price I see them... As of now I'm impressed with their quality.. We'll see how they work in the woods..