New set of Leupold binos!
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:03 pm
Well I just got me a brand spankin' new pair of binoculars! They're the Leupold Cascades 8x42. I'd been looking, testing and comparing heaps of binos for quite a while and in my price range it pretty much came down to these and the Nikon Monarch ATB's, had also looked at the Leupold Katmais which perform great but I considered 36mm to be slightly too small for what I needed.
I guess I chose these because I've been very impressed with Leupold rifle scopes, and they are made in Japan whereas the Nikons are made in China, and I think these had an ever so slightly better image than the Nikons.
I've always wanted a good set of optics for hunting, but I'm also becoming more of an avid birdwatcher and these seem to do both perfectly. The light gathering capabilities are simply AWESOME, the other night I had these out after the sun had dropped below the horizon and was watching bats fly across the night sky clear as day
There are only a couple of things that I want to pick on, and that is the focus adjustment could be a little more sensitive. A few too many turns to go from near to far, but as a positive its very easy to get crystal clear images with the fine control it offers. Also i wish the neoprene case had some kind of belt loop, but I have rigged up some straps that go from the waist belt of my backpack and clip onto the neck strap, holding the binoculars snugly against my stomach. It works well and I can shoot my bow in any position like this no problems.
I think they retail for something like AU$699 here in Australia which is ridiculous, I ended up getting them from www.opticsplanet.com for AU$263 plus AU$25 postage, delivered in 3 days. Have a look at these guys if your looking for a pair, I recommend them
Matt
I guess I chose these because I've been very impressed with Leupold rifle scopes, and they are made in Japan whereas the Nikons are made in China, and I think these had an ever so slightly better image than the Nikons.
I've always wanted a good set of optics for hunting, but I'm also becoming more of an avid birdwatcher and these seem to do both perfectly. The light gathering capabilities are simply AWESOME, the other night I had these out after the sun had dropped below the horizon and was watching bats fly across the night sky clear as day
There are only a couple of things that I want to pick on, and that is the focus adjustment could be a little more sensitive. A few too many turns to go from near to far, but as a positive its very easy to get crystal clear images with the fine control it offers. Also i wish the neoprene case had some kind of belt loop, but I have rigged up some straps that go from the waist belt of my backpack and clip onto the neck strap, holding the binoculars snugly against my stomach. It works well and I can shoot my bow in any position like this no problems.
I think they retail for something like AU$699 here in Australia which is ridiculous, I ended up getting them from www.opticsplanet.com for AU$263 plus AU$25 postage, delivered in 3 days. Have a look at these guys if your looking for a pair, I recommend them
Matt