Which one is the best rangefinder?

Which rangerfinder do you prefer using?

  • Leica CRF1000 Rangemaster

    Votes: 6 7.4%

  • Leica CRF1600 Rangemaster

    Votes: 28 34.6%

  • Zeiss Victory PRF 8x26 T

    Votes: 11 13.6%

  • Swarovski Laser Guide Rangefinder 8x30

    Votes: 22 27.2%

  • Other (Please explain)

    Votes: 14 17.3%
  • Total voters
    81
cam1936 said:
Maybe I came on a bit strong lol. I'll be honest, I've used Geovids and other Leica products in the field, but my Bushnell fusion 1600 experience was in a store only. I looked through the ones at Bass Pro and at Wholesale and it just was not my cup of tea. Am I the only one that thinks the coatings they use kill colour correction? It's a totally different coating than they use on say the Ultra HDs (which I think are a damn fine bino) and to my eyes it hurts light transmission and colour correction. Maybe I should give em a chance outside, but I have no friends who have picked up a pair.
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When I first looked through the Fusions in Wholesale, my reaction was exactly the same as yours! That blue tint wrecked the image for me! It made the bino look dimmer and the colours looked off. But John Barsness just kept on praising the Fusions, saying that he leaves his alpha binos and separate RF's at home now, in favour of the Fusion. He mentioned that the RF in the Fusion matched anything he had ever used (and he's used the Swaro quite a bit). Well, I just had to try a pair if JB thought they were so good. I had been using a Leica LRF1200 for a couple of years, and it was really good. The only problem was that it wouldn't range past 700-900 yards if light conditions were bad. At night I couldn't get a single reading at all.

Well, let me tell you that the blue tint in the Fusion is MUCH less noticeable when you get the bino out in the natural light of the outdoors. It actually helps game animals stand out in the FOV, IMO, but it does make the bino seem like it is dim in fading light (although the light transmission is still great, it's just the colour that gives the user this impression). It can still resolve detail in fading light just as well as the Vortex Viper bino because the Fusion has very good clarity and contrast. There is some distortion around the edges, but it's only noticeable if you look directly at the edges, which I don't do when I'm using the bino normally. I quickly forgot about the blue tint after a little while of using the bino out in the field. It looks much worse in the lighting of a sporting goods store.

So, while I was very hesitant at first, I've slowly grown quite fond of the Fusion 1600 after using it in the field some. The RF feature alone is worth $700. I can range trees at will out to 1872 yards (the farthest I've gotten so far), and I can range nearly as easily at night or in bad light as I can in good light conditions. The bino performs on par with the Viper, after doing quite a bit of comparison, and the RF is stellar!

If the Fusion cost me $1700, then I would probably look at other options, but it's a pretty awesome package for $700-850.

If you want to have a look for yourself, let me know, and we can get together sometime so you can try them out.
 
I find it really interesting to see the reaction to the Fusions. They fill a very different space in the market. Looking at them next to Leica Geovids thought I end up with these conclusions:

1. Leica Ultravids (plain binocs) are around $2200, while Geovids (RF) are around $2500, so you are paying an extra $300 for a rangefinder that is sold seperately for $850. (Sortof. The geovid RF is not identical to the Leica 1600, but its a relative)

2. The Bushnell Elite 1600 rangefinder retails for $570, which has an RF that is virtually identical to the $850 fusions. So there you are paying $280 for an extra tube of glass making the fusions "bino" rather than "mono."

3. I would rather pay $850 for a dedicated Leica rangefinder (or 570 for a dedicated bushnell) and then wait a season to buy binos worth more than $300. I'd feel better with $600-800 glass in my binos, even if they didn't have a rangefinder. The geovids are a pretty good buy for a combination, but you're dropping a big chunk of change for that one time.

So much of this gear is a long term purchase. I'd rather buy the right thing first and keep it for ten years than buy the wrong thing and replace it in two seasons.
 
Does anyone know the minimum operating temp for the fusions?

I heard/read somewheres it is -10c due to the LCD display unlike the -25c leica LED display.
 
Jordan Smith said:
When I first looked through the Fusions in Wholesale, my reaction was exactly the same as yours! That blue tint wrecked the image for me! It made the bino look dimmer and the colours looked off. But John Barsness just kept on praising the Fusions, saying that he leaves his alpha binos and separate RF's at home now, in favour of the Fusion. He mentioned that the RF in the Fusion matched anything he had ever used (and he's used the Swaro quite a bit). Well, I just had to try a pair if JB thought they were so good. I had been using a Leica LRF1200 for a couple of years, and it was really good. The only problem was that it wouldn't range past 700-900 yards if light conditions were bad. At night I couldn't get a single reading at all.

Well, let me tell you that the blue tint in the Fusion is MUCH less noticeable when you get the bino out in the natural light of the outdoors. It actually helps game animals stand out in the FOV, IMO, but it does make the bino seem like it is dim in fading light (although the light transmission is still great, it's just the colour that gives the user this impression). It can still resolve detail in fading light just as well as the Vortex Viper bino because the Fusion has very good clarity and contrast. There is some distortion around the edges, but it's only noticeable if you look directly at the edges, which I don't do when I'm using the bino normally. I quickly forgot about the blue tint after a little while of using the bino out in the field. It looks much worse in the lighting of a sporting goods store.

So, while I was very hesitant at first, I've slowly grown quite fond of the Fusion 1600 after using it in the field some. The RF feature alone is worth $700. I can range trees at will out to 1872 yards (the farthest I've gotten so far), and I can range nearly as easily at night or in bad light as I can in good light conditions. The bino performs on par with the Viper, after doing quite a bit of comparison, and the RF is stellar!

If the Fusion cost me $1700, then I would probably look at other options, but it's a pretty awesome package for $700-850.

If you want to have a look for yourself, let me know, and we can get together sometime so you can try them out.
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Well I know we both live in the area and both hunt similair things in similair terrain. I almost always agree with the opinions you state on various subjects. Maybe I reserved judgment on the Fusions too early.
 
cam1936 said:
Well I know we both live in the area and both hunt similair things in similair terrain. I almost always agree with the opinions you state on various subjects. Maybe I reserved judgment on the Fusions too early.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, Cam. Either way, let me know if you would like to have a look through them in the fields and hills. :)
 
Jordan Smith said:
This used to be a general rule that held true. The game has changed a bit now, and I would not be too quick to lump all Bushnell RF's into one basket anymore...
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This may be true, but the up and down quality cycle that Bushnell is currently running doesn't sit well with me. I'll stick to a brand that's never been doubted for its quality. Its why top brands are top brands.

TDC
 
Such as???

Every optics brand that I know of has had quality issues at some point in the past (except for perhaps S&B, NF, Premier, and March? I've never heard of any problems with these three).
 
I have a Brunton Echo 440. As long as you don't expect too much from it, it's o.k. for the $100 when it's on sale half-price at C.Tire, but no need to edit the poll to add it to the choices.
 
I just got a Nikon Riflehunter 1000. The fov is huge and the optics are great. It's a huge step up from my Bushnell Legend. The night illumination feature is nice although it washes out the image when it comes on. I didn't notice a huge difference when I did a side by side comparison with the Leica 1600.
 
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