Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Laser binoc field test

I am not done testing, but I did play with the Leupold and Bushell LR binocs.



They both measured bushes in the AZ desert to 480-530 maybe 550 yards. The Leica 1200 was measuring as far as 730 yards, but no farther (the desert sun is harsh on LRs).



Both binocs are bulky, but not as bulky as a Geovid, but neither compares with the Geovid anyway. The Leuopold uses a red LED that is very difficult to see in bright light.

Today I tested the following:

Leica Geovid
Leica 1200
Bushnell Laser Bino
Leupold Laser Bino

Conditions were bright light, but the UV index was only 4, a far cry from 10 that is common in AZ.

Max ranges to rocks:

Geovid: 1240 meters (that is about 1350 yards)
Bushnell and Leupold Binos - 840; the Leupold's ranged more targets over 800 than the Bushnell
Leica - 820 I would have expected better.

In high UV conditions or with dust in the air, I would expect lots of degradation.

The Geovid was really impressive in that I ranged a tall saugaro cactus at 1217 and the rock in front of it at 1214 meters. That can only be done with a very narrow beam.

The one thing I do like about both Leica products is their instant feedback.

If you get to test them on animals post the results.I have ranged rocks to over 1100 yards with my leica 1200.Deer to just under 600 yards and elk to over 800 yards.Much better than my bushnell with a much narrower beam.

Stubble:



I recently sold a house in MN and I can assure you, my LRs all performed best in MN. In AZ, the light is really bright, and it makes a huge difference. I know in the summer, my tests would have been even worse. If a laser won't go off a bright flat rock, I doubt it would go off an animal. I don't doubt your experiences, I am just saying AZ is about as tough as it gets.

I have been unable to use my rangefinder on ground squirrels in an open field at 300+ yards. Can a Geovid do it ?

Conrad:

LR use diode lasers; these lasers produce an oval shaped beam. The Geovid focuses theirs to a very narrow veritical dimensiton, and it is superior when it comes to ranging small targets at angles close to the ground. The Leica 1200 has twice the beam divergence of the Geovid, but I am pretty sure they orient the beam so the small part in vertical. Bushnell rangefinders have a divergence of 4 by 2 milliradians (I think the Geovid is .7 by 1.5, but I am not sure - it is no bigger than that), and they orient the 4 milliradian part in the vertical direction. That means it is tough to measure targets at long range close to the ground.

Beam divergence is important for other reasons: fat beam divergences often produce readings to the vegetation or rocks behind an animal. At long range, it is impossible to say how far in front of a rock a deer is standing.

I once tested a Geovid on a 25 lb shot bag propped up on a dirt road. I sat down on the ground and was able to measure it to over 500 yards. I don't know if it will measure ground squirrels at 300, but if any can, that one would.

You can always order one from Cabelas, and if you don't like it, return it before your 30 days is up.

http://www.newcon-optik.com/lrb7x50.shtml

I can get quick readings on most objects out to 1100 yards in bright sun. With a bit more subdued lighting, they will go to 1400 yards and on reflective targets like road signs, they will go to almost 1700 yards.

SS109FMJBT,

How long do the batteries last? I bought one about a year and a half ago and finally returned it for a refund. The batteries would only last a couple of hours and then the range readings were all over the place.

It does eat batteries...a new alkaline Duracell lasts me about 3 sessions worth of long range shooting. It depends on how many times you hit the ranging button.

I just carry a couple of spares. Nothing even comes close to this rangefinder in the 1000yd plus distances unless you want to pay several thousand $. I know a source that sells them for $599