I have a 2.5-8x36 that I sent back to Leupold to have a HD installed. It came back exactly like your bottom photo. I have never been happy with it an am sending it back to put a standard duplex in it.
I had a VX-3 2.5-8x from their Custom Shop where I had the Post & Duplex installed, I'm very happy with that. Very similar to my first 1.5-5x HD sight picture, but without the heavier upper verticle portion, the upper vertical portion is the same 'thinner' line as the center area.
