leica rangefinding binoculars

[fatfootdoc]

Hi Guys and Gals,

 

Just wondering if anyone has used the leica rangefinding binoculars, I noticed that they started making a 15 power rangefinder that is actually about the same weight as the swaro 15 power without range finder. Thought that it would make an ideal coues glasser to be able to have that magnification and then a range finder built into it. I really have no experience with the leicas other than the fact that the ultravids/trinovids did not fit me well when I compared them to swaros at Sportsmens.

I have a leica rangefinder though and love it , very accurate.

Thanks for your input. AG

[Arrowslinger]

The clarity & quality of the Leica BFR's is absolutely great......but the button on the rangefinder is the reason why i don't own a pair.

They put it on the left side, not the right.....say you're bow hunting and holding your bow in your left hand, it's pretty tough, unless you have long finders, to reach over the top w/ your right index finger and click the button. That might be nit-pickin' a little.....but ease of use is key in the field.

 

If i only rifle hunted, they'd be around my neck!

[couesmaster]

hey fat foot i just bought pair of the leica 15x56 with the 1300yrd range finder in them and they are the best investment i every bought . as far as leica they are topnotch . as far as the button for the range finder on the left no big deal most people can reach over the top with the right hand .

[Coach]

Great piece of equipment. I highly recommend them, however I agree that the button placement is not optimal - especially for bowhunting.

[Ron G.]

I have a pair of 8x42's I purchased in January. I got to try them out on some friends' pig hunts, but haven't had them very long. So far, I've been extremely pleased with them. I upgraded from Nikon Monarch 10x42's.

 

I originally first looked at the 15x56's when I was researching 15's. The major drawback for me was I felt they weren't as stable when mounted on a tripod as compared to the center tripod mounted bino's. The thought of having a range finder on them seemed very handy. I liked the quality and idea of them so kept them in mind for around the neck bino's, which is why I purchased the 8x42's. Also, for bowhunting, I'd need to still carry another rangefinder for close up use when the 15's were packed away or not with me.

 

As mentioned above, and probably not a big deal for you since you are interested in the 15x, but the range finder button is on the left side, which may be an issue for bowhunting. If I grip them just right I can push it with my right hand, but for a little while I might pack my compact range finder while bowhunting until I can convince myself under pressure that I can reliably work the rangefinder with my right hand only.

 

It's very handy having the range finder incorporated into the binos and I've found it to be very handy so far. They are a little different to adjust to your eyes than most binos, so if you go to look through them somewhere, you may want to download the manual on them and see how to adjust them to your eyes.

 

I've gotten ranges as far as ~1350 yards so far. No issue seeing the display at any time of the day I've used them so far. Optics are very crisp.

 

There's an article on 24hourcampfire.com about 'Big Eyes'. They rate these (15x56 Geovids) as 2nd, only following the 15x56 Swaro's... I think the tripod adaptor method is the only thing that hurt them, if I remember right...

[TLH]

I have used the 10x42's Geovids for two years now--the only draw back with these is that they do not pick up antelope at long ranges. I use them to guide antelope hunters in New Mexico and in AZ and my Bushnell's worked better out to 500 yards than my Geovids. For deer, elk or any other critter i have had no problems. I like the ease of having my binoculars and my range finder in one unit. This past Friday i used these for a Javelina hunt and they worked very well--no problems ranging the pigs but then again they were only 227 yards out in front of us. The guy i guided was a little miffed at the distance because he had never seen a javelina in the wild so he thought the range finder was wrong--he thought the pigs were out there at 1000 yards or more--that is the main purpose of having these baby's--

[longshooter]

I got a pair of the 10's for x-mas this last year and I love them. I will not own anything exept those from now on