cyberindie
Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2010
- Messages
- 6
New CRF 1600 arrived on Friday - spent the weekend comparing with the CRF 1200 I own. Being in England I'm using meters for measuring.
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I've had the Leica CRF 1200 for a while and I loved its compact size and light weight and the optics are excellent. However I found it didn't quite have enough range for me.
Up to 600m the CRF 1200 could range pretty much anything in any circumstance - well except in thick fog!
Between 600m and 800m it could struggle with say a black object on a very bright sunny day. Repeat readings often needed before getting a successful one.
Beyond 800m it struggled and in the wrong conditions required more patience to get a reading than I personally possess! Usually I'd give up! Worked much better in low light - ranging up to 1100m with some problems but manageable.
With the new Leica CRF 1600 I can easily range up to 800m first time without problems in most circumstances. Bright sunshine? No problem!
800m - 1200m the CRF 1600 can range pretty well even in bright sunshine - which always seemed to cause problems for the CRF 1200. May take a couple of attempts depending on the object and something more challenging things may not range - for example a small sparsely leafed tree in direct sun.
Beyond 1200m depends on the conditions and the object. I can obtain a reading - after a few attempts - in direct bright sun but very hit and miss depending on the object - more misses than hits.
In low light - dawn or dusk or a very overcast dull day - the CRF 1600 can range amazing distances. I managed ranging a house at 1878m without too many attempts. The best I ever managed with the CRF 1200 was 1227m and that was a very large church and took over 10 attempts.
Even trees can be ranged at over 1600m in low light.
Although the optics are the same Leica have improved the distance readout display. Sharper than the CRF 1200 and easier to read in very bright light - not that I found the CRF 1200 bad to read.
The CRF 1600 also has angle of elevation, atmospheric and temperature measuring capabilities. The angle I find useful - the others less so for me personally. The new CRF 1600 is identical in size and weight as the CRF 1200 but now with a second smaller button for things like elevation measurement. However its not so easy to press as the main button - hard to actually tell when its been pressed. Not a major issue but would be great if Leica improved that 2nd button.
Overall very pleased with the CRF 1600 - much better ranging capabilities, easier to read display and the angle of elevation is a great bonus feature. Otherwise absolutely identical to the old CRF 1200.
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I've had the Leica CRF 1200 for a while and I loved its compact size and light weight and the optics are excellent. However I found it didn't quite have enough range for me.
Up to 600m the CRF 1200 could range pretty much anything in any circumstance - well except in thick fog!
Between 600m and 800m it could struggle with say a black object on a very bright sunny day. Repeat readings often needed before getting a successful one.
Beyond 800m it struggled and in the wrong conditions required more patience to get a reading than I personally possess! Usually I'd give up! Worked much better in low light - ranging up to 1100m with some problems but manageable.
With the new Leica CRF 1600 I can easily range up to 800m first time without problems in most circumstances. Bright sunshine? No problem!
800m - 1200m the CRF 1600 can range pretty well even in bright sunshine - which always seemed to cause problems for the CRF 1200. May take a couple of attempts depending on the object and something more challenging things may not range - for example a small sparsely leafed tree in direct sun.
Beyond 1200m depends on the conditions and the object. I can obtain a reading - after a few attempts - in direct bright sun but very hit and miss depending on the object - more misses than hits.
In low light - dawn or dusk or a very overcast dull day - the CRF 1600 can range amazing distances. I managed ranging a house at 1878m without too many attempts. The best I ever managed with the CRF 1200 was 1227m and that was a very large church and took over 10 attempts.
Even trees can be ranged at over 1600m in low light.
Although the optics are the same Leica have improved the distance readout display. Sharper than the CRF 1200 and easier to read in very bright light - not that I found the CRF 1200 bad to read.
The CRF 1600 also has angle of elevation, atmospheric and temperature measuring capabilities. The angle I find useful - the others less so for me personally. The new CRF 1600 is identical in size and weight as the CRF 1200 but now with a second smaller button for things like elevation measurement. However its not so easy to press as the main button - hard to actually tell when its been pressed. Not a major issue but would be great if Leica improved that 2nd button.
Overall very pleased with the CRF 1600 - much better ranging capabilities, easier to read display and the angle of elevation is a great bonus feature. Otherwise absolutely identical to the old CRF 1200.
