Big Sky
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Recently I spent a lot of time testing different laser rangfinders in order to try and make an educated purchase. I tested the Bushnell 1500ARC, Swaroski Laser Guide, Leica Geovid 10x42 and Leica 1200 CRF.
The Bushnell was still a Bushnell no matter how hard I tried to make it something better. Big, bulky, relatively quick readings, but the glass is still Bushnell and not anything like the Leica or the Swarovski.
The Swarovski came highly recommended. Several regulars at this site use it and like it. I tried it and liked it the least of all the range finders. It's heavy, the read out is all but impossible to read in bright day light, and it's slower than the Leica or the Bushnell with it's readings. Plus the target dot is friggen huge and not very compatible to small targets at long range.
The Leica Geovid was lighter than I expected. The glass is very good, but it's not as bright at dawn and dusk as their Ultravids. I imgaine that will eventually be improved, but until then I'll hold out. It would really tick me off to spend that kind of money and have them come out with the "new and improved" version in the next year or two. They are so close on this one it's not funny. If they get the optics just as clear and bright as their Ultravid, move the rangefinder button to the right side, and make sure the binocular can be mounted on a tripod it will be the cat's meow of range finders.
The Leica 1200 CRF was light, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. It is lightening quick with it's yardage read outs. The read out is easy to read and the target dot is small enough to be useful on smaller targets like prairie dogs and such. The only real problem is holding it still. It's so light that one needs to brace one's arms on something when taking long range readings. I ended up buying the 1200 CRF and I'm very happy with it. So far the longest reading I have gotten was just over 1300 yards. Readings from 700 yards and under come up very fast. Over 700 yards I sometimes had to hit the button a time or two, but it's still pretty darn consistant and fast. Now if they would just come up with an angle compensation feature like the Leupold and Bushnell and a way to mount it on a tripod it would be darn near perfect.
The Bushnell was still a Bushnell no matter how hard I tried to make it something better. Big, bulky, relatively quick readings, but the glass is still Bushnell and not anything like the Leica or the Swarovski.
The Swarovski came highly recommended. Several regulars at this site use it and like it. I tried it and liked it the least of all the range finders. It's heavy, the read out is all but impossible to read in bright day light, and it's slower than the Leica or the Bushnell with it's readings. Plus the target dot is friggen huge and not very compatible to small targets at long range.
The Leica Geovid was lighter than I expected. The glass is very good, but it's not as bright at dawn and dusk as their Ultravids. I imgaine that will eventually be improved, but until then I'll hold out. It would really tick me off to spend that kind of money and have them come out with the "new and improved" version in the next year or two. They are so close on this one it's not funny. If they get the optics just as clear and bright as their Ultravid, move the rangefinder button to the right side, and make sure the binocular can be mounted on a tripod it will be the cat's meow of range finders.
The Leica 1200 CRF was light, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. It is lightening quick with it's yardage read outs. The read out is easy to read and the target dot is small enough to be useful on smaller targets like prairie dogs and such. The only real problem is holding it still. It's so light that one needs to brace one's arms on something when taking long range readings. I ended up buying the 1200 CRF and I'm very happy with it. So far the longest reading I have gotten was just over 1300 yards. Readings from 700 yards and under come up very fast. Over 700 yards I sometimes had to hit the button a time or two, but it's still pretty darn consistant and fast. Now if they would just come up with an angle compensation feature like the Leupold and Bushnell and a way to mount it on a tripod it would be darn near perfect.
