Swarovski Rangefinder

[Randy in Va]

Has anyone evaluated this unit versus Leica or any others?

 

[Randy in Va]

SR90, R U saying the Leica 1200 is a better unit? What about optics comparison?

 

[Ian M]

Randy,
I used the Swarovski quite a bit at their show&tell at the air force base and thought it was a fantastic unit. They had decoys set up in the desert and we were able to get readings nicely out at 5-700 yards, off rocks at over 1000. Really nice ergonomics, much better than the Leica 1200's I have used. Easiy to attach to a tripod or window mount. Image was excellent, emission button is quite large and right under the trigger finger and the one beside it. Really like the carrying case, it works slick and held the unit securely.

Expect you saw the unit at the SHOT show, it is very nicely built and typical Swarovski optics. Plans are to use one on a hunt this spring. I was impressed.

I did not notice the time-lag mentioned, not sure if that is the newest unit announced at the SHOT or the earlier unit they have been selling for a few years.

 

[Nicholas]

I tried it and I like the Leica LRF's a lot better. The Swarovski can range very well, but the thing I absolutely hated about the Swarovski was it took like 10 seconds for the ranging system to reset before you could range a second object.

[ 02-17-2004: Message edited by: sr90 ]

 

[Nicholas]

Ian
Did you check out the new Leica Geovids at the shot show, I loved them, in my mind they are perfect. I saw them at the shot show so I didn't get a chance to range very far with them but if they work as good as the 1200 LRF I am sold on them. I have a pair on my need to get list now.

The Swarovski unit I used was at the shot show. The optics and housing design were better than the leica 1200 but there was an aweful lag time between ranges, I don't know if was just a prototype model or what.

 

[Ian M]

I got to use the Swarovskis in the field for a good while during the shooting afternoon and they seemed to be working quickly, not much that I could tell different from my Leicas. Really like the ergonomics, nice big "on" or send button on top, excellent resolution and brightness.
Unfortunately did not get to play with the Leicas, the reps were at another shoot I attended and we discussed them but did not get to use a pair. They look great but as you know, a person has to get out in the field and varied light conditions to assess any optics or lasers.
Looks like a huge improvement over the old Geovids. They were hellish nice binocs and they usually got readings at longer distances than the smaller units, but they were old technology and you could only do one reading per "send" and had to wait for a cancelation to take place between readings. They were just too big to be toted for field work.

 

[Nicholas]

I used the Geovids and they were the sweetest things I have ever looked through. I only could range to around 60 yards indoors but the scan feature works wonderfully, I could hold the button down and move from different signs and features at varying distances and get instant readings.

I am on the waiting list for a pair of 10x42 Geovids, can't wait untill they come out in July.