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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Yukon 6-100x100 (1 Viewer)

RedBishop said:
A response I received from an ebay user who bought the scope :

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Yes I have used the scope and am thoroughly pleased with it. I have nikon and swarvoski spotting scopes and while those cost in excess of $1000 this scope is just as clear. In fact I purchased 2 more to give to my professional hunter guides when I go on African Safaris. For the price I do not think there is a better scope. The tripod is also an excellent addition that you would want to consider. Hope this helps you

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I wonder what "just as clear" really means. I also suspect that most people who buy a $300 scope would like to believe that it actually performs as well as a $1000 scope. I like to think that my Chrysler Sebring convertible looks as nice and drives as nicely as a Jaguar XK8. Its a nice fantasy - but it is a fantasy.

Reality check time.

The AFOV at 100x and 25x is around 60 degrees. But the exit pupil is only 1mm at these magnifications and I'd assume the will be frequently used at magnifications somewhere in the middle to low range (30-45x). So I'd guess the AFOV for typical viewing will be less than 60 degrees. You apparently cannont opt for a fixed wide angle eyepiece either.

On the basis of aperture vs. magnification alone, this scope is bound to produce a marginal image at 100x. Many people report that they consider 60x to be a bit of a strech for the top 80mm scopes with the better glass. This scope is pushing the aperture to magnifiaction ratio even further. At 100x, the scope has a 1mm exit pupil

One sight shows a close focus of 150m at 100x. This isn't so good. Poor enough that it may even be a typo.
http://www.nightvisionplanet.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=300

None of the advertisements say anything about special objective designs or exotic glass being used. They talk about multicoated optics. So it seems a fair bet that that both objectives are basic achromats.

http://www.yukonoptics.com/eng/index.htm

Eye relief of 12/14mm is not what I would call "generous" though some vendors do.

OK. I like a bargain as much as anyone. Perhaps even more than most. But there is no good reason to believe that this scope is going to perform similarly to a top end 80mm. But these Yukons apparently made in Russia and Russia has a fine tradition of optical knowhow. So perhaps this may very well be a pretty decent bargain scope that can provide very good or even excellent brightness at middle magnifications. The reviews of less ambitious scopes that I found on the Yukon Optics site suggest just this type of product class.

This looks like a good candidate to always have in the trunk "just in case" or to take into situations where damaging a scope seems significantly more likely. As long as you go in with your eyes wide open to what this scope performance is likely to be, it seems like it could be a reasonable choice. But keep your expectations low. Then you might be pleasently surprised rather than disappointed.
 
I defiantly agree...

I defiantly agree that this scope is in no way can be compared to any of the top-end and even middle-value (Pentax, Kowa, Nikon, etc..) scopes.

When I first asked about this scope it was when I realized I will not have the budget to buy any of the above listed scopes (and with that, obviously Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski are out of the question).

What I then had in my mind was the Eagle-optics Raven, but before actually buying it, I wanted to hear a hands-on review of this Yukon scope and decide between the two.

Thanks.
 
These Yukon scopes DO perform very well!!!

Hi there,

I've been following the discussion on the quality of the Yukon 100x scope. Pity ther seems to be no professional review around anywhere...

Still, these guys do make great scopes. I own a Yukon 20-50X50http://www.yukonoptics.com/eng/catalog/sibir20-50x50.htm and it's a great scope! Mine bears the label Sibir by the way...
I do have a wide experience with scopes and own an AT80. Of course, a scope such as the Yukon 20-50X50 does have the same "feel" as the AT80 but the image quality is very good. On the downside you have for example the fact that when zooming for 20 to 50 the image needs to be refocussed. A drag... but hey, what can you expect at a price of 45 euros (56 dollars).

Anyway, to cut a long story short: I've decided I'd buy a Yukon 6-100X100 and when I have tested it and compared it to my AT80 long enough, I will let you all know!

Still won't be a professional review though, but one opinion more! ;-)

Cheers,
 
fellowmelad said:
Hi there,

I've been following the discussion on the quality of the Yukon 100x scope. Pity there seems to be no professional review around anywhere...


Still won't be a professional review though, but one opinion more! ;-)

Cheers,
Such trust in professionals ...

(-;
 
fellowmelad said:
Anyway, to cut a long story short: I've decided I'd buy a Yukon 6-100X100 and when I have tested it and compared it to my AT80 long enough, I will let you all know!

Still won't be a professional review though, but one opinion more! ;-)

Cheers,

I for one will be very interested to read your opinions, I very nearly bought one myself but decided some better bins would be more useful, next year though maybe.

Mick
 
i have actually used one of these scopes. wasnt impressed- okay, i was comparing it to my apo-televid 77, but on 25x mag the image was really poor and dark compared with mine on 60x mag! that was in good conditions and in the middle of the day. the 100mm objective doesnt seem to pull in much light at 25x mag, so the 100x mag seems pretty over the top really! plus points - it is very, very light. and costs 250 quid! so i would say it would suit an amateur fine until he/she decided an upgrade.
 
We are getting somewhere here ! thanks fellowmelad.

Funny enough, your post is the first time I read that when changing the zoom, having to refocus is not something obvious !

I own a bresser 20-60x60mm (Bresser is the European devision of Meade Instruments) and I always had refocus, I though all Scopes are like that.

But I'm Ok with that, after all, I paid 150$ for this one and not 1500$ for a top-end scope .
 
Hi fellowmelad,

Here's a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Moderators and Admin here at Birdforum. Come and introduce yourself in the "Say Hello" forum.

I hope the Yukon works out ok; I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on it!

Cheers,

Andy.
 
Yukon 6-100X100 review

Hi all,

Still haven't bought mine. Today wasn't convenient. However, I have sent around some emails to email addresses on a.o. the yukonoptics site, and guess what: we do have a review! :)

Please click here . The pdf is about 6MB...

OK OK, it's a short review (you have to scroll down a page from the scope's picture).

And scampo: you're right! Let's not put too much trust in the "professionals". I can't wait to get my hands on one and tell you all about it.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
Very intresting review, goes very well with what salty wrote in his post about the 25X.
Seems that the scope should actually only be tested at x6-x20~ and then from 26x-to 70x~.
Basically ignoring the two edges of the two different lenses.
 
Welcome...

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the welcome! Ehm, I am a bit of a **** when it comes to the Internet... where can I introduce myself?

I just hope I just constructed a private message... otherwise, the whole world will know... ;-)

Kind regards,

Frank

Andrew Rowlands said:
Hi fellowmelad,

Here's a warm welcome to you on behalf of the Moderators and Admin here at Birdforum. Come and introduce yourself in the "Say Hello" forum.

I hope the Yukon works out ok; I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on it!

Cheers,

Andy.
 
Refocussing

Hi Redbishop,

Hm, yes, you're right. However, I only need to refocus a tiny bit on my AT80 zooming from 20X to 60x. Going from 20x to 50x on my Sibir (Yukon) 20-50X50, and I need to turn the focus ring about 3 times 360 degrees...

RedBishop said:
We are getting somewhere here ! thanks fellowmelad.

Funny enough, your post is the first time I read that when changing the zoom, having to refocus is not something obvious !

I own a bresser 20-60x60mm (Bresser is the European devision of Meade Instruments) and I always had refocus, I though all Scopes are like that.

But I'm Ok with that, after all, I paid 150$ for this one and not 1500$ for a top-end scope .
 
New reviews for the Yukon 6-100X100!!

RedBishop said:
We are getting somewhere here ! thanks fellowmelad.

Funny enough, your post is the first time I read that when changing the zoom, having to refocus is not something obvious !

I own a bresser 20-60x60mm (Bresser is the European devision of Meade Instruments) and I always had refocus, I though all Scopes are like that.

But I'm Ok with that, after all, I paid 150$ for this one and not 1500$ for a top-end scope .

Hi all,

We have some new reviews! It seems the scope is quite popular with deer-killers. Anyway, it provides us with some input.
Since these reviews are not available (in PDF) anywhere, I put them on my own site for you to download:
Click here for a set of scanned reviews I got from Yukon optics.
Click here for a pdf version of a review available at: http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/phil-11-2003.html

Hope that helps! ;-)

Kind regards,

Frank
 
It,s not surprisng it was a bit shaky ,looking at the tri-pod it,s not (picture on web page) the ideal set-up what.
 
Guess you're right there

elgin5050.fsnet said:
It,s not surprisng it was a bit shaky ,looking at the tri-pod it,s not (picture on web page) the ideal set-up what.

Hi Elgin,

I guess you're right there! ;-)
In the mean time, at LAST, I bought mine! Happy me! I am very impressed, really I am, even when I compare it to my AT80, this scope is a very high quality instrument! Yukon knows how to cut the **** and build very good scopes. The only drawback I can find now is that the minimal viewing distance at 100X magnification is quite high: about 100 metres or 300 feet. My AT 80 does well better than that. But all the same, it's a great instrument! In some reveiws/comments I've heard people call the yukon light weight. Well, it is. On the other hand, my AT 80 is two ounces lighter. OK OK, that's a 80 mm objective i.s.o. a 100 mm objective, but the difference isn't all that big...

Tell you what: now that I own one, please ask me all the questions you may have and I'll try to answer them as best as possible!
:frog:
Cheers,
 
Hi Fellowmelad,

Few more questions :
1. I presume (and read) that at some magnifications the scope is basically useless, is it true ? and if so, at what magnifications the scope is of good quality as you mentioned ?
2. How about light conditions ? is the scope any good on poor light conditions ? compared to the Swarovski ?
3. Any idea about digiscoping ? you think it's possible to digiscope with it ?

Thanks and enjoy your new scope !
RedBishop
 
Digiscoping

Hi RedBishop,

I'm sorry for replying so awfully late! Please see my answers below

1. It is certainly not useless at high magnifications, far from it! I do have to admit though that in windy conditions, or when using a shaky tripod, everything above 60X is not worth looking at because you can't keep it steady! However, that's no reflection on the telescope itself. I find that the image quality at 100X is very good, and the image is even sharp at the edges. Of course, the eye relief is not all that good at this magnification, but that's due to plain and simple mathematics...
In my opinion, even in dusk (is that the right word?) conditions the scope is still very usable. One drawback in my opinion is that if you want to watch an object at a distance of 150 feet at 100X, you can't. I think that if Yukon put a bit more thinking into the ocular, this could have been avoided. OK, you can still get it all sharp at 300 feet, but not closer than that (at 100X).

2. I find the scope very good in poor light conditions. But then, the performance of a scope in this area is basically a matter of mathematics...well almost. At the same magnification as the Swarovski it is simply better. Mind you, it's a lot of lense to carry with you in the field...
I have to add to this that, although I am a great admirer of my AT80, I have always wondered why it had to be so expensive. So in recent years my queste was to find a scope that could match it but that cost far less. And now I've found it!! And about the carrying: The Yukon 6-100X100 comes with a very "intelligent" carrying bag. One that you can use in poor weather conditions and still attach the scope to a tripod!

3. As a matter of fact, I did buy a Digital Camera Adapter with the scope, but only had a few moments experimenting with it, so I guess I have to try it out with my Nikon CoolPix 4500 and send you some samples of that. However, I'm going on a long work-trip this weekend and won't return until December 6th, so I can't show you anything just yet. I have searched some American sites, and found Yukon digital camera adapters that are quite expensive. I bought mine at a shop in Germany about 50 miles from where I live (in Holland) and find their prices very fair. Now I don't have shares in this company but let me give you the URL all the same:
http://www.uzman-import.de/pd1578607158.htm?categoryId=32

Their prices are very sharp!

Love to hear from you again, and will get in touch with you about my adapter experiments!

Kind regards,

Fellowmelad


RedBishop said:
Hi Fellowmelad,

Few more questions :
1. I presume (and read) that at some magnifications the scope is basically useless, is it true ? and if so, at what magnifications the scope is of good quality as you mentioned ?
2. How about light conditions ? is the scope any good on poor light conditions ? compared to the Swarovski ?
3. Any idea about digiscoping ? you think it's possible to digiscope with it ?

Thanks and enjoy your new scope !
RedBishop
 
Sounds almost too good to be true, and from a Swarovski owner !
I'm still missing the digicsoping part and I'll be more then happy to see any initial results once you manged to produce any.

Thank you very much for the effort.

BTW - The prices are indeed very good even when comparing to US prices !
 
I am very interested in this scope, as I am in the Seben Giant, the prices quoted on the German site certainly beat Ebay, but I cannot read the site to ascertain whether they post to the UK! Any tips appreciated!
 
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