Bushnell legend HD versus Hawke Frontier ED (1 Viewer)

Anyone have any ideas which is the better of these two:

Bushnell Legend HD 10x42
Hawke Frontier ED 10x43 (or Zen Ray ED3 for anyone in US)

On ebay can get them for roughly same price but cant find anywhere in UK near me where a shop sells both so I can compare. Both get pretty good reviews - the Hawkes seem a bit stronger though.

Cheers,

Tom

thomasbarker81 said:

Anyone have any ideas which is the better of these two:

Bushnell Legend HD 10x42
Hawke Frontier ED 10x43 (or Zen Ray ED3 for anyone in US)

On ebay can get them for roughly same price but cant find anywhere in UK near me where a shop sells both so I can compare. Both get pretty good reviews - the Hawkes seem a bit stronger though.

Cheers,

Tom

Click to expand...

Hi Tom

I'd say probably the Hawke but I haven't owned the Frontier 10x43 ED although Verarocha swears by them and he's tried them all.
I have 3 pair of Hawke and I like them all although did have the 10x36 which was not good as it was to soft off centre but the 43 should be better.
I have a Prostalk 10x56, Sapphire 8x43 and Frontier PC 8x25.

I also owned the Bushnell Legend 10x42 Ultra and I cretainly got some great viewing with those and they are very light and pretty compact but I felt the colour in general to strong and they go off in poor light. I prefer the Hawke ED more neutral colour and they don't fade in low light so thats why I'd go for the Hawke.

If you could stretch the budget I would suggest trying the Sapphire. My 8x43 is definitely a top binocular. I find it basically as good optically as the Swarovski's and Leica that I have owned. The wide view is great and they are also supeb over distance. The best 8x I have ever owned I think.

Tom,

Quite a while ago I tried out the Legend Ultra and the Frontier ED side by side. I wouldn't like to predict which you would prefer. I'd say the Hawke had the flatter view, lower CA, more neutral colour spectrum. Definitely more ticks on the list. However I preferred the Bushnell. Smaller, lighter, easier ergonomics, and a richer (warmer) colour balance and an excellent sharpness in the centre. However it didn't really feel like it had the build quality of a £300 pair. In the US it sells for as little as $150. Can't help but think it's rather over priced in the UK.

At that price point my own favourite is the Opticron Countryman HD. No aspheric lenses, no extra wide field, no ED glass, but a nice quality, Japanese made pair that I just enjoyed using rather more than the other two.

David

So there you have it, Tom. There ain't no best || Even if you can't do an A/B comparison it would still be worth trying both (or three); that may lead you to establish a clear favourite. At worst you'll have tried enough models to have some confidence at the end you've found a decent deal for you at your budget; seems like a reachable, er, objective.

I owned both Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x42 & Hawke Frontier ED but in 10x36 format. Personally, I prefer Legend HD being better control in glare and overall higher score. And, the Frontier in 36mm should had been smaller size.

I own Hawke Frontier ten by fourty threes and you'll have to prize them from my cold dead hands before I part with them. They have never let me down come snow, sleet, shine and the image frankly is stunning.

Tried them side by side with many other bins and frankly when this pair is too old and tired I'll buy another. Eye relief is so good even with sunglasses on I get full field of view.