Comparison: Leupold Yosemite 6x30 and Celestron Cypress 7x30 (1 Viewer)

I just received my Cypress 7x30. It's eventually going to be a gift to one of my grandchildren. But I ordered it early as I want to compare it with my Yosemite 6x30 (one of the original types).

Two remarks at this point. The bridge mechanism seems to be at least as sturdy as on my Yosemite. The greenish plastic/rubber covering of the body looks rather cheap.I will post photos at a later date. But it's the inside that counts, and that seems to be in decent condition on first examination.

I should add that in the end I paid almost twice of what it would have cost me if I lived in the US. And that is despite a rather economical postage charged by B&H. But to that came $ 27.50 for import duty and taxes here in Switzerland.

Swissboy said:

........ The greenish plastic/rubber covering of the body looks rather cheap.I will post photos at a later date. But it's the inside that counts, and that seems to be in decent condition on first examination.

..........

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Here are some comparative pictures now. The ring around the barrel near the objective shows a regular and quality inspiring shape on the Leupold Yosemite 6x30. On the Celestron Cypress 7x30, however, parts of the thinner ring disappear under the rubber-type cover. And the ring does not fit smoothly with the remaining cover. The Celestron model is a few millimeters higher, and the eyecup covers are a bit more protruding, whereas they are essentially flat on the Yosemite. The difference is sufficient to slightly impair my FOV when I use them with my customary eyeglasses on. I always need to keep them on. However, for those who want to extend the eye cups, the Celestron comes with two intermittent clear click stops. Both my models have the click stop when the eye cups are fully extended.
The third picture shows another outside quality difference: Note the edge of the green soft cover, it comes across as rather jagged on the Celestron, whereas it is a fine fit on the Yosemite.

Swissboy said:

.......... But it's the inside that counts, and that seems to be in decent condition on first examination.

...............

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Now to the inside: First of all, the Celestron's magnification is noticeably higher than the Leupold Yosemite's. That is, comparing 7x with 6x specs. I don't have a 8x Yosemite to compare with. But it is also clearly noticeable that the Yosemite has a very much brighter view. I actually doubt that the difference is only due the the difference in magnification. Nevertheless, under most conditions, the Cypress also provides a fine view. That changes, however, under more challenging viewing condition when the Cypress shows lots of glare. The difference is not all too surprising when one has a look through the objective side. Here, the Yosemite (to the right) shows a very well matted black inside whereas there are many shiny parts in the Cypress as can be seen in the attached picture. The irregular "spots" and patches are reflections on the outermost objective lens from the outside window. They are similar in both models.

With respect to focussing, both of my models are similar, but the Celestron is rather a bit harder. There is a certain weight difference: Including rain guard and carrying strap, my Leupold Yosemite weighs 543 grams, the Celestron Cypress weighs 500 grams. Thus almost 10 percent less.

My Leupold Yosemite is the pre BX-1 version. The BX-1 no longer has that green ring that made the Yosemites so characteristic looking. Thus I can't say whether the observed differences would be the same with a later Leupold version. I would be most interested to get info in that respect. There are still a number of such binoculars that I plan to buy in the future. It had already been noted before that the Leupold models allow for a somewhat narrower minimal eye distance (IPD).

Swissboy said:

Here are some comparative pictures now. The ring around the barrel near the objective shows a regular and quality inspiring shape on the Leupold Yosemite 6x30. On the Celestron Cypress 7x30, however, parts of the thinner ring disappear under the rubber-type cover. And the ring does not fit smoothly with the remaining cover. The Celestron model is a few millimeters higher, and the eyecup covers are a bit more protruding, whereas they are essentially flat on the Yosemite. The difference is sufficient to slightly impair my FOV when I use them with my customary eyeglasses on. I always need to keep them on. However, for those who want to extend the eye cups, the Celestron comes with two intermittent clear click stops. Both my models have the click stop when the eye cups are fully extended.
The third picture shows another outside quality difference: Note the edge of the green soft cover, it comes across as rather jagged on the Celestron, whereas it is a fine fit on the Yosemite.

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Thanks for the pictures!

Yes; it's clearly visible that the eyecup design of the Celestron results in some mm shorter useful eye relief. Which can be bad for eyeglasses wearers.

Drabina, any update would be welcome

drabina said:

Another thing worth mentioning is that the focusing ring on Yosemite's gets very stiff. I have to work it couple of times thru the whole movement circle to loosen up. No problem with that in Cypress binocs. This creates a problem for kids when trying to focus. No way my 6 years old would be able to turn the stiff focusing ring.
Winner: Celestron Cypress
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Final word:
I have to be honest that in the beginning (first 5-10 minutes with both binocs), I wasn't crazy about Cypress. Mostly due to the slightly darker image and those cheap objective lens covers. But, at the end of the 2-hour long bird watching trip, I have totally changed my mind. While I have to say that there is something really cool about Yosemites and their bright image, the Cypress is not far behind................. So since I like the Cypress and my kid approved them, they are staying. They are also a bit cheaper than Yosemites which is a good thing if you are on a budget and planning to give the binoculars to the kids. You know that they are going to be bumped a lot more.

............., please just ask and I will post an update.

Forgot to add that this is sort of a continuation of this thread: Need recommendation for budget binoculars for kids

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Hi Drabina,

This is a slightly dated thread, but I'd like to get back to you for an update if possible. How have your Celestrons fared over the months? Do you still recommend them? My own major criticism ( see post #23) was the sensitivity to show considerable glare. Can your kids get along with that problem? Or rather, have they mentioned problems with that? Don't ask them if they have not said anything, though. No need to push them into noticing a weakness of their tool if they have not noticed it so far.

I have the Yosemite 6x30 and the Vortex 6x30. I prefer the Vortex. Image is about the same, but the Vortex has a better fit and finish.

Swissboy said:

Hi Drabina,

This is a slightly dated thread, but I'd like to get back to you for an update if possible. How have your Celestrons fared over the months? Do you still recommend them? My own major criticism ( see post #23) was the sensitivity to show considerable glare. Can your kids get along with that problem? Or rather, have they mentioned problems with that? Don't ask them if they have not said anything, though. No need to push them into noticing a weakness of their tool if they have not noticed it so far.

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I am still here and still own both pairs. They have held up pretty good though I am not a heavy binocular user. The skin separation in Yosemites is still present but it doesn't look like it has increased. Focusing wheel is also still very stiff. As to my kids using the binocs, it is hard to tell. They are too young to be able to form an opinion on the quality of the optics. My older son likes the Yosemites better because the natural color goes well with his camo outfit but gets annoyed by the collapsing eye pieces. My younger son likes the Celestron better because he can't work the focusing knob of Yosemites. Everytime he reaches out and needs to adjust focus on the Yosemites, he handles them over to me so I can loosen up the wheel by turning it few times. Me? I get super annoyed by the collapsing eye cups of Yosemites so whenever my kids let me use one pair, I prefer to grab the Celestrons.

So long story short, if I were in a market for a third pair, I would definitely go with Celestrons.

drabina said:

............. Me? I get super annoyed by the collapsing eye cups of Yosemites so whenever my kids let me use one pair, I prefer to grab the Celestrons.

So long story short, if I were in a market for a third pair, I would definitely go with Celestrons.

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Thanks drabina! It's always good to learn about more long-term experiences. The collapsing eye cups are an "individual" problem of your particular pair. But it's good to know the Celestrons have not disappointed. I'm still in the market for my grandchildren. They gradually reach their individual age where it makes sense to make such a gift. Kowa YF and Opticron WP are the other contenders at this point. In the end, it will be a question of how much I need to spend now that I have several not all too different options. And 8 or7x30 vs 6x30 is the other point to consider. Not sure I have a firm opinion to that point.

Swissboy said:

And 8 or7x30 vs 6x30 is the other point to consider.

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I have to admit that I can't tell the difference in magnification between Yosemites and Celestrons. Either the 7x vs 6x doesn't make much difference or my eye is so untrained that it can't pickup the extra magnification.

It can be tricky for that class of 6x30s.
The lower power usually gives a design with the same number of elements
a better quality field near the edges. The extra details can seem like
more power.