Swift Audubon HHS vs Bushnell Legend Ultra HD (1 Viewer)

I had posted this on the Bushnell binocular subforum, but no one seemed to have experience with both of these binoculars. I was curious if anyone here has tested the Audubon HHS and Bushnell Legend Ultra HD bins.

I have the Audubon, and they were great for 5 years, but I've beat them to hell and it is affecting the image quality. The Legend Ultra HD seem to be a good choice for the ED glass, just curious how they compare to my Audubons.

Thanks!
David

David,

After a couple of hundred viewings between the two posts I'm surprised you've found no one with a personal experience of both pairs. I've not seen the Audubon HSS but have tried the Ultra HD in 10 and 8x. You've probably read the posts here that rate it from very good value to as good as an alpha. I thought both pairs to be the best I've seen in the price range. It stands out from the obvious competition by having better contrast IMO. The field of view is fairly flat with a wide sweet spot. Some have noted edge distortion, and I found the 10x had a slightly disturbing 'wobble' when scanning past straight edges. My test was in a town centre and there were a lot of straight edges. You probably wouldn't notice in a rural environment. I didn't see it with the 8x. It isn't as CA free as some other ED pairs in the same price range, but it's fairly minimal.

You seem to give binos a hard life. Judging by feel, I don't know that the Bushnell would be as ruggedly built as an Swift. Had you thought about getting the Audubon serviced/repaired?

Hope this helps.

David

PS. We don't have Zen Ray in the UK so I don't have a first hand opinion, but they may well be worth considering.

David,
There is a gentleman in the Boston area who specializes in Swift Binocular repairing. His name is Nicholas Crista and I have seen his address and phone # in a few of the Swift threads herein. I believe he used to work for Swift. Why don't you give him a call?

You might also try the Search Forum link above for the information. Or call information Boston area, it might be easier!

Bob

The man Ceasar referenced is Nicholas Crista. He was the head of Swift's optical repair department when Swift was in the Boston area. He can make your HHS good as new for a LOT less than you might expect. His info is in the link below.

http://www.nrcoptics.com/

Edit: I see from another post that you have ordered the ZEN ED 3. Good choice, but the call to Nicholas for a repair of the older HHS for a good spare is still a good idea.

Thanks guys for the info. I did decide on the Zen ED3 as the ED2 seem to get a lot of rave, and the ED3 are more aesthetically pleasing. I borrowed a friends old Bushnell Legend (the originals I believe) and they were noticeably brighter with more contrast than my swifts.

I did wear through the bins pretty fast (about 6 years I guess) but I have been an avian contract biologist for a few years now, and field work is tough on bins.

If I get the chance I may contact Nicholas to see what he can do with my HHS roof prism bins. Here is to hoping the Zen ED3's are as nice as the reviews! Can't wait to get my hands on them.

I'm just curious, as a professional birder did you consider making the (perhaps distasteful) leap to an image stabilizing optic? I worked with a young ornithologist last year who used a pair, and "by crikey" they were all right.

I didn't consider an image stabilized binocular. I have only looked through a pair or two and I wasn't impressed. To be honest, it was quite a while ago (years) and I'm sure they have come a long way. I don't think I need the help of IS yet, but I wouldn't be opposed to trying some new ones out. I use the 8x bins, so the shake isn't as bad.