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Anyone tried Bushnell 8x36 Legend Ultra HD? (2 Viewers)

kristoffer

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Hi, has anyone tried the Bushnell 8x36 Legend Ultra HD? I know the bigger version is popular and they are very cheap. Also, do they exist in any other incarnation then the camo-version? ;)
 
Hi Kristoffer,

I have tried the 8x42s briefly but not the 36mm ones. I did think they were really good, especially for the price. They have stuck in my mind and I intend to try them out properly sometime. The only downside that I recall is that they seemed to have poor depth of field.
But, as I say, I didn't handle them for long so that impression could be wrong.

I would like to try them next to soem Meoptas as they are my highest standard bins.

Good luck
Martin
 
I've just bought a pair.

I have just received my pair, yes they are in camo - but its quite a nice camo.

Optical quality seems very good. Mechanically sturdy and smooth but with objective covers a bit loose. I have a slight reservation about the two 'soft touch' areas provided for thumb rests - it feels as if, with time, the skin over the padding may crack but only time will tell on that.

I'm happy. In the UK £200 doesn't normally buy you ED glass let alone from a known brand. Mine were purchased from Microglobe and arrived next day.
 
I have had the 8x36 Ultra HD for almost a month now after trying both the 8x42 & 10x36 and selling both for various reasons, and they have become my favorite bino of the dozen that I own. I have spent a lot of time comparing them to the following list of binos and will post a more detailed review in the near future. 7x26 B&L Custom, 7x26 Bushnell Custom Elite, 8x30 Swaro SLC (old), 8x36 Bushnell Custom Audubon porro,8x36 Bushnell Excursion EX, 8x42 Zen ZRS HD, 8x42 Minox BLBR, 8x42 Swift Ultra 929. I sent the 8x42 ZRS HD back since it was still within the return period. I found nothing wrong with the objective covers, and depending on your grip your thumb may not even fall on the soft touch panels. I normally do not wear glasses when using binos, but for the purpose of testing this pair I found the eye relief to be adequate for eyeglass wearers - at least for me. All in all, a solid well rounded performer. And yes they only come in camo at this time.

For USA buyers Bushnell has extended the $50 Ultra HD rebate for purchase made prior to 12/31/10

tom
 
I would agree that the 8x42 offers a bit more eye relief for eyeglass wearers than the 8x36, and the FOV is similar but the 8x36 is much smaller and shorter. I did not notice any difference in brighness between them, and I think the 8x36 has a larger usable sharp sweetspot, and better edge to edge performance. Without glasses I had to hold the 8x42 slightly away from my eyes with the eyecups fully extended, which I didn't care for. The 10x36 has a much smaller FOV and was noticibly dimmer, and I much preferred the slightly larger 10x42 Zen ZRS HD to them.
 
>>had to hold the 8x42 slightly away from my eyes with the eyecups fully extended, which I didn't care for. <<

Everybody notices that. I hold them the way I hold all my pairs, resting on the top of the eye socket away from the eye. I do not like to put pressure on the eye. So for that they are ideal. But it is tricky for some.
 
Tero
Ideally to me, a binos eyecups are large enough that they rest or just touch on the area above and below my eye without pressing on my eye, or allow my eyelashes to brush the lenses when I blink, and give me a perfect view. If I have to hold them away up on the top part only, then I have a hard time centering and getting a proper view. I got rid of the Legend Ultra 8x42 because they did not give me the "hold" I was looking for, whereas the 8x36 do. I won't keep any bino that I can't just instintively throw up to my eye and have the perfect view without fiddling around in any manner. There are too many good binos out there to put up with these type of gyrations to get a perfect view, and I guess thats why I have bought and sold so many binos in the last 6 months.

I would suspect I would like the fit of the 10x42's which will be next on my hit list as soon as I can find a great deal.
 
Tero
Ideally to me, a binos eyecups are large enough that they rest or just touch on the area above and below my eye without pressing on my eye, or allow my eyelashes to brush the lenses when I blink, and give me a perfect view. If I have to hold them away up on the top part only, then I have a hard time centering and getting a proper view. I got rid of the Legend Ultra 8x42 because they did not give me the "hold" I was looking for, whereas the 8x36 do. I won't keep any bino that I can't just instintively throw up to my eye and have the perfect view without fiddling around in any manner. There are too many good binos out there to put up with these type of gyrations to get a perfect view, and I guess thats why I have bought and sold so many binos in the last 6 months.

I would suspect I would like the fit of the 10x42's which will be next on my hit list as soon as I can find a great deal.

I think you would like the "Horned Eyecups" that come as an accessory with the Nikon EDG binoculars. You can center your exit pupil easily with them and brace them comfortably just under your brow. Of course you have to buy the EDG to get them. They fit right over the regular eyecup and so are easy to put on and take off unlike Sawarovski's.
Bob
 
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By the way, the focus ring on the 8x36 is going to have the same problem my 10x36 had in the cold. The inner part shrinks in cold and the outer sleeve slips off. In warm it gets back to normal and can be used.
 
ON paper these little binocs seem really good... With the exception of Lilcrazy (who seems to really like them) there doesnt seem ot be a ton of interest in them.

Is there something not being said, or are they just too new, or ????

With ED glass in pretty small package at barley over $200 I expected to find a lot of interest. Much of the discussion on BF has emphasized eyecup plastic and eye relief with glasses, not the optical quality. (then again, what the heck do I know, this is all so new to me!)

Being in the market for something this size, I'm curious how they compare to other popular mid sized (30-36mm obj) 7-8x roofs in $225 or less range (eagle srt, diamondback 7 or 8x, minox BD, fury, even the 8x Yo's... etc... Even larger vista or ZRS- can these compare?)


By the way, this is a PHENOMINAL site, and I thank the contributing members.
 
I can only comment on the 10 x 36, as my wife has a pair. Build quality is pretty poor, as has been mentioned and optics are good but not great. Too much pincushion, lots of stray light when viewing perpendicular to the sun and resolution [apparent sharpness] at distance isn't the greatest. Almost no CA and medium / close viewing is very good, though.

I have used several other Chinese bins [at double or triple the price] that were not really a step up, so they are a bargain in that respect.
 
I would say the 10x36 are among the best optics in the 32mm to 36mm range for that price. There really are not many 10x pairs worth looking at. At 42mm, there are tons.
 
The 8x36s still remain a mystery.

I don't mind having the 10x36s, nice concept. But with 8x, I would go for 8x42, as they are pretty good and do not weigh that much more. If compactness is an issue, then go ahead and try 8x36. They should be fine. But in general you get a better bino at 42mm. If the eye relief is too much, you can try to adjust to it. Not everyone will have the eye relief problem.
 
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Followup review

OK, as there has been persistent questions and no-one else has yet stepped up to the mark for comments I'll have a go, although I'm no expert.

Mechanically I'm very pleased with them and they seem solid and well made. I've ceased to worry about the 'soft touch' pads (see my previous comment) and the only whinge I have on the construction now is the attachment of the objective caps. You can count on losing these unless you fit some sort of restraing device (such as rubber band, glue or tie ons). But hey, they're a bit of plastic and not an integral part of the bins. The bins come with some really good accessories in terms of straps, chest harness (which isn't actually necessary for bins this small and light) and an OK hard case.

Optically they are great. Yes really. Bright, sharp, wide sweet spot (most of the field) and low distortion. Have I subjected them to optical torture tests? No. Have I compared them to alphas? No. Are there better bins around? Certainly yes. But they are a lot better than cheap and cheerful and really, if anyone isn't satisfied for the money these cost, then nothing will satisfy them. Either the quality of your bins is so important to you that what you spend on them doesn't really matter, or these are worth a look through.

'Nuff said?
 
Good luck with them. Watch out for slippage on the focus knob in very cold weather. Near freezing is fine, ice and snow not so good.
 
lilcrazy2,
I am looking forward to you posting a review of the 8x36 Ultra HD against your other binoculars, especially against the 8x42 ZRS HD, and why you stated its your favorite of the dozen you have.
 
Hi!
I see that this thread is from 2010. Was this review by "lilcrazy2" ever posted somewhere? I am very interested in the 8x36 Excursion EX and the 8x36 Ultra HDs and how they compare.
Thanks!
j
 
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