Thinking of upgrading to the Leupold Yosemite 8x32 (1 Viewer)

Thinking of upgrading to the Leupold Yosemite 8x30

Hello Everyone,

My wife and I have decided to get out and do some birding this year so I thought I would get us a couple of pairs of mid/full sized binoculars that would be better for birding than what we have now. Currently she has Steiner 10x26 Safari's and I have Nikon Mountaineer II ATB 8x25's.

I would like to spend right around $100 per pair so I am looking at porro models. The Nikon Action 8x40's were at the top of the list but then I stumbled onto the Leupold Yosemite 8x30's and am thinking they might be the way to go. I like that they are lighter, waterproof, and would fit my wife's small hands better. Would I see enough of a difference between what we have now to make it worth buying the Leupolds? If not are there any others in this price range that would be worth buying? Should we just stay with what we have for this year and upgrade to more expensive models next year?

I went to the Bushnell Outlet and the one pair that I really liked were the Browning 8x32's which are the same as the Bushell Legend 8x32's without Rainguard. Would the Leupold Yosemite 8x30's provide a similiar view?

Thank-you,
Wuchak

8X30 Yosemite

I have a pair of the 8X30 Yosemite and I have enjoyed them very much.
They only weigh about 18oz and are pretty compact. They are also designed for a narrow IPD if needed, for ladies or children - which is a nice feature.

I don't own any "premium" binos, so I am not a judge of high quality optics, but these are the best binos I have personally owned and are a pleasure when out on nature walks.

If my pair is an accurate sample, I would think they would be excellent choice. If you shop around, you should be able to find some for close to $100.00. I saw someone post that they had ordered some from B&H Photo for about $79.00, but I did not see him mention shipping charges.

I got mine through Eagle Optics for $115.00 with no shipping charges.

Good luck,
Lynn

Thanks Lynn. I just ordered a couple of pairs from Eagle Optics for $109 shipped. B&H has the 6x30's for $79 and the 8x30's for $99 + 6 to ship here. I like Eagle's 30 day trial period so I ordered from them. They should be here by Saturday so we can try them at a nearby nature center. I'm hoping for performance similar to the 8x32 Bushnell Legends at 1/2 the price.

Wuchak,

I received two pair of Yosemites (6x and 8x) yesterday. I just commented on them in the Nikon forum (in comparison to the Monarchs).

I'm curious to hear your impressions.

APS

I have tried the Brownings and the Bushnells in the configuration you mentioned. I also currently own the Leupolds. In my opinion the Leupolds have slightly better image quality overall. The image is brighter and marginally sharper though the edge distortion is a bit worse on the Leupolds. For $100 though they are an excellent buy!

Thanks for the info about the Leupolds. I'm glad to hear they compare favorably with those Brownings/Bushnells. My order arrives tomorrow, red ones for the wife and natural ones for me. We are joining the Jayhawk Audubon Society's outing to Clinton Lake on Saturday which will be a good test for the new binos. I'll given an update when we get back.

Wuchak

2 sellers with new Yosemites (6X30) at true auctions
(1 seller UK, 1 US)

http://www.binoculars-and-scopes.or...ite&catid=28179,31710&submit=search&advanced=

In my very amateur opinion Leupold has hit the mark with the 8x30 Yosemites. After spending ~25 hours in the field and as many at the kitchen table with them over the past two weeks I am addicted to these binoculars and cannot wait to get out and use them again. I have yet to experience even a hint of eyestrain and I continually find myself forgetting that I am looking through binoculars; the view is that easy on my eyes. If you were thinking of getting a pair I’d say place your order and I predict you will be very pleased with them. ($109 shipped w/30 day trial and free return shipping at Eagle Optics)

In the box:
- nice padded vinyl case with Leupold name printed on it and a permanently attached shoulder strap
- objective lens covers
- joined eyepiece covers that attach to the strap
- cotton cleaning cloth
- very nice 1” neoprene strap with Leupold printed on it
- binoculars, natural color for me and red for the wife. The natural color is a very pale green/tan that looks sharp with the green rings and the Leupold name and model printed in gold. The red is really terracotta and is also a very nice looking binocular. My wife really likes hers.

Specs
- Power x Obj. Dia.: 8x30
- Field of View: 7.5 degrees or 393 ft. at 1000 yds
- Exit Pupil: 3.75 mm
- Eye Relief: 14 mm
- Dimensions: 4.5 in.
- Close Focus: 16.4 ft.
- Weight: 18.5 oz.
- Weatherproofing: Waterproof
- Prism Material: BaK-4
- Coatings: Fully Multi-coated
- Armoring: Rubber
- Eye Cups: Twist-up
- Design Type: Porro Prism
- IPD: 50-70mm
- Available in black, red, natural, and dark earth (NWTF Edition)

The first thing that struck me was the small size of the Leupolds. They are not much larger than my 8x25 Nikon Mountaineer II’s. They are wider overall than the Nikons but the Leupolds are thinner to hold. There aren’t many places the Nikons can go the Leupolds couldn’t. Both my 5’4” wife and I (6’) find them comfortable. They are just heavy enough to be stable but light and compact enough to go just about anywhere and carry comfortably all day. The first look through them blew me away (bear in mind that my eyes are not used to high end optics). The image was very bright with a sharp center focus that faded only slightly in sharpness at the outer 10-15% of the edges (where even through the window glass I can still clearly see the yellow and black of a Grackle eye at feeder setup 60’ away), colors look natural, and it’s a nice wide FOV with an excellent depth of field. This initial impression has been reinforced with every use. In fact the more I use them the more I see. My wife and I have used them at the local nature center, the zoo, the arboretum, and Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. They have continually exceeded my expectations and I think they will keep us happy for quite a long time. When my wife tried them for the first time she remarked that she couldn’t believe there was such a difference between the Yosemites and her Steiner Safari 10x26’s. She’s wondering what to do with the Steiners now.

I went to Cabela’s to compare them to the Bushnell Legend 8x32’s (same as the Brownings I liked). Cabela’s carries Leupold but did not have the Yosemites in stock yet. Fortunately I had mine with me. I liked the Yosemite’s much better than the Bushnells and all of the <$300 pairs I tried. The person at the binocular counter which is stocked with Leica, Swarovski, Meopta, Bushnell, and Zeiss was incredibly impressed with and excited by the Yosemites. He had all of his co-workers at the binocular station and every other Cabela’s employee he could flag down (about 8 in all) come try them and they were all impressed. No one could believe the price. One of the optics counter employees was going to order a pair of the Yosemites for himself when he got home. On a side note he had me try a pair of Cabela’s 10x42 Euro binoculars ($799 – currently on sale for $749) they have made for them by Meopta. He said they were his favorite of all the 10x42’s they carry and after trying them I can see why. American Rifleman just field tested them for several months and compared them favorably to optics costing twice as much.

If there is a formal test of some kind someone would like me to do with the Yosemites please PM me and let me know.

The only suggestion I can make for improving the Yosemites is the addition of a tripod adapter receptacle for extended/long-distance viewing.

If anyone has the Yosemites and the Swift Audubon porros that could post a comparison I would appreciate it as the Swifts are the ones I have been lusting after but unable to try.

Close focus update
I just pulled out the measuring tape and with the Yosemites I can clearly focus on the lettering on the toaster oven with one eye at 8'9" and with both eyes at 9'4".

I wanted to add that these are MUCH, MUCH smaller in the hand than the Nikon Action 7x35. The Yosemite is so small it feels more like a roof prism than a porro.

Wuchak,

Very nice post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The Yosemites definitely are one of the true gems in the binocular market right now. There really isn't anything else out there that combines their ergonomics (handling and weight) with their optical quality and price. They truly are an excellent pair of binoculars for their price and them some.

Use them and enjoy.

Frank

Thank-you Frank.

I'm trying wear them out : ). I'm off to see prairie chickens tomorrow and woodcock on Saturday.

I received some questions on the Yosemite via pm so I thought I'd post the info I collected.

The outside diameter at the objective lens is 1 3/4" (circumference is 5 3/8"). This is the same as the outside diameter of a standard cardboard paper towel tube.

At the widest point, just above the dogleg, the width is 2 1/4" and the circumference is 6 5/8".

From the bottom of the objective to the bottom of the dogleg is 1 3/8".

Every movement of the wheel changes focus. There is no slop that I can detect. On the Yosemite total focal range requires just at bit over 1/2 a rotation of the focus wheel.

Wuchak

Another Yosemite 8x30 adopter

I want to thank both Wuchak and FrankD. This thread along with comments Frank has posted elsewhere such as his recommendation that "Before some of you invest in $300-$400 8x32 roofs I would highly suggest trying the Yosemite 8x30s first. These bins are entirely comparable to the 8x32 Pentax SPs with slightly less color fringing and a bit more edge distortion." contributed to my decision regarding these bins.

My NWTF edition Yosemite 8x30s arrived today from OpticsPlanet (shipped @ $104.95) joining my current inventory of
Pentax 8x42 DCF 1993
Pentax 9x21 UCF-Mini 1996
Orion 9x63 Mini-Giants 2002
Pentax 8x32 DCF WP 2002

The old non phase coated original Pentax DCFs have been all but retired with the 8x32 DCF WPs being my main use bins. The big porro Mini-Giants serve my after dark needs augmenting a Maksutov Newtonian telescope. I had been packing the UCF-Minis in my daypack for hiking but wanted something more satisfying. I really like the snap and FOV that my 8x32s provide. I had considered the acquisition of another quality 8x32 or 8x42 with the current DCF WP going into the pack but the idea of the Yosemites proved too attractive. The specs for the Yosemite 8x30s basically match my DCF WPs (e.g. 393' FOV, etc.). Size too for if you lay the Leupolds on top of the 8x32 Pentax at 90 degrees, they fill the same square. And having just retired, I will admit that the inexpensive cost of the Yosemites was also a factor. Frank's comment about DCF comparability has been born out thusfar in my shake out of the Leupolds. I'll be taking them outside tonight provided the skies cooperate for further evaluation.

As an aside I find the NWTF dark earth color actually not anywhere as dark as the on line illustrations and very very appealing. The meager $5 difference OpticsPlanet wanted over the stock colors plus the knowledge that a portion of the sale is contributed to NWTF made the finish color decision a no brainer 8-P

Again thanks guys!

--Bob

The skies have cooperated and the little 8x30s show no coma problem with a star test. The half moon does show some *very very* minor CA in the form of some fringe around the moon. I don't have anything handy like a Baeder Fringe-Killer filter in my astro kit to try just to see how easily this clears up. But given the overall performance and price of these bins I have absolutely no complaints.

Being critical, the only nit I've had has been with the central focuser. It exhibits a bit of stiction which may disappear with use. Time will tell.

--Bob