New Bushnell Elites Are OUTSTANDING!!! (1 Viewer)

I just received my 10x43 Bushnell Elites from Eagle Optics. I paid $529 for a refurbished pair with a lifetime warranty from Bushnell. I own and use Leica Ultravids, Swarovski EL's and Zeiss FL's on a regular basis. These Bushnell Elites are OUTSTANDING! All the brightness, contrast color intensity and center resolution of the Ultravid, the wonderful open bridge design of the EL, and the silky smoothness of the Zeiss FL focus wheel. FOR $529!!! They have a generous if not record setting FOV of 315' or 6 degrees. Generous eye relief, wonderfully comfortable twist-up eyecups(which only lock at the full-up position). Slight - not objectionable CA - more than Zeiss FL and less than Nikon or Swarovski or Leica - this in a 10x mind you. Quality of construction is first rate - feels MUCH more expensive than the Zeiss FL or Nikon LX-L - on a par with the EL - not quite as oppulent feeling as the Ultravid. A diopter adjustment which is easy to use and stays locked once set. YOU WILL NEVER FIND AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT OF THIS CALIBER AT THIS PRICE AGAIN! I don't work for Bushnell or Eagle Optics - I just love fine optics. Happy shopping...Angelo Todaro.

Angelo, how large is the sweet spot on these? I just sent back an 8x43 because it seemed like nearly the outer 25% started getting pretty soft. It bothered me, although I liked everything else about them. They *are* really nice glasses...If the 10x is better I may give them a try.

Dan C

angelo225544 said:

B]YOU WILL NEVER FIND AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT OF THIS CALIBER AT THIS PRICE AGAIN![/B][/U][/COLOR] I don't work for Bushnell or Eagle Optics - I just love fine optics. Happy shopping...Angelo Todaro.

Click to expand...

Angelo, i started a thread named "best binocular deal ever" where i tried to let people know about the Elites. I am glad that you agree.

Arrivederci a tante belle cose.

highxj said:

Angelo, how large is the sweet spot on these? I just sent back an 8x43 because it seemed like nearly the outer 25% started getting pretty soft. It bothered me, although I liked everything else about them. They *are* really nice glasses...If the 10x is better I may give them a try.

Dan C

Click to expand...

Hi Dan. Edge sharpness is not the strong-suit of this binocular. The outer 25% of the image is soft but usable - much the same as most Zeiss binoculars I've seen. In other discussions, I have mentioned that for me, lack of edge sharpness is not a deal breaker. I tend to use the perifery of the image only to spot a subject that, if I want to see it at maximum resolution, I will automatically center it in the FOV. This also eliminates the CA that all binoculars have in abundance at the perifery. I know this is just my own personal preference. What so impressed me about the Bushnell Elite is that in the central 50% of the image - the so-called sweet-spot - the image compares favorably with all the top-tier bins I have in terms of resolution, contrast and color saturation. They also have stellar ergonomics and construction quality. Bushnell has taken the "BIG 4" to school with this design - admittedly derivative but brilliantly executed. For $1500, I would still buy an EL or an Ultravid. For $1000, these start to look very attractive. For $500 - anyone who doesn't at least SERIOUSLY CONSIDER this binocular will be missing out on an exceptional bargain.

Luca said:

Angelo, i started a thread named "best binocular deal ever" where i tried to let people know about the Elites. I am glad that you agree.

Arrivederci a tante belle cose.

Click to expand...

Hi Luca. Thank you. It was your thread that piqued my curiosity in the Elites. I have been a Euro-Snob for so long I didn't think they could be this good. So I bought them from Eagle Optics because of their generous return policy. I started a new thread because the subject here is "I HAVE THEM AND THEY ARE AMAZING - YOU SHOULD TRY THEM TOO!"

highxj said:

Angelo, how large is the sweet spot on these? I just sent back an 8x43 because it seemed like nearly the outer 25% started getting pretty soft. It bothered me, although I liked everything else about them. They *are* really nice glasses...If the 10x is better I may give them a try.

Dan C

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, my experience with the 10 power Elites was very similar to your experience with the 8 power version. I thought the build quality and ergonomics were excellent, but was underwhelmed by the noticeably soft edges and surprisingly dim and muddy images. The binocular appeared as new, BTW - no evidence whatsoever that any refurbishing had occurred other than putting the binocular into a box marked Factory Refurbished. I own and still use a 9 year old Bausch & Lomb 8 x 42 Elite, and continue to be impressed by its perfectly flat field of view (albeit on the narrow side), and breathtaking sharpness. It's not as bright as the current crop of Alpha glasses, but still a very effective optical tool - I had hoped the Bushnell Elites would be an improvement on the excellent Bausch & Lomb design (in the same sort of way that the Leica Ultravid improved upon the BA series optics), and was disappointed. The folks at Eagle Optics, however, deserve real thanks for their remarkable return policy, which saved me from having to take a body blow by having to resort to listing the binoculars on eBay.

chartwell99 said:

Unfortunately, my experience with the 10 power Elites was very similar to your experience with the 8 power version. I thought the build quality and ergonomics were excellent, but was underwhelmed by the noticeably soft edges and surprisingly dim and muddy images. The binocular appeared as new, BTW - no evidence whatsoever that any refurbishing had occurred other than putting the binocular into a box marked Factory Refurbished. I own and still use a 9 year old Bausch & Lomb 8 x 42 Elite, and continue to be impressed by its perfectly flat field of view (albeit on the narrow side), and breathtaking sharpness. It's not as bright as the current crop of Alpha glasses, but still a very effective optical tool - I had hoped the Bushnell Elites would be an improvement on the excellent Bausch & Lomb design (in the same sort of way that the Leica Ultravid improved upon the BA series optics), and was disappointed. The folks at Eagle Optics, however, deserve real thanks for their remarkable return policy, which saved me from having to take a body blow by having to resort to listing the binoculars on eBay.

Click to expand...

It's so interesting to see what other people perceive in various binoculars. I for example, have had the exact opposite experience with my Elites when I compared them to a Swarovski EL. The Elite exhibited better edge-to-edge clarity than the EL but had a somewhat smaller FOV. I chalked this up to different manufacturers choosing slightly different approaches to giving the consumer the most desireable product. In other words, Swarovski seemed to value the wider field of view over perfect edge quality whereas Bushnell seemed to believe that retaining the best edge clarity was worth sacrificing a small portion of the FOV.

Couple this with the (for me) superior ergonomics of the Elite (primarily related to its smaller size) and I consider it the overall superior binocular. Oh well, "different strokes for different folks." This is a super example of why each person should test out the various makes/models in their price range themselves, rather than relying on any reviews that they might read. Individual perceptions can be a real "kick in the pants," so to speak.

I just received my 8x43 Elites this evening. I am going to say that the jury is still out on them for me at this point. I have not really been able to use them outside at all yet as it is quite dark but I will give them a fair shake tomorrow. I plan on comparing them directly to my 8x42 Nikon Venturers and my 8x32 Pentax DCF SPs. Inside, in regular lighting the image seems quite impressive. I am attempting to identify the percentage of the field of view in focus as this seems to be the main issue of contention between owners. Is it possible that there is significant product variation in this regard with this particular binocular? Enough so that you folks would have such wide differences in experiences? Initial experiences indoors lead me to believe that my particular unit has very good edge sharpness. No softness until the very outer edge and a very bright, contrasty field of view. Again, this is indoors so take it with a grain of salt. I am looking at a hot water heater approximately 15 feet away and reading the printing on the outside of it. I am centering the lettering in the field of view, focusing it and then moving the letters to the outer edge of the image to determine when I lose the sharpness.

Brightness appears better than the 8x32 SP and almost as good as the 8x42 Venturer. For now, to me, it does not quite have that "Wow" factor that the Nikon does but it is better than just about any other 8x42 mm bin I have had the privelege to own (haven't owned any of the high end Zeiss, Swaro or Leica products but it easily beats any of the midpriced [$300-$500] 8x42 roof prisms I have owned). An 8x43 Pentax SP might give it a run for its money but the field of view is wider on the Elites and the ergonomics are better than any of the non-bridge style roof prisms I have laid my hands on. My hands fit the Elites body shape quite nicely. They feel both solid and lightweight at the same time. They easily have to be the lightest bins in the $1000 and over price class.

I would easily think that these bins provide a physical and optical package that is the equivalent to 2/3rds the cost of the high end European bins.

The only two issues I have found with these bins thus far are related to the eyecups and interpupilary distance. The eyecups need to have pressure applied in an upward motion as you twist them counterclockwise in order to get them to extend fully. If you do not put upward pressure on them then you can unscrew them completely without extending them at all. The minimum interpupilary distance seems to be greater on these bins in comparison to just about every other pair I have tried. At extremely close ranges I cannot get the barrels close enough to form a single picture with my eyes. I haven't measure the actual distance this becomes a problem at but I would say it is under 10 feet.

Frank,
Your experience matches the specs. The minimum interpupillary distance for the Bushnell Elite is reportedly 59 mm, whereas most other roofs get down to 56 mm (and the Zeiss FL adjust to 52 mm and 54 mm for the 2/3 and full size models, respectively). If you don't have problems with the Pentax, you must be right at your comfort limit because the SP line specs show 58 mm minimum IPD.
--AP

FrankD said:

I am attempting to identify the percentage of the field of view in focus as this seems to be the main issue of contention between owners. Is it possible that there is significant product variation in this regard with this particular binocular? Enough so that you folks would have such wide differences in experiences?

Click to expand...

Frank,

For some reason, I doubt this would be the case. I am guessing that these perception differences (for all of us - myself included) are more the result of our testing under different conditions (time of day, indoor/outdoor, overcast/clear, etc.) as well as different levels of experience/knowledge coupled with the effects of personal biases.

What would be interesting to me would be to get a few of us binoculaholics together to examine and discuss various models at the same time & place so that we are all seeing the exact same things through the optics. In this respect the Cornell lab did at least one thing right by having all their testers at the same place and at the same time. The rest of their methodology was a bit suspect but, we could fix that easily enough.

Alexis,

Your assumption must be correct. I have some difficulty, at times, getting just the right IPD setting for the 32 mm SPs as well. I can get it though so maybe the combination of IPD adjustment in correlation with the width of the eyepiece (and eyecup) deisgn and the size of the exit pupil have something to do with it. It would be something interesting to study if one ever had the resources to do so.

lucznik,

You are probably right though I think product variation can always play some part even in the $1000+ bins. I thought I actually had the answer to the difference in experiences but proved myself wrong. I was attempting to measure the "sweet spot" by moving the binocular up and down to determine the point where distortion comes into play. In that regard the Elites are, as I mentioned, excellent though not superb. The Venturers, and even the Leupold Yosemites, beat them in that regard. However, I thought I noticed more distortion when moving the image from side to side. Upon further inspection though I believe that my conclusion was based more on the interpupilary distance issue I mentioned above and how it was affecting my being able to see the full field of view horizontally....if that makes any sense whatsoever.

I am going to take them out now with the SPs and Venturers to see how they compare when actually looking at birds.

IMHO you can get too "fine haired" fooling around trying to find the "proper" IPD setting. I'm not at all sure, based on my own "fooling around" that the IPD is critical if you are within a millimeter or so of it. If it was, I think there would be a mechanism to lock it in place. As it is now, corrections can be made by minute movements of the central hinge. I used to think my own IPD was 68mm; now I think it is closer to 69mm, and sometimes I have set it at 70mm without visible affect. I think the angle of one's head and the brightness of the view and the distance from the object are factors that come into play in "getting it right." The next time I visit my Opthamologist I'm going to have him measure it, and if I can corner him for 30 seconds or so, run my theory by him. Other opinions from experts on this site are, of course, welcome!

Always aim with both eyes open!

Bob

Bob,
I don't think you can be too careful with getting the IPD right as it has a big effect on many image quality factors. The best setting on the bino will generally correspond to your IPD when looking at distant objects, but if you are in bright light (small pupil) and have a bino w/large exit pupil then there is some room for error. If you use the binos a bit farther from your eyes than ideal (not uncommon for folks who wear glasses and use binos w/o the necessary eye-relief), the best setting may be a bit higher than your actual IPD. More importantly/commonly, if you look at close-up objects, your eyes begin to "cross", reducing your IPD and thus requiring that the bino barrels be brought closer together. So there isn't a single perfect IPD setting for all circumstances.
--AP

I have had some time today to use the Elites alongside the Venturers and the SPs. Let me preface this by saying that I think the Elites truly are excellent binoculars. They belong in the price tier that they were originally placed in. They are, optically and ergonomically, a step above any of the $300-$600 roof prism bins I have had the privelege to own. Sadly though, they are not, in my opinion, at the optical performance level of my Venturers (and I would subsequently assume the other Alpha glasses from Zeiss, Swaro and Leica as well).

The overall image of the Elites is very pleasing and fairly relaxed for my eyes. Color representation is very good as is the brightness level of these bins. Contrast, though very good, falls short of the Venturers as does the resolution level. The latter may be partly the result of the former...if possible. In truth I actually believe I see finer detail with the ED glass laden 8x32 SPs. Let me clarify that by saying that I do not own a resolution chart nor did I do any formal resolution testing but rather just relied on my impressions when viewing a variety of objects in the 15-30 yard range. The image from the Elites does not appear "soft" by any stretch of the imagination just not as crisp as the Venturers or SPs. Keep in mind though that I am splitting hairs here. Any of the three bins in question would probably rank above an 8.5 (on a 10 point scale for resolution).

In terms of the flatness of field the Venturers would be the best with the Elites second and the SPs third. The difference from one bin to the next was gradual and even the difference when comparing the Venturers to the SPs was not truly "great" in my opinion.

Depth of field seemed fairly equal between the bins though the focusing speeds and styles vary greatly from one bin to the next. The Venturers, well what can I say, everyone is familiar with their focus. Fairly fast yet extremely precise. The SP's focus is physically stiffer but just as fast. The Elites' focus was much slower though the focus knob turned faster. I do not really have a preference for one over the other as all of them were able to achieve a fairly crisp focus with little extra rolling back and forth of the focusing knob.

Ergonomically I do not know how anyone couldn't like the Elites. With their bridge style connection holding them is very easy. They do not have the overall barrel length of the Swaro ELs which they were modeled after and yet I still believe the open connection allows for better control of the binocular especially with just one hand.

The diopter adjustment is "built into" the bridge below the focusing knob. Chances of knocking it out of place are slim to none. However, the Elites are the first bins I have ever had to adjust the diopter in order to get the correct setting for my eyes. On all of my other bins I simply leave it at "0" and have no problem with individual eye differences. I am left wondering if this is somehow an after effect of the reason that the bins were initially refurbished?

What else can I say? Those are the impressions I am left with after using the Elites for a day. I believe, at the present time, that I am going to keep them. At the $500 price point they are a steal and I suggest anyone looking for a higher quality roof prism bin at a very attractive price invest in a pair. They could easily be someone's primary bin for just about any birding application.

Anyone got any comments on the 8x43 or 10x43 Elites now they've owned them for a while. Still as good as first thought or starting to show limitations ?
Thanks
John

I will jump in here to say that I have owned my Elite binocular (10x43) for about 2 months now and I still really, really like them. So far, I have been able to use these binoculars in a wide array of conditions (mostly because of where I live in Western Wyoming) including:

• pouring rain, driving sleet, and near white-out snow.

• temperatures ranging from above 100 degrees F to well below freezing.

• painfully bright sunlight to almost completely black overcast skies.

• wide open valleys to beneath the canopy of very dark "black timber."

These binoculars have performed fantastically. They are also light, reasonably compact (about the size of a 32mm Swaro EL) and easy to pack around. This is not to say however, that they don't have a few weak points:

• I am a little suspicious of the long-term strength of the Elite's "quick disconnect" system for the neckstrap. It works very well for allowing the rapid change from one carrying system to another - which has proved very nice at times but, the connector piece is just plastic and I am concerned it will not always prove as strong as I might like. Bushnell would of course, always be willing to replace the broken part but, if it should go while on an expensive trip, it would be quite frustrating. :storm: For this reason, I have already had Bushnell send me a replacement set which I keep in my gear bag - just in case

• There is a small amount of chromatic abberation. It's not any more prevelant than I have seen in other premium binoculars (and less than in some) but I thought I should at least mention it for the benefit of those who are super picky about such things. If it bothers you a lot and if you want to get away from CA as much as possible, you really should be buying porro prism glasses but, since these are not sufficiently "en vogue" we get to hear too many silly arguments about which premium roof prism binocular controls it "best." :stuck:

• The RainGaurd ("hydrophobic") coatings, which are supposed to make this binocular superior for use in bad weather, are of no noticeable benefit. I used these binoculars as well as an Elite riflescope and also a compact Legend binocular in all sorts of inclement weather (see above) right along side optics from other makers such as Leupold, Pentax, Nikon, Burris, etc. (even a cheapo Tasco. :brains While optically the Elite was clearly (pun intended) the superior optic, the Bushnell Raingaurd did not allow for viewing any better than the other makers' glass.

• When the others fogged, so did the Bushnell.

• It took as long for the Bushnell glass to clear off this fog as did the other makers.

• The Bushnell did not bead water any better nor did this water slide off the glass any faster than that of the other makers.

In short - While it's a great advertising draw, no actual advantage to Raingaurd was observed. 3

Don't get me wrong. I am very pleased with my Elite and I will be keeping it. It's not perfect but, nothing is. All binoculars involve compromises and this one is as good or better than just about anything else.

Wow Lucznik ! Thanks for that very comprehensive reply. I always think it's great to hear from people who've owned and used something for a while. It's good to hear that they're still impressing you after some real use in the field.
Cheers
John

I wish I could offer further comments but I returned my pair a week or two after having purchased them. Though they were of excellent quality overall (and probably the classiest looking bin I have ever owned) I just could not get over what I perceived to be a lack of sharpness in the center of the field or just a lack of contrast. I am left wondering now though whether that experience was unique to the unit I owned or if it was a trait of them in general regardless of quality control. I had wanted to order another of the refurbished units from Eagle Optics about a week ago to reevaluate them but found that they were no longer offering them. I am not sure if this means that they are out of stock or have chosen not to carry the refurbished models at this point.

At the price point that they were at as "new" I have instead been investing my efforts at looking at the Meopta Meostars. I have a pair of the 8x42s arriving tomorrow and I hope to compare them to my Leicas further.

Sorry I could not help more as I really would have liked to have given the Bushnell refurbs another go.

I emailed Eagle Optics last week inquiring if they would be getting any more refurbished Bushnell Elites. Their reply indicated they will not be receiving any more of them.

Ted

Well that clears that up. I am now left wondering why? Was there just a limited number initially?