Recommendation on Leupold Katmai 8x32? (1 Viewer)

I won a pair of Vortex Crossfires in the Bird Watcher's Digest drawing last week :t: Not too interested in them I contacted Eagle Optics (store I received the binoculars from) about exchanging them and they said I could. A nice pair of compacts has been on my wish list for years. Currently Eagle optics has the Leupold Katmai 8x32 on sell. The model has been discontinued so it is at a great price with the exchange of the Crossfires. With Christmas coming and having just bought a new mirrorless camera and 3 lenses, money is tight so I am trying to stretch my available dollars with a quality discounted binocular.

My biggest hesitation with the Katmai is the Field of View at 335 feet/1000 yards. A lot of other 8x32 models seem to be in the high 300's or low 400's. Any thoughts on the limited field of view or any 8x32 Katmai owners experience with this model? Reviews seem to be no existent.

Thanks,

Hi HantaYo

There is some info: http://www.optics4birding.com/leupold-Wind-River-Katmai-review.aspx

Including "...The 8x model has a relatively modest 335-foot field of view at 1000 yards, but the 6x model sports an impressive 425-feet field..."

Haven't seen Katmai but tend to agree with your reservations about Field of view. Of those I have tried you might consider 7x36 Bushnell Excursion EX, 576g, 410ft if they have any at a discount. Also a 2007 thread on this forum is entitled "Leupold Leupold Katmai 6x32 same as Opticron Traveller 6x32?"

Regards
Chris

Chris,

I went ahead and got the Vortex Viper 6x32. Both it and the Leupold were on clearance. I would of loved a 8x32 but I felt the field of view was too limiting. The Vortex field of view is approx 430 and is extremely bright.

Thanks for the reply!

Great result!

A little too late, but here's a comparison of the Katmai, Fury, Yosemite, and the Viper. The reviewer concluded the Viper was the best of the lot and gave details about why in his review:

http://www.opticstalk.com/vortex-viper-6x32-binocular_topic20739.html

Brock