Steve C
Well-known member
Funny how things work. Just a few hours after I posted I had no idea about the new McKinley, the UPS truck showed up. Along with a bunch of other stuff I now need to find time to review, there was a new McKinley 8x42. I really don’t have time for a real proper review just now, but I now have had these for a few days and I do have some impressions. I’ll use a new thread since the other one was pretty mucked up.
There are not a lot of changes in the new one, but what there are make the new one look like the first version that got put on the Plan Z diet. First there is a two oz. weight reduction, primarily due to a much thinner rubber armor. The tube diameter just under the eye cup has gone from 50 mm down to 45 mm. The diameter of the objective at the point of the tethered cover attachment ha also lost 5 mm, from 55 to 50. How close the specification tolerances for rubber armor covering is, I have no clue, but the one I have seems to represent a about a 10% size reduction. The 5 mm reduction carries through to the eye cups. Any standard size 42 mm class ocular cover will fit the new version. The version used on the old one now fits the new on like a little kid wearing dad’s hat. The armor covering is identical in design to the original, with the exception of there being no thumb indents on the new version. The new binocular weighs 30 oz. vs the old one’s weight of 32 oz., but with the trimmer profile, it seems a lot less. Hefting it, I expected to see the scale real about 26 oz. or thereabouts.
The other big change is the diopter. It has moved from the right eyepiece to the center focus dial. It is somewhat different from the typical Leupold center dial diopter. For instance the Mojave has a snap out dial on the front of the focuser for the diopter. The dial is snapped back in place after adjustment. The new McKinley has the diopter adjustment on the back of the dial. There is a button about 8 mm square that sticks up about 3 mm. The button needs to be depressed which allows the diopter to adjust. You need to keep the button down to move the diopter. The upper edges of the button are beveled and there is a white dot at the base of the button over the diopter scale. I admit my first reaction to this setup was not positive. I like this style less than some others, but I quickly concluded that this one has evidently been pretty well thought out. It looks like it is going to take definite, I intentional input from the user to move it. Focus remain the same regards to both being counterclockwise to infinity and with focus wheel travel. Close focus distance is identical.
I see nothing that indicates any change in internal optical workings. The image characteristics remain unchanged in the new version. However that may not seem so to everyone. The ergonomic improvement is definite and substantial and I would bet that a lot of people who don’t wear glasses and could not quite get along with the original problem won’t have the issues that they had with the older one. For example, my brother who in spite of being fairly large, has pretty narrow set eyes, needing about 57 mm IPD. He liked the original McKinley a lot, but didn't like using it for much more that a quick glance. The original eye cups were pretty uncomfortable for him after a fairly short time. In spite of my stance that the views are pretty much a wash, he is convinced the new one is much superior. Likely, in my opinion, due to the fact it fits his face and eyes better.
My first impression is that this binocular would easily suit me as my only binocular. It is a very clear, solid, and substantial binocular. I am not going to tell anybody it is as good as their favorite alpha. It is not, but on the other hand your favorite alpha is not the new McKinley either. What you get for 3x the price is worth it to some, not so much to others. If your personal mindset gravitates you toward what you will regard as superior gear, skip this one and go for a more expensive one. You will gain little optically, but you will have a bunch more cash left over, which may be a pretty big deal for a lot of folks.
I'll get some pictures up. Look for the full review probably in the new site Frank and I have in the works. Details for that will follow when appropriate.
EDIT: 12 hours in the freezer will seriously harden the focus movement, but only for a turn or two, then it loosens up.
There are not a lot of changes in the new one, but what there are make the new one look like the first version that got put on the Plan Z diet. First there is a two oz. weight reduction, primarily due to a much thinner rubber armor. The tube diameter just under the eye cup has gone from 50 mm down to 45 mm. The diameter of the objective at the point of the tethered cover attachment ha also lost 5 mm, from 55 to 50. How close the specification tolerances for rubber armor covering is, I have no clue, but the one I have seems to represent a about a 10% size reduction. The 5 mm reduction carries through to the eye cups. Any standard size 42 mm class ocular cover will fit the new version. The version used on the old one now fits the new on like a little kid wearing dad’s hat. The armor covering is identical in design to the original, with the exception of there being no thumb indents on the new version. The new binocular weighs 30 oz. vs the old one’s weight of 32 oz., but with the trimmer profile, it seems a lot less. Hefting it, I expected to see the scale real about 26 oz. or thereabouts.
The other big change is the diopter. It has moved from the right eyepiece to the center focus dial. It is somewhat different from the typical Leupold center dial diopter. For instance the Mojave has a snap out dial on the front of the focuser for the diopter. The dial is snapped back in place after adjustment. The new McKinley has the diopter adjustment on the back of the dial. There is a button about 8 mm square that sticks up about 3 mm. The button needs to be depressed which allows the diopter to adjust. You need to keep the button down to move the diopter. The upper edges of the button are beveled and there is a white dot at the base of the button over the diopter scale. I admit my first reaction to this setup was not positive. I like this style less than some others, but I quickly concluded that this one has evidently been pretty well thought out. It looks like it is going to take definite, I intentional input from the user to move it. Focus remain the same regards to both being counterclockwise to infinity and with focus wheel travel. Close focus distance is identical.
I see nothing that indicates any change in internal optical workings. The image characteristics remain unchanged in the new version. However that may not seem so to everyone. The ergonomic improvement is definite and substantial and I would bet that a lot of people who don’t wear glasses and could not quite get along with the original problem won’t have the issues that they had with the older one. For example, my brother who in spite of being fairly large, has pretty narrow set eyes, needing about 57 mm IPD. He liked the original McKinley a lot, but didn't like using it for much more that a quick glance. The original eye cups were pretty uncomfortable for him after a fairly short time. In spite of my stance that the views are pretty much a wash, he is convinced the new one is much superior. Likely, in my opinion, due to the fact it fits his face and eyes better.
My first impression is that this binocular would easily suit me as my only binocular. It is a very clear, solid, and substantial binocular. I am not going to tell anybody it is as good as their favorite alpha. It is not, but on the other hand your favorite alpha is not the new McKinley either. What you get for 3x the price is worth it to some, not so much to others. If your personal mindset gravitates you toward what you will regard as superior gear, skip this one and go for a more expensive one. You will gain little optically, but you will have a bunch more cash left over, which may be a pretty big deal for a lot of folks.
I'll get some pictures up. Look for the full review probably in the new site Frank and I have in the works. Details for that will follow when appropriate.
EDIT: 12 hours in the freezer will seriously harden the focus movement, but only for a turn or two, then it loosens up.
Last edited: