BUSHNELL EXCURSION 8X28
Power x Obj. Dia. 8x28
Field of View 417 ft. at 1000 yds
Exit Pupil 3.5 mm
Eye Relief 15 mm
Dimensions 4.5h X 3.75w inches
Close Focus 6 ft.
Weight 15.2 oz.
Weatherproofing Waterproof/Nitrogen Purged
Prism Material Exotic Phase-coated BaK-4
Coatings Fully Multi-coated
Armoring Rubber
Eye Cups Twist-up
Design Type Roof Prism
Although my main binos have been a Zeiss 7x42 and a Leica 8x32 for some
time I have felt the need for a compact rugged little grab and go pair
of binos.
When I saw the specs and price ($99 including shipping at EO) I figured
I'd take a chance on them.
First impressions...
Over-all build quality looks very good. The Binos, case and strap look
to be well made and designed and nothing looks obviously cheap or
sub-standard.
I like the quick connect snap-on neck strap. This feature is
particularly useful on small bins where you will be putting it in a
pocket and don't want to stuff in a strap as well. Also the connector on
bino body is smooth and recessed so it does not snag on anything. A nice
touch.
The strap, however, is too long. I like to carry my bins up on my chest
and the strap at it's shortest puts the bins down near my waist. It's so
long it's almost as if they packed the wrong part with the binos. Well
made and designed but too long. BTW I'm over 6 feet tall.
Also included with the package was captive objective covers and ep cover
as well as extra quick snap connectors to use on other neck snaps of
your choice. These connectors are proprietary so this was a thoughtful
touch.
Focus is a little stiff but perhaps this will ease up given time. Speed
of focus is just about right for birding. Although a little stiff it is
not rough nor has any lash at this point.
The twist up eye cups work well. I found the ideal position for my eyes
to be somewhere between full up and full down. When I set them at this
intermediate point they seem to stay there at least so far.
Most compacts I have used I have not liked because the ergonomics. I
dont like the two hinge system of many of them and find it clumsy and
awkward to use.
Also many compacts are, strangely, just too compact. You need something
that is scaled to the human hand with just enough heft to give a stable
view. These bins are just about perfect in that respect. Big enough to
get a comfortable secure grip but no bigger. The weight is just about
perfect also. I found myself using them with one hand and still being
reasonably stable. I can't do that with the Zeiss.
My overall impression is that a lot of thought has been put into the
overall design and that particular attention has been paid to the needs
of birders. These are not just another pair of off the shelf binos that
Bushnell has bought from some low cost Asian supplier. There is just too
much attention to detail. Bushnell must have had a great deal of input
into design and production.
This is just speculation on my part but I think Bushnell, being dominant in
low cost optics, has been seeing some erosion of their market share.
Because of the plethora of low cast no-name Asian imports as of late
Bushnell has gone after this segment with a vengeance to maintain
market share.
Optical performance:
This will be a purely subjective empirical evaluation. I will tell you
what my eyes tell me and will compare them directly to my Zeiss and
Leicas without making any allowance for the difference in cost.
In sharpness brightness and contrast the Bushnells were not as good as
the Zeiss or the Leicas. However, and this is important, it was not a
big difference either. If I picked up the Bushnells and used them for
actual bird watching within a few minutes I would forget about this
difference and they would be a very good pair of binos for all practical
purposes.
FOV:
I compared the FOV of the Bushnells with a claimed FOV of 417 feet
against the Zeiss 7x42 with a claimed FOV of 450 feet. I did this by
looking at a sheep fence with posts every 5 feet at a distance of 50 yds.
I was surprised to find that the FOV was identical. I could see no
difference.
The FOV on the Zeiss are more or less perfect from edge to edge. The
Bushnells looked to me to be good out to about 80 percent of the FOV.
Close focus is not 6 feet - the best I could get was 9 feet.
My only real complaint is why in the hell couldn't they make these as
7x28s? Wth the increased brightness, depth of field, wider field of
view they would be ideal for most styles of birding.
Well that's about it. Overall I find these Bushnells to be above
average in the compact class. Nice size and weight, look to be rugged
and well protected with an over-all design that is well suited to a
birder.
SF
Power x Obj. Dia. 8x28
Field of View 417 ft. at 1000 yds
Exit Pupil 3.5 mm
Eye Relief 15 mm
Dimensions 4.5h X 3.75w inches
Close Focus 6 ft.
Weight 15.2 oz.
Weatherproofing Waterproof/Nitrogen Purged
Prism Material Exotic Phase-coated BaK-4
Coatings Fully Multi-coated
Armoring Rubber
Eye Cups Twist-up
Design Type Roof Prism
Although my main binos have been a Zeiss 7x42 and a Leica 8x32 for some
time I have felt the need for a compact rugged little grab and go pair
of binos.
When I saw the specs and price ($99 including shipping at EO) I figured
I'd take a chance on them.
First impressions...
Over-all build quality looks very good. The Binos, case and strap look
to be well made and designed and nothing looks obviously cheap or
sub-standard.
I like the quick connect snap-on neck strap. This feature is
particularly useful on small bins where you will be putting it in a
pocket and don't want to stuff in a strap as well. Also the connector on
bino body is smooth and recessed so it does not snag on anything. A nice
touch.
The strap, however, is too long. I like to carry my bins up on my chest
and the strap at it's shortest puts the bins down near my waist. It's so
long it's almost as if they packed the wrong part with the binos. Well
made and designed but too long. BTW I'm over 6 feet tall.
Also included with the package was captive objective covers and ep cover
as well as extra quick snap connectors to use on other neck snaps of
your choice. These connectors are proprietary so this was a thoughtful
touch.
Focus is a little stiff but perhaps this will ease up given time. Speed
of focus is just about right for birding. Although a little stiff it is
not rough nor has any lash at this point.
The twist up eye cups work well. I found the ideal position for my eyes
to be somewhere between full up and full down. When I set them at this
intermediate point they seem to stay there at least so far.
Most compacts I have used I have not liked because the ergonomics. I
dont like the two hinge system of many of them and find it clumsy and
awkward to use.
Also many compacts are, strangely, just too compact. You need something
that is scaled to the human hand with just enough heft to give a stable
view. These bins are just about perfect in that respect. Big enough to
get a comfortable secure grip but no bigger. The weight is just about
perfect also. I found myself using them with one hand and still being
reasonably stable. I can't do that with the Zeiss.
My overall impression is that a lot of thought has been put into the
overall design and that particular attention has been paid to the needs
of birders. These are not just another pair of off the shelf binos that
Bushnell has bought from some low cost Asian supplier. There is just too
much attention to detail. Bushnell must have had a great deal of input
into design and production.
This is just speculation on my part but I think Bushnell, being dominant in
low cost optics, has been seeing some erosion of their market share.
Because of the plethora of low cast no-name Asian imports as of late
Bushnell has gone after this segment with a vengeance to maintain
market share.
Optical performance:
This will be a purely subjective empirical evaluation. I will tell you
what my eyes tell me and will compare them directly to my Zeiss and
Leicas without making any allowance for the difference in cost.
In sharpness brightness and contrast the Bushnells were not as good as
the Zeiss or the Leicas. However, and this is important, it was not a
big difference either. If I picked up the Bushnells and used them for
actual bird watching within a few minutes I would forget about this
difference and they would be a very good pair of binos for all practical
purposes.
FOV:
I compared the FOV of the Bushnells with a claimed FOV of 417 feet
against the Zeiss 7x42 with a claimed FOV of 450 feet. I did this by
looking at a sheep fence with posts every 5 feet at a distance of 50 yds.
I was surprised to find that the FOV was identical. I could see no
difference.
The FOV on the Zeiss are more or less perfect from edge to edge. The
Bushnells looked to me to be good out to about 80 percent of the FOV.
Close focus is not 6 feet - the best I could get was 9 feet.
My only real complaint is why in the hell couldn't they make these as
7x28s? Wth the increased brightness, depth of field, wider field of
view they would be ideal for most styles of birding.
Well that's about it. Overall I find these Bushnells to be above
average in the compact class. Nice size and weight, look to be rugged
and well protected with an over-all design that is well suited to a
birder.
SF
Attachments
Last edited: