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Best pick: Leupold Yosemite 8x30 and Atlas Radian 8x42 (2 Viewers)

J2neuby

Member
Hi friends. I've been lurking a while, but finally bought some binoculars and as such, I felt the need to join the community (this is my first forum I've joined, so I don't quite know how to navigate and do everything properly yet).

The situation: My wife and I would like to start birding. Her birthday is coming up soon, and after I did plenty of research I set my hopes on a Yosemite, but assumed I would not find one at the mercy of the local pawn shops.

The first pawn shop I went to had both of the above binos. The Atlas' left lens was grossly misaligned, but they have a lifetime transferable warranty, so I picked up both pair.

Seeing as I can't actually compare the two by looking through them, I'm hoping I could get your thoughts on the two, which you believe would be superior to give as a gift, and I'll keep the other pair as my own =)

Additionally, if I came across a Yosemite 6x30, do you think I should attempt swapping it for the Yosemite 8x30 to gain a wider field of view, or stick with the improved magnification?

Thanks for any insights!
 
:hi:
Hi J2,
Welcome to Bird Forum!

Apparently the binoculars you purchased are used binoculars.

Practically speaking the Atlas is not fit for use unless its left lens is fixed or the binocular is replaced. I am not clear whether or not you have had Atlas fix the lens or replace the binocular? If it is not fixed or replaced I don't think it would be a useful gift.

It might be tough finding someone to swap your 8x30 with. 6x30 has a wider FOV but it is not quite as versatile as an 8x30 is. Most people like more power than 6x. For this reason 8x binoculars are the most popular binoculars for general use.

I owned the original Leupold Yosemite 6x30 and I thought it was an excellent binocular. I reviewed it here years ago when Leupold introduced them. I loaned it to by brother who now refuses to give it back. He still uses it to watch birds from his back yard deck. 6x30 is an easy format to use and it is excellent for some types of birding like "back yard" birding if you live in a rural farming area like my brother does. If you plan to be using them often at the seashore 8x30 would be more useful. The difference in the FOVs between the Leupold 8x30 and the 6x30 is 30 feet at 1000 yards which works out to 3 feet at 100 yards so you aren't losing much in normal conditions.

Here is a link to the current versions of Leupold's BX-1 Yosemite binoculars. Click on the pictures of the binoculars to get their specs.

https://www.leupold.com/product-series/bx-1-yosemite-binoculars

You may want to use it for a while and decide how you like it.

Bob
 
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Heh, I intend to ship it to EO for repair before offering it as a gift. That's where my question lies though; since I can't compare the two, I was wondering which of the two models you guys think may be superior.

I suppose in the end, my wife may just choose by feel or personal preference, as she hasn't researched any of this :p
 
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