leoplod katmai 8x32 help plz (1 Viewer)

i am new to bird watching am at the mo using bushnell 8x42, which i dont like, my main reasons are there to big and want a pair around 4" in length, as i ofter find there to big for my pocket and dont take them with me, so i think its better for me to have a smaller pair than nothin at all.second reason the close focus aint to hot and watch alot of birds in my garden and can use the bins ,so they gotta go. ive been thinkin of the leupold katmai wind river 8x32 in natural, which apparently have bak4 prisms, and the black pair have bak7 ? can someone confirm this is true ? does anyone no what these bins are like ? or have any other opinions or options i can go for. i odveously want to get the best bins i can without goin over that size or close too it, and no more money than £200/$385. hope some one out there can help me

zaxon said:

... ive been thinkin of the leupold katmai wind river 8x32 in natural, which apparently have bak4 prisms, and the black pair have bak7 ? can someone confirm this is true ? does anyone no what these bins are like ? or have any other opinions or options i can go for. i odveously want to get the best bins i can without goin over that size or close too it, and no more money than £200/$385. hope some one out there can help me

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Don't know about the bak4 vs. bak7 prisms (can't imagine why a simple exterior color change would result in different internal design) -- BUT, yes, I am familiar with the 8x32 black Katmais and would highly recommend them for your purposes and criteria. Razor sharp, compact and well-built, smooth focusing, and bright (noticeably brighter even, than my 10x32 Leica Ultravids, which was a bit of a surprise even allowing for the power difference)! The Katmai is a little narrow in the FOV but all things considered I would second your decision and highly recommend the Leupold Katmai 8x32 with confidence.

I'm pretty satisfied with the Nikon Monarch 8x32, which would seem to fit in with your specs. I've always wondered how they stacked up to the Katmai's.

yes ive looked at these and heard the monarchs awesome bins, but there prob more full size 5x5 almost the same size as my trophys , which stick out of my pocket . if these were a inch smaller they be in my front room , hehehe

I recently compared the Monarch 8x36 to the Katmai 8x32, in a store.

Keeping in mind the limits of the store conditions: optically, the Katmai was superior to my eyes, particularly the size of the sweet spot, and the lack of rolling ball (I think that is the correct description) when panning. The ONLY comparative weakness was the slightly smaller FOV.

Handling wise though, I preferred the Monarch. The Katmai is SO small that my large hands swallowed them. They would be great for someone with small hands, as they are very compact. They both had smooth focus wheels, but the Katmai had a better speed/precision feel. Overall the Katmai is workable despite the smallness; it is worth it for the compactness for my intended uses.

I would like to try the Katmai in the field for a more thorough eval. As it stands, I'm considering the 6x version due to the FOV, large EP, and ease of view qualities. I now suspect the high Cornell ranking of them was fairly accurate.

Yes, quite a number of the Leupolds are narrow fov at 8x and 10x.

Try the 8x42 Monarch as well.

Katmai clarrification

A bit of clarrification on the Katmai models, their prism materials, and other items of possible interest.

The confusion on the prism glass is a result of a recent upgrade. The prisms are now BAK4. The roof prism is phase coated and the auxiliary prism is treated with a 64 layer cold coat process that Leupold calls L-coat. This is the same prism structure and coating balance that is used on the Leupold Pinnacles.

As the Katmai models are quite popular, the turn rate is pretty fast through the distribution channels, so most likely everything on the shelves now is fully upgraded.

The Katmai line was the first to see the addition of the new color - Natural. The Pinnacles, Olympics, and Cascades all also offer it as a second color option now as well. The Yosemites have always offered it was well as red and black.