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Pro Guide 8x32? (1 Viewer)

timmay

Well-known member
Why doesn't Leupold make a 8x32 in the Pro Guide model? If they do Ive never seen one. Maybe they feel the Mojave 8x32 is good enough, or maybe it doesn't sell enough to merit them upgrading it to the HD glass?
Anyhow, an 8x32 Pro Guide with the Kryptec finish would be pretty awesome.
 
Hi,

A good alternative and close match to what you mention is the Maven B3 8x30. You can customize it with either of two different choices of Kryptec for a slight upcharge. I suspect the optics and build to be better too. Win/Win.

CG
 
I looked today and they have what I think has already been discussed here few months back but bot sure and looks like Leupold Mojave 8x32 but with a 420 fov which is good higher than the Mojave I have. Not sure if is ED glass or if is Japan made.
 
I looked today and they have what I think has already been discussed here few months back but bot sure and looks like Leupold Mojave 8x32 but with a 420 fov which is good higher than the Mojave I have. Not sure if is ED glass or if is Japan made.
The regular Mojave 8x32 has a 420' fov. It is a very good mid range compact glass. Frank and I both did reviews here in the Leupold section and there is a fair bit of discussion vs the Mojave and the Nikon Monarch 7. It is in fact Japanese. There is no ED glass, unless they have changed that recently. The way it handled CA caused me to inquire with Leupold as to its presence. They said no ED glass was used.
 
It is not only B & H Photo. Leupold no longer lists the Mojave 8X32 on their web site. They only show Pro Guide Series models. Also, Cabela's does not currently show the model.
 
The regular Mojave 8x32 has a 420' fov. It is a very good mid range compact glass. Frank and I both did reviews here in the Leupold section and there is a fair bit of discussion vs the Mojave and the Nikon Monarch 7. It is in fact Japanese. There is no ED glass, unless they have changed that recently. The way it handled CA caused me to inquire with Leupold as to its presence. They said no ED glass was used.

While some people get twitterpated over just seeing “ED,” I think it is important to realize chromatic aberration can be handled more effectively by one of the industry leaders using traditional glass than a company that does their best but really just relies on the acronym “ED” to turn heads and poach pockets. Physics never takes a backseat to opinion. But it’s opinion, not physics, that makes the cash register ring. :cat:
 
Is a BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8x32 on the way? I've seen placeholders online, but the links won't work after I post them. Anybody interested can google "leupold pro guide 8x32 172658" which is the grey armored unit, or "leupold pro guide 8x32 172659" which is the camo unit. The price for the grey unit seems to be $479.
 
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Is a BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8x32 on the way? I've seen placeholders online, but the links won't work after I post them. Anybody interested can google "leupold pro guide 8x32 172658" which is the grey armored unit, or "leupold pro guide 8x32 172659" which is the camo unit. The price for the grey unit seems to be $479.

According to Leupold, a new BX-4 8X32 HD (dropping the name "pro-guide") could be announced in June. It should have similar\same specs as the old BX-3 8X32 Mojave (BX-3 nomenclature also to go away) but with "improved" (?) HD, or ED (extra low dispersion) glass. They can't say if it will be mnf. in Japan or China, but at OP, they are already posting some general info on this new BX-4 8X32 HD ! :eek!:

Hope this newest BX-4 isn't the optical disappointment that the original McKinley 10X42 models were (returned the 117790 and 119282), or the Pro-Guides (returned 2-10X42's)! As Bill eluded to in post #8, For me, their past "HD" designations had more optical issues than their previous "non-HD" glass offerings! :-C

Ted
 
By the look, those BX-4 seems to come from the same factory of the BX-3 Mojave, which is a good thing: made in Japan. Also it has calcium-fluoride glass lenses, hence the name HD. Can't wait for Cabelas to update its Guide Series to these.

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
 
This is a welcome addition but at twice the price of the non ED, I will have to pass.
Not that I would but the Nikon Monarch 7 in the 8x42 is now $422 on Amazon. That is some tough competition.
Not only that but this bx4 looks identical to the Cabela version non ed.
I tried the cabela 8x32 non ed and compared with my bx3 Mojave 8x32. The fit, the focus on the cabela non hd is nowhere as good as the 8x32 mojave.
I would be interested in the original design 8x32 mojave with ed glass for $275.
 
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Interestingly I had the opposite experience with my Mojave’s and the Cabela’s. My Mojave’s had a lot of slop in the eyecups when extended and apparent CA. That’s why I got rid of them. The Cabela’s eyecups stay in place nicely and they don’t have a lot of CA. The Mojave’s I had over a year and a half ago and I just got the Cabela’s recently. Perhaps the manufacturing and materials have improved. It’s obvious they come out of the same factory in Japan. Hopefully Cabela’s will come out with an ED model soon that is half the price of the new Leupolds. Interesting Opticron Natura ED looks like the same model but are assembled in China. I had a bad experience with their Travellers which are also assembled in China so I’m not going to try the Naturas.
 
Why doesn't Leupold make a 8x32 in the Pro Guide model? If they do I've never seen one.

Finally, an answer to the OP's question...and my own!

Three years ago, I purchased my first Mojave BX-3 8x32. For the price, optics and ergonomics were great! But gradually, focus smoothness gave way to ever progressing stickion issues. May 2017, I returned them to Leupold for repair, but they had already been discontinued for the upcoming "BX-4 Pro-Guide 8x32's"! Leupold Tech offered to replace them with the new BX-4 model...when they became available! I couldn't wait, so purchased a 2nd pair of the BX-3 on a close-out sale from Cabella's...Function and Optics are Stellar! Finally six-months later, I received my new, Made-in-Japan, BX-4 Pro-Guide 8X32HD's direct from Leupold, honoring their lifetime "Replacement" promise!!

As per my post #10 in this thread, the New BX-4 are keepers, but I do find some reservations. I wrote a review on Leupold.com, here is what I discovered:

[These new calcium-fluoride HD Pro Guide 8X32's (MIJ) offer some great optical performances, with possibly a few caveats.

Pros: Sharpness, clarity and resolution appear very close to my Austrian Alpha glass binoculars. They are very solidly built, with a nice ergonomic layout and armor that is comfortable and secure to hold. Hinge IPD tension is tight and the 3-step eye cups have a very comfortable fit to my eye sockets. Focus speed is the fastest I've ever used, going from close focus (2 yds) to 100 yds in just 1\2 a turn, great for birding and quick in-close nature observations. These also offer another 3\4 turn to get you way out beyond infinity, very useful if you do not want to wear glasses while making observations. Focus tension is smooth and even, with enough resistance to easily maintain settings without any stray wandering. Diopter adjustment, located in the focus knob, has quite a bit of accommodation range (not specked out), is very easy to set and re-locks securely in place. Color presentation has very natural fidelity and realism. DOF has a nice stereopsis effect with a deep in-focus range of view. At dusk low light conditions, I was able to still make out dark shadowy objects at infinity.

Cons: I felt their 396ft rated FOV was somewhat restrictive (use to 8X32's being 420ft). I'd rate their in-focus "Sweet Spot" at about 50%, with a gradual roll off to the edges that had more pincushion distortion than I'd like. These effects reduced my overall comfort of viewing (aka: picture-window-viewing ease). But to be fair, I've not had the opportunity yet to spend hours of observation and use behind these 8x32's to decide long term, if these could become my main compact glassing instruments. With their very fast focal speed, I also often found myself easily "overshooting" my main focal points. Again to be fair, I'm use to binoculars that are 3X slower (1.5 turns) to achieve sharp CF and all the way out at 100 yds! The included accessories work well, however the carry case doesn't have any type of case shoulder carry strap (but does have double loop sleeves for wearing on a belt).

Overall, the BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8X32's exemplary quality of build, excellent optical presentation (in their usable FOV) and ergonomically compact size\weight allow these binoculars to compete well in their investment range marketplace. IMHO, they clearly out perform any of the Leupold BX-3 Mojave Pro Guide HD's or the BX-4 McKinley HD's that I've owned these past 3 years!
]

The BX-3 and newest BX-4 8X32's are close optically, but to my eyes, the new BX-4 presents a sweet spot clarity, resolution and color fidelity that is closer in performance to my superb EL8X32SV's! Are the new BX-4 HD's worth the on-line $480 asking price...hard to say. I'd look long and hard at All of the offerings currently in the marketplace first...there appears to be some great competition for quality optics around that $500 mid-range glass!! :t:

Ted!
 
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Theo, this is a very timely review, as I have started having a few "stiction" issues with my 8x32 Mojave's focuser as well. Would you rate the BX4 as superior optically? Is the focus mechanism faster on the new BX4 or about the same as the previous version? Thanks for the help.
 
Theo, this is a very timely review, as I have started having a few "stiction" issues with my 8x32 Mojave's focuser as well. Would you rate the BX4 as superior optically? Is the focus mechanism faster on the new BX4 or about the same as the previous version? Thanks for the help.

JG,

The new replacement BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8X32 Mojave Is an overall optically better instrument than the Mojave BX-3 it replaced (sent in due to stickion issues). As per my review in post #15, "the new BX-4 presents a sweet spot clarity, resolution and color fidelity that is closer in performance to my superb EL8X32SV's".

However, these past 2 weeks I had received the Nikon 8X30 EII porro and started glassing with it...Nice (but just not waterproof). I then performed about a 3-hour direct optical comparative between the EII and the other five 8X binoculars I have (Swarovski EL 8X32 SV, Swarovski Habicht 8X30 W GA porros, Leupold Yosemite BX-1 8X30 porros, close-out Cabela Leupold Mojave BX-3 8X32 and of course, the new Leupold Pro Guide HD BX-4 8X32).

My viewing venue (simply my neighborhood <150 yd views), offered challenging lighting conditions that day, with bright sunshine, intermittent cloud cover and deep landscape shaded shadows. It was during this time that I noticed the new BX-4 appeared to present a soft dark blue color cast to the auto license plate fonts, of which was presented by all other optics (and confirmed by my own walk-up close-up viewing), as a flat black color scheme. I would have called it "purple fringing", but it wasn't just the edges of the large fonts, but the whole black font #'s and letters!? Not sure why I saw this off color "issue", but I could not induce true purple fringing issues with the BX-4 in any high contrast views (branches silhouetted by bright blue skies). Overall, find the BX-4 colors are accurate and pop, similar to a Leica UVHD+ I had spent a brief time with.

The new BX-4 is MIJ, built solidly and the focus speed is FAST! The BX-3 has 1.5 turns (540 degrees) to go from 2 yds close focus to 100 yds, then another .5 turns (180 deg) to infinity (total 2 turns=720 deg). The new BX-4 has .5 turns (180 deg.) to get from a CF of 2 yds. to 100 yds., then another .75 turns to get to infinity (total 1.25 turns=450 deg)! If you like FAST (great for birding), the BX-4 is faster then anything I own or have tried. However, the slower BX-3 Mojave (my 2nd and with perfect focus smoothness) is easier to sneak up on and nail a perfect focus of the subject!

Hope this helps. I like the BX-4, but would look around and compare for a $500 optical investment! :t:

Ted
 
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Great stuff sir. I appreciate you taking the time to post all of that. I'm assuming Leupold will replace my Mojave with the BX4 as they did in your case. Thanks again.
 
Great stuff sir. I appreciate you taking the time to post all of that. I'm assuming Leupold will replace my Mojave with the BX4 as they did in your case. Thanks again.

JG,

Your welcome, but be cautious against "assuming" anything! IMHO, communicate and confirm with Leupold your wishes! ;)

Ted
 
Ted,

One of your cons was that you'd rate the BX-4 in focus sweet spot at about 50%. Then in summary you say that BX-4 presents a sweet spot clarity that is close in performance to your superb EL8X32SVs. Are your SVs not much better than 50% sweet spot in focus?
 
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