chris6
Well-known member
Specs:-
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Bushnell Legend M 8x42 since 2015
'lifetime limited warranty to any owner'
Angle of view 8.1 degrees
"59.2 degrees objective angle of view "
Close Focus 6.5' / 1.9 m
eye relief 18 mm
142 m/1000m
Length 165mm
On kitchen scales, with covers but no strap, 825gms
eBay £249
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Bushnell Excursion HD 8x42 since 2014
'lifetime limited warranty to first owner'
Angle of View 8.1 degrees
"65 degrees wide-angle field of view"
Close focus 6.5' / 1.98 m
eye relief 19 mm
142m /1000m
Length 142mm
On kitchen scales, with covers but no strap, 725gms
eBay £87.85
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I always rather fancied the earlier Bushnell Excursion (EX?) 8x42 because of its unfussy design but never managed to find a cheap one. However I read about Legend M and ordered one then saw an Excursion HD, and was a bit surprised how good it was in comparison.
In the hand they both feel fine and have similar armour, although the Legend M is smoother which gives a softer effect. Legend M is noticeably bigger, see pics, so it feels less dense and not as heavy as it's extra 100gms might suggest.
The Excursion HD is compact, being only 1/2" longer than the Kenko 8x32 Sightron clone, and has Focus Lock instead of the Legend M's Dioptre Lock. The eyepiece covers were identical but for Legend M, on the right, the cup could not fit properly over the dioptre knob. The objective covers were of different design but for both they were so loose that they quickly fell off.
With glasses, for me Excursion HD had enough eye relief but Legend M was not quite adequate. With both the view is easy, Excursion HD was acceptably bright but the Legend M was brighter. They were well aligned, and equally sharp at the centre, to the extent that they nearly matched my benchmark super-sharp Kenko 8x32 Sightron clone.
For Excursion HD, the field of view was definitely wider than Legend M. This probably fits with a 5 degrees greater a.o.v. quoted in some specs, compared to the Legend M which has a view like the Kenko's "7.5 degrees", rather than the 8.1 degress which is quoted for both models. With Legend M the target also looks correspondingly a bit more magnified than it does with with Excursion HD. With glasses, closest focus was 7ft for Excursion HD and 6ft for Legend M.
Ca and Pincushion are not prominent with either, but for Legend M pincushion certainly starts closer to the centre. I thought that the Excursion HD also remained clearer to about 15% of the radius towards the edge, against 20% for the Legend M.
Unfortunately the Legend M focus wheel had 10-15 mm of play at its circumference. Focus action was over-firm rather than actually stiff but in one direction there was also a lump to get over. With Excursion HD focussing was lighter and completely smooth, the degree of play being less noticeable and quite acceptable.
At reduced prices there has been favourable comment about the Legend M but in some ways I found the Excursion HD to be preferrable, so that might be worth a look too.
------------------------
Bushnell Legend M 8x42 since 2015
'lifetime limited warranty to any owner'
Angle of view 8.1 degrees
"59.2 degrees objective angle of view "
Close Focus 6.5' / 1.9 m
eye relief 18 mm
142 m/1000m
Length 165mm
On kitchen scales, with covers but no strap, 825gms
eBay £249
--------------------
Bushnell Excursion HD 8x42 since 2014
'lifetime limited warranty to first owner'
Angle of View 8.1 degrees
"65 degrees wide-angle field of view"
Close focus 6.5' / 1.98 m
eye relief 19 mm
142m /1000m
Length 142mm
On kitchen scales, with covers but no strap, 725gms
eBay £87.85
------------------------
I always rather fancied the earlier Bushnell Excursion (EX?) 8x42 because of its unfussy design but never managed to find a cheap one. However I read about Legend M and ordered one then saw an Excursion HD, and was a bit surprised how good it was in comparison.
In the hand they both feel fine and have similar armour, although the Legend M is smoother which gives a softer effect. Legend M is noticeably bigger, see pics, so it feels less dense and not as heavy as it's extra 100gms might suggest.
The Excursion HD is compact, being only 1/2" longer than the Kenko 8x32 Sightron clone, and has Focus Lock instead of the Legend M's Dioptre Lock. The eyepiece covers were identical but for Legend M, on the right, the cup could not fit properly over the dioptre knob. The objective covers were of different design but for both they were so loose that they quickly fell off.
With glasses, for me Excursion HD had enough eye relief but Legend M was not quite adequate. With both the view is easy, Excursion HD was acceptably bright but the Legend M was brighter. They were well aligned, and equally sharp at the centre, to the extent that they nearly matched my benchmark super-sharp Kenko 8x32 Sightron clone.
For Excursion HD, the field of view was definitely wider than Legend M. This probably fits with a 5 degrees greater a.o.v. quoted in some specs, compared to the Legend M which has a view like the Kenko's "7.5 degrees", rather than the 8.1 degress which is quoted for both models. With Legend M the target also looks correspondingly a bit more magnified than it does with with Excursion HD. With glasses, closest focus was 7ft for Excursion HD and 6ft for Legend M.
Ca and Pincushion are not prominent with either, but for Legend M pincushion certainly starts closer to the centre. I thought that the Excursion HD also remained clearer to about 15% of the radius towards the edge, against 20% for the Legend M.
Unfortunately the Legend M focus wheel had 10-15 mm of play at its circumference. Focus action was over-firm rather than actually stiff but in one direction there was also a lump to get over. With Excursion HD focussing was lighter and completely smooth, the degree of play being less noticeable and quite acceptable.
At reduced prices there has been favourable comment about the Legend M but in some ways I found the Excursion HD to be preferrable, so that might be worth a look too.
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