7x26 Bushnell Elite Opinion
Would you mind my asking, what your opinion is of these bins, Rick? How do they compare with any others that you have?
I have been a fan of this binocular for a long time. Perhaps back to when they originally started (mid to lates '80's, I believe). And, I was always frustrated by the lack of weather & dust resistance, especially in the early metal designs.
Now, I would say they are nearing the best balance of what they were and could be. By that I mean the crisp, contrasty and accurate color images, and, now more weather-resistant and with a rain shedding coating on exterior glass. Clearly , the body is far less likely to admit water or dust. But, it isn't O-ring sealed and nitrogen purged.
Plus, the cordura (or something similar) case with a flap that appears to act as a rain deflector. It would seem they will now do quite well in damp, and possibly dusty, conditions where earlier versions might have fogged.
I've had Leica's (2000 vintage 10x25 pockets and recent UltraVid 10x42's), Swarovski's, Pentax SP's and more, and ended up dumping the high-end stuff to settle on these and the 8x32 Pentax SP 2004 vintage.
Why? Even though I am middle aged (49) and wear glasses, I do have good vision after correction. My eyes are used for aircraft inspection and are very sensitive to color, contrast and "resolution", still. No, I am not trying to sound like the "last wiord" in vision, but I do "see" well. As a result, I appreciate a good image.
The new version of the 7x26's still do it! And more weather resistant!
Sorry to be long winded, but hope this helps, Rick