ksbird/foxranch
Well-known member
For a long time I have been using the Yukon 12x50 and the Pentax DCF WP 12x50. They were both very sharp, view-wise. But both were very heavy. The Yukons got more use because the IP distance was wider and that made it easier to get up to my eyes and use. The Pentax got put away and loaned to visitors, even though it was obviously smaller than the Yukons. The Yukon's thick rubber coating and Futura flip-away eye and lens covers made it large. The Pentax were waterproof, and once in a while (like recently during rainstorms) I would pull them out. Both are fully multicoated porro prism designs.
Recently I acquired 2 more 12x models and both will get used enough to retire the Pentax permanently. The Cabela Pine Ridge 12x50 roofer is also extremely heavy but it is fully multicoated, phase coated and waterproof. The IP width is sufficient for my needs and the view seems reasonably sharp. The focusing is slow because it needs to turn about a dozen times to go from near to far (possibly exaggerated). They were $70 in the bargain area at the Cabelas in Bethel/Kansas City, Kansas so I tried them.
The other pair of 12x50s were the Baigish/Bresser models. I always liked the Navy Baigish 12x45 and this is much better. The housing is so lightweight it is almost like not holding binoculars at all and this makes them easy to hold steady for long periods of time (even with one hand, and one hand focusing is easy too)). They are fully multicoated porro bins and really, really sharp. This has to be a blowout/closeout of some sort because they are on Ebay for $46 delivered. The FOV on the Cabela and Baigish bins is not as wide as the WA Yukons, but they are both usable. The Baigish bin is really amazing for the price. They come in a really cheap-feeling fabric case with slip on eye covers (the Pine Ridge model had no eye covers but the case was decent).
There are a number of swampy areas with high water on the Missouri River due to a year of heavy rain. The Pine Ridge 12x50 will work fine in this steamy environment. For distant hawk-watching, the Baigish 12x50 bins work great because they are so lightweight they are easy to scan with, and for just sitting in one of our deck chairs on a viewing platform and watching a large group of bird interacting, the Yukons work really well. I am still very surprised at how sharp the image is in the Baigish binoculars. The box says nothing (no brand at all) but the trashy case says Bresser (a low end brand), but the bins themselves are branded Baigish and they work really well. In addition to being sharp the odd Russian multicoatings of magenta, cyan, blue, green etc. are excellent at suppressing reflections and flare.
The Yukons seem to be available at US$90 all the time. I thought the Pine Ridge 12x50 was a good deal at $70. But the $46 (total cost delivered to your home) Baigish 12x50 offers the best bang-for-the-buck the lightweight US dollar can garner. All of these binoculars are more than bright enough and well coated to use all the way until the dark hours, and I've used mine in stadium lighting at sporting events.
Recently I acquired 2 more 12x models and both will get used enough to retire the Pentax permanently. The Cabela Pine Ridge 12x50 roofer is also extremely heavy but it is fully multicoated, phase coated and waterproof. The IP width is sufficient for my needs and the view seems reasonably sharp. The focusing is slow because it needs to turn about a dozen times to go from near to far (possibly exaggerated). They were $70 in the bargain area at the Cabelas in Bethel/Kansas City, Kansas so I tried them.
The other pair of 12x50s were the Baigish/Bresser models. I always liked the Navy Baigish 12x45 and this is much better. The housing is so lightweight it is almost like not holding binoculars at all and this makes them easy to hold steady for long periods of time (even with one hand, and one hand focusing is easy too)). They are fully multicoated porro bins and really, really sharp. This has to be a blowout/closeout of some sort because they are on Ebay for $46 delivered. The FOV on the Cabela and Baigish bins is not as wide as the WA Yukons, but they are both usable. The Baigish bin is really amazing for the price. They come in a really cheap-feeling fabric case with slip on eye covers (the Pine Ridge model had no eye covers but the case was decent).
There are a number of swampy areas with high water on the Missouri River due to a year of heavy rain. The Pine Ridge 12x50 will work fine in this steamy environment. For distant hawk-watching, the Baigish 12x50 bins work great because they are so lightweight they are easy to scan with, and for just sitting in one of our deck chairs on a viewing platform and watching a large group of bird interacting, the Yukons work really well. I am still very surprised at how sharp the image is in the Baigish binoculars. The box says nothing (no brand at all) but the trashy case says Bresser (a low end brand), but the bins themselves are branded Baigish and they work really well. In addition to being sharp the odd Russian multicoatings of magenta, cyan, blue, green etc. are excellent at suppressing reflections and flare.
The Yukons seem to be available at US$90 all the time. I thought the Pine Ridge 12x50 was a good deal at $70. But the $46 (total cost delivered to your home) Baigish 12x50 offers the best bang-for-the-buck the lightweight US dollar can garner. All of these binoculars are more than bright enough and well coated to use all the way until the dark hours, and I've used mine in stadium lighting at sporting events.
