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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RAH" data-source="post: 1501760" data-attributes="member: 5834">Well, I got my Yukon 12-36x 50 scope. Because the weather is so lousy, I wasn't able to give it too much of a test, but I have a few conclusions about it with the testing I could do.First, it is very small and lightweight, as you might guess. The scope itself has a very nice silky-feeling covering. It also has a built-in lenshood that slides out from the front.The eyepiece has a fold-up/down cup, which is a shame, but still not uncommon in scope eyepieces. If you fold the cup down, the screw-on cover that fits over the eyepiece will not fit because the cup's diameter makes the eyepiece too fat to fit inside the cover.The focus is smooth as can be, consistent, and predictable (e.g. if you go back and forth over a focus-point). The zoom is VERY stiff, so much so that I was afraid I might break it when I first tried it. Hopefully it will loosen up with time.Anyway, how does it perform? Well, I first did some tests inside, setting up some magazines at the full length of my house (about 40 feet, I guess). I first compared it to a Nikon Sky and Earth 15-45 x 60 scope, which was my first birding scope (before I got my Pentax 65). Seems like a good comparison, since both the Yukon and the Nikon are inexpensive scopes. (Although at $80 the Yukon is much less expensive than the Nikon).The good news is that the Yukon is pretty sharp. I had a hard time finding any text in any magazine that I couldn't read through the scope. I was even able to read the text on the page in Consumers Reports where they give all the people that work on the magazine, in VERY small type that I can barely read with my eyes up close. I couldn't read it easily with the scope, but I could read it. The sharpness was good even at the top zoom level, although perhaps somewhat worse. (I was also able to read the small text with the Nikon).The bad news is that the Yukon scope is dim, and the biggest noticeable difference versus the Nikon is how much less CONTRAST the Yukon has. Of course, this is with indoor lighting, but it was very noticeable.The eye-relief on the Yukon (when using eyeglasses, with the eyecup folded down) gets somewhat poor as you zoom in. I couldn't see the edges of the view field circle after zooming in about half way. With the cup folded up and without glasses, it is fine, with the full field viewable at all zoom levels, although it gets kind of fuzzy at full zoom. I should mention that the eye-relief is BETTER than on my Nikon Sky and Earth.I also compared the Yukon versus my Pentax 65, just for laughs. In the indoor environment, the Pentax isn't all that much noticeably better than the Nikon - they both give a bright, sharp view with plenty of contrast. As I said, the Yukon gives a dim, sharp view with not nearly as much contrast. So, how about outside, in the real world? I tried viewing a field across the street from my front porch, shielded from the rain by an overhang. My expectation was that the Yukon would perform better, and this was the case. It is plenty sharp and you'd have absolutely no trouble IDing birds with it, especially with its easy focusing. As far as the contrast when used outdoors, the best way I can describe is that it looks pretty much like what you see with your naked eye. This is in marked contrast with what you see when you look thru a better scope like my Pentax - ever notice how the world looks snappier and more dazzling? Well, you don't get that at all with the Yukon. But that's not all that bad, really. It does NOT look dim or murky (the way it did inside) - it just looks kind of ordinary. And this was on a rainy, overcast day. On a sunny day it would look quite good, I think.(I didn't compare the Yukon with the Nikon outside because the weather was so poor, but, as I said, I could see that the Yukon was very useable.)So, will I keep it? Definitely. For $80 it is well worth the money. I'm sure it will be adequate when I don't want to carry something heavier, and the bottom line is that I don't think I'll be kicking myself wishing I had a better scope with me if I were using it to view something. As I have often noticed with equipment, if you are using something with nothing else to compare it to right then, you won't notice that it isn't the very best. It might not dazzle but it will get the job done.I may do a comparison to the Minox whenever I can get together with the person I know who has one.Rich</blockquote>

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