Range Finder advice sought

[Rake aboot 4,929]

Save the money up and buy a Leica CRF, I have tried Leupold and Newcon, both are poor in comparison to Leica.

 

I liked my CRF1200 a lot but have since sold it and my Swartovski binos and bought a pair of Leica Geovid rangefinder bino's.

 

 

Cry once, buy once, get a Leica unit.

 

What does the Leica unit do that the Opticron doesn`t ?? Nothing,, it`s no more accurate and the display is no better. The only difference is the hundreds of pounds extra added onto the price.

[SikaTears 2]

Save your dough and buy the Leica CRF 1200

 

£400 from Swillingdon Shooting at the moment

 

Well worth it in the long run, better size than the LRF models, slips in and out a pocket with ease, good for nighttime lamping, LED display and sharp returns in shitey weather

 

you'll sell a leica no probs if you ever want to upgrade/give up/give out

 

it's waterproof too, very waterproof actually, lay in a burn running into my pocket for 40 mins waiting on a stag and it didn't let in, continual rain for weeks on the stags and never missed a beat

 

great warranty,

 

great clarity

 

better "dot" than the swarovski equivalent for range finding smaller items at greater distance

 

you know you want to...

[Rake aboot 4,929]

I wouldn`t

 

It does nothing that the opticron does equally as well.

 

 

Have any of the people preaching expensive german rangefinders actually used any of the high end Japanese stuff ?? Sounds like they haven`t, or they would be using it

[243ACK 36]

Save the money up and buy a Leica CRF, I have tried Leupold and Newcon, both are poor in comparison to Leica.

 

I liked my CRF1200 a lot but have since sold it and my Swartovski binos and bought a pair of Leica Geovid rangefinder bino's.

 

 

Cry once, buy once, get a Leica unit.

 

What does the Leica unit do that the Opticron doesn`t ?? Nothing,, it`s no more accurate and the display is no better. The only difference is the hundreds of pounds extra added onto the price.

 

If you read my post you will see that I never mentioned Opticron, I was commenting on the units that I have experience on, it would have been unfair to comment on the units that I haven't used, don't you think?

 

On a side note, why do people use two questions marks? Is that a way of showing your disagreement?

[Rake aboot 4,929]

I am commenting on units i have used,, including the Leica,

 

Yes, the two question marks show my dissaproval lol

[243ACK 36]

I am commenting on units i have used,, including the Leica,

 

Yes, the two question marks show my dissaproval lol

 

Ok.....lol

 

The OP asked for rangefinder advice. Advice from lots of folk on anything will, nine times out of ten, spark disagreement because opinions always have and always will vary.

 

But, it would be a boring world if we all agreed on everything would it not?

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I can see a possible advantage in the Leica - being another pleb who hasn't used the Opticron (as I've said I do love their binos They really are very good )

 

A lot of people won't have heard of an Opticron RF, where as nearly everyone will have heard of Leica.

 

If the OP was wanting to sell on a RF I think, sight unseen, the Leica would sell real fast compared to the Opticron which would have a lot of people going

 

I've seen Leicas put up on forums and literally sold within 3 or 4 minutes after the ad was placed. I am actually quite surprised both Leicas I've seen up recently took so long to sell.

 

But, that only applies to that situation!

Edited October 23, 2012 by JohnGalway

[SikaTears 2]

Have any of the people preaching expensive german rangefinders actually used any of the high end Japanese stuff ?? Sounds like they haven`t, or they would be using it

 

yes

 

i've seen several other Japanese or (whatever country they are manufactured in) models in use, clients have come with all sorts of gear over the years and its nice to have a look, not too good on model numbers blah blah but some findings below

 

specifically remember a Bushnell model was ok but any light drizzle caused ranging problems, under the lamp it was useless (when foxing/rabbiting) even at closer ranges

 

Nikon one seemed a good compromise until is steamed up due to water ingress after about a week of not so hard use, durability issues i suspect

 

Leupolds offerings ok in good light, loss of clarity in poor light/dusk, quite bulky in the hand

 

opticron 660? i think, (must be your models predecessor) quite a lot on the display seemed a bit cluttered. not too bad during the day, dawn/dusk not as good. their binos seem ok for the price right enough, must be along the same lines as minox et al

 

How do you find the durabulity/waterproofness of the opticron tracker? to me thats the main stay of get what you pay for, rain, snow, juggled aboot in the pocket, needs to work in all weathers especially at the hinds

 

i like the leica lrf 900 but found it a pain in the arse when taking out pockets, thats where the wee crf is just the job, some said they were harder to hold for longer ranges but never had a prob. what was it you found you didnt like about the leica, wlays interested to hear other reviews

 

depends on how much the original poster is going to own/use/rely on it i suppose but still stand by the quality and performance of the leica is very, very hard to beat??

[hutchey 147]

You folks have been brill. Thanks a lot. I think I'm edging towards a Leica crf tbh.

I'm mostly doing rabbit myself on my rim but lamp for a friend that does fox and deer.

[Rake aboot 4,929]

My Opticron works well in all conditions, works well at dusk etc It has never steamed up and the display on mine is very basic and clear,, aim point and distance readout, and reading strength.

 

The main thing about the leica, was that it just was not worth the extra money, and the best move I made was buying the Jap rf.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

I don't honestly know where the Nikkon 440 ProStaff (Laser I think) falls on the quality scale. The reason I didn't like it was it had bad glass, I could see more with the naked eye at dawn or dusk. It was also bad under the lamp, I would pray when I'd see a fox that there'd be a visible tree or white rock or some other feature near the fox so I could range that, because I rarely could see the fox, or his eyes. It also had a LCD display, so if I was ranging in daylight or under the lamp, that was fine. Range at dawn/dusk without a lamp, how long is a piece of string, cos I sure couldn't read that display.

 

Leica

GOOD glass. I can see the actual fox under the lamp, not just his eyes, most times. Obviously distance plays a factor with that. It has an LED display, so I can see day/night dawn/dusk without issue.

 

I am not knocking the Opticron with any of my posts because I haven't ever laid eyes on one never mind used one.

[Rake aboot 4,929]

I appreciate that

 

When it comes to glass I agree,, the top end german stuff is the best.

Saying that, I couldn`t differentiate between the opticrons I have and the leicas,,

 

Hawke etc,, very easy to see that the glass is not great,, electronically they work as well, but yes the glass is poorer quality, but high end jap glass is superb,, and Waaaaaaay cheaper that german stuff.

 

I can`t knock the leica rf,, it works great, and is superbly built,, it was simpy the hundreds of extra pounds to buy it that let it down for me

 

ATB