Written By John VanDerLaan
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I've been a fan of Bushnell binoculars ever since I bought my first pair as a teenager more than 40 years ago, so I was excited when I got the opportunity to test and review the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD Binoculars.
This particular model wowed all experts and generally outshone all its competitors.
It was hailed as “The Binoculars of the Year” for several years straight, and even now it stands up pretty well to newer models.
According to Wikipedia, Bushnell was founded in 1948 by David P. Bushnell when he returned to California from his honeymoon in Japan with two crates of binoculars and sold them by mail order.
How cool is that.
If you’re looking for the best hunting binoculars, this model has to come up as one of your top considerations.
My Experience Using The Bushnell Legend Ultra HD
I used and tested the Legend Ultra binos throughout the hunting season and compared their optical performance against a number of other binoculars.
I compared them in low light conditions and bright sunlight, cold conditions and warm conditions.
I kept track of me experiences in a hunting journal, which allowed me to chronicle the data over an entire season.
Here are the binoculars that I compared them to in field testing:
I liked build quality, with the lightweight magnesium chassis and the tethered objective lens covers. Like most binoculars the front lens caps are almost useless and fall off often.
The focus knob and diopter adjustment are very easy to reach with my index finger and operate very smoothly.
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The twist eyecups are adjustable enough to provide adequate eye relief for those who wear glasses.
The brightness and image quality is pretty good, but I did notice a difference in the edge to edge clarity when compared the the other binoculars with which I compared them.
Overall, the Legend Ultras performed pretty well, but most binoculars that I compared them against performed better.
Key Features
The Bushnell Legend Ultra HD Roof Prism Binoculars are currently only available in the 10x42 model. The 10x magnification is great for glassing from a distance, while it’s not too high that stability is going to be a problem. The 42mm objective lens size lets in a lot of light and helps with getting a clear and bright image through the binoculars, making them a good choice for low light conditions.
Bushnell boasts of using what they call Prime ED Glass, which refers to the extra-low dispersion fluorite glass they use for the lenses. This glass has been designed to offer unbelievable contrast and color resolution. It basically keeps you from experiencing problems like color-fringing and chromatic aberration so you can see clear, distinct details.
The Legend Ultra HDs feature fully multi-coated lenses, which they call Ultra Wide Band Coatings. They also feature the RainGuard HD coating which gives you a permanent water-repellant protection for use in rain, snow and cold and also prevent fogging.
Even when the lens gets wet or you breathe on the lens, the glass won’t fog up.
They also have an anti-reflection coating that maximizes the amount of light you get through the tubes, which ensures true colors and maximum brightness.
Other specs include:
- Field of View: 330 feet at 1,000 yards.
- Exit pupil: 4.2
- Relative brightness index: 17.64
- Eye relief: 15.2 mm
- Close focusing distance: 6.5 feet
- Weight: 24.7 ounces
Finally, the Ultra HD comes with a “no questions asked” lifetime warranty. Amazingly, this warranty doesn’t just cover material and workmanship defects. It even covers accidental damage, and the warranty is transferable.
I have experienced some problems with other Bushnell products and I can verify that they have excellent customer service. with customer service
Check out the video below!
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Pros and Cons of the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD
Now that you know about all of the features of the Ultra HD, let's take a look at the pros and cons.
Pros
- Weighing in at just 24.7 ounces it’s very light weight and easy to carry on all day hunts.
- The image quality is extremely bright and crystal clear, and it can be used even in lowlight conditions.
- It’s extremely rugged in its construction.
- It’s also totally waterproof and fogproof.
- It’s been out for a while now, so it has a proven record among hunters.
- The price is very reasonable for binoculars of this quality.
- It comes with a carrying case and a cleaning cloth.
- Binocular harness included.
Cons
- It is an older model.
- It is currently only available in a 10x42 model.
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Final Thoughts
These Bushnell Legend binoculars really hit a sweet spot of valuable features at a reasonable price.
Are their better binoculars out there?
Yes, but not at a sub $300 price category.
It’s not surprising that this model is one of the most highly rated and most recommended hunting binoculars out there. If you are looking for one of the best hunting binoculars available today, then you should consider the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD Binoculars. They offer a high quality image in a tough yet easy to use model, and the price is more than reasonable.
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