Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

[hypno02]

Are the lasers in these units the same strength? I've heard reports of both ranging beyond 1500yds quite consistently and I need something that'll do 1k every time. The reason I ask is because I do not need a binoc, so if I can save the money I will.

I'm looking for a unit strictly for field use. I will not be ranging houses, street signs, or morton barns. I'll be ranging trees, hillsides, deer, corn, bushes, ect.

My 1500 elites are very weak, and I've had them for roughly three years, which is beyond the 2 year warranty, so I believe I'm sol. They used to do 1K pretty consistently, but not anymore. Pretty sure I've worn them out.

Thanks for any input.

 

[hypno02]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

Also, any good deals floating around on these units?

 

[gotzero]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

I went from the 1500 to 1600 monocular and the difference was like night and day to me. The 1600 not only ranges more reliably, it ranges faster.

At my range I am able to track flying birds in real time with the 1600 monocular, I was shocked at first. I do not know about a deer at 1000 yards, that seems a little tough, but the 1600 exceeded all of my expectations after owning and using a 1500 for a few years.

I think the 1600 is a substantial upgrade, and if you ever thought the 1500 monocular was enough, the 1600 should leave you very happy.

 

[mm509]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

I have ranged deer at 1000 yards easily. I have hit trees in the skyline at 1400+ yards. I have even gotten readings on sagebrush hillsides at over 1700y.

I am like you where I didn't need binos, but wanted 1000y consistent LRF capability.

The 1600 Monocular will not let you down.

 

[emfour]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

I bought the Elite 1600 arc after doing a lot of looking, so far it has been an excellent unit. My only other LRF experience was with a 2000 model year Bushnell Compact 800. The Elite 1600 has given me ranges beyond 1760 yards (1780-ish IIRC). I confirmed the ranges to be *very* close with Google maps. I only wish it was a little smaller. I just got done carrying it around for four full days of deer hunting in Nebraska; I used it in place of binoculars. It's obviously not as good as a quality pair of binoc's, but it served my purposes. I was able to range trees beyond 1200 yards on a sunny day, the vertical side of a butte to 1600+ under the same conditions. I would buy it again.

ETA: I noticed there was some fine dust on the laser lens from the time in the field. I tried to blow it off with air but it was stuck (electrostatically) so I used a lens cleaning cloth to brush it off which left small scratches in the <span style="text-decoration: underline">plastic</span> lens. No idea if this is going to affect the performance. The scratches are almost invisible, but they are there. The lenses that you view the target through are glass. Why not use glass for all external lenses on your top of the line LRF? If the performance is degraded noticeably I will update this post.

 

[dbooksta]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

In general, what is the advantage of a binocular over a monocular?

 

[dstewart51]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

Two eyes are usually better then one, more natural view. Thats about it. The big disadvantage is size, weight, and cost.

 

[dbooksta]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dbooksta</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In general, what is the advantage of a binocular over a monocular? </div></div>

I took out some binoculars for the first time in a while -- been using only scopes for years now -- and I was struck by how strongly they conveyed depth perception.

I went back to <span style="font-style: italic">Perception</span> by Sekuler & Blake and sure enough: "Of all visual abilities, none excels the keenness of stereopsis." Our eyes are wired to extract a lot of information from the tiny differences between binocular images: in addition to depth, stereopsis provides cues that can overcome camouflage.

 

[Eric B.]

Re: Bushnell 1600 monocular vs. bino

Actually a LRF binocular eliminates carrying separate rangefinder and bino. Plus the Fusion 1600 has ED glass (Extra-low Dispersion) which is the very best glass for optics, used by Swarovski, Leica, etc.

To me the Bushnell Fusion 1600 binocular is the best buy, performance and quality until you jump to a Vectronix unit at around $2,000.