Was looking for a compact optic with ranging capabilities and really didnt want to dump more than the price of a Leica LRF. The Vortex seemed to fit the bill.
I have been playing with it for a day or so and just wanted to pass along my observations. I am not an optics expert in any way, just my honest opinion of the product as it appears to me.
The price is rather decent, I picked mine up at Optics planet http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-...z4ALg&ef_id=UTIu4QAAASC7HWOO:20130302165502:s
There are a few versions, the solo without ranging reticle is a little cheaper and the older version without reticle is about half the price.
It comes in a sort of case cover, but I dont think it is made to hold it on our belt / pack, as the monocular will fall out of the bottom.
The exterior is rubber coated and seems durable. It fits my hand perfectly and is easy to handle. The focus rings are separated, with reticle focus closer to the ocular lens. It has a steel clip and a loop to insert the lanyard / neck strap.
You can get the exact specs on the website, but it fits in the palm of your hand about the length of a pop can.
Now the images are not perfect as I am not the best at taking through scope pics,
The first is to display the light gathering of the monocular. It does gather light, but the contrast is not as good as their HS scopes. To be fair this is a hazy day in Colorado.
Here is a better pic of the reticle, this is about the size as you have it up to your eye.
Ranging is pretty effective, this sign is 18"x24" and is at 415Y. I have lasered that sign with 2 LRF's and also Google earth'd it. I use it for testing my scopes.
As you can see the silhouette matches pretty good, the silhouette subtends for a 17" body, so for deer should be good to go. 400m is a bit more than 415Y but without a LRF, you can get a rough estimate.
Now for clarity, the above pic is rather accurate, I could not focus the image with my eye to make out the "no trespassing' sign. So for longer ranges you will not have much detail, but for large objects or closer work it will do fine. Ranging smaller objects at a distance, one can get the shakes, so two hands or resting your elbows agains your chest will make life easier. Also I have found that using my dominant eye (left) is quicker to range, the eye shroud does rotate for left or right eyes.
I have a direct view to highway 25 from my house. I tried to spot semi trucks as they went by. I measured the trailers at 4 mils and went to the computer to calculate the size of the trailer. I honestly did not know the size of an avg trailer; working the math (4 mil x 4450Y)/1000 =17.8Y * 3 = 53.4 feet. I would say that is pretty close.
So in summary I would say this little unit is decent and effective, but image quality is not the best. To be fair, I can not compare the image to the Leica as it is not an apples to apples comparison. The Leica runs $500-800, so you are getting much higher quality lenses and coating. The Vortex Recon may blow this thing away as well, but I have not looked through one.
The one feature of this monocular which convinces me to keep it are the silhouettes, this feature will make ranging deer, antelope and elk much quicker than trying to do the math in my head.
I have been playing with it for a day or so and just wanted to pass along my observations. I am not an optics expert in any way, just my honest opinion of the product as it appears to me.
The price is rather decent, I picked mine up at Optics planet http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-...z4ALg&ef_id=UTIu4QAAASC7HWOO:20130302165502:s
There are a few versions, the solo without ranging reticle is a little cheaper and the older version without reticle is about half the price.
It comes in a sort of case cover, but I dont think it is made to hold it on our belt / pack, as the monocular will fall out of the bottom.
The exterior is rubber coated and seems durable. It fits my hand perfectly and is easy to handle. The focus rings are separated, with reticle focus closer to the ocular lens. It has a steel clip and a loop to insert the lanyard / neck strap.
You can get the exact specs on the website, but it fits in the palm of your hand about the length of a pop can.
Now the images are not perfect as I am not the best at taking through scope pics,
The first is to display the light gathering of the monocular. It does gather light, but the contrast is not as good as their HS scopes. To be fair this is a hazy day in Colorado.
Here is a better pic of the reticle, this is about the size as you have it up to your eye.
Ranging is pretty effective, this sign is 18"x24" and is at 415Y. I have lasered that sign with 2 LRF's and also Google earth'd it. I use it for testing my scopes.
As you can see the silhouette matches pretty good, the silhouette subtends for a 17" body, so for deer should be good to go. 400m is a bit more than 415Y but without a LRF, you can get a rough estimate.
Now for clarity, the above pic is rather accurate, I could not focus the image with my eye to make out the "no trespassing' sign. So for longer ranges you will not have much detail, but for large objects or closer work it will do fine. Ranging smaller objects at a distance, one can get the shakes, so two hands or resting your elbows agains your chest will make life easier. Also I have found that using my dominant eye (left) is quicker to range, the eye shroud does rotate for left or right eyes.
I have a direct view to highway 25 from my house. I tried to spot semi trucks as they went by. I measured the trailers at 4 mils and went to the computer to calculate the size of the trailer. I honestly did not know the size of an avg trailer; working the math (4 mil x 4450Y)/1000 =17.8Y * 3 = 53.4 feet. I would say that is pretty close.
So in summary I would say this little unit is decent and effective, but image quality is not the best. To be fair, I can not compare the image to the Leica as it is not an apples to apples comparison. The Leica runs $500-800, so you are getting much higher quality lenses and coating. The Vortex Recon may blow this thing away as well, but I have not looked through one.
The one feature of this monocular which convinces me to keep it are the silhouettes, this feature will make ranging deer, antelope and elk much quicker than trying to do the math in my head.
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