Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x42
Somewhere in the middle of that range you can find the Legend Ultra HD series, with the following models: 8x26, 10x26, 10x25, 8x36, 10x36, 8x42 and 10x42. First two of these pairs of binoculars are reversed Porro prisms, the rest are roof prism Schmidt-Pechan devices.
The producer boasts of using low dispersion ED glass, high quality antireflection coatings, and hydrophobic RainGuard HD coatings. The length of the warranty period is really impressive and you get a great accessory kit with every device.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 113/1000(6.45o) | BaK-4/roof | 15.2 mm | 700 g | 1679 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 42.1+/-
0.05 mm Right: 42.1+/- 0.05 mm |
8 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 10.21+/- 0.05x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 81.8+/- 1.5% | 10/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Very low in the centre, a bit lower than medium on the edge. | 7.8/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Slight. | 7.5/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance between the first curved line and the field centre compared to the field of vision radius: 45% ± 3% | 5/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Appears in the 3/4 of the field of vision and is on the borderline between medium and high on the very edge. | 6.5/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in a distance of 61% ± 5% from the field of vision centre. | 1/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Visible quite well. | 2.8/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Yellow-orange cast. A significant loss in blue light, the highest transmission level near 570-610 nm. | 2.9/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3.2/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | A typical 10x42 pair of binoculars when it comes to physical dimensions. Good quality rubber armour, black and matt, which clings well to your hand; it sticks out near the objectives but only slightly so, in other places it adheres very well. Rubberized, small eyecups with smooth regulation. Produced in China. | 7.5/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Big, ribbed central wheel. It moves a bit heavily but still within the acceptable range; a bit uneven in some places. Running through the whole scale needs a turn through 560 degrees. Individual focusing on the right eyepiece done with the help a ring which you shift upwards or downwards; the ring is quite comfortable to use but it moves the outer element. | 4/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is an exit available. The covering screw is a bit small and there are some problems with the access. | 2.5/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 56 to 73.7mm | 4/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.90 m | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 66.3 deg (according to simple formula) and 60.1 deg (according to tangent formula). | 14.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.49 +\- 0.04 degrees and it was in accordance with the specifications. A large field of view for this class of equipment. | 7.5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Black and matt tubes but only near the objectives; deeper on you see gray metal which wasn’t blackened or/and matted at all. Near the prisms the situation is a bit better. Very clean. | 3.8/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
7/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Pink-purple-orange on objectives, green-purple on the eyepieces and greenish on the prisms. Medium intensity. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 30 years | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 70% | 133 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 0pkt. |
Summary
Pros:- good build quality of the casing,
- well-corrected chromatic aberration,
- slight astigmatism,
- moderate coma,
- wide field of view,
- relatively circular exit pupils,
- good quality BaK-4 prisms,
- long warranty period.
Cons:
- weak image resolution on the edge of the field of view.
 |
The predecessor of the Legend Ultra HD model, the Bushnell Legend 10x42, was tested by us during our big test of 10x42 devices. It got a very good result – over 130 points.
Still the producer decided to launch a successor, with a lower physical weight and a wider field of view, with better coatings and low dispersion ED glass elements.
The influence of those changes is easy to spot. The ED glass made the aberration correction better, the transmission of the binoculars is higher and the field of view – wider by 0.5 of a degree. These are clearly significant advantages.
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Unfortunately the disadvantages are here as well. You can’t reduce the dimensions and the weight of a pair of binoculars with impunity; such a move must influence directly the image quality on the edge. The images given by the new Bushnell Legend become fuzzy right after the half point of the field of view radius and the brightness loss near the edge is noticeably higher than that of its predecessor.
That’s why it would be difficult to assess the changes, introduced by the producer, unanimously. There are some pros, like the lower weight, smaller physical dimensions and a wider field of view. On the other hand a weak image quality on the edge, even if you deal with such a large field, spoils the assessment of this pair of binoculars. I am not quite sure what to think of it; perhaps it would be better to stop halfway, increasing the field to 6.2-6.3 degrees and keeping good resolution in 80-90% of the surface, enjoying the lack light fall-off on the edge.
