Table of Contents
Hunters generally need to carry both binoculars and rangefinders for clearly checking out the surroundings and find the exact range of targets so that correct distances can be gauged. If they get both the features in a single optical device, hunters (especially the long range ones) don’t have to carry both separately. To help these hunters in their stalking trails in the mountainous ranges, both Leica and Swarovski have brought binocular-rangefinder combo. In this blog post, we will try to compare Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049 with Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular / Laser Rangefinder so that hunters, shooters, and bird watchers can make the right choice while buying. Both these bino-cum-rangefinder devices are suited for long range hunters and are known in the industry as the leading devices in their own categories. Before going into detailed comparison, let’s start by comparing the specifications.
Comparison of Specs
Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049 comes with 10x magnification, 42mm objective lens diameter, 7.1 × 5.7 × 3.0 inches dimension, 39.4 oz weight, Perger-Porro prism, 16.5 feet close focus, 342 feet per 1,000 yards field of view, and 20mm eye relief. This optical device is known to have best in-class ranging ability. When it comes to surveying landscape and also finding the correct range in the medium to long range, this is surely one of the best devices available. We found Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular to be perfect for hunters and most suited for outdoor sports activities, bird watching, and wildlife observation. Due to incorporation of innovative technologies, we find this Leica binocular-rangefinder combo to be suited for marine use too. During field usage, we found this device’s ability to range targets from 10 yards to around 2,000 yards.
Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular / Laser Rangefinder comes with 10x magnification, 42mm objective lens diameter, 33 yards to 1,500 yards measuring range, +/- 1 yard measuring accuracy, 330 feet per 1,000 yards field of view, 4.2mm exit pupil, 20.5 twilight factor, and -5/+5 dioptric compensation. Swarovski’s Binocular cum laser rangefinder’s dimension is 6.3 x 4.6 x 3.2 inches and weight is 32.1 oz. Therefore, this device is more compact in size but has less ranging capability (at least 500 yards lesser in the higher range) when compared to that of Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049.
Looking Closely at Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049
Over the years, Leica has worked upon its Geovid 10×42 HD-B line of Ballistic Rangefinder-Binocular Combo. It comes with new “Perger-Porro” prism and therefore provides an optical quality that is superior to many other binoculars such as Bushnell 1 Mile 10×42, Vectronix Vector 23 w/ 10x Adapter, Zeiss Victory RF 10×45, Leica Geovid HD Classic 10×42, and Bushnell 1600 10×42.
One of the important aspects we found most useful in this binocular-cum-rangefinder is the ability to gauge equivalent horizontal distance or line of sight distance. This feature is found to be especially helpful for extreme long range hunters as well as bow-hunters. This component is important for long range shooters because it helps them know the distance at which gravity is going to work. In fact, incorporation of this distance data in the ballistic calculator provides long range shooters with important long range calculations, thereby assisting hunters to put the bullet where they really want. Wide array of important features are available with this hand-held device due to the presence of sensors such as angle of incline, atmospheric pressure, and temperature. These parameters can be incorporated in the ballistic engine for input. Best aspect about this rangefinder is that it senses the environmental conditions and provides readings on the basis of that. For making the first round hit, Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049 will easily sense from where you are shooting – from high altitude or sea level – and will display readings accordingly. This Leica device is among the handful few that help in customizing the ballistic curve.
One of the aspects that we loved in this Leica binocular-cum-rangefinder is the curved design of the body. In fact, due to this design, you can hold on to the optical device for longer hours without any problem. The diopter adjustments here are great and due to considerable stiffness there is no chance of any kind of accidental movement. Due to long eye relief in this Leica device, the hunters or bird watchers wearing glasses can view without facing any kind of trouble. However, there is no lip on the body tube’s edge and that’s why we found the objective lens cover to fall off again and again. Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049 comes with a magnesium build body, which makes the device light weighted but significantly durable. For providing extra support, it has been armored with rubber exterior. Even if the device falls off hand, there will be no scratch on the device. It is waterproof and therefore can be used even in rainy season. For getting steadier view of target, this Leica device can be attached with tripod. A hunter can perform 2,000 measurements with the help of the CR2 Lithium battery. While testing, we found out that 24 ranges can be measured in a minute. 904 nm laser type has been used and the pulse duration here is 50 nanoseconds. As there is the facility of using microSD chip here, ballistic details can be put into the product for different rifles used. This facility is found to be extremely helpful for hunters who go for hunt with more than one weapon. Multiple microSD cards, each having ballistic information of different weapons, can be used easily.
Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular / Laser Rangefinder
This EL range binocular-cum-rangefinder from Swarovski is one of its kinds and is known for its perfection. The users get razor-sharp images with perfectly angled measurement as well as accurate range. Therefore, it is the perfect accessory for pro hunters, especially the long range hunters, who don’t like to miss a target. It comes with perfectly balanced weight and that’s why users will never feel uncomfortable to hold on to the optical device for longer hours. As it comes with laser rangefinder feature, furthest targets can be ranged accurately even while holding the device in hand. There is a more developed focusing wheel in Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular-Laser Rangefinder that makes it a perfectly designed binocular for simplified usage. When compared with Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B, we find this Swarovski device to be way lighter and therefore more comfortable to hold on to for longer hours. However, its ranging capability is not as good as Leica Geovid. In place of 10 yards to 2,000 yards ranging facility in the Leica product, hunters will be able to range from 33 yards to 1,500 yards in this Swarovski device.
One of the distinct features available in Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular / Laser Rangefinder in contrast to competitive models is separate appearance of distance read-out and aiming circle in separate barrels. Most bowhunters, buying this device mainly for range finding, will be happy to use this device for longer range targets. However, if the requirement is below the 33 yard range or extreme long range distances, you may not find this Swarovski device to be that helpful. We found the angle-compensating program in this Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular – Laser Rangefinder to be significantly helpful.
Verdict
Both Swarovski 10×42 EL Range Binocular / Laser Rangefinder and Leica Geovid 10×42 HD-B Ballistic Rangefinder Binocular Combo 40049 are great products, whether it is regarding optical performance or range-finding capabilities. This Leica product is known as the best in-class and it surely is, per our findings. Though it is a bit heavier, the ranging capability is much wider. Right from 10 yards to 1950-2000 yards is the ranging capability and therefore comes handy for bowhunters as well as extreme long range users.
On the other hand, Swarovski 10×42 EL Range is the perfect device for hunters looking for a dual purpose device for medium to long range distance. Optical capabilities as well as ranging quality are good and steady in both the devices. Therefore, hardly any differentiation can be done on these features. However, bowhunters looking for hunting anything below the 33 yards will find ranging problem with Swarovski 10×42 EL. From price perspective, both the devices are more or less same and therefore choice between the products will solely depend upon the usage of the hunters.
Comments are closed.