Leica 1200 or Bushnell Elite Range finders?

[Stinkyshoe]

What do you guys think of these range finders? Which would you get? Would you prefer another brand?

I am looking for an economical range finder to go as far as possible accurately. What do you think?

Thanks
Stinky

 

[Merkin.Muffley]

I had the Lecia - great piece of gear until my wife got me some Leica geovids last Christmas. Never used any other rangefinder so I can't comment on them.

 

[CB900F]

Stinky;

This is strictly a case of getting what you pay for. I have a Bushnell YardagePro 800. My buddy has a Leica 1200. We've done back-to-back comparisons.

The Leica won't read red. But then how many stop sign red elk have you run across? The Leica has much better optics. The Bushy has a very limited field of view in it's 8X monocular & the overall optical quality is poor to average. And, duh! The Leica will accurately range objects for longer distances. The Bushnell touts 800 yards, but not for hairy surfaces. In the 400 yard range for game animals in my experience.

But, the Bushnell is entirely adequate for the average American hunter who limits his shots to 400 yards maximum. The Bushnell 800 is currently running about $190 at Natchez, Midway, etc. The Leica 1200 is knockin' on $600.00 & I've never seen 'em on sale.

"Ya pays yer nickle & ya makes yer choice."

900F

 

[esheato]

I've got a Leica 1200 and I enjoy it very much. Price was nearly $600 also.

I've compared it to my brothers Nikon and the optics are much more clear in the Leica.

I haven't noticed that the Leica won't read red. I've had it for almost a year and have never needed to lase a red object.

The farthest I've ranged anything was a vehicle at 1,000 yards.

BTW, I used to be the guy that skimped on optics. Bushnell and Tasco were my friends. Eventually, I bought a lower end Leupold and it was leaps and bounds above anything I had ever used. These days, I blow the wad. The first time you range something at 1,100 yards will be an eye opening experience, and you'll forget how much they cost.

Ed