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Bushnell NatureView Binoculars
Test Series by Kathryn Montovan
Tester Information
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Name: |
Kathryn Montovan |
Biography:
I have been backpacking, climbing,
kayaking, canoeing and winter camping for over 12 years. My excursions
are mostly weekend and occasionally weeklong backpacking and kayaking
trips in the wooded and often wet, mountainous terrain of easter New York, and the western Vermont.
I usually tarp camp with a small-to -large group and love to cook fun
and delicious foods on my trips. In general, I strive for a compact and
light pack and value well-made and durable gear.
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E-Mail: |
sull0294(at)gmail(dot)com |
Age: |
30
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Location: |
Bennington, Vermont USA |
Gender: |
F |
Height: |
5' 5" (1.65 m) |
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INITIAL REPORT
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Product Information and Specifications:
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Manufacturer:
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Bushnell Outdoor Products
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Year
of Manufacture:
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2013 |
Manufacturer's Website: |
http://bushnell.com |
MSRP |
NA
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Listed Weight: |
17.3 oz (490 g)
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Measured Weight (binoculars with strap and lens covers): |
18.9 oz (536 g)
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Measured Weight of Case:
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2.8 oz (79 g)
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Measured Size:
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6.625 x 5 x 1.875" (16.8 x 12.7 x 4.8 cm)
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Magnification X Obj Lens:
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6 x 30mm
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Close Focus:
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9 ft (2.7 m)
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Lens Coating:
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Fully Multi-Coated
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Field of View:
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419 ft at 1000 yards (140 m at 1000 m)
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Exit Pupil:
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5 mm
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Included:
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Binoculars, lens caps, neck strap, slightly padded fabric case, instruction booklet
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The Bushnell NatureView Binoculars and included items
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Product
DescriptionThe
Bushnell NatureView 6x30mm Binoculars are small but highly effective
binoculars. Included in the package is a neck strap that attaches to
the side of the binoculars, lens caps (the ones over the viewing end
attach to the neck strap), a lightly padded fabric case, and a soft
lens cleaning cloth. These binoculars have an adjustable distance
between the lenses to account for different interpupillary
distances. According to the manufacturer directions I moved the
barrels closer together and further apart until I saw a single circular
field.
The eye caps twist-up to adjust the length for "comfort and to exclude
extraneous light". The directions recommend that glasses users adjust
the eye caps to their shortest setting to decrease the distance between
the binoculars and the eyes. The NatureView binoculars have a diopter
setting feature which adjusts for individual eye strength. To set this
properly, the manufacturer recommends covering the lens with the
diopter adjustment, then using the center focus knob to focus on a far
away object. When focus is achieved, cover the other side of the
binocular and adjust the focus using the diopter adjustment to make the
same object clear for the other eye. Once I did this step I was able to
look through both sides and adjust the focus for objects at different
distance by only adjusting the center focus knob.
The NatureView binoculars come with a neck strap that inserts into strap
lugs on each side. I found that the strap was difficult to insert into
the strap lugs because it is slightly too wide. I needed to use a
strong needle to catch the end and pull it through and then it was
difficult to move it through the lug to get the proper strap length.
The version of NatureView binoculars that I am testing (6 x 30mm) is
not compatible with a tripod.
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Initial Impressions
The
NatureView binoculars have a good weight and nice rubberized textured
grips that make the binoculars easy to hold securely. They appear to be
carefully designed and constructed. The included carrying bag fits the
binoculars well and seems sturdy enough to hold up to a fair amount of
use. It also has an adjustable strap for easier carrying. The size is
small enough to easily carry along on a hike and the carry strap and
protective case help make the binoculars more portable. The view through
the binoculars is clear, crisp and well lit.
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Trying It Out
When I was younger I remember trying to use binoculars and being very
frustrated when I could not focus them and could not find what I was
looking for through the binoculars. I have never successfully used
binoculars before and have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with
how easy these NatureView binoculars are to setup and use. The image is
very clear and I was able to focus on and clearly see everything within
sight of my house. The level of clarity, detail and image size are all
highly impressive to me. I inspected the pine needles and peeling paint
on the house across the street and down the hill, looked closely at
the bark of my neighbors trees, and could also focus clearly on objects
fairly close to myself. The images were crystal clear and the focus was
very easy to adjust. I need to go to a more open area to test out the
longest distance capacities of these binoculars but so far am pleased
with their performance.
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SummaryI
am very excited to use the NatureView Binoculars. They are clear,
crisp, easy to focus and fun to use. I look forward to observing
wildlife from afar in a way that feels much closer. I also think that
these binoculars could be very helpful when scouting on camping trips
to help identify faraway markers and landmarks.
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FIELD REPORT
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Field Conditions
I tested the NatureView Binoculars on two two-night car camping
trips, weekly day hikes, and for daily bird and wildlife watching out my kitchen window. I encountered temperatures
ranging from 45 F to 90 F (7 C to 32 C) and weather in the range from
beautifully sunny to mildly rainy. The elevation remained primarily
between 500 and 1000 ft (150 to 300 m) above sea level.
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Performance
I have tried to use binoculars before but have always been frustrated
because I couldn't seem to get them adjusted right and then I couldn't
see anything clearly enough through them and couldn't locate the thing
I was trying to look for. These binoculars are so easy to use and the
instructions are clear enough on how to focus the binoculars that I
have had none of these problems. I can easily adjust these binoculars to
get a bright crisp image and can quickly find the animals I am looking
for. They are so easy that I wonder how I could have possibly had so
much trouble doing these things with binoculars in the past.
With these binoculars I have been able to identify a flying hawk, a
stray cat from approximately 100 meters (300 ft) away, birds in nearby
trees, and far away trail markers.
Recently I had family to visit and let them use the binoculars and my
aunt was greatly impressed that she could adjust the intraocular
distance enough to use the binoculars. She said that usually the
adjustment did not allow the eyepieces to get close enough together for
her to see clearly out of the binoculars.
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SummaryThe
Bushnell NatureView Binoculars are easy to focus and use. When I look
through them, everything is bright, crisp, and well magnified. I have
loved using these binoculars and am amazed at the observational world
that they have opened up to me. I have pretty terrible eyesight and
have always resigned myself to not seeing the details on far away
objects when people point them out to me. I have always written off
birding as something I couldn't do because I can't hear the calls very
well and can never locate the small birds that my friends see. With
these binoculars, I can see all of the details, find the small birds in
the trees and bushes, and can enjoy wildlife watching in a whole new
way.
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LONG TERM REPORT
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Field Conditions
I tested the NatureView Binoculars on three snowshoeing day trips. I
encountered temperatures
ranging from 0 F to 25 F (-18 C to -4 C) and both sunny and snowy
conditions. The elevation ranged from 400 to 1200 ft (120 to 365 m)
above sea level. I also used them frequently to watch the birds out of
my kitchen window.
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Performance
I have continued to be very happy with these binoculars through the
last phase of testing. During this phase of testing I was able to use
these binoculars in cold, wintery conditions. I brought them on
multiple snowshoeing day trips and was happy with their performance. My
only complaint is that the binoculars are large and when I carried them
in their case around my neck they flopped around while I snowshoed.
This was less of a problem while I was hiking because I didn't have
nearly so many layers or so much equipment to deal with. I ended up
tucking the binocular case inside my jacket, but this made my jacket
fit tightly and was a little awkward.
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Summary
The
Bushnell NatureView Binoculars are easy to focus and use. I am a novice
binocular user and have really enjoyed using these binoculars. They are
quite large and pretty heavy for use on the trail. They will continue
to live on my kitchen window sill for daily wildlife
watching and will be on our gear list for car and canoe camping trips
but I don't think that I will do much more hiking or backpacking with
them.
Overall, I think that these binoculars are great. I liked that they
have enough focal adjustments that I could clearly see through them
with or without my glasses with some easy tweaking of the individual
eye focus. The image through them is bright, crisp, and well magnified.
I have really enjoyed using these binoculars on nature observation
hikes, in the backyard and on car camping trips but do not think they
would make the cut on a backpacking trip due to their size and weight.
Pros
- It is easy to adjust focus for each eye, general focus, and the distance between eye pieces
- The images are crisp, bright, clear, and well-magnified
- They are sturdy and have held up to
careful field use (I have jostled but not dropped them, I have used
them in mist but not rain)
- The carrying case provides nice protection while being light and compact.
Cons
- The lense caps on the non-eyepiece end
are not attached to the binoculars in any way and have a tendency to
fall off. They usually fall into the carrying case, but I can see that
I will need to be careful not to lose one of them.
- The carrying case flops around a lot when carried around the neck while snowshoeing.
- Large and heavy for backpacking or strenuous or high activity hikes or snowshoe-trips.
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I would like to thank Bushnell and BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity to test the NatureView Binoculars.
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