Here is our opinion on the Legend Ultra HD spotting scope from the famous Bushnell brand. Suppose you want to know more about the concepts of chromatic glasses (single, achromatic doublet, apochromatic triplet) of glass type (HD, ED, XD, fluorinated) or even prisms (de Porro, en Toit, Bak4, Bk7). In that case, we invite you to read our article on choosing your Best Spotting Scope for Target Shooting, which will also help you choose the proper spotting scope according to the intended use (shooting, ornithology, digiscoping).
- Zoom range: 20-60
- Objective diameter: 80mm
- Sight: Oblique 45 ° Lens
- type: Standard (Chromatic) + ED
- Prisms: Porro, Bak4 Lens
- treatment: Multilayer + All surfaces
- Eye relief (eye relief): 18mm with unscrewable lens
- System Focusing: Double wheel, thin and fast
- Focusing limit: 11 meters
- Detachable eyepiece: No
- Waterproof: Yes + Anti-fog and hydrophobic (Patented Bushnell Rainguard HD)
- Rotating attachment flange: Yes
- Sun visor: Yes
- Tripod provided: No
- Guarantee: 30 years
Bushnell Legend – The Advantages
- 30-year warranty
- ED (extra-low dispersion) lenses
- Bak4 prisms
- Good brightness thanks to the 80mm lens and Bushnell quality multi-coating all surfaces
- Fast and fine double-wheel focusing
- Rainguard patented lens treatment HD (hydrophobic and anti-fog)
- Equipped with a Sun visor and an adjustable windscreen
- Waterproof
- Quality of lenses suitable for digiscoping
- Good value for money
Bushnell Legend – The Disadvantages
- Although the glasses are ED standards, they are simple chromatic glasses. Image sharpness reaches its limits at x60 zoom. × Only available in oblique sight × Non-interchangeable eyepiece
Our Opinion on the Bushnell Legend Ultra Hd 20-60x80mm Spotting Scope
Our opinion on this telescope is positive. As usual, we are never disappointed with Bushnell. This spotting scope is suitable for all types of use and particularly for digiscoping, thanks to the quality of its lenses and prisms (ED + Bak4).
Its only flaw lies in the fact that it is equipped with simple chromatic lenses that reach their limits in sharpness at the x60 zoom.
However, this remains quite acceptable given the price since image sharpness is guaranteed over almost the entire zoom range. In any case, the use of glasses with achromatic doublets automatically pushes the price up to around 1300 $.
For those who would like to benefit from achromatic doublet glasses as well as the possibility of being able to use several eyepieces, we suggest you turn to the Kowa TSN 663M visible in our article on how to choose your spotting scope.
The Bushnell Legend Ultra HD is an ideal first purchase for sustained quality at an affordable price. It is also possible to equip it with a universal smartphone adapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is a surface treatment?
The surface treatment is used to prevent the natural tendency of glass from reflecting light rays. This treatment is essential to guarantee the brightness of the spotting scope. It is either a simple multilayer (only the lens glass) or multilayer all surfaces (lens, prisms, eyepiece). There are no technical standards in terms of processing quality; it mainly depends on the range and the brand.
Q2. What do Bak4 and Bk7 mean?
The Bak4 and Bk7 standards are manufacturing standards for prisms used in spotting scopes. Bak4 prisms are made from Barium, and Bk7 prisms are made from Borosilicate. The Bak4 standard is superior to the Bk7 in terms of sharpness and brightness. However, the Bk7 standard remains far superior to standard prisms.
Q3. What does “Porro” and “Roof” prism mean?
This technical standard corresponds to the architecture of the prisms, that is to say, the number of faces that the piece of glass has. The Porro prism has three faces; the roof premium has five faces on average. Porro prisms are fitted to almost all spotting scopes; only the most high-end spotting scopes are fitted with roof prisms.
Q4. What does ED, XD, HD, UD, LD mean?
These terms all designate the same thing, i.e., “low dispersion,” but the name differs depending on the manufacturer. This mention indicates that the lenses are manufactured in such a way as to improve sharpness and avoid chromatic aberrations. There are other technical means to avoid chromatic aberrations (See our article “How to choose a spotting scope?”).
Q5. What is eye relief?
Eye relief is the distance necessary to position the eye to obtain a clear and complete image. Most spotting scopes have eye relief suitable for people wearing glasses.
Q6. What is the focus limit?
The focus limit is the minimum distance from which it is possible to obtain a sharp image of a target object. It varies from 2m to 20m depending on the spotting scopes. The advantage of a short focusing distance is the possibility of practicing macro-digiscoping (See our article “How to choose a spotting scope?”).
Q7. What are chromatic glasses?
Chromatic lenses are the standard lenses used in the lenses of most spotting scopes. Most high-end spotting scopes have two (achromatic doublet) or three (apochromatic triplet) lenses. The doublets and triplets offer the most sharpness and guarantee a minimum of chromatic aberrations.
Q8. What is the use of an adjustable windshield?
The windshield is the rubber part located at the end of the eyepiece. It is generally adjustable on the spotting scopes of higher ranges. It makes it possible to avoid “daylight” between the eye and the eyepiece, interfering with the observation. However, people wearing glasses should tighten them as much as possible to achieve the correct eye relief distance.
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