BUSHNELL LEGEND ULTRA HD 8 x 42 BINOCULAR REVIEW

Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 roof binocular

I thought after more than two weeks of using the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8 x 42 binocular in the field it will be a good idea to give my feedback and do a review on this fine binocular.

1) First Impression:

Well, my first impression upon receiving the binocular was that the packaging looked awesome and classy. Inside the box there were a few items that came standard i.e - a carrying case with a Bushnell logo, a padded Bushnell strap for the binocular, a standard strap for the case, a soft pouch to store the binocular,a shoulder harness, a cleaning cloth and an instruction manual.

2) The Carrying Case:

A semi-hard shell case with a large Bushnell logo embossed on one side

The back side is deeply dented to ergonomically support the binocular

One side stores the binocular while the other side stores the accessory

The carrying case is very nice and ergonomically shaped to the binocular stored inside so it does not move around inside when you carry it the whole day. It has a small pocket on one side to store the rest of the items mentioned above while the other side stores the binocular. The material used for the casing is semi-hard which is firm but can flex to take a knock.  I particularly like the embossed Bushnell logo on both sides of the case which makes it look classy. It is also not heavy to carry around once you take out the binocular.

3) The Straps:

There are two straps provided: one is padded and the other one is not. The padded one is nice, about two inches wide with rectangular shaped pads on one side and flat on the other. The other one is just a normal nylon about a half inch wide without any wide pad to hang over your shoulder which is fine for a small item but i do not think suitable for the carrying case which is about 8inch x 8inch in size and weighs half a kilogramme. So what i did was use the padded strap meant for the binocular on the carrying case which is more durable and comfortable to carry all day long.

Padded strap provided if you do not like to use the harness

4) The Shoulder Harness:

This piece of accessory is very good because it was given as a standard item compared to other brands which you have to pay which costs between US10.00 to US15.00 a piece. Since i used my padded strap for the carrying case, i exclusively used the shoulder harness to hang my binocular which is very convenient and comfortable. You will hardly feel the weight of the binocular because the weight is distributed evenly over your shoulder instead your neck. The is a short flexible and adjustable strap on both sides to connect to your binocular. Even when you adjust to the shortest length you still can raise the binocular to your eye level because the straps are flexible/elastic. At the same time they will prevent your binocular from swinging left and right. Using this harness is very easy on your shoulder especially when you have to carry a DSLR with a long lens to shoot birds all day long. Sometimes i felt like i was not carrying any binocular at all because the harness supported the weight so well.

I love this harness, it makes carrying the binocular a lot easier

5) The Manual and the rest:

There is nothing much to talk about the manual except that it explains on how to use the binocular, adjustment for the dioptre, focusing and maintenance of the binocular. The soft cloth was given to clean the lens from smudges etc. Please blow the lenses first to get rid of sand and dust before cleaning them with the cloth. Cleaning fluid can be used on the cloth first before cleaning the lenses in worst case scenario.

6) The Binocular:

a) The Body: The size of the binocular being an 8x42 is just nice for my hands, not too big like my previous porro  10x50 and not too small like my Bushnell 8x21 roof binocular. When folded it is even smaller and can fit into my pants pocket. It is only 22.4oz in weight. The only thing i wish for is for the distance between the eyes to be longer.

The Bushnell 8x21 is on the left, Bushnell Legend Ultra HD in the middle & Tasco 10x50 on the right

Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 roof binocular

The 42mm objective lens come with ribber caps

b) The Armour finish: The binocular comes just in black for the 8x42 which baffles me. Why cant Bushnell do the camouflage finish for the 8x42 like they did for the 10x42 too? Is it to force people to buy the more expensive and powerful 10x42? Anyways, the finish is in black rubber armour in half stripes and half flat rubber. It is thick enough to absorb heavy knocks or if you accidentally drop it. It also provides a grip even when it is wet. 

The rubber armour stripes are very effective to absorb knocks

c) The Eye-cups: The cool thing about the eye-cups is that they can be twisted up and stay where you chose them to be. The eye relief is 17mm but i wish it was more. If you wear glasses you need to twist them downwards and vice verse if you are not wearing any glasses. The ocular lenses come with a rubber cap which can be tied to the main strap.

The eye cups can be twisted up and down and stays there

d) The Dioptre Adjuster: It is good that the dioptre adjustment can be locked for this binocular. What you do is pull the ring up and adjust your right eye accordingly by turning to the right or left from the zero mark, and then push the ring down in order to lock it. This way your setting will remain just the way you like it until someone borrows and change it, but then you know more or less where the right setting is and adjust again and lock. My main complaint is that the ring is very stiff to pull up and turn, i do not know whether because it is new or it was designed that way so it is not easily turned accidentally.

The dioptre adjustment ring is above the - 0 + marking, push up to adjust and then push down to lock

e) The Focus Knob: The focus knob size is just nice about one inch in diameter. It is easily reached by my thumb and index fingers while holding the binocular at the same time. It is quite fast, accurate and does not have much free play in it.

The focus knob is in the middle about 1 inch in diameter

f) The Image Quality: Finally the most important aspect of any binocular is the image quality it produces. The image quality of this Bushnell Legend Ultra HD is simply stunning! The ED glasses incorporated inside this binocular produces crisp, natural, sharp image with very little colour fringing even when pointed toward bright sky. It managed to produce detail, sharp and bright image even when i used it under thick jungle canopy in the shade and late in the evening. The 8x power with a 426ft/1000yard FOV is powerful and wide enough, and is very ideal for birding especially in the forest. I must say for the price that i paid which is RM1056(USD320) which is way cheaper than other more expensive brands, i think i got myself an excellent pair of binocular here. The ED glasses, fully multi-coated, waterproofed with rubber 'O' ring, and fog proofed(nitrogen gas purging to remove humidity inside) with a shoulder harness is the deal breaker for me. I would not hesitate to get a second pair of Bushnell Legend Ultra HD binocular the next time because i already own two pairs of Bushnell binoculars and very satisfied with their performance and also price point. But the next time i would most probably get a 10x42 with a camouflage finish.

Testing the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 in the field

I would add more comments and feedback to this post in the future as i continue to use it more in the field but based on my two weeks using this Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 8x42 binocular, i highly recommend it for those thinking of getting a binocular for birding or wildlife observation but do not want to break the bank. I am not paid by Bushnell or any parties to do this review. It is solely done to help you guys out there to make an informed decision before you buy your dream binoculars and save you time and money. I went through months of research and reading reviews on the net before deciding to go for this model. The decision is yours, but please try first before you buy.

Cheers. Happy birding.