Why Opt For Rangefinders?

A number of folks are opting for rangefinders, nowadays. You might ask what a rangefinder is. As the name suggests it aids you to evaluate the range from the target. Hence, it is called a ‘rangefinder.’ Now speaking of targets does not necessarily refer to a hunting ground. These things have a number uses. For instance, they can be used in calculating the distances for construction, golf shots, speeding vehicles, and GIS data collection. Rangefinders are also referred to as laser rangefinders, distance meters, and laser locators. And a number of popular brands manufacture these things. The Leica rangemaster is one such product. You can also check out Swarovski or Bushnell models as well.

While your first reason for buying a rangefinder will be its usability. As mentioned above, there are various activities where a rangefinder might be used. Depending on its usability there are different kinds of these things as well. Coming to hunting (can’t keep our hands from hunting, can we?), as a passionate hunter you will love these compact and durable devices. They allow you a speedy and accurate calculation of the distance from the target. These are especially suitable for long range hunting. A device like the Leica rangemaster is available with laser technology and EHR feature.

Besides their feature, another parameter by which you can judge a rangefinder is its measuring ability. There are different distances that can be measured by a rangefinder- horizontal distance, slope distance, and vertical distance. Bearing is also referred to as azimuth or angle. Bearing can be relative to Magnetic north or True north. Inclination is also often referred to as pitch.

Most often we cannot get above hunting and birding where binoculars are involved. But a rangefinder has a greater usability. It would be interesting for you to know that a rangefinder is also used for GIS data collection. Thus, an optical device offering versatile performance should be a natural choice for many users. People often argue about the price of the rangefinders when compared to binoculars. Well, that’s a completely personal decision.

Budget is of course important but so is the quality. The quality of the lenses is an important factor. This is similar with any optical device. More than the magnification, the performance of the optical devices depends on the quality of the glasses. The quality of the rangefinder is directly proportional to the cost of the rangefinder. More expensive rangefinders use better quality components and as a result provide more accurate measurements at greater distances. Less expensive rangefinders provide less accurate measurements.

A rangefinder is compact, durable, high performance device and more versatile than a pair of binos. Hence, it seems wiser to opt for a rangefinder than a binocular at any given point of time!