There's Money In Optics!

Shooting Industry, July, 2001 by Roger Combs

Leupold & Stevens

The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence presented its 2001 Optic of the Year award to Leupold for the LPS 3.5-l4x50mm Side Focus riflescope. This is the sixth time Leupold has received the award during the academy's 10-year history. The award-winning scope features turret-mounted side-focus parallax adjustments that permit modification without removing the rifle from the shooting position. The LPS system offers extremely high light transmission. The lenses are fully coated with Leupold's DiamondCoat, a multi-layer, antireflective coating that aids light transmission.

In binoculars, Leupold has added porro prisms to its Wind River line. The 8x23mm and l0x23mm Center Focus Inverted Porro models are small enough to fit into a hunting jacket.

Leica

Leica's extensive line of binoculars features a "ballistic tough" High Durability Coating on the optic's outer surfaces. The coating increases lens durability. Leica updated its Ultra-Trinovid binoculars with a "BN" rating that provides close-in focusing. The Leica Trinovid 10x42 BN now has a close focus distance of 9.7 feet, compared to 15 feet for the BA model.

Meopta

Meopta is a Czech company now selling on the North American market. New for 2001 is the Artemis 3000 rifle-scope in 3-9x42mm, l.5-5x20mm and 1.4x22mm. The tubes are fashioned from one piece of lightweight aluminum alloy, and guaranteed to stay water and fogproof. The Artemis Model 3100 is available in the l-4x22 model. It offers the same features as the Model 3000 with the addition of an illuminated center dot. The company's 1000 and 2000 series offer a wide selection of fixed and variable power scopes with solid-steel tube construction and 10 different reticle options.

Minox

Minox offers two new binoculars, the 8.5x42mm BR and the 10x52mm. The 8.5x42mm BR has a field of view of 315 feet at 1,000 yards, 18mm of eye relief, and close focus of 9.1 feet. The l0x52mm BR features a field of view of 261 feet at 1,000 yards, 19mm of eye relief, and a close focus of 11.82 feet.

Nikon Inc.

Nikon's new Buckmasters 4.5-l4x40mm scope is designed for the long-range rifle hunter. The scope is oxygen-purged and nitrogen-filled to make it water, shock and fogproof. The objective lens is adjustable, enabling the shooter to remove parallax at any known range from 50 yards to infinity.

The new Nikon Sporter I binocular in 8x36mm and l0x36mm is rubberized for use in virtually any weather. Eyeglass wearers will enjoy the extra-long eye relief of these optics with their rubber eyecups. Suggested retail prices are in the mid-range.

Pentax Corp.

Pentax's new Lightseeker-30 rifle-scopes in 4-16x, 6-24x and 8.5-32x feature 50mm objective lenses. The scopes are available with Mil-Dot reticles, and the 4-16x has an optional Pentax Twighlight Plex Reticle.

In binoculars, Pentax is expanding its waterproof models with the l0x50mm DCF WP roof-prism. Submersible to one meter, the binoculars feature Pentax Super-Multi-Coated optical elements, inner-focus design, long eye relief, extendible eyepiece rings and rubber-coated outer housing.