Bushnell Elite E2 8x42 binocular

Anyone who remembers the Bausch & Lomb Elite binoculars of the 1990s will no doubt recall their unique design, commendable performance and occupation of a niche at the high-quality end of the optics market. The end of the Bausch & Lomb licence more recently saw the Elites redesigned as a lighter product with open-bridge styling before being relaunched onto the market under the Bushnell brand.

The less costly Elite e² made its debut last year at a more attractive price to help raise the profile and widen the availability of the range. Lacking the open-bridge construction (and therefore 77 g heavier than the Elite equivalent), the e² follows a more conventional design, with stippled rubber armour and cutaway thumb-rests beneath the barrels. I found it well balanced and, at 728 g, its weight compares favourably with many top-drawer models of a similar size, thanks, no doubt, to the magnesium chassis.

A moderate amount of rubber cushioning extends beyond the objective lenses, affording them some protection, while the firm, rubber-covered eye-cups twist out to offer a maximum eye relief of 19.5 mm. Unlike many other models, however, they do not click-lock at any intermediate point and will yield if a moderate amount of pressure is applied when they are in any position other than fully extended.

The strap attachment ports are recessed within the barrels in line with the focusing wheel, but the thumb-rests steer your thumbs away from this area when the binocular is being held so that the click-in strap connectors do not dig into your hands. I particularly like this type of strap attachment mechanism, which allows quick fitting and release of the straps.

The broadly milled rubber-coated focusing wheel is a shade wider than the average finger, turning extremely freely and smoothly, and is therefore easily operated with or without gloves. One and a quarter turns take the image from close focus to infinity, and you can lock the focus simply by pushing the wheel in. This, according to Bushnell, may be useful if you want to observe a bird at a consistent distance for an extended period or, given the exceptionally free turning of the wheel itself, to ensure you don’t shift the focus setting unintentionally. This feature left me a little bewildered. I can see a possible application in telescope focusing on a stationary subject – where the depth of field is shallow, the focusing requirement is more precise and even a tiny movement of the wheel would render the subject out of focus – but I would question its usefulness in a binocular which offers a generous depth of field, as the e² does.

The dioptre itself consists of a scale-bearing ring, which is centrally located behind the focusing wheel. I had no difficulty in achieving the correct setting, by pulling the ring out when the focusing wheel was not locked, rotating it to the desired position and then pushing it down to lock into place. The e²’s depth of field is very acceptable.

I did not need to move the focusing wheel much to view comfortably at distances between about 80 m and distant horizon. At 110 m over 1,000 m, the field of view is not particularly inspiring and for the specification and price I would have expected a figure closer to 120 m (the Elite 8x43 is 124 m), but there is no impression of ‘claustrophobia’ or ‘tunnel vision’ when this binocular is used in the field.

Bushnell has pulled out all the stops when it comes to image. Against a generally cold and neutral tone I found the colours to be excellent, with good contrast and a high degree of brightness. The latter was particularly evident and the model proved itself in poor light and drizzle when searching for, and locating, a distant Glaucous Gull among thousands of other large gulls at a landfill on a gloomy day in November. The fully multi-coated lenses and Bushnell’s ‘XTR’ 60 – layer prism coating technology must surely be adding value to the delivery of this binocular’s lucidity, but the much publicised ‘Rainguard’ lens coating – said to disperse water droplets – did not live up to expectation and I still found myself wiping lenses with a cloth to remove the build-up of rain.

Another positive aspect of the image was its sharpness – almost all the way to the edges – and minimal distortion at the periphery, where there was some small degree of curvature of field. Perhaps a little more disappointing, however, was the chromatic aberration in the outer two thirds of the field. Although not detracting from viewing, I would have expected a lower level than was detectable in this otherwise excellent image.

The e² comes with its own semi-rigid case and broad, cushioned supporting strap. In summary, this sub-£500 binocular is certainly worthy of consideration for anyone intent on both purchasing a good mid- to high-range binocular and saving money.