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Pros: - Compact enough to fit in a shirt pocket - Excellent optics quality - Extremely accurate out to 200 yards Cons: - Difficult to lock onto small objects beyond 100 yards - Display deactivates a bit too quickly - Very prone to shaking throwing off accuracy

Welcome to our review of the Nikon Aculon Rangefinder. Nikon is a leader in the industry, but how well do their less expensive products stack up against the competition? Let’s take a look at the Aculon, a rangefinder marketed to golfers, hunters, and other athletes, and see how well it fares.The Nikon Aculon is a small, lightweight rangefinder measuring 3.6” long by 2.9” high and 1.5” thick. Without batteries, it weighs in at 4.4 ounces, and is powered by a single CR2 lithium battery (which won’t add much weight to the device). Single-button operation makes the Aculon easy and simple to use.

What’s the Range of the Nikon Aculon?

The advertised range of the Nikon Aculon is 550 yards, but I found it was difficult to lock onto small targets beyond 100 yards. Trees and other large reflective objects are easy to get range readings from, and the accuracy is pretty good even out to 550 yards, but smaller targets simply won’t get a lock. For example, a flagstick at 200 yards wouldn’t lock in unless the wind was blowing and the flag was extended away from the stick.

How Easy is the Nikon Aculon to Use?

Using this rangefinder is as simple as looking through the viewfinder and pushing a button. The Aculon, the most compact of Nikon’s laser rangefinders, is small enough to compete with most smartphones as far as portability goes. In fact, I found the Aculon fit easily in a shirt pocket, and the device weights less than 5 ounces.With a push of a button, you get a distance measurement.

If you want to check distances of a variety of objects, you can hold the button to get a continuous stream of distance measurements for up to 20 seconds, as you pan across the area. After 8 seconds of inactivity, the Aculon powers itself down and you then need to press the button twice to activate the device.I found that 8 seconds was a bit too short a time for the device to shut down, and having to turn the device back on was a tad inconvenient. This is just a minor inconvenience, though, but I would have liked to see a mode that disabled the power-saving feature.

If you wear glasses, you’ve probably been frustrated by short eye relief designs in past models of rangefinders and spotting scopes. You’ll be glad to know, then, that this rangefinder features a long 18mm eye relief design that provides a complete field of view even for people who are wearing glasses while they use the rangefinder.

How is the Nikon Aculon Powered?

The Aculon is powered by a single CR2 lithium battery, and you get one in the package when you purchase the rangefinder. Remove the tab covering the battery, and you’re ready to rock and roll and check ranges.

What Features Can I Expect From the Nikon Aculon Rangefinder?

Perhaps the most helpful feature on this rangefinder is its Distant Target Priority Mode. This mode helps get accurate ranges for targets that are obscured in grass or trees by displaying the distance of the farthest target when measuring a group of targets. In other words, if that deer is bedded down in high grass, Distant Target Priority Mode will help you get an accurate reading of the distance even though your actual target is hidden by the grass because it will choose the target that has the maximum distance.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Rangefinder?

The Aculon gathers light amazingly well for such an inexpensive rangefinder. I found using it during low light conditions was almost as easy and accurate as at the height of daylight, so I felt pretty comfortable using this rangefinder even for early morning hunts.

How Are the Optics and Focus on This Rangefinder?

The advanced optics of the Nikon Aculon are very well made, and the focus works beautifully at all ranges. The glass has Nikon’s multilayer coating, which helps foster higher light transmission throughout the entire viewable light spectrum. This means there is a reduced effect of reflection to cause a loss of light, giving a clear and natural display that helps you to easily focus on small objects even at long range. In fact, you can focus on objects that the laser rangefinder won’t get a reflective lock on. This makes the rangefinder excellent for spotting even small targets out as far as 550 yards, even though you might not be able to get a range reading that far out. With 6X magnification, the rangefinder provides adequate magnification to identify your smaller targets at long range.

How Durable is the Nikon Aculon

This rangefinder is rugged and durable, but I wouldn’t drop it out of a deer stand. It’s compact, but it doesn’t feel cheap or chintzy. Still, anything with glass in it is prone to break, but the durable rubberized coating of the Nikon Aculon provides protection from most bumps and small drops. The rubberized coating also provides a secure grip on the device in damp or cold conditions.