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Pros - Utilizes RainGuard HD coating for great clarity even in wet weather - Outstanding image quality - Fantastic color fidelity Cons - No tripod included - Short eye relief - Slightly dark image at maximum magnification

Hey there, and thanks for coming to read my review of the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 20–60×80 Spotting Scope. Bushnell is one of the manufacturers that seems to have almost as many misses as it does hits, so I was eager to evaluate the Legend Ultra HD 20–60×80 scope. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Bushnell built this model with an 80mm objective lens, allowing for a great deal of light to enter the lens. The eye relief is somewhat short, at 18mm, which may preclude folks with eyeglasses from enjoying the full benefits of the scope. This model measures 16.5 inches long, and weighs just a tad over 5 pounds. That’s pretty heavy, to be honest.

What Comes Along In The Box?

Naturally, you’ll want to know what you get for your money. The box includes the following items:

• The Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 20–60×80 spotting scope itself
• Lens and eyepiece caps
• Soft carrying case

Unfortunately, you don’t get a hard carrying case or a tripod with this purchase. Also, the lens and eyepiece caps don’t attach to the scope, and there’s no way to make them attach short of gluing a tether to them. The good news is that the soft carrying case is excellent quality, and will help protect your investment.

What’s the Magnification of the Glass

This particular scope offers magnification from 20X to 60X, with an excellent image quality at all powers. There’s not a hint of chromatic aberration, even at maximum magnification, just pure, clean color fidelity.

The field of view through the scope is 51 feet from 1,000 yards at maximum magnification, and 110 feet from 1,000 yards with 20X power selected.

How Easy is the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 20–60×80 to Use?

Bushnell designed this glass with dual focus controls, which are very simple to use. The stacked knobs are knurled to make them easy to manipulate even if your hands are wet or gloved. My only minor nitpick is that the knurling is the same for both sections of the focus control; it would be nice if you could tell by feel which was fine and which was coarse. The magnification wheel is also well textured, so you can be assured of a positive experience even if you’re wearing gloves or your hands are wet.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like On This Model?

With its large objective lens and fully multicoated, this scope gathers light like nobody’s business. The transmittance rivals more expensive models, and the scope is just as useful in low-light or nighttime conditions as during the day.

How Are the Optics and Focus on This Scope?

This scope is designed with a porro prism design featuring an angled eyepiece. The prism glass is BaK–4, and has phase correction coating applied to eliminate phase shift. In addition to the optics being fully multicoated, Bushnell has also coated them with its RainGuard HD application, which forces raindrops to break apart into almost microscope specks so you have a sharp, clear image even when the weather is bad. Finally, the lenses are ground from ED glass, which greatly increases the image quality.

The dual focus controls and magnification wheel spin smoothly, but offer enough resistance to make sure you really intend to move them. Getting a very sharp image is easy, even beyond 250 yards with maximum magnification. I’ve used this scope to spot .22 caliber bullet holes from 200 yards, and it’s never let me down.

What’s the Housing Like?

Like other models in the Legend Ultra HD line, the body is made of plastic. It’s textured and there are ridges to give you a good grip on the scope, but it isn’t very shock absorbent.

How Durable is the Scope?

This spotting scope is both fogproof and waterproof, thanks to O-ring sealed lenses and an optics chamber that has been nitrogen-purged. However, I wouldn’t recommend dropping this baby too often, since the plastic housing probably won’t stand up to much abuse. The scope includes a tripod ring that rotates around the body, allowing you to change your viewing angle to fit your needs.