The Bushnell 260501 Equinox binocular is a new, state of the art vision magnification system from the Bushnell company. An advanced digital night vision system, these binoculars are built to last under harsh conditions and keep working despite the sensitive electronics within.

How capable are the Bushnell Equinox.

However, these binoculars are also more than capable of being used during the day, and are intended to allow the user to view a wide range of terrain under an equally wide range of conditions. No matter what location you find yourself in, this device will provide for all your vision magnification needs no matter how rugged the land or dark the night you find yourself in.

What is the Magnification on the Bushnell 260501 Equinox Night Vision Binocular?

The system’s magnification clocks in at 4x, a powerful level of magnification indeed. Combined with the system’s 50 mm objective lens, this adds up to a very powerful magnification system. Users have reported vision magnification of up to 250 yards from their location, a level of magnification uncommon in such a small device.

How good is the Night Vision Capability on the Bushnell Equinox?

This Equinox Binocular is particularly notable for its night vision capabilities. While they are primarily a night vision device, they do work quite well in the day light conditions. However, under day light conditions, these binoculars are not the best device on the market as their video quality is considerably less than the video quality of the device at night.

Still, the night vision of this device is quite powerful. Only one lens is dedicated to vision, while the other lens is a dedicated and very potent infrared illuminator sensor capable of transforming even the darkest landscape into an illuminated area. Even in zero moonlight, these binoculars will light up the night and allow users to see upwards of 250 yards even with essentially no light.

Recording

This device is so similar to a digital video camera that it can also be used to record what you see out in the world with the binoculars, whether it’s through the regular or infrared scope. By toggling with the device’s controls, the user can record (either as still photographs or a length of video footage) what they see during the day or night on a small SD card similar to that used in many digital cameras and video recorders. While these small cards rarely have very much storage space, they do add another dimension to the binoculars.

How good is the casing of this binocular?

The casing of this device is heavily water resistant, intended to be taken out on serious expeditions to all but the harshest terrain on Earth. The casing can also take quite a beating on its own, intended to survive being dropped, banged against the terrain or kept tightly packed with the rest of a traveler’s equipment where it likely will be put under pressure.

Field of view

The field of view of these binoculars is quite wide, though shorter range models have been noted to have a wider field of view still. However, if it is distance rather than field of vision you need, these binoculars are a good choice. And, with a surprising optical clarity for such devices of its type, these binoculars are sure to be useful on any wilderness adventure.

Downside

Night blindness can happen with the Bushnell 260501 Equinox Binocular if the user’s illumination settings are set too high with these binoculars. However, the device has fifteen brightness levels and barring a sudden and severe mistake with these settings, it is unlikely most users will find themselves seriously night blinded very often. It will happen to a slight degree, but with practice its severity will be lessened.

Another downside of the digital infrared system is that they have certain limitations that likely will not be overcome for some generations of digital imaging technology. Specifically this device works very poorly in fog, mist and heavy rain. While the device is shielded from moisture and water damage barring being totally submerged for a long period of time, its visual systems cannot pierce a number of inclement weather conditions.

The magnification system of this device is digital, meaning that the quality of the image and its resulting sharpness and clarity will go down further you magnify your sight, though this is an unfortunate limitation of all digital vision enhancement. It uses technologies similar to digital video recorders to achieve this effect and many hunters and outdoor enthusiasts swear by the longer ranges of these devices.

Battery

The electronics in the device run on ordinary AA batteries, which many users find makes their lives much easier. However, users in the field report that using cheap batteries is inadvisable for these devices. As well, high quality rechargeable batteries are suggested for these devices.

Verdict

Overall, the Bushnell Equinox Z series binoculars is a solid piece of outdoors equipment. The price can be quite steep, but many night time adventurers swear by the device’s ability to allow them to see some distance ahead in the darkest nights.