Bausch and Lomb Legacy 12-1056 Binocular

BAUSCH  AND  LOMB  LEGACY 10x50  BINOCULARS  121056

            The brand name of Bausch and Lomb has a great reputation in the world of optics, and Bausch and Lomb binoculars are a great value for the money.  Today I shall be reviewing the Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars model number 121056.  Read on and see if these particular binoculars offer some of the features that you might be considering the next time you are in the market for a pair of binoculars.

            Before I get into my review of these binoculars, I feel that some housekeeping may be in order to clarify some important points about who is actually manufacturing the Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars.  Most people who are reading this review may be familiar with the brand name Bausch and Lomb.  Bausch and Lomb produces contact lens cleaning solutions, contact lenses, as well as other magnification devices.  However, Bausch and Lomb Sport Optics is a different entity, and it produces various types of sporting equipment such as binoculars, spotting scopes, and the like, and these products are not manufactured by or affiliated with the Bausch and Lomb that makes contact lenses.  As a matter of fact, it is actually Bushnell who manufacturers Bausch and Lomb Binoculars, and Bushnell has been in the optics business for many decades, and has an excellent reputation in the world of sporting optics, which of course includes binoculars.

            Now that I have cleared up some of the potential confusion that may have existed regarding who actually makes Bausch and Lomb Binoculars, I shall get to the meat of my review.  I recently saw these binoculars selling for $112.00, which would put them above the entry level category, and these binoculars have a number of features that are desirable, which I shall get into in greater detail as the review continues.  The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars have a magnification power of 10 times.  This is an easy fact to understand.  The number "10" in the descriptor 10x50 refers to the magnification power.  It means that an object will appear 10 times closer when viewed through these binoculars than when it is viewed by the unaided eye.  Thus an object that is 1000 feet away will appear to be 100 feet away when viewed through these binoculars.  The number "50" refers to the size in millimeters of the objective lenses, which are the larger lenses on the other side of the binoculars.  The size of the larger lens or objective lens has nothing to do with the magnification power, but its size is important as regards the capability of the binoculars to display a bright clear image in lower light conditions.  In bright sunny light, even a pair of binoculars with small objective lenses, such as a 35mm, will tend to yield a relatively sharp and bright image.  However, in lower light conditions, a large objective lens serves to increase the amount of light that is available to view the image, and thus all other things being equal, a set of binoculars with large objective lenses will yield a brighter image to the viewer.

            However, there are other things that are very important to consider when discussing the ability of a pair of binoculars to yield a bright and clear image, and that is the type of antireflective coating that may or may not be applied to the viewing optics of the binoculars.  The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars have "multi-coated optics."  This means that there are multiple layers of antireflective coating on at least one of the surfaces of the lenses.  This is an important point to understand.  When light hits a glass surface, some of it is reflected, and some passes through the glass.  The more light that passes through the glass, the sharper, brighter, and clearer the image will appear to the viewer.  Thus, when a pair or binocular has a coating of antireflective materials, such as Magnesium Fluoride, less light is reflected off the lens surface, and more passes through to the viewer, which results in a brighter image.  Simply put, multi-coating reduces the reflectivity of light, and the result is a sharper and brighter image. 

            The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars have a BAK-4 Porro-Prism design.  Prisms are used in binoculars to reduce the physical length of the body, as compared to a telescope, and secondly to correctly orient the image for the viewer.  Porro-Prisms consist of two prisms at right angles to each other, and the design is much simpler than a Roof-Prism Design.  A Porro-Prism design tends to yield a brighter image than that of a Roof-Prism design.  However, when designed and engineered properly, either or both of these designs are fine. These binoculars also use BAK-4 prisms, which are considered to be higher quality than BAK-7 prisms, and they tend to yield a brighter and sharper image than most lesser quality binoculars that use BAK-7 prisms.

            The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars are both water proof and fog proof, and are both nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed.  Fully water proof binoculars are relatively impervious to the issue of things like temperature and humidity changes because their inner workings are airtight, and thus they will not fog up when you are outdoors.  They also are easy to clean and can be washed off without fear of getting water or moisture inside of them.  This makes the Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars suitable for just about any outdoor activity such as hunting or camping.

            The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars have a field of view of 380 feet at 1000 yards.  This is a very good field of view for general viewing.  These binoculars are considered to be wide angle binoculars, and as such they are very good for tracking fast moving objects, such as a soaring bird in the sky, or watching fast moving sporting events, such as a soccer game or football game.  The Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars weigh in at 28 ounces, which is not very heavy, and should present no problems for the average person to deal with.  These binoculars also come with a handy carrying case and a neck strap, and they are tripod adaptable.  This later point is an important one to keep in mind, as a magnification of 10 is considered to be the limit at which one can hope to keep a pair of binoculars steady. This is due to the natural handshaking that takes place when the average viewer tries to view an object through a pair of binoculars.  In many cases, such as stargazing for example, a viewer may prefer to mount a set of binoculars on a tripod, as even the most minor shaking can be disruptive to enjoyable viewing of distant celestial objects in the night sky.

            So who should consider purchasing the Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars?  These binoculars would be suitable for almost any outdoor use, such as for hunting, camping, bird watching, or general outdoor enjoyment of nature.  Because they are water proof and fog proof, these binoculars would be suitable for use even in wet or humid conditions.  Because they are wide angle binoculars with a very good field of view, these binoculars could be used to enhance the excitement of sporting events, such as a day at the races, or an afternoon soccer game.  Imaging taking these binoculars to a rock concert and getting a real close up view of your favorite rockers in action.  These binoculars are very suitable for casual viewing of nature and sporting events.  The reasonable price range of the Bausch and Lomb Legacy 10x50 Binoculars makes them a very good choice for a person who is considering an intermediate level pair of binoculars, and they definitely provide a reasonably good value for the cost.

            Well I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my review, but now if you will excuse me, I must get back to practicing my guitar.  Good luck, and good viewing.