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Leica Geovid binoculars and Rangemaster history

Leica Geovid History

Leica binoculars are without a doubt something you really want to invest your money in if you are searching for top-branded and quality-made binoculars that are going to be by your side for years. Everything started in 1907, when the first-series production Leitz binoculars were delivered. Throughout the years, the products got better, more developed and therefore more accurate. With this development we witnessed an appearance of totally new products, such as rangefinding products. The expansion of those goes back to the year 1992, when the engineers of the Leica Company got the idea that they could insert a laser system into their high-performance binoculars and this system could measure the distance (so called laser rangefinder system).

Leica Geovid 7x42
Leica Geovid 7×42

The results were ground-breaking and a new line of products was launched – Leica Geovid. Nothing like that had ever been produced before, so this was definitely a big achievement for the company.

Leica Geovid history tree
Leica Geovid history tree

The first Geovid model introduced the world’s first binoculars with an integrate rangefinder – the Geovid 7 x 42, which measured distances up to a maximum of around 1,000 meters. Almost for 12 years Leica did not produce a replacement for Geovid 7×42 but in the meantime a new line of product was developed. These products were Leica Rangemaster monoculars.

Second generation of Leica Geovid binoculars

Even though the focus of the development was primarily on the Rangemaster products, the developers did not disregard the development of the Leica Geovid line of products. In 2004 two new products entered the market – the Geovid 8 x 42 BRF and 10 x 42 BRF. Those two are still the most compact and user-friendly binoculars with integrated rangefinders. A year after that they were followed by the Geovid 8 x 56 BRF and 15 x 56 BRF, which are the lightest and the most compact rangefinder binoculars with 56mm objective lenses that exist.
An important innovation appeared in 2009, when the Geovid HD model range was launched. Its fluoride lenses ensure the user the maximum colour contrast, which is significantly important to distinguish everything in the colourful nature. That year we also witnessed the appearance of the models The Rangemaster CRF 800 and the new Pinmaster.

Leica Geovid 8x56 HD Binocular
Leica Geovid 8×56 HD Binocular

Revolutionary Leica Geovid HD-B binoculars

The year 2013 was once again revolutionary for the sport optics as the Geovid 8 x 42 HD-B and Geovid 10 x 42 HD-B entered the market. Those binoculars have an integrated micro SD card slot and guarantee the best performance and maximum precision for any kind of situation. Geovid HD-B binoculars offer all possible ballistic features a normal user can need.

The models that entered the market between the year 2012 and 2013 got in common their unique Advanced Ballistic Compensation (ABC ®) system, which performs with incomparable precision and gives hunters the best possible experience. It calculates the holdover value with unmatched precision and speed, then displays it in the format that you want, so you can assuredly prepare a precise shot every time. The system namely calculates your chosen values with extreme accuracy, automatically adjusting for temperature, atmospheric pressure and angle of incline, but it is still very simple to use. Micro SD card slot also gives the user possibility to insert his own ballistic information (based on his rifle and ammunition he is using) in to the ABC system. Currently there are no other range-finding binoculars on similar technological level available on the market.

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Leica Rangemaster laser rangefinders

The company’s passion for hunting drove them to constantly improve their technologies and stay at the top of their game. The Geovid line was soon followed by a suite of new Leica equipment for measuring the distance, Leica Rangemaster. The first model was called The Rangemaster LRF 800 and was the first monocular rangefinder that has ever entered the market. It proved to be precise, durable and it perfectly satisfied the needs of critical hunters. Because of that it became an instant classic.

Leica Rangemaster history tree
Leica Rangemaster history tree

In 2002 it was followed by two new products that were basically its upgrade. Those were an even more powerful Rangemaster LRF 1200, which measured up to 1,100 meters and the Pinmaster, a rangefinder that was developed especially for golfers.

Leica Pinmaster II
Leica Pinmaster II

Leica Rangemaster CRF models

The year 2006 was revolutionary for the Rangefinder products, with Rangefinder CRF 900 and CRF 1200 entering the market. They are the first rangefinders that can be used by both, left-handed and right-handed people.
A year after that, the technological progress enabled the engineers of the company that they developed The Rangemaster LRF 900 scan and the LRF 1200 scan. The advantage of those two was that they offered a new scanning feature that was able to deliver constantly updated measurements whenever the release button is held down.

Leica Rangemaster models with integrated ballistic software

Leica Rangemaster 1000-R
Leica Rangemaster 1000-R

In 2010 the Rangemaster CRF 1600 and rangemaster CRF 1000 entered the market. In 2012 an extraordinary level of precision became possible with the launch of the Leica Rangemaster CRF 1600-B and Rangemaster CRF 1000-R – high-performance rangefinders with a market-leading intelligent ballistics system. Ballistic system offers equivalent horizontal range or HER, a very useful information for shooting under step angles. This is a very common situation when hunting in the mountains.

Conclusion

Leica Geovid and Rangemaster product were able to make a huge leap forward in their development in a mere twenty years and are today known to offer the best and the most precise results for their users. Hopefully the future of these products and Leica innovations will be equally exiting.

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1 Comments
  • Fine, a short history of Leica binoculars looks good but not clear.
    Could You stress the differences between: Leica Geovid HD ; Leica Geovid HD-R; Leica Geovid – R. They all looks the same and the only visual difference is eyepiece with the different combination of letters (as shown above). Do they all have the HD multicoating? Which one has EHR system which not?
    Best regards
    Matt

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