One very common reason for some rangefinders being more marketable than others is affordability.
Golfers all over the world have realized that you do not necessarily have to break the bank to get quality devices. Quality rangefinder devices are slowly flooding the market at reasonable prices.
One very important characteristic of quality rangefinders that separates them from low-grade rangefinder devices is magnification. The ability of a rangefinder to zoom into targets greatly increases its accuracy and efficiency.
Do Rangefinders Have Magnification?
There are several reasons to zoom in. And no, I’m not just talking about spying on your neighbors.
When you are out golfing with your friends from work, or when you go bow hunting, you may need to view the dimensions of an object in long-range and the only way to achieve this is through a rangefinder with high magnification properties.
The magnification of rangefinders is an indication of how much “zoom power” you can get on that device.
If your rangefinder has a magnification of 6X, it implies that you can zoom in till the image appears 6 times larger than it was with your normal eye.
Ensuring far-away objects are properly magnified will help you focus better with your rangefinder, thereby giving you the most accurate measurement you can get.
The downside is when you magnify objects, it can produce a darker with a reduced field of view.
Many rangefinder users have come to believe that a magnification of about 6X produces the most suitable balance between image clarity and zoom.
Irrespective of the activity you’re involved in, whether hunting or golfing, using a rangefinder with this specific magnification enables you to view your target in focus clearly and select precisely exactly the distance you want to calculate.
Can The Rangefinder Zoom In On Targets?
When you go through the abilities of rangefinders lining the shelves in stores, especially the ones considered to be of high quality, you will notice that they offer some magnification to improve the accuracy of target measurements.
Although not all rangefinders have this luxury, a large number of them do.
This means that the range in which your laser rangefinder can accurately measure distance will significantly increase.
Most laser rangefinders you will find around are monocular, although there are binocular rangefinders on the market, they are not as popular as the monocular ones.
For binocular rangefinders, you are provided with the luxury of two instruments all in one equipment.
Of course, you would expect these binocular rangefinders to go for a steeper price, one more pocket draining than the monocular rangefinder.
Apart from being more expensive than monocular rangefinders, binocular rangefinders are bulkier and weigh more than a monocular rangefinders.
Moving past these differences that some may refer to as setbacks, these binocular rangefinders are very good at zooming in on targets.
It is also important to note that when you go on the shelf to buy a binocular rangefinder, you select a laser rangefinder that is binocular rather than selecting a binocular with rangefinder ability.
What Can Hinder Rangefinders From Zooming In?
As the most basic principle laser rangefinders work by is the use of laser beams to locate targets and record the time it takes for the beam of light to return to the device.
With that in mind, you can understand that if anything is obstructing the rangefinder, or if there is an environmental factor that may hinder the ability of the rangefinder then it won’t be able to zoom into targets. Read our article on workability of rangefinders through window/glass to know more about this.
The target’s reflectivity is another factor that you must consider. To be able to zoom in on any target it must have high reflectivity.
Conclusion…
Mariners often employ rangefinders when they are off at sea, and the zooming ability of these devices comes in handy when they need to locate and confirm the nature of targets far ahead of them.
Although the kinds of rangefinders available to them are of low tech and extra effort has to be made to zoom in and locate the target.
First of all, they have to estimate the size of the target in question, then proceed to calculate the distance to the target to be able to zoom in.
While we may not advise you to purchase this kind of rangefinder, it is a lot more affordable than more expensive brands, and if you do not mind the extra calculations you may have to put up with, then you should consider opting for these kinds of rangefinders.