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When rangefinders first came out, they were considered a luxury product, but have since earned their keep as essential pieces of equipment, especially for archers.
This year Nikon has expanded its line of sport optics with the addition of the new Prostaff 3 and the Prostaff 5 Laser Rangefinders. Here’s a sneak peek on each …
Prostaff 3
The Prostaff 3 is the perfect size and profile for any hunt. It measures ranges in either yards or meters and features an automatic power shutoff after the reading has been displayed for eight seconds. The company claims that the Prostaff 3 works out to 550 yards.
With bright, multicoated 6x optics, the Prostaff 3 offers high-resolution images in most lighting conditions. An easy-to-view uncluttered LCD display makes ranging fast and easy, even in bright sunlight. Its compact frame weighs just 6.3 ounces.
An exit pupil of 3.5 mm provides the hunter with maximum brightness under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. The eyepiece is adjustable, with a range of +/- 4 diopters, has 18.2 mm eye relief and has a real angular field of view of 6 degrees.
MSRP is $180 for the black and $200 for the Realtree APG.
Prostaff 5
The Prostaff 5 from Nikon is the tricked out version of the Prostaff 3.
The 6×21 multicoated optical system boasts a huge ocular lens and optimized viewfinder display to provide the wide field of view needed for immediate subject acquisition and maximum ranging speed. With ranging precision out to 600 yards, the long eye relief of 18.3mm makes it great for use with or without eyeglasses. The 0.1-yard display makes the Prostaff 5 stand out from the crowd.
A defining feature of the Prostaff 5 Laser Rangefinder is the ability to enhance the display when needed. An easy-to-read LCD offers maximum contrast against the viewed image, while the switchable LED feature adds additional contrast as needed for ranging in virtually any light conditions.
This is where Nikon really came through and listened to feedback from its customers. On previous rangefinders the LED automatically switched on in lowlight conditions, which sometimes actually made it more difficult to see what you were ranging. Giving the user control of this feature is huge and it’s good to see a company take customer feedback.
MSRP is $230 for the black and $250 for the Realtree APG.