These ND2 filters decrease the amount of light transmitted by approximately 1 f-stop or 50 percent, and by doing so essentially increase the brightness of the Fusion’s display. I struggled for several days with a quick, sturdy, affordable way to mount them to the Fusion, experimenting with several dif- ferent configurations. I ended up with Velcro® on both the ND2 filters and exterior of the Fusion. I’m absolutely certain that someone else out there has a much better idea for mounting these filters. If you do, please either submit a letter to the editor of The Varmint Hunter Magazine®, or drop me an email for a future follow-up related to this. ADDITIONAL TESTING


While I would have loved a fol- low-up trip out to South Dakota for more prairie dog shooting and further testing of the Fusion with the ND2 fil- ters attached, unfortunately my busy summertime schedule did not work out. My testing was limited to my home state of Minnesota in terrain that was as close to prairie dog land as I could find under the brightest mid-day sunlight that God could provide. Under even


the brightest Minnesota sunlight, the display was much easier to view with the ND2 filters attached with my sur- prisingly sturdy improvised Velcro® quick-release mounts. BOTTOM LINE


You may be asking yourself a question similar to, “Why would I buy a rangefinding binocular that I have to add something to in order for it to work the way it is supposed to?” My answer is simple: Why not? Ranging while glassing with the Fusion for distant dogs is incredibly quick and convenient, and for me is light-years better than monocular-style rangefind- ers. The 12x50 Fusion model retails for just over $1,000, but can be found online with some searching for around $850 or so, with the 10x40 unit going for even less. This unit performs as well as other brands that cost more than three times the price. With the simple, low-cost ad- dition of two ND2 filters, the Fusion’s display is definitely visible even under very bright midday prairie dog shooting conditions, and enables me to save more than $1,000 under competitive units with similar performance. Hmmm,


$1,000 can buy a pretty nice rifle and there is that extra space in my safe…. THE CRYSTAL BALL


I was impressed with the Fusion, which, based on my review, is as clear as the optics on the test unit. During my conversations with the Bushnell engineers, I got the distinct impression that they were acutely aware of my con- cerns. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Bushnell has something up their sleeve. If they do release a new product, you can bet I’ll be doing a follow-up re- view for The Varmint Hunter Magazine® including a comparison to my Fusion. The author is a full-time infor- mation technology recruiter in the healthcare industry living in Minnesota with his wife, two boys ages 10 and 8, a daughter age 2, and a 4-year-old field spaniel. The author enjoys hunting varmints, big game, upland birds, and occasionally waterfowl as well as fish- ing, camping, and virtually anything related to the outdoors. If you would like to contact him, he can be reached at m1nels@earthlink.net.


www.varminthunter.org


Page 155


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196