skypilgrim
sage
Reged: 12/25/06
Posts: 412
Loc: Under a cloud
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I've been reading good reviews of the Leupold Wind River binocs but they don't seem to be available anymore. What I am finding of that brand is the Green Ring Mesa. Is that the Chinese replacement like so many other brands are doing these days? What can anyone tell me about the Green Ring Mesa's? How would they compare to say, the Nikon Actions or the Pentax PCF's?
Thanks for any pointers
Sam
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Equipment:
Scope #1: 5" f/8 refractor.
Scope #2: 3" f/6 refractor.
Daughters scope: XT6 dobsonian.
Area of interest: Ethnoastronomy
My Blog: http://fathersky.wordpress.com/
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I believe you are correct that the "Wind River" Mesa is no longer made. I have a green ring Mesa 10x50 on loan (haven't yet verified that it is or is not a Wind River Mesa) to compare to several other 10x50s but have not yet had enough time to compare all that I'd like. Some of the data is included in some of the 5 or 6 different posts listing tables of data on Small Binoculars. By general first impressions these are a fine binocular.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
Edited by EdZ (10/28/07 04:19 PM)
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hallelujah
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/14/06
Posts: 1660
Loc: Colorado Rocky Mt. High
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The Leupold Mesa series full size and compact are both still listed in the current 2007 catalog and web-site.
http://www.leupold.com/observation/products/binoculars/
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Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 16x60mm PCF WP FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 20x60mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Orion 12x63mm Mini Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 15x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 16x80mm Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 20x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 30x80mm MEGAView FMC/JAPAN
Barska 30x80mm X-Trail LW FC
Burgess Optical Series II 20x90mm FMC/WP/FP
Handel's Messiah**Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Correct. But they are no longer the "Wind River" Mesa.
I've edited my post to eliminate confusion.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
Edited by EdZ (10/28/07 04:18 PM)
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cota_scope
sage
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 356
Loc: sioux city ia
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go to eagle optics i believe they have some thats where i got mine a couple of months ago. http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?dept=1&type=19&subtype=272&results=15&purch=1&mfg=39 regards john
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skypilgrim
sage
Reged: 12/25/06
Posts: 412
Loc: Under a cloud
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Thanks EdZ, Cota and Halleluja,
I'm in no hurry, have a nice old style Celestron Ultima 8x40 to hold me for now. But wanting to be sure I'm up to speed on the 10x50 offerings and was curious about this one. I'll wait for EdZ's review later.
Thanks all!
Sam
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Equipment:
Scope #1: 5" f/8 refractor.
Scope #2: 3" f/6 refractor.
Daughters scope: XT6 dobsonian.
Area of interest: Ethnoastronomy
My Blog: http://fathersky.wordpress.com/
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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John, they have Mesa 10x50.
If you find somewhere that someone still has Wind River Mesas, let us know.
AFAIK, Mike Swaim first reported on the discontinuation of the Wind River Mesa and it's replacement with the Mesa at least as far back as about 3 to 4 years ago.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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edcannon
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 679
Loc: Austin, Texas
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In an advertising circular in today's newspaper an outdoors/sports chain store lists the Leupold "Wind River 8x42" (porro) for $182. I think this may be a confirmatory sign of the end of the line for that model. It doesn't say "clearance" or "close-out", but it may be fair to infer that they are trying to sell that model to make room for something else. On the other hand, it also lists two Bushnell 8x21 models for under $10....
The ad doesn't include the word "Mesa". [Edit: It also does not mention "Green Ring".]
Perhaps of interest in some way or another is that the ad says "fully coated optics" when they are of course at least multicoated.
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Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
As of 23 August 2008 - Celestron Skymaster 12x60
Edited by edcannon (10/28/07 05:22 PM)
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cota_scope
sage
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 356
Loc: sioux city ia
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i just checked ebay and they have a few new ones on there site, they say windriver mesa. john
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hallelujah
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/14/06
Posts: 1660
Loc: Colorado Rocky Mt. High
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Obviously I am missing something in this entire discussion.
What is the BIG difference between "Wind River" and the latest "Green Ring" designation?
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Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 16x60mm PCF WP FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 20x60mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Orion 12x63mm Mini Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 15x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 16x80mm Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 20x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 30x80mm MEGAView FMC/JAPAN
Barska 30x80mm X-Trail LW FC
Burgess Optical Series II 20x90mm FMC/WP/FP
Handel's Messiah**Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I notice Cabelas lists Wind River Mesas. The seem to have all features the same as the ones I have in hand.
However, the Leupould website does not list any Wind River models at all. They list Green Ring Mesas.
Fov is pretty narrow for a 10x50, only about 5.5°. But, focus lock is a nice feature and the twist out eyecups stay put at any intermediate setting, something not all binoculars can claim. I've checked these and found usable eye relief is a substantial 17mm and aperure was measured to a full 49mm (can't dispute a difference of 1mm by measuring).
There was some discussion several years ago as to whether or not the Mesa had the same quality as the Wind River Mesa. There were some identifiers noted that differentiated between WR Mesa and Mesa, for instance the WR Mesa, IIRC did not have a knobby focuser. I can certainly understand that there "May" be a difference, if indeed they are manufatured in different places. Just as an example look to the difference in quality noticed between the Pentax WP and the Pentax WP II, which many have stated do not measure up to the WP.
Considering that the Leupold website doesn't even list a "Wind River" model, I'm not sure the Cabelas offering is really a Wind River as they say.
edz
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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edcannon
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/19/03
Posts: 679
Loc: Austin, Texas
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Quote:
Obviously I am missing something in this entire discussion.
What is the BIG difference between "Wind River" and the latest "Green Ring" designation?
That's a good question. I would ask an additional question. If it is the same binocular, same specifications, then why rename it? (I presume the answer is marketing rather than anything significant.) To me the most obvious outcome of renaming for no apparent reason is consumer confusion.
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Ed Cannon - Austin, Texas, USA
As of 23 August 2008 - Celestron Skymaster 12x60
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hallelujah
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/14/06
Posts: 1660
Loc: Colorado Rocky Mt. High
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I sent an e-mail off to Leupold to see if they are willing to send me any Historical information about their binoculars (Golden Ring/Green Ring/Wind River).
If anything good arrives I will pass it along.
I am assuming that the "Wind River" is an older name, which is being changed/phased out due to the 100 year anniversary, and the technological changes/upgrades.
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Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 16x60mm PCF WP FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 20x60mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Orion 12x63mm Mini Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 15x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 16x80mm Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 20x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 30x80mm MEGAView FMC/JAPAN
Barska 30x80mm X-Trail LW FC
Burgess Optical Series II 20x90mm FMC/WP/FP
Handel's Messiah**Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Posted by Mike Swaim 7-26-04
Leupold Wind River "Mesa"
8x42 WP 6.5*FOV $150
10x50 WP 5.5*FOV $175
[Comments: I own a 2nd generation Leupold WR 10x50 prior to the "Mesa" designation and it's remarkable for it's compact size and reasonably decent optics. This is one of the most compact 10x50s that I've seen, though I don't know if that trend continues in the more recent "Mesas". More than that, the sample I own is remarkably clear to the outer edges of about 80% of the 5.5* FOV. Again, whether this trend continues in the newer "Mesa" series is unknown. I consider these to be amongst the better bargains out there.
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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hallelujah
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/14/06
Posts: 1660
Loc: Colorado Rocky Mt. High
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Thanks EdZ,
I looked through the Leupold Mesa 10x50mm some months ago in a Sportsman's Warehouse store when I was doing a side-by-side comparison with the Nikon AE ATB 12x50mm vs. the Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II.
The new Mesa was by far the "worst" of the three, with the Nikon coming in at a not so great #2 position, compared to the PCF WP II.
The Mesa that I looked through could have been a roughly treated display model, for all I know, but, it was so obviously lacking in sharpness that I put it down immediately and never gave it another thought. 
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Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 16x60mm PCF WP FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 20x60mm PCF WP II FMC/WP/FP
Orion 12x63mm Mini Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 15x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 16x80mm Giant FMC/JAPAN
Orion 20x70mm Little Giant II FMC/JAPAN
Orion 30x80mm MEGAView FMC/JAPAN
Barska 30x80mm X-Trail LW FC
Burgess Optical Series II 20x90mm FMC/WP/FP
Handel's Messiah**Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth
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ngc6475
Fearless Spectator
Reged: 03/02/02
Posts: 4790
Loc: Northern Sierra Foothills
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I have a Leupold 10x50 binocular that is a few months old, and the front of the box from which the binoculars came says "Leupold Wind River Binocular" with the word "Mesa" by itself on the upper right hand corner. On the back it states, "Leupold Wind River Mesa binoculars offer durable, porro prism binoculars for those who prefer a traditional binocular design." The paperwork inside the box is for a Leupold Green Ring Binocular.
It appears the Wind River Mesa and Green Ring binoculars are one and the same.
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Walter
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
-Mark Twain
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10146
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Perhaps Leupold ought to ask John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival to feature in advertisements for a new model , called GREEN RIVER ? :-)
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Geo557
sage
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 402
Loc: SE Georgia
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I have checked several websites that sell Leupold 10x50's and I'm finding "wind river mesa"and "green ring mesa" for what appears to be the binos in question here.I notice that Anacortes calls them both of these names within the same ad. They also state "multicoated" not "fully". Hopefully these new models (if thats what they are) hav'nt changed coatings.By the way, they are selling these for $175 which is a teriffic price if these are the original wind river mesa's. Also binoculars.com is calling them just "mesa" binoculars. Go figure. We'll let EdZ iron it out for us.
Steve
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Steve
"I'll take Astronomy for $400 please Alex".
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