Technologies

How Our Laser Rangefinders Work

Bushnell's laser rangefinders use an invisible, eye-safe Class 1 Laser beam (as classified by the FDA) which is "bounced" off distant objects with the press of a button.

Then, the rangefinder's high-speed digital clock measures the time it took for a laser beam to reach a target and return to the unit. Next, using advanced digital electronics, the rangefinder instantly calculates the distance within +/- 1 yard and shows the range in either yards or meters on a through-the-lens LCD Display.

The entire process is so fast that less than a second elapses between the time you press the button to generate a laser beam to the time the exact range to your target is displayed.

Target Reflectivity

Because rangefinders "bounce" a laser beam off the target in order to take a measurement, their range is partially determined by the reflectivity of the target.

In other words, hard or "reflective" targets - like a rock cliff or semi-truck - can be measured at greater distances than soft surface targets.

Ranges for moderately reflective targets, like trees, fall somewhere in the middle. Smaller targets, like flags, have been very difficult to target until now - thanks to PinSeeker® Technology.