The Mark 4 spotting scope line offers one of the most premium products from Leupold. These flagship scopes are superior in performance, producing outstanding and brilliant images every time they’re trusted upon. They’ll give you the ultimate brightness and clarity you need for precise target identification, in a very compact package. Mark 4 scopes are exceptionally tough to endure shocks, drops, and impacts. These military grade spotting scopes won’t come in many variations. But, the available top-of-the-line scopes are amazing enough to excite you with every single use. The Mark 4 series offers almost all of the high-end features that even a veteran professional will ask for.
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Features and Overview
In fact, the Mark 4 spotting scope line delivers some truly amazing features. The lens is geared with Xtended Twilight lens system, which effectively optimizes the light transmission, and in turn, ensures vivid and brighter detail in low-light conditions. DiamondCoat 2, an ion-assist lens coating, is another exquisite feature from Leupold. It provides additional light transmission properties and provides better clarity, resolution and color fidelity. Leupold is renowned for making compact scopes, and it’s largely been possible by using folded light path technology.
Since these scopes are made to be used even in the most difficult situations, the focusing system had to be taken special care of. Leupold responded to this necessity with a smooth focusing system with accurate adjustment.
Mark 4 spotting scopes are absolutely waterproof and fog proof, so never worry about carrying it with you in adverse weather. These scopes use BAK-4 prisms, which deliver a perfectly round exit pupil, plus enhance light transmission. The final result of this is a crisp and clear image with brilliant sharpness. There is a built-in 1/4-20 tripod adapter port to make your life easier should you want to mount it on a tripod – which is the typical use case.
Indeed, you’ll get a lot of top-class features from a Mark 4 spotting scope. But, the main point is that the scopes are made expressly for military grade shooting application. Unsurprisingly, the Mark 4 12-40x60mm spotting scope is now used by US Army as part of their semi-automatic sniper system. The build quality is exceptional and the durability of these scopes is truly unprecedented. However, all these have made Mark 4 a cost-unfriendly series. If you’re on a tight budget, please don’t waste your time looking for such a scope.
Product Variations
Although the Mark 4 spotting scopes are slim in variety, let’s take a look at some options.
This spotter will give you unmatched performance. This high-performance scope has a 12-40x zoom range and an objective diameter of 60mm. These scopes, however, boasts an aluminum housing instead of magnesium to provide more durability. And, this aluminum base is further strengthened with armor coating, delivering better grasp. Fold-down rubber eyecups are comfortable for people with or without glasses. Weighing only 37 oz. and measuring at 12.4 inches, this is certainly a scope that you can carry anywhere. And, with the Multicoat 4 lens system, making the most out of the transmitted light, you will get great clarity even at the highest magnification. Mil-dot will allow you easy distance estimation at any power setting, since it’s in the front focal plane.
It is very similar to the previous one. However, you will get a Tactical Milling Reticle instead of Mildot. TMR (Tactical Milling Reticle) definitely worth the extra bucks that you’ve to spend because it’s generally much easier to measure target height with straight lines than with small round dots and the divisions are more fine-grain. The optical performance, however, is the same as with the previous one with identical features. This spotter is absolutely waterproof and fog proof.
This Mark 4 variation is a powerhouse – probably the most powerful spotting scope that you will ever need. A magnification of 20-60x and a large oversized objective diameter of 80mm can get your sights on the longest target range. With these best-in-class spotters, you will see very little degradation in performance as you zoom in. The optics will do wonders in low-light conditions too, thanks to the Xtended Twilight Lens system. Eye relief is outstanding: this 30mm eye relief is comfortable for everyone.
Featuring identical specifications, this spotter is also top-of-the-line. Since these spotting scopes are made for military-grade applications, often you’ll find the front focal plane reticle to be the make-or-break issue. If you find TMR to be handier, go for this one. However, both of them you will give you the opportunity to estimate the range impeccably at any magnification.
Conclusion:
The Mark 4 line is definitely not for you if you are on tight budget. These spotters are made for a lifetime of use and come with a lifetime guarantee. Leupold manufactures specifically to promote superior quality and perfect workmanship. The spotters include a soft-sided protective case for maximizing utility. If you are a meticulous observer seeking the highest level of performance with incredibly rugged and compact construction, Mark 4 spotting scope is the right series for you. Choose between Mil-dot and TMR, and you are off to a new level of optical experience, whether it’s at the range or out hunting.