I’m a big Prism fan; I was raised on the ACOG, and that left an impression on me. I like simplicity, but lately I’ve come to appreciate the red dot and magnifier combo. The SIG Romeo8T AMR converted me. I’ve approached this as an amateur, and as I was fooling around with red dots and magnifiers, I started wondering why no one made a variable magnifier.
Immediately, I had an inkling why, but in an era where people love options, it seems like a somewhat decent idea that could be pulled off. Yet, the market seemed empty.
Then I realized I was wrong; someone had made variable magnifiers. Lucid produced a variable magnifier that was 2x to 5x, and I’m not sure if it’s still made. It’s sold out everywhere, and according to Optics Planet, the product is discontinued. Then I found one from Feyachi and knew from the $40 price tag that it would be junk. Still, I grabbed one just to check it out.
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The Variable Magnifier – An Inkling
Why are variable magnifiers a seemingly no-go zone for the optics world? The number one reason I love prisms is their simplicity. People are using magnifiers because they are simple. Move it over, shoot, push it out of the way. Who is going with a magnifier to vary the magnification?
There simply isn’t a demand for one. If you wanted that capability, an LPVO more or less has you covered. There are some benefits, namely the ability to push it out of the way and have a true 1x red dot for close-range use, but the juice doesn’t seem to be worth the squeeze.
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A variable magnifier would introduce complications, and a good one would be very costly. This would get expensive fast, and if you’re spending money on a quality variable optic, then an LPVO starts to make more sense.
There are 3x, 4x, 5x, and 6x magnifiers, so you can get close to LPVO capability without needing much variability. Most people who use LPVOs are likely either running them at their minimum magnification or their max magnification without much need for the numbers in between. A variable magnifier would likely be run the same way, so why not just purchase the magnification you want and save money?
Magnifiers and red dots tend to have a fairly small footprint. A variable magnifier would be a larger option, and therefore a heavier option. This takes away from some of the benefits of a magnifier and red dot combo. This creates a combination of optics that weigh the same as an LPVO and is just as long.
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More Than Me
I reached out to Mike at Gideon Optics. I asked him why he thought a variable magnifier didn’t exist, and he essentially reinforced my thoughts. He also mentioned he’d love to create one that’s a 2x-4x design that’s extremely compact and lightweight, but it’s simply not there yet. He said if we could shrink that one, it might be worth the squeeze.
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Mike mentioned the Elcan Specter, an optic that’s famously a 1x or 4x or 1.5x to 6x prism. It’s heavy and weighs a ton, but that type of magnifier might be the key to a successful variable magnifier. Being able to instantly swap from 2x to 4x or 3x to 6x would be handy, but it would be difficult to create in a small, lightweight footprint.
My Experience With the Feyachi
The Feyachi Variable Magnifier glass quality is absolute garbage. It’s remarkably unclear, and everything appears fuzzy, as if there is a haze in the air. Try as I might, I could never get a clear image that didn’t look hazy. The variable magnifier moved from 1.5x to 5x, and a magnification ring controlled movement.
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I found myself just using the 5x. I didn’t need anything less in most situations where I needed a magnifier. It was tough to find situations where I needed 3x instead of 5x. I certainly never needed 1.5x. It’s neat, it’s cheap, and unique, but that doesn’t make it good.
I think a variable magnifier could work, but I don’t see a lot of use for one amongst red dot and magnifier enthusiasts. Time will tell, and I hope to be proven wrong in the near future. I want better optics just like everyone else; I’m just not sure how handy a variable magnifier would be.
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