Bob, >From the owners manual that is online, I see that thing can be switched from first target priority to last target priority if you press that power switch within 0.5 second of pressing the mode button. If you don't hit the power button that quickly, it just changes the display units. Be careful!!! The owner's manual also shows that the Forestry 550 and the 550A S are the same unit only named differently for foreign markets and with different default settings and some minor packaging differences.
I also see from it's specs that it's beam is horizontally elongated with beam divergence of 5-8 degrees vertically and 25-36 degrees horizontally, as I had mentioned recently for other rangefinders. Paul On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 11:47 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > ENTS, > > > > My brand new Nikon Forestry 550 arrived this morning and I just > completed going through all its features. I give the instrument two solid > thumbs up. It is a real hypsometer that can compete with the LaserTech > TruPulse 200 for half the price. The 550 doesn't compete with the TruPulse > 360, which has added functionality. > > I am thrilled to report that the Forestry 550 does the math right. It > has a single point mode and a double point mode. In the single point mode, > you shoot a target and the 550 returns the linear distance of the point, > vertical distance (height) of the point, horizontal distance of the point, > and angle of the point. The double point mode measures the full height of > the target tree. You shoot the crown an then the base (or vice versa) and > the 550 returns the full height (vertical separation of the two points) and > several other returns and shows them in an external LED that is easy to > read. > > The 550 has two target acquisition modes: 1st target accessed > and fartherest target accessed. The latter mode is appropriate to shooting > to the top of a tree with a cluster of branches. It is easy to switch > between the modes. > > Distances can be displayed in yards, meters, or feet. Angles are > always in degrees. Sweet! This is the instrument for measurers who don't > want to fuss with the math, but who want the internal process to produce the > right answer in contrast the manufacters who mindlessly program in the > tangent method for tree height determination, when they could have just as > easily done it right. > > I'll provide more information over the next few days, but as of this > point my $350.00 hypsometer is a very, very good buy. Nikon or their Chinese > manufacturers must have been paying attention to ENTS. Better late than > never. > > > > Bob > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
