Target vs. First Priority Mode in LRFs | Optics Trade Debates

By Polona Kraner Jul 31, 2018

Welcome to Optics Trade debates. In each episode, we talk about a different topic and try to answer the most common questions we receive about it. Today, we are going to talk about the Target or the First priority mode on laser rangefinding products.

These two different terms basically have the same meaning./p>

It’s hard to point a rangefinder exactly on to the intended target, especially if the target is a moving animal. Laser rangefinders emit lasers multiple times a second and spray the target with beams. Some of the beams can hit the background. All devices that have Target/First priority mode have a software solution, which detects which distance is to the animal and which to the background.

When aiming at a target that is on 300 m with a forest 100 m behind it, the rangefinder identifies that the closer object is the target.

Laser rangefinding optics usually have a 6x or 8x magnification. With 6x magnification, a target that is a bit farther away looks really small and it’s hard to hit it with the laser beams. Some rangefinding binoculars have a 10x magnification, so it’s even harder to aim with the shaky image.

This mode is a must-have for hunting and any other dynamic observations. All optical devices that don’t have it are used mostly on static observations and are commonly used on tripods.

This feature is a necessity for golf. Golfers use rangefinding optics to figure out the distance to a flag that marks the hole. The flag is a really small target so it would be really hard to get the correct distance without this feature.

All expensive rangefinding optics have Target or a First priority mode.

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Explanation of the term ‘target mode’ on our website:

Depending on the rangefinder model, there are 2 target modes available. In rangefinders that are designed for golf players, the First Target Priority Mode is the most important, because normally the players measure the flagstick, and this is usually the nearest object they measure. That’s why the rangefinder ignores all further objects like trees, mounds and so one, so the player has the only one measurement that is the most important.

The second target mode is the Distant Target Priority Mode. This one is very useful for hunters because rangefinders with this mode ignore all foreground distractions and show only the furthest distance. This is exactly opposite like the First Target Priority Mode since at golf the most important measurement is normally the closest, but in hunting, the farthest distance.