Leica Binoculars - Fantastic Glass!

[ray_dicecca]

I own a pair of Leica 8x42 BA and 10x25 BCA Trinovids and absolutely love looking through these things.

 

The 10x25's I take to concerts and sporting events. I have no problem holding them steady (using a tip I read

somewhere about holding the outside of my index fingers against my forehead/eyebrow area to support them).

 

The 8x42's I use for hiking/nature/birding outings etc...

 

Both are bright, clear, ruggedly built, and posses that "bokeh" to kill for.

 

I haven't looked through any of other hi-end binoculars but these things have a way of cutting through the "veil"

and placing you intimately in the scene.

 

I was curious if others here own Leica bino's besides their rangefinder equipment.

 

- Ray

[rgerraty]

No, unfortunately. Thanks for the tip on holding them steady. Had a Zeiss monocular once. I won't say how it got lost. I use

a crummy old pair of 7 x 50s for astronomy. One day.

[mike_earussi1]

Swarovski are even better IMHO, but the price of both are astronomical.

 

http://www.swarovskioptik.at/index.php?l=us&css=&nID=x434b769e932b90.44843491&c=produkte

[ray_dicecca]

Prices *are* high!

 

I got my 10's over 20 years ago and the 8's about 10 years ago. Not sure if I'd pay the current asking prices today :-(

 

- Ray

[adrian_nasti]

I own Leica camera gear, but I chose a pair of Swarovski's over the Leica's. They just seemed to have the edge, IMHO

[ronald_moravec1]

The Leica bino`s are what sold my brother on Leica Cameras.

 

Look through some of the others and notice the eyestrain. This does not happen with Leica because great care is taken to keep the tubes parallel with each other.

 

The care is what makes it a pleasurable experience plus the excellent optics. I have tried Nikons and they are is really poor next to Leicas which are like looking thru unassisted eyes.

[doug herr]

My 10x40B Trinovids are as enjoyable to use today as they were when I bought them 32 years ago. They're what convinced me that Leica

glass isn't all hype.

[gadge]

I use a pair of Leica 8x32's which I bought new five or six years ago opting for the compact size of these 32s so that they could do a bit of everything. Although they are not ideally sized for theatres/concerts, carried there in a shoulder bag, they work very well and don't look ridiculous in use. In the field, they are superb with good depth of field for easy focusing and not too much power so trembling kept to a minimum even when out of puff a bit after climbing a hill where their light weight and size is a bonus.

 

I carefully compared them with similar 8 x 32 models available from Minox and Swarovski (Sw) at the time and I preferred the Leica glass and ergonomics. Although the Sw optics were excellent, I can't say I found them to be better, I also didn't like the body design of these as much as the rubber armoured Leica's. Finally, I looked around on price and got a deal where the Leicas were competitive with the Sws which settled it for me.

 

100% waterproofing was essential as I wanted to regularly use them in damp conditions with the outside possibility of an unintentional complete dip in salt water now and then or at best getting soaked e.g. carried in a canvas bag on the deck of a very small boat awash with salt water. That counted Zeiss Trinovid Bino's out. They have performed brilliantly to date and it is easy to confidently wash off any salt residues or saltmarsh mud picked up.

 

I especially enjoy the quality when using them on close up items such as summer dragonflies at 10-12' away. They focus down to about 9'. The glass is top quality and reminds me very much of the highly satisfying results that so easily come when using great camera lenses by Leica or Zeiss. Leica claim they have improved this model since but I can't imagine how and I haven't even bothered to try the new ones.

 

In fact, I like them so much it inspired me to buy an M camera later :-)

 

Gadge

[anthony_brookes5]

I have two pairs of Leica binos and a pair of Zeiss 10x25s. They both have similar quality glass but the Leica are better built, I tried Swaroskvi before one pair of the Leicas but didn't think they were as good as the Leica. (seemed awkward in the hands as well) Optically not much between any of them probably)

[gadge]

Corrections : "Zeiss Trinovid Bino's" - It is of course my Leica's that are branded Trinovid. Can't recall now what the range name of the Zeiss was but they were not 100% waterproof. Also I got mine much longer ago than stated above.

[bernard_korites]

Astronomers are very discriminating about their bino's. If you browse through some of the threads on cloudynights.com, you will see they tend to favor Fujinon porro prism's, which are half the price of Leica/Zeiss/Swarovski.

 

To my knowledge, Leica makes only roof prism bino's which are inherently less bright (10-15%) than porro prism's. Roof prism bino's cost more than porro's not because they're better but because their design requires tighter tolerances in manufacturing.

 

If you want a really nice pair of bino's look at the Fujinon professional series porro prisms. They are rubber armoured and waterproof with the best optics, albeit a bit on the heavy side, maybe more appropriate for piloting a supertanker into New York Harbor at night than birding in the back yard, but I like mine.

[Robin Smith]

"...favor Fujinon porro prism's, which are half the price of Leica/Zeiss/Swarovski."

 

That is reason enough to prefer them, but it does not necessarily mean they are better - just that their quality/price

ratio is higher. In many ways this reasoning could be applied to all Leica products versus their high quality rivals. I

agree though that astronomers require high quality optics, but equally they are looking at decidely different kinds of

objects compared to what a birder (say) is looking at.

[cpj]

Well, I am a Leica binocular fan and I currently have five of them. First a pair of 20 year-old 8x40 BA Trinovids, the 8x20's

Trinovid, a relatively recent 7x42 BA Trinovid, and my recent acquisition, the 8x32 Ultravid HD. The new Ultravid HD's also

come in 10x32 as well which gives a bit more magnification but the 8x32s are better in low light levels.

 

All of these are expensive and the new Ultravid HD's are clearly superior to the older models and a lot more compact and

lighter than say, a 7x42. If you get into binoculars you have to decide on compromises between exit pupil size and relative

light transmission vs. magnification. Overall the roof prism with a "6" exit pupil (7x42) is probably going to give you the most

light transmission for the money, but the new HD 8x32's with a "4" supposedly has light transmission of about a "5"and I

believe it from comparison.

[gadge]

Oldish review of what at the time was the reference set choice

 

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/Leica-Ultra-8X32.php

 

the new HD ones

 

http://www.optics4birding.com/leica-ultravid-hd-8x32-binoculars.html

[michael_markey]

I have used a pair of 10x40 Trinovids since the eighties for birding. Never regretted buying them and although the latest versions are slightly better ,they are not that much better. The Trinovids can more than hold their own.

When I was contemplating buying them somebody said that I would not see any more birds through them than I would a cheaper pair!

Very true but the pleasure in using them and the quality of the view is more than enough compensation for a quite day in the field.

Leica binos (and to some extent the R system) is championed over here in the UK by TV presenter (and one time member of the group that spawned Monty Python) Bill Odie.

[02Pete]

I have not used Leica binoculars, so I can't compare them with other brands. Based on positive experience with Leica camera lenses, I would expect Leica binoculars to be of high optical quality and well built, and I have no reason to doubt the positive comments about them here. I agree, however, with the favorable comment about Fujinon binoculars. In my experience, Fujinon binocular optics are of high quality, with high light transmission due to effective multicoating, excellent color correction that eliminates color fringing, and durable mountings. The difference between Fujinon binoculars and less expensive equipment is immediately apparent when one looks through them. While it is true that they offer good value for money, the high level of quality and performance that they deliver should not be casually dismissed on that basis.

[john clark]

Count me in on this - I'm a happy 8x32 BN owner who wouldn't be without them (even though they don't actually get used all that much)...

[joshroot]

My mother, who would never spend $1000+ on a camera, can't shut up about he Leica binocs. Seriously, she could fit in here with the most rabid Leica camera cheerleader.

 

But I have to admit that I've used them and they are great binoculars.

[ken schwarz]

The Fujinon astro binoculars (70x10 FMT-SX) are very nice for stargazing, but terrible for birdwatching and most other terrestrial applications: they're too heavy to hand-hold for more than a few seconds, they don't have a central focus wheel, and their exit pupils are so big (7mm) that they will make you aware of whatever off-axis anomalies there are in your eyes, such as astigmatism, that you might not notice with a more reasonable 4-5mm exit pupil. Never mind the fact that during daylight hours your pupils are too small to accept that much light in anyway! An 8-10x42 optic makes much more sense and the Leicas mentioned in the original posting are absolutely wonderful. The Nikon 10x42mm Premier SE are porro prism designs that are as sharp, color-free and neutral as I've seen anywhere. They are also reasonably lightweight. Too bad that they aren't waterproof. Canon's image stabilization binoculars really work and in practice give me the best results for 10x glasses if I don't have a tripod mounting.

[jose_angel]

Looking for a 10x25 time ago I compared Leica (old and new version), Swarowsky and others. Althought I was adviced to buy Swarowsky, I finally bought the Ultravids: to my eyes were contrastier and winner on shadow detail.

[chuck_albertson1]

I've had a pair of 8x32 Ultravids for a few years now, and usually take them to baseball games and the like. You can hang them around your neck and forget about them after a while, they're so light. If I loan them to someone for a look, I invariably end up having to wrestle them away from that person--people notice the difference.

[bernard_korites]

Ken-

 

You're right, you don't need astro bino's for birdwatching. My wife and I use Fujinon 6x30 FMT-SX's which are made to the same standards as Fuji's professional bino's. They weigh 1.75 pounds and we have no trouble holding them for extended periods. They have a wide field of view - 8.5 degrees - which makes picking up moving targets very easy. The 30mm lens give sufficient light gathering power for daytime use. They have a substantial eye relief (24mm as I recall) so eyeglass wearers like me have no trouble seeing the entire field. As far as the center focussing wheel goes, they do not have one since it isn't necessary. The depth of field is large enough so once you set them to your eyes you don't have to refocus. They are rubber coated and seem to be quite durable. Mine have sloshed around in salt water in the bottom of my canoe, they have been dropped, banged and been generally abused on countless duck hunting trips for about 15 years and they still work fine.

 

I thought I might be missing something so a few years ago I ordered a pair of Leica bino's but returned them since they offered nowhere near the performance of the Fuji's despite costing more than 3 times as much.

 

I realize that not swooning over Leica bino's on the Leica forum will raise the hackles of Leicaphiles so all I can say is - use whatever works for you.

[bernard_korites]

Ken-

 

You're right, you don't need astro bino's for birdwatching. My wife and I use Fujinon 6x30 FMT-SX's which are made

to the same standards as the larger Fuji professional bino's. We live on a salt marsh which is visited by all kinds of

wildlife and the Fuji's are used almost every day. They weigh 1.75 pounds and we have no trouble holding

them for extended periods. They have a wide field of view - 8.5 degrees - which makes picking up moving targets very

easy. The 30mm lenses give sufficient light gathering power for daytime use. They have substantial eye relief (24mm

as I recall) so eyeglass wearers like me have no trouble seeing the entire field. As far as the center focussing wheel

goes, they do not have one since it isn't necessary. The depth of field is large enough so once you set them to your

eyes you don't have to refocus. They are rubber coated and seem to be quite durable. Mine have sloshed around in

salt water in the bottom of my canoe, they have been dropped, banged and been generally abused on countless

duck hunting and boating trips for about 15 years and they still work fine.

 

I thought I might be missing something so a few years ago I ordered a pair of Leica bino's but returned them since

they offered nowhere near the performance of the Fuji's despite costing more than 3 times as much.

 

I realize that not swooning over Leica bino's on the Leica forum will raise the hackles of Leicaphiles so all I can say

is - use whatever works for you.

[robbiebedell]

Ken, My 7x42s were stolen and I have never truly recovered. One of my favorite things was to look at the moon and the stars on a clear dark night.

[alan_ginman]

I used Leica rangefinder cameras for years and thought the lenses were no better than any other top brand. However, I use a pair of Leitz 8x20s for watching cricket and they are superb. The clarity and brightness is second to none. I was initially put off by the price and messed about for 2 years trying to find something cheaper before I bit the bullet and bought them. Binoculars will last for a lifetime so divide the cost by the number of years you have left to live (an inexact science, I know) and they begin to look like a good investment.

 

Cheers

 

Alan