Leica make other products too!

[marknorton]

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This forum concentrates exclusively on photography but it's easy to forget that, currently, the biggest single business area is not the M or the R or a succession of bought-in digital cameras but their sport optics.

 

I've just bought a pair of their Duovid binoculars, 8 - 12 * 42 and they are of course stunning. Brilliant images, fine build quality and very easy to use. As a person who wears eye-glasses, lack of fatigue in use is important to me and these are a big step forward from the 15 year old Trinovids I've been using. Completely waterproof, they will serve me well in the English Cotswolds where I live.

 

So while the prospect of the M8 may steal the limelight, their sport optics continue a tradition which is every bit as strong as their cameras and lenses and they do not disappoint.

 

And just in case you thought I was going soft, no, I am not about to buy a Pradovit.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[earleygallery]

Their range is very diverse. I have a Leica tie!

[rosuna]

Are the Leica sport optics products relatively expensive (respect to other brands)?

[john_f]

Mark,

 

Thank you for reminding us about Leica's fabulous - and very popular - binoculars and scopes. It is true that Leica's sport optics is their most profitable business sector. You mention that their new Duovid 8+12x42 are a significant step forward from your older Trinovids (approx 1990). I would like to know if you also had a chance to try out their new Ultravid binos. Apparently, the Ultravids use aspherical elements which (along with an improved lens coating) give them even higher clarity and brilliance than the current Trinovids. I am considering getting the Ultravid 10x42 (http://www.leica-camera.us/nature_observation/ultravid_binoculars/).

 

BTW, did you ever compare your Leica binos to the Swarovski SLC & EL ?

 

Thank you,

 

John F.

[marknorton]

Are the Leica sport optics products relatively expensive (respect to other brands)?

 

Well yes, I suppose they are and I did notice my local gas station was selling a pair of binoculars for less than 1% of what I paid. Today, in record heat in the UK, I went for a 9 mile walk and the Leicas were great in looking at wild-life with a new clarity. They have a 30 year warranty, so are really a life-time purchase - the last pair of "bins" I will ever buy.

[marknorton]

John

 

I was attracted by the Duovids because of their dual magnification but a friend with Ultravids speaks very highly of them. I daresay the Duovids may involve some compromise but I like the ease of 8X and the detail of 12X. I found it tough to choose a single magnification to go with.

 

Have to confess I didn't look at other brands, so perhaps my "endorsement" is hardly objective!

[stuny]

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A pair of Trinovid BNC 10 X 25 binocs was our introduction to Leica. On a flight home from Asia the in-flight magazine mentioned high-end compact binocs, and we were pleasently surprised to find the Leica & Zeiss to be priced within reason. We tried both at a fine shop, bought the Leicas (they made our compact Nikons seem like toys by comparison), and then the continual big spending (cameras & lenses) came next.

[albertwang]

And what about that Leica Swatch, come on boys!

[pinetar]

Leica should license products the same way that Porsche Design does.

[leicapages]

Just bought a pair of Ultravid 10x32 BR for travel in mountains. They are simply outstanding. Yes, more expensive than competitors, but also better! You should compare prices with other premium brands like Zeiss or Swarovski, not with lesser gods :-)

 

I am also using the compact Trinovid 8x20 BCA, an excellent choice as well for those that seek maximum power in a compact and light package.

[john_f]

Pascal,

 

Your Ultravid 10x32 have a 3.2mm exit pupil whereas the 10x42 have a 4.2 exit pupil. As I am currently using a 7x50 bino (with about a 7.1 exit pupil), I would be more tempted to select the Ultravid 10x42. May I ask you how you find the ease of use (viewing comfort, etc..) of your Ultravid 10x32? Do you ever wish you had choosen the 10x42 instead? I would appreciate your opinion.

 

Thank you,

 

John F.

[leicapages]

Hello John,

 

yes, I wouldn't doubt that the 10x42 would be even more relaxing on the eyes. However, I had to find the optimum balance between performance, size and weight since this binoculars are meant for traveling (backpack). That's why I discounted the 42x series given the size/weight. I also enquired at Leica information service in Solms and, for the same reason, they recommended either the 8x32 or 10x32. Since the difference between the latter two is not big, I opted for the strongest ones.

Also, there are similar binoculars in the Trinovid series (now being phased out). The Ultravid series offer even better performance thanks to some novelties like HLS (see the Leica website).

So far, I am very pleased with them.

[wizard]

Rubèn,

 

if you compare Leica binoculars with other high-quality brands such as Zeiss and Swarovski, they are not more expensive. In fact, the Swarovski ones are usually more expensive than their Leica counterparts, and the Zeiss binoculars are about the same price as Leica. All of them are by no means cheap though, but if you look at it as a lifetime investment, they are worth it. I use my Trinovid 8x20 for roughly 20 years now (and since it is so compact, it gets a lot of use!), and it is still superb.

 

John,

 

you are certainly correct about the larger exit pupil, but did you know that as we become older our own pupil opens to a increasingly lesser extent? I was shocked when recently learning that a while a young person's pupil will vary between roughly 2mm and 8mm depending on incoming light, this range is reduced to just 3,2mm minimum and roughly 4mm maximum at the age of 70 - 80. In other words, when we are old, our pupil almost becomes "fixed aperture"! Even in mid-age, say 40 - 50, the range has considerably reduced (I don't remember the exact figures, but think it was like 2,8mm to 5,2mm).

 

It is thus questionable to me whether we can really make use of a large exit pupil once we are older. Of course, if the exit pupil is larger, the binocular will be a bit more tolerant to misadjustment of eye spacing, thus facilitating use somewhat, but that's about all I guess.

 

Regards,

 

Andy

[leicapages]

One advantage of a large exit pupil is that the binoculars take more light and thus are better usable under adverse lighting conditions.

[wizard]

One advantage of a large exit pupil is that the binoculars take more light and thus are better usable under adverse lighting conditions.

 

Pascal,

 

fully correct. But if your own eye's pupil does not open up enough for age reasons, there will be no benefit. In other words, if the exit pupil of your binocular is 7mm, but your own pupil only opens up to, say, 5mm, then your eye will not receive more light than if you had a binocular having an exit pupil of just 5mm. Alles klar?

 

Grüße,

 

Andreas

[haris]

Few days ago I wached documentary about building new bridge in France, the world tallest bridge. And I saw in one moment some gadged which was used, I think, to precisely calculate path of build, because bridge was bulit from both side simultanioulsy and those sides were connected on about 1/3 lenght of brige on one side. That gadged looked like round "box" on tripod. On gadget were written Leica...

[marknorton]

Leica Camera is one of three companies sharing the same logo. There's Leica Geosystems who make surveying equipment and Leica Microsystems who make microscopes (among many other things in both cases). All three companies derive from the original Ernst Leitz Wetzlar and in fact, the trademark for Leica used in cameras belongs to Leica Microsystems, not Leica Camera.

 

What you saw in that documentary on the building of the Millau bridge was a product of Leica Geosystems which is a Swiss company.

 

When Leica Camera were in financial trouble last year, the other two companies were quick to distance themselves from their financially troubled name-sake.