Leica ultravid HD 10x42 Binoculars

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

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Ive been offered a brand new set of these Binoculars for  really good price and wondered if anyone else has these. I want them for Birding and to take on a African Safari.

[andybarton]

Neil - Your question is a rhetorical one really, as I am sure that you know that Leica binoculars are, alongside Swarovski, the best in the world.

 

We have had Leica binoculars for years. My wife has a pair of 10x32 Ultravids (non HD) that are about 10 years old and they are fantastic binoculars. With a 42 diameter objective lens, the ones you have been offered will be brighter and I am sure that the HD moniker must mean something has been improved too.

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[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Neil - Your question is a rhetorical one really, as I am sure that you know that Leica binoculars are, alongside Swarovski, the best in the world.

 

We have had Leica binoculars for years. My wife has a pair of 10x32 Ultravids (non HD) that are about 10 years old and they are fantastic binoculars. With a 42 diameter objective lens, the ones you have been offered will be brighter and I am sure that the HD moniker must mean something has been improved too.

 

Hi Andy

I really don't have a clue about binoculars, someone mentioned to me that I should get a pair for my Birding and especially my Safari trip coming up in 2 weeks time. I have a pair of Bushnell 10 x 32 but really don't get on with them............like looking through frosted glass.

I am going to see my mate at the Leica store tomorrow so will try them out and see how they compare.

[andybarton]

Bushnell and Leica binoculars are not anywhere in the same league

 

You buy Leica S cameras, have at least three Nikon pro-spec SLRs, with £1000s of glass, but use a £25 pair of binoculars?

 

Try the Leicas today, and the Swarovski ones if possible. You will be astonished at what you can see with them.

[jaapv]

Neil - Your question is a rhetorical one really, as I am sure that you know that Leica binoculars are, alongside Swarovski, the best in the world.

 

We have had Leica binoculars for years. My wife has a pair of 10x32 Ultravids (non HD) that are about 10 years old and they are fantastic binoculars. With a 42 diameter objective lens, the ones you have been offered will be brighter and I am sure that the HD moniker must mean something has been improved too.

The difference between 10x32 and 10x42 will only show up in low light. The build quality of Leica is better than Swarovsky. And, as I mentioned in the other thread you have running, Leica binoculars are more comfortable to move around.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

 

 

You buy Leica S cameras, have at least three Nikon pro-spec SLRs, with £1000s of glass, but use a £25 pair of binoculars?

 

Try the Leicas today, and the Swarovski ones if possible. You will be astonished at what you can see with them.

Andy you got it wrong

I've never used binoculars and only have the bushnell as a safety award. I don't care how much they are I just want to buy one time and hopefully kill two birds with one stone and get one set for birds and safari

[pgk]

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Ive been offered a brand new set of these Binoculars for  really good price and wondered if anyone else has these. I want them for Birding and to take on a African Safari.

 

7x or 8x are easier to handle and will probably be more used if you buy them. 10x is just a little long for most people. I personally much prefer 7x or 8x and find that they get much more use than more powerful bins. If you don't want to spend a fortune then look for some used Trinovids or Ultravids which will still offer superb optics - even quite old ones - 8x30 or 8x40 are general purpose suitable for birds and most other subjects. My wife's are 8x32BA and still much much more than adequate despite their age (I currently use 7x32 Trinovids which are somewhat rarer and very compact). One tip is to check with a binocular repairer to make sure that any older ones you are interested in buying are still repairable - many/most will be. Personally I'd just buy a reasonable 8x pair of Leicas - you will have no regrets and if you buy wisely will find the 'running' costs very low should you ever want to part with them.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Its okay I plan to buy new ones

[jaapv]

In my experience Leica binoculars carry a lifelong guaranty.

[jaapv]

Andy you got it wrong

I've never used binoculars and only have the bushnell as a safety award. I don't care how much they are I just want to buy one time and hopefully kill two birds with one stone and get one set for birds and safari

For birding you NEED 10x, for standard Safari 10x or 8x is more a matter of preference (8x usually focus closer, nice for small stuff relatively close). Make sure you get 42 ones, they perform better in low light..

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

I'm now a proud owner of the Leica 10x42 Ultravivid HD Binoculars

I tried them out in my mates Leica store in the pissing rain and the worked perfectly not only in the rain but also after 6 Heinekens xxx

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

In my experience Leica binoculars carry a lifelong guaranty.

yes I was told that today

[jaapv]

I'm now a proud owner of the Leica 10x42 Ultravivid HD Binoculars

I tried them out in my mates Leica store in the pissing rain and the worked perfectly not only in the rain but also after 6 Heinekens xxx

You'll be stuck with them for the rest of your life...

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

You'll be stuck with them for the rest of your life...

 

Thanks for everyones input

They defiantly have the wow factor............

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[masjah]

I know nothing of binoculars, so would be very interested in people's advice on the following:

 

(1) I have a bit of a tremor; would I therefore be better off with 8x rather than 10x for general purpose use?

 

(2) Is it true that one's maximum pupil diameter gets small with age, so that an older person couldn't get the full benefit of (say) 42mm rather than 32mm objective lenses? 

[Peter Kilmister]

John, You might be better off with a spotting scope. 20x magnification but mounted on a tripod. It's worth trying one at a dealership.

[andybarton]

John 

 

You'd be be better off with 8x binoculars, or even 7x

 

I've not heard about the pupil contraction thing before. But I would have thought that more light is always better

[Jared]

Yes, the maximum aperture your eye can dilate to gets smaller with age. Through one's twenties, most people's eyes can get to 7mm, but you will lose about 1mm per decade after that. So a 50 year old man would typically have a maximum pupil diameter of around 5mm or so. Somewhere between 3 and 4 mm this effect of aging generally stops.

 

To figure out what binocular's exit pupil is you simply take the size of the objective and divide it by the power. 7x50!binoculars have an exit pupil of 7mm. 8x32's have an exit pupil of 4mm. If the binocular's exit pupil is larger than your eye's entrance pupil, you are wasting some of the light your binocular's are gathering and could have bought something with a smaller objective and gotten the same result. That's why 8x32's for example, generally perform as well as 8x42's until it gets dark. Your pupils aren't dilated enough to use the extra light the 10x42's are collecting.

 

Fornsomeone with a tremor, I'd recommend just trying out a few pairs to see if you can hold them steady enough. Lower power will probably be easier, e.g., 7x. Also, heavier binocular's may work better than lighter ones (within reason) since the extra mass may steady things down a bit. A spotting scope on a tripod, though, might be the ultimate solution.

[Chuck Albertson]

John,

 

I have pair of the 8x32, and the 8x magnification is about my limit for hand-holding. They're pretty light for their size, though - a lot of magnesium and titanium. Whenever I take them to a ball game or other sporting event and someone else takes a look through them, I usually have to struggle to get them back.

 

Don't know anything about your second question. My eyes are so bad that pupil shrinkage would be gravy.

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[Manoleica]

Though they are not Leica, Canons & other High End -  Optical Image Stabilization Bino's are excellent..