stephen.w Posted August 20, 2020 Share #21 Posted August 20, 2020 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ultravids are made in Germany, the Trinovids (older optical formula, at least some in the product lineup aren't waterproof) are made in Portugal. I went for Ultravids. https://us.leica-camera.com/World-of-Leica/Leica-News/Global/2018/A-new-design-for-an-elegant-classic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 20, 2020 Posted August 20, 2020 Hi stephen.w, Take a look here Binoculars made in Portugal Good or Bad ?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Marsman Posted August 20, 2020 Author Share #22 Posted August 20, 2020 I A/B ed the 10x32 ultravids and trinovids and for the small to me improvement I couldn’t justify the added cost so went with the trinovids Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted August 20, 2020 Share #23 Posted August 20, 2020 Am 16.8.2020 um 22:12 schrieb jaapv: Svarovskis are good but do not reach the level of Leica and Zeiss. That may have been true 20 years ago, but since roughly 10 years, when Swarovski began to market their EL Swarovision line of binoculars, Swarovski sets the benchmark. And just when Zeiss thought they can edge ahead with their SF line, Swarovski just recently announced their NL pure line. Just ask any serious birder, Swarovski is first, Zeiss is second and Leica is third. BTW, all Swarovski binoculars are still entirely made in Austria, in their Absam factory near Innsbruck. As much as I love Leica and their products, with binoculars they are certainly not number one. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted August 20, 2020 Share #24 Posted August 20, 2020 On 8/17/2020 at 3:48 AM, lawrence_lee said: Jaap I joined my local Bird Watching Society over 20 years ago, and started to pick up my bird watching binocular. I limited the choice between Leica & Zeiss, and at that time Swarovski binoculars start to gain some popularity. I field tested the three above mentioned binoculars, I personally agreed that Swarovski is not the same level with Zeiss & Leica. All the Models for the field test were 10X42 which is very popular among the members. For a pro-longed period of watching , I picked the Leica Trinovid 10x42 for more suitable for my eyes. I personally feel the Zeiss 10x42 binocular is brighter , but Leica give me less strain to my eyes. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Lawrence I have these same binoculars, bought second hand, but my wife uses a pair of Ultravids. I keep thinking about trading mine in for a newer pair, but to be honest, can’t justify the expense. These are bloody good binoculars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 20, 2020 Share #25 Posted August 20, 2020 46 minutes ago, wizard said: That may have been true 20 years ago, but since roughly 10 years, when Swarovski began to market their EL Swarovision line of binoculars, Swarovski sets the benchmark. And just when Zeiss thought they can edge ahead with their SF line, Swarovski just recently announced their NL pure line. Just ask any serious birder, Swarovski is first, Zeiss is second and Leica is third. BTW, all Swarovski binoculars are still entirely made in Austria, in their Absam factory near Innsbruck. As much as I love Leica and their products, with binoculars they are certainly not number one. Well, not too long ago I considered trading in my Trinovid, and in the store compared Zeiss, Svarovski and Leica. All were more than excellent, but for my eyes and preference the Leica Ultravid HD-plus was the clear winner, with Zeiss maybe a bit brighter but more tiring and Svarovski very close, but third.The Ultravid was spectacular, but in the end the upgrade did not justify the cost for me. Maybe the difference is that I do not use them primarily for birding, but wildlife/landscape. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gobert Posted August 20, 2020 Share #26 Posted August 20, 2020 I have a Noctivid, made in Germany. Everytime I am looking through it I am amazed by it’s view. Wow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted August 21, 2020 Share #27 Posted August 21, 2020 Advertisement (gone after registration) vor 16 Stunden schrieb jaapv: ... but for my eyes and preference ... With binoculars, the peculiarities of one's own eyes and personal preference indeed play a very important role, so never buy a binocular without testing it first. Leica binos are very good, no question, but none of them offers full sharpness up to the very edge. Swaro and Zeiss have models that do. That said, none of them offer stabilised binoculars. Stabilisation brings the viewing experience to another level, unmatched by any non-stabilised binocular. Try for example a Canon 10x42 IS L and you will know what I mean. The downside is a little more bulk and weight. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted August 25, 2020 Share #28 Posted August 25, 2020 If one likes to track the worldwide flow of binoculars... (as defined by WTO) https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/year/2018/tradeflow/Exports/partner/WLD/product/900510 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 25, 2020 Share #29 Posted August 25, 2020 I didn't even know we made binoculars in the Netherlands... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted August 27, 2020 Share #30 Posted August 27, 2020 On 8/25/2020 at 10:57 AM, jaapv said: I didn't even know we made binoculars in the Netherlands... Word trade flow is so complicated nowadays... can be they even are not MADE in Netherlands... but simply imported from Far East (say - 1000 items) - stored in some Dutch warehouse - exported as 10 batches of 100 items to 10 European countries... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshR77 Posted February 24, 2021 Share #31 Posted February 24, 2021 On 8/17/2020 at 8:48 AM, lawrence_lee said: Jaap I joined my local Bird Watching Society over 20 years ago, and started to pick up my bird watching binocular. I limited the choice between Leica & Zeiss, and at that time Swarovski binoculars start to gain some popularity. I field tested the three above mentioned binoculars, I personally agreed that Swarovski is not the same level with Zeiss & Leica. All the Models for the field test were 10X42 which is very popular among the members. For a pro-longed period of watching , I picked the Leica Trinovid 10x42 for more suitable for my eyes. I personally feel the Zeiss 10x42 binocular is brighter , but Leica give me less strain to my eyes. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! binocular Lawrence I have the same one, it's really great image quality Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence_lee Posted February 24, 2021 Share #32 Posted February 24, 2021 16 minutes ago, JoshR77 said: I have the same one, it's really great image quality JoshR77 Before this one I got the older version of 10X42, and they both have the same excellent image quality. No need to worry about. Lawrence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
margarida soares Posted May 21, 2021 Share #33 Posted May 21, 2021 I ended up in this forum because I was planning to buy new Leica binoculars. I just would like to express my surprise with some of the comments. It reveals that some people think that just because things are, for example, made in Portugal they can be suspected of being of lower quality. Factories have something called "quality control" which does not follow nationality criteria, it follows quality criteria. Quality is appreciated by consumers, who will keep on buying a product if it fulfils the promised quality criteria. Let's leave nationalism behind. Quality is important, and fair work pay as well. There are so many examples of good craftsmanship in many countries, not only Germany. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 21, 2021 Share #34 Posted May 21, 2021 I cannot say that I run up against thes comments often. Leica binoculars have been made in Portugal for many decades and have always ranked amongst the best there are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted May 21, 2021 Share #35 Posted May 21, 2021 1 hour ago, margarida soares said: I ended up in this forum because I was planning to buy new Leica binoculars. I just would like to express my surprise with some of the comments. It reveals that some people think that just because things are, for example, made in Portugal they can be suspected of being of lower quality. Factories have something called "quality control" which does not follow nationality criteria, it follows quality criteria. Quality is appreciated by consumers, who will keep on buying a product if it fulfils the promised quality criteria. Let's leave nationalism behind. Quality is important, and fair work pay as well. There are so many examples of good craftsmanship in many countries, not only Germany. Few people here would disagree with you. There is still, unfortunately, a degree of snob value attached by some people to goods from certain countries, probably historically based, and almost certainly no longer relevant. Anything coming from Leica Portugal is just as good as from Germany, and just as good as from Leitz Canada. But to return to your question of binoculars. The top three makes are all very good. There are differences between them which makes the choice a matter of personal preference. All design is and always has been a matter of trade-off of one quality against another, and you simply have to try them all for yourself to find the one whose relative strengths and weaknesses align most closely with your own preferences. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted May 21, 2021 Share #36 Posted May 21, 2021 2 hours ago, jaapv said: Leica binoculars have been made in Portugal for many decades and have always ranked amongst the best there are. I have an original pair of 7x35BA Trinovids which are at least 38 years old (they were last made in 1983) and they were made in Portugal (if this matters to anyone!). They are still fabulous binoculars and work as well as ever. Leica simply make great binoculars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted May 21, 2021 Share #37 Posted May 21, 2021 vor 4 Stunden schrieb margarida soares: Let's leave nationalism behind. Quality is important, and fair work pay as well. There are so many examples of good craftsmanship in many countries, not only Germany. You are entirely correct, and by referring to Swarovski binoculars being made in Austria, I had no intention whatsoever of implying that Leica binoculars have inferior quality because they are made in Portugal. I own a small Leica 8x20 binocular which was made in Portugal for more than 30 years now, and it has never let me down. Rather, I tried to emphasize that contrary to many other manufacturers which have their products assembled in countries like China, where labour costs are still much lower, Swarovski manages to market top end binoculars at competitive prices although they are entirely manufactured in a high labour cost country (Austria). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Simpson Posted September 20, 2021 Share #38 Posted September 20, 2021 My husband needs some binocular parts for his Leicas. Neither Uk will supply them. They are rings of some sort. Bins are of sentimental value and he is able to repair them if parts can be got. Thanks. Margaret. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted September 20, 2021 Share #39 Posted September 20, 2021 Margaret Contact Leica Customer Services in Wetzlar in Germany. They may well be able to help you, but will probably offer to service the binoculars themselves. They don’t usually like sending out parts to owners directly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Simpson Posted September 20, 2021 Share #40 Posted September 20, 2021 Sorry I forgot to say Germany wouldnt supply parts either so need lots of help. Might Portugal? We are in our mid 70’s so not that technical! Margaret S. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now