Why did you choose Leitz/Leica binoculars?

[Peter Leica man]

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I've no doubt that those of you who own Leitz/Leica binoculars had the opportunity to examine competitor brand products such as Zeiss and Swarovski. 

What made you decide on the Leitz/Leica model you chose? 

For me it was two things:

1 The outstanding colour rendition of the image. Reds in particular are rendered in incredible detail. 

2 The completly neutral colour rendition of the image. I found when I first purchased a pair of  10x40 BA/N back in 1988 I tested them up against a pair of Zeiss 10x40 BGA T* which had a very slight  blue cast to them. The Leitz were totally neutral. 

From that point on I was hooked. 

Your comments would be most helpful. 

 

 

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[didier]

I chose the Ultravid HD+ over competition because of the great color rendition, perfect neutrality and amazing definition.

I tested Zeiss binoculars as well : they had great contrast (more than Leica) but I quickly found that tiring : after 10 or 15minutes of use my eyes got tired whereas I’ve never had such a feeling with the Leica : I can use them litterally for hours without getting tired.

[Guest]

I like Porro prism binoculars. They just fit better in my hands than roof prism binoculars. While Leica no longer produces Porro prism binoculars, I still have a late Leitz Binuxit 8x30 in great condition, which I bought out of historical interest. Mechanically, the Binuxit is still very impressive. Optically, it cannot compete with more recent 8x30 Porro prism binoculars, of course. My favourite ones are the Fujinon 8x30 FMTR-SX and the Nikon 8x30 EII. The former offers the most relaxed view for my eyes and is built like a tank, while the latter offers an extremely wide field of view (154m at 1000m).

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Edited August 29, 2020 by Guest

[TomB_tx]

Having briefly borrowed a Trinovid I knew both the size and performance were ideal for me, and having been a Leica camera user for a decade (back then) i was sold on the engineering and quality. No need to look at anything else: these met my requirements. When something meets my needs I don't bother looking for "the best" - just a waste of time. I've had my Trinovid 8x32B for 40 years and am fully satisfied.

[IkarusJohn]

I won a pair of Zeiss pocket 8x25 binoculars about 30 years ago, and really liked them; but, my children lost them somewhere ...

I replaced them with some Leica 10x25 ultravids, and found the colours better.  Lusting full sized binoculars, I recently bought some 8x42 Noctivids - very impressive.  I would have no hesitation going back to Zeiss, but don’t really see the point.  I tend to research what I’m interested in, buy what I think will suit me best, and move on.

Edited August 29, 2020 by IkarusJohn

[stuny]

In 1999 we read in an airline magazine a review of compact binos - We always travel carry-on only, so compact was of interest to us.  We were surprised to find that 10x25 Leica's to be far more affordable than expected, and visited a dealer a month or so later.  We narrowed the choices to Leica & Zeiss, and stepped outside with both.  Both of them made our Nikon compacts seem toy-like in comparison, but the Leicas were brighter, clearer and with had very slightly better color rendition.  A few years later Barbara slipped on some riverside moss in Belize, taking her binos with her into the river.  Barbara was fine but the bionos were not repairable, soLeica gave us an at-cost replacement pair.  I now have that pair, and Barbara has a newer and better 10x25 Trinovid.  A year after getting that first pair of Leica binos I "left" Olympus and got my first Leica camera.  I've never gone back.

[tom0511]

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I use different brands. I once choose Leica, because I found the color a little warmer and richer over Zeiss. I also like the 8/12x42 because of its flexibility.

However my favorite for travel and hikes is now a Swarowski 8x25, I find it offers me nearly the ease of use of a 8x30 glass, but nearly in the size of a 8x20 glass. And the optical quality is wow.

 

 

[pgk]

I have a really ratted pain of Zeiss 8 x 30B Dialyts as everyday binoculars. They look trashed but are still excellent binoculars and work as well as ever despite broken eyecups and a lot of missing covering. I also have a pair of Leitz 7x35BA Trnoivds which I don't use nearly much (they out to go to someone who will use them more really) which are possibly marginally better. I've tried newer but both pairs are perfectly good for my needs (boats and birds mostly). If I had to replace them I'd look at both makes happily.

[Pintpot]

We got ours, 10x20's , as we wanted light small binos for holidays & walking,  but mostly for watching . They fit into our GM seat bags (cricket fans will know what I mean) most important they work very well with our glasses - better than any other brand. Friends of ours were so impressed when trying ours out they went off and bought Leica binos as well!

[mariah]

Yes the neutral color rendition is totally top notch. I liked it so much and even because of it I would buy it one day at any cost. People who are still using something else I guess they have not seen it yet.

[ph.]

My old, tiny Zeiss hiking binos got filled by dew on a snowy day so I got myself some properly sealed small  Ultravids. Leitz,mainly due to positive experience with their cameras&optics.

 

p.