upgrade to hd ultravid or not?

[etp095]

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hello all,merry christmas 2008

i'm planing on investing in a set 10x42 ultravid binoculars,blk armoured.my question to the forum experts is it worth paying the extra money for the high definition glass or standard definition?my dealer still has the non hd ones in stock.it's a $500 dollar differance in price and is it really worth the extra cash?i'm going to use them mainly for vacations out in the western states of the us,mountains,etc.i might also use them some day for hunting out west,deer, antelope.a little bit about me,i'm near sighted,wear glasses and can't go past the first page of a colour blind test book(page one is a #12).i'm just wondering if I will see things better with the hd's.i can't compare the two side by side because the dealer is out of state and the non hd's are discontinued.thanks

[Ivar B]

I have the regular Ultravid and performance is spectacular and leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. I have not tested side by side, but if you read tests of the regular Ultravid you will see that this was generally regarded as possibly the best one around, and this has only changed with the arrival of the HD.Why do you need 10x enlargement? It is heavier and more difficult to use, and for most applications you will perhaps be better served with a 8x or 7x.

[forent]

I have looked through both Ultravids side by side - with and without HD - and could not detect the advantage of the HD version. It MAY be there but I couldn't SEE it. (My eyes are still pretty fine.) Both binos are simply stunning. BTW, I'm still absolutely satisfied by my old Trinovid BA although the Ultravids are a tad brighter.

If I were you I would save the 500 bucks and go for your dealer's offer.

 

Merry Christmas!

[enboe]

I purchased my 10x42 Trinovids in the early 1990's. They were the best out there, and have served me for over 15 years, and should do so for the rest of my life. I wouldn't hesitate the purchase of the same if you want to save a few dollars.

 

That being said, I consider the purchase of quality optics as a once in a lifetime investment, so go ahead and spend the extra $500. All of the Leitz optics of the past 20 years are outstanding and will serve you well. The top of the line will give you a few ounces less weight, always nice, and water repellant coatings, useful in rain and humidity.

 

I echo the comments on considering a lower power pair. The wider field is a very useful trade for a little more magnification, and the extra exit pupil diameter makes them much easier to use in lower light. That is my only regret with my 10x's.

 

Enjoy.

 

Eric

[lars_bergquist]

Quality binocular design has now reached (and maybe overstepped) the limits of the human sense of sight. Whatever optical designers do, they cannot pack in more visual cells into the retina, make them more sensitive or improve the image processing wetware in the brain (which is what we actually do see with).

 

Also, the limiting factor of any handheld binoculars above magnification 3x is shake. A real improvement would be image stabilisation, but as of now, only Zeiss are offering this, as far as I know. Or for that matter, a tripod ...

 

I own a nearly three decades old Carl Zeiss Jena 8x30 pair of binoculars that I bought at that time for was already then a song. DDR companies exported to get in foreign currency, not for profit. The performance is only marginally inferior to modern field glasses, and I cannot in honesty say that I see less detail with these than with modern equipment. So, if you can comfortably use your old binoculars with spectacles, and if they are nitrogen filled and reasonably impervious to rain and dust, save your money.

 

The old man from the Age B.C. (Before Coating)

[etp095]

thanks for the reply's,i appreciate the advice.i don't have a quality pair of binoculars at the moment,so i'll be buying a pair.i'll consider the advice on a lower magnification pair(8x).the thing that i would really like is the aqua dura coating.i'm leaning toward the non hd's and use the extra cash for a digilux 4 camera.it would be my first entry to the leica camera world.