Old Trinovids, warts and all, still the most comfortable binocs I've ever used.

[88maverick]

I must be getting old (and I am) but after a day of birding with a friend's lovely pair of razor sharp 8x32 EL's, I couldn't wait to get back to my old 7x42 leatherette Trinovids. Yeah, I know, they're not waterproof, focus slowly, have a lousy close focusing distance, and aren't as bright or sharp as the latest roof prisms. But damn, they were absolutely incredible for their time, and I've never held any binocs (and I've held nearly all the latest models) that remotely compare with the way they feel: their combination of incredible lightness and comfort is unmatched, and probably never will be matched. With all respect to the all the great new models, here's to the old workhorses that paved the way. If you've never used the old Trinovid's, they're still a gas (albeit not nitrogen filled).

[Adey Baker]

Hi, 88maverick, welcome to Birdforum!

Several of my friends had the similar 10x40 model (one still does) and your comments apply equally to that model. They may not be as bright as the latest versions but they were certainly brighter than the similar Zeiss Dialyt of their time.

[Marmot]

Hi 88maverick,

Welcome to Birdforum,

Use whatever is comfortable for you.

[KCFoggin]

Hello 88maverick and on behalf of the entire staff here at BirdForum, a warm welcome to you.

[salty]

hello, welcome to bird forum!

[salty]

the newer trinovids are just as bomb-proof. i have the 10x42bn models (waterproof and exellent near focusing) - i bet they are still going longer than me!!!

[elkcub]

... With all respect to the all the great new models, here's to the old workhorses that paved the way. If you've never used the old Trinovid's, they're still a gas (albeit not nitrogen filled).

Hi,

Your comment gave me a chuckle since I have the very same feelings about my old Swaro 8x30 Mk IIs. The optics are still great by today's standards, and they feel better than anything else I've ever used —.

Enjoy the view whatever you do,
Elkcub

[Stewart J.]

Had birding friends staying earlier in week, he uses "Leitz" (Prehistoric Leicas he tells me) 10 x 42 I think, 33 years old and still perfect he swears by them, close focus non existant but so what. Optically they are very good not superb by todays standards and though rubber armoured only weigh 620 grams (less than some of todays top end models). Only problem he had was when they were a venerable 29 years young, focus wheel went stiff, repaired under the 30 year warranty for free. Customer service excellence or what?

Stewart

:bounce:

[gate9797]

Just thought apropos of this conversation that there might be some interest in


Fine condition Leica 10X50 Trinovids for Sale

On Ebay.

[Renze de Vries]

I must be getting old (and I am) but after a day of birding with a friend's lovely pair of razor sharp 8x32 EL's, I couldn't wait to get back to my old 7x42 leatherette Trinovids. Yeah, I know, they're not waterproof, focus slowly, have a lousy close focusing distance, and aren't as bright or sharp as the latest roof prisms. But damn, they were absolutely incredible for their time, and I've never held any binocs (and I've held nearly all the latest models) that remotely compare with the way they feel: their combination of incredible lightness and comfort is unmatched, and probably never will be matched. With all respect to the all the great new models, here's to the old workhorses that paved the way. If you've never used the old Trinovid's, they're still a gas (albeit not nitrogen filled).

Yes! I absolutely agree. These 'old' Leitz Trinovid 7x42's are something to cherish. They were, and still are, masterpieces of engineering and design. Recently I bought the binoculars they most closely resemble, the Zeiss 7x42 B/GATP, and while the Zeiss appeared without a doubt as optically the better of the two (brighter, sharper, more spectacular), when I went back to the Leitz I wasn't disappointed at all. Yes, you're right, it's the way they feel, how they fit the hands, that sets them apart. They're also very easy on the eyes, and last but not least, they're beautiful. In fact I consider them to be the most beautiful binoculars even built. Is this important? Yes, I think so. I like to see beauty as a quality one needs in binoculars. Because when your binoculars are beautiful, when you like them for the way they look, you want to use them again and again. You want your binoculars to be good companions, don't you? Well, it certainly doesn't help if they're ugly and cumbersome.
At some happy moment in time designers at the Leitz factory in Germany dreamed up the 7x42 Trinovid. I think it was their triumph, they couldn't do anything better. The slope of the tubes, the slim, almost feminine lines, the proportions – it was a labour of love. And it still is.

Renze de Vries

[elkcub]

Wow! Well spoken. There are, indeed, artistic aspects to it.

-elkcub

[POP]

Along with my Swaro's I have a pair of red spot 8x40b Leitz,an excellent pair of bins,used them for years.
POP

[steve johnson]

I too love the old trinovids. However, I love the 7x35 even more than the 7x42. I think the feel, field, and copmbination of magnification and exit pupil are almost perfect. I have a pair of the armored made toward the end of the production run for trinovids and they are much brighter then the models from the 60's - coatings must have changed during the many years of production. I also love the 6x24 - that 212 M field is so cool

[Renze de Vries]

I have to admit, I'm fascinated by the long-legged kind. But you're right, 7x35 is a beautiful configuration. And completely out of fashion!

Renze

[steve johnson]

Renze,
Following your discussion of the 7x42 Leitz and Zeiss on a different thread, I would be curious what the comparison with the 7x35 Leitz and the Zeiss would be like, since both have the 150 M field (another reason for liking the 7x35 a bit more than the 7x42). Interestingly, the older 8x32 Leitz (before Portugal was the site of production) also have a 150M field.
Best
Steve

[Renze de Vries]

Hi Steve,

Alas, I have never been able to compare the Leitz Trinovid 7x35 to the Zeiss 7x42 ClassiC. A friend of mine has however - quite extensively - and he rates the 7x35 very highly. He told me he once owned a 7x35 that was exceptionally good, really spectacular with a superb, vibrant image, but he sold it before he realised how good it was.
I do know the 8x32 (in the 130/100m version). Used it quite well. It's a fine, compact glass, but I think I'd prefer the 7x35 because of its FOV and its 5 mm exit pupil. 4 mm is usable, but I definitely feel more comfortable with 5 (or more).

Renze

[fledgling]

allthis talk of binoculars is very confusing can anyone help i am relatively new to the art of bird watching,so far i have concentrated on the garden as have a 2 year old and thought hed scare any birds off if we went out,but would still love to get a better view of my wonderful garden birds and even take close up picis of them i have no idea of what sorts of things i should be looking for and with a growing family also do not have mountains of money to spend either.

[steve johnson]

Hi Steve,

Alas, I have never been able to compare the Leitz Trinovid 7x35 to the Zeiss 7x42 ClassiC. A friend of mine has however - quite extensively - and he rates the 7x35 very highly. He told me he once owned a 7x35 that was exceptionally good, really spectacular with a superb, vibrant image, but he sold it before he realised how good it was.
I do know the 8x32 (in the 130/100m version). Used it quite well. It's a fine, compact glass, but I think I'd prefer the 7x35 because of its FOV and its 5 mm exit pupil. 4 mm is usable, but I definitely feel more comfortable with 5 (or more).

Renze
Renze,
Thanks for the posting. I have never been able to try this comparison either, although I do have a pair of the 7x35 that still continue to stun me. I have companred them frequently with a fairly new pair of 8x32BN and I swear the clarity and color are more or less the same. The sharpness may be a bit better in the 8x32, although when I measure how far away I can read newsprint and standardize for the magnification, they come out about the same, as does my 10x42BN. Interestingly, I have a tiny 20x50 Leuopold scope that beats them all on this test (not much FOV however).
Steve

[tlb]

Renze,
...although I do have a pair of the 7x35 that still continue to stun me. I have companred them frequently with a fairly new pair of 8x32BN and I swear the clarity and color are more or less the same. Steve

Hi, Steve.

I'm assuming the roof prisms in your 7x35s are not phase coated. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Tony

[elkcub]

allthis talk of binoculars is very confusing can anyone help i am relatively new to the art of bird watching,so far i have concentrated on the garden as have a 2 year old and thought hed scare any birds off if we went out,but would still love to get a better view of my wonderful garden birds and even take close up picis of them i have no idea of what sorts of things i should be looking for and with a growing family also do not have mountains of money to spend either.

Hi Fledgling,

There are many wonderful binoculars you can get at modest cost today. My impression is that you would do well to start with a smaller one such as an 8x30 or 7x35. Well established brands like Nikon, Bushnell, Zeiss, and others are a good place to start, and will provide excellent service. Bushnell makes a marvelous small birding binocular called the Custom Compact 7x26. There is usually a new one selling on eBay for around $200-250 USD.

I wouldn't worry too much about picking the "best" binocular since there really isn't one.

Elkcub

[fledgling]

Hi Fledgling,

There are many wonderful binoculars you can get at modest cost today. My impression is that you would do well to start with a smaller one such as an 8x30 or 7x35. Well established brands like Nikon, Bushnell, Zeiss, and others are a good place to start, and will provide excellent service. Bushnell makes a marvelous small birding binocular called the Custom Compact 7x26. There is usually a new one selling on eBay for around $200-250 USD.

I wouldn't worry too much about picking the "best" binocular since there really isn't one.

Elkcub
thankyou so much for your reply, your help im sure will prove to invaluble. fledgling

[steve johnson]

Hi, Steve.

I'm assuming the roof prisms in your 7x35s are not phase coated. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Tony

Tony,
That is true. The Uppendhal (sp?) prism used in these is a strange beast, with one roof element and the rest more like a poroprism. Because of the roof element one would expect a softer image, but I sure don't see it, nor apparently do other users.
Steve

[chris w]

Hi, 88maverick, welcome to Birdforum!

Several of my friends had the similar 10x40 model (one still does) and your comments apply equally to that model. They may not be as bright as the latest versions but they were certainly brighter than the similar Zeiss Dialyt of their time.

By co-incidence a friend of mine gave me a pair of Trinovid 10x40, that had belonged to her late uncle earlier today, case and all and they appear to be in excellent condition. Does anyone know anything about the spec or when they stopped making them? First impressions are that for clarity they are just as good as a modern pair, although they don't have any adjustment for spec. wearers and short focus just doesn't exist. Anyway I can't wait to use them and really must try to give them the loge they have obviously had in the past!

[Gary Hawkins]

The original style Trinovid stopped production in 1989/90. You say yours has no provision for spectacle wearers. Do you mean it has no fold back rubber eyecups? The version with hard eyecups is an early one - probably 1960s. If you have the serial number I can give you a date of manufacture. By the way, replacement rubber eyecups are still available for this model from Leica at about £10 + VAT each.

[chris w]

The original style Trinovid stopped production in 1989/90. You say yours has no provision for spectacle wearers. Do you mean it has no fold back rubber eyecups? The version with hard eyecups is an early one - probably 1960s. If you have the serial number I can give you a date of manufacture. By the way, replacement rubber eyecups are still available for this model from Leica at about £10 + VAT each.

As you suggest they have hard eyecups. The serial number is 641365.
I was using them this evening and was staggered by the quality of vision - it appeared to be lighter through the binos than with the naked eye! If they are 30 - 40 years old then they really were cared for well.

[Gary Hawkins]

As you suggest they have hard eyecups. The serial number is 641365.
I was using them this evening and was staggered by the quality of vision - it appeared to be lighter through the binos than with the naked eye! If they are 30 - 40 years old then they really were cared for well.



Chris, your binocular was manufactured in 1964.

[gate9797]

I have a new pair of Leica 10X50 trinovid binoculars for sale and would like to see them find a good home .

The binoculars on auction in this ad are new, not demos.

Item History: These binoculars were supplied to me by Leica in replacement of my previous pair
under my warranty this April 2005, just a few weeks ago.

To see photos of these binoculars go to:
see the ebay ad

I have been birdwatching for over 40 years and can tell you that these are fantastic binoculars
for birdwatching and will no doubt make their fortunate next owner very happy.