floppy rainguard for ultravids

[matt green]

evening all, just thought i would throw in another point about the ultravids.i dont actually own a pair yet[next october] but arnt the rainguards awfully floppy and dangly.this is what i guess when i see pictures of them.i used to have bn's and i thought that design was flawless.the thin stringy piece of rubber that connects the two covers looks very flimsy?.maybe i am wrong.matt

[dogfish]

evening all, just thought i would throw in another point about the ultravids.i dont actually own a pair yet[next october] but arnt the rainguards awfully floppy and dangly.this is what i guess when i see pictures of them.i used to have bn's and i thought that design was flawless.the thin stringy piece of rubber that connects the two covers looks very flimsy?.maybe i am wrong.matt

You're right Matt, it's flimsy and fits poorly. The rainguard on the Zeiss FLs is even worse: flimsy and fits so tightly it moves the eyecup setting. The older rainguards in both the Zeiss and Leica ranges were better.

Sean

[Highway Man]

The rainguards are a bit of a pain at first, but after a while you get used to them.

[Pileatus]

evening all, just thought i would throw in another point about the ultravids.i dont actually own a pair yet[next october] but arnt the rainguards awfully floppy and dangly.this is what i guess when i see pictures of them.i used to have bn's and i thought that design was flawless.the thin stringy piece of rubber that connects the two covers looks very flimsy?.maybe i am wrong.matt

Matt,

Yes, you are wrong. As an Ultravid owner with many hours of use, I can attest to the fact that the eyepiece rainguard works very well and is never a problem. It fits snugly and does the job it's designed to do.

The tethered objective covers also work very well...with the tethers removed! I commented on that some time ago.

John

[Sleeper]

http://www.cleyspy.co.uk/product.asp?parseid=174

I found this replacement to be perfect as I could not get on with the supplied guard from day one.

[salty]

my ultavids rain guard works fine, just dont push it all the way down onto the eyepiece, as they can be a nightmare to pull off!

my old trinovids rainguard was faultless, but the ultravids is ok to use, does the job it is meant too.

[photo1]

I have a pair of 8x32 Ultravids and the rain guard works very well. It's a nice tight fit but not so tight it's difficult to work with. I have no problems at all.

[dogfish]

The objective covers for the Ultravid are also of poor quality; the tether for one of mine snapped within two days. We should demand better quality in these accessories from an £850 binocular. Swarovski, while expensive bins, are generally much better in this respect IMHO.

Sean

[Pileatus]

[QUOTE=dogfish]The objective covers for the Ultravid are also of poor quality; the tether for one of mine snapped within two days. We should demand better quality in these accessories from an £850 binocular. Swarovski, while expensive bins, are generally much better in this respect IMHO.

Sean,

I thought the same thing until I realized the faulty tether was a blessing in disguise. When the tether broke I quickly cut the other one and simply put them in my pocket.

The absence of that extra weight on the front end was noticeable and it was one less thing to worry about. I do think Leica should send me a replacement pair so I have backups!!

John

[garymh]

[QUOTE=John Traynor][QUOTE=dogfish]The objective covers for the Ultravid are also of poor quality; the tether for one of mine snapped within two days. We should demand better quality in these accessories from an £850 binocular. Swarovski, while expensive bins, are generally much better in this respect IMHO.

Sean,



We have now re-designed the Ultravid objective covers. They are a better material and a totally different design. Anyone who has problems with the original ones can phone us at Leica UK (Milton Keynes) and we will send the latest version free of charge. By the way....the Trinovid BA/BN rainguard works fantastically on the Ultravid. It is available as an accessory for £8.30 + VAT. Gary.

[Pileatus]

[QUOTE=John Traynor][QUOTE=dogfish]The objective covers for the Ultravid are also of poor quality; the tether for one of mine snapped within two days. We should demand better quality in these accessories from an £850 binocular. Swarovski, while expensive bins, are generally much better in this respect IMHO.

Sean,



We have now re-designed the Ultravid objective covers. They are a better material and a totally different design. Anyone who has problems with the original ones can phone us at Leica UK (Milton Keynes) and we will send the latest version free of charge. By the way....the Trinovid BA/BN rainguard works fantastically on the Ultravid. It is available as an accessory for £8.30 + VAT. Gary.

Gary,

Do you have a USA contact?
Thanks.

John

[garymh]

John,

Sorry, my post made it sound like we in the UK had made the improvement....it was actually done by Leica in Solms.

You should be able to get the improved version from the Leica agency in the USA (Leica Camera Inc. Northvale).


Gary.

[dogfish]

Well done Leica, and Gary for keeping us informed.

Sean

[Toothless9]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum. I just got the new Objective Covers for my Douvids from a local and awesome optics shop. My binos are new and they did not come with any. I was trying to see if any of the swaros would fit but this store said they had Leicas version in stock and the price? FREE!
I would have purchased these binos from them but I found a great deal at a Audubon shop (brand new) for quite a bit less (summer sale or possible closeout) and savings was just too enormous to pass up. These objective covers are very snug which is good BUT, when you uncover the lens, they want to flip back over. If I twist them out of the way, I suspect they may tear after a couple of hundred uses. I have a pair of 8x30 SLC and the objective covers that came WITH the binos are much better. I will use what I have until it wears out but does anyone use a different objective cover with their 8+12x42 Douvids or Ultravids?

[garymh]

These objective covers are very snug which is good BUT, when you uncover the lens, they want to flip back over. If I twist them out of the way, I suspect they may tear after a couple of hundred uses.


Hi,

By your description it sounds as if you have been given the old style objective covers. The new style has only been available for a week or two so the shop may not have had these in stock. The new version looks very similar to the Swarovski item. I am at work at the moment but when I get home tonight I will add a post with a picture attached showing the old and new versions.

[xenophobe]

Does anyone have a picture of the old vs. new Ultravid objective covers?

[garymh]

Sorry about that. I have been busy lately and forgot to do the pictures. One is attached here. I hope it clarifies things.

[zurtfox]

...ultravids.i dont actually own a pair yet[next october] but arnt the rainguards awfully floppy and dangly.this is what i guess when i see pictures of them.i used to have bn's and i thought that design was flawless.the thin stringy piece of rubber that connects the two covers looks very flimsy?.maybe i am wrong.matt

I have just received my new 7x42 Ultravids (more about them in another thread) and tried my 'silent' Swarovski rainguards on them. Result...

A perfect fit! Just big enough to drop on with the lightest of pushes, and they flip off with the touch of a finger.

[chartwell99]

I have just received my new 7x42 Ultravids (more about them in another thread) and tried my 'silent' Swarovski rainguards on them. Result...

A perfect fit! Just big enough to drop on with the lightest of pushes, and they flip off with the touch of a finger.

Interesting method of attachment - very classy, indeed!

[matt green]

I have just received my new 7x42 Ultravids (more about them in another thread) and tried my 'silent' Swarovski rainguards on them. Result...

A perfect fit! Just big enough to drop on with the lightest of pushes, and they flip off with the touch of a finger.
excellent idea,i have seen pictures of those swaro raingaurds on the website,dont they have an oversized strap attatchment,looks like you trimmed yours down to size hence the funky green cord.matt

ps i dont have a raingaurd fixation...honest!

[zurtfox]

...dont they have an oversized strap attatchment,looks like you trimmed yours down to size hence the funky green cord

Yup! In their uncut form they have about 1" of tag with a 3/16" hole, but I found the trimmed version worked better for me. As for the nylon cable ties - well, I am looking for a better idea (some kind of plastic spring clip) but nothing has turned up yet.

Chris

[bunny]

Forgive me if its already been mentioned, but I have a pair of Ultravids 8x42BRs with the old style objective covers - can anyone tell me where I can buy the new design, because they don't look as if they are going to last very long...

Cheers,

bunny

Edit: I read a post above - call Leica!