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Leica Trinovid HD 8x32 (1 Viewer)

I'm pretty slow so I think I would go for the Trinovid (if I was forced to pick one). Contrast was nice, and the feel is a bit more stylish than the Conquests. Much prefer the UV HD+ overall though. If you already gonna spend, why not spend some more...:)

Any plans on reviewing the Ultravid HD+?

No plans at the moment as have other models to deal with but eventually....

Lee
 
The close focus definitely makes these appealing for bug+bird use, but the minimum IPD spec of 58 mm is disappointing for anyone with smaller IPD and it compromises close use for anyone who is already at or close to that limit at infinity. By comparison, Zeiss Conquest gets down to 54 mm and Zeiss FL gets all the way to 52 mm.

--AP

This is so right. The 58mm makes them only just usable for me. Plenty of faces need narrower IPD and like you I wish bino brands would serve this market.

Lee
 
troubador how about the Kowa 8X33's

You did a very in depth review of the Kowa Genesis 8X33's. Can you compare them to the Trinovids? I valued you comparison with the Conquest HD's so your thoughts on the Kowas vs the Leica?
Thanks
Steve
 
You did a very in depth review of the Kowa Genesis 8X33's. Can you compare them to the Trinovids? I valued you comparison with the Conquest HD's so your thoughts on the Kowas vs the Leica?
Thanks
Steve

That's a great question Steve, I will try to answer it in the next few days. Much depends on the weather!
Lee
 
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Lee, I tried the updated Trinovids recently and thought they were very good. My testing only consisted of looking up and down a very busy city street (not a bad test actually) and at a few trees and buildings in clear sunny weather. As others have pointed out, my only beef with them was the field of view. I had checked the specs but forget them now. Just from my observations, I would hazard a guess at an APFOV somewhere around the high 50 degs. This doesn't necessarily have to be a deal breaker imo.
I tested Noctivids and five Ultravids at the same time, and the trinovids seemed like an excellent value. The focus was clearly superior to the Ultravids but not as liquid velvet as the Noctivids. I detected varying levels of minute play in all five of the Ultravids I tested (others present didnt mention this - I don't think it bothers some), and there was also some stiction and the action displayed a fine course grain - none of which were present in the trinovids.

Cheers,

Rat
 
Lee, I tried the updated Trinovids recently and thought they were very good. My testing only consisted of looking up and down a very busy city street (not a bad test actually) and at a few trees and buildings in clear sunny weather. As others have pointed out, my only beef with them was the field of view. I had checked the specs but forget them now. Just from my observations, I would hazard a guess at an APFOV somewhere around the high 50 degs. This doesn't necessarily have to be a deal breaker imo.
I tested Noctivids and five Ultravids at the same time, and the trinovids seemed like an excellent value. The focus was clearly superior to the Ultravids but not as liquid velvet as the Noctivids. I detected varying levels of minute play in all five of the Ultravids I tested (others present didnt mention this - I don't think it bothers some), and there was also some stiction and the action displayed a fine course grain - none of which were present in the trinovids.

Cheers,

Rat


No its not a deal breaker except for folks who can't get to a dealer and only buy over the internet based on specifications alone.

Lee
 
Kowa Genesis 8x33 and Leica Trinovid HD 8x32

You did a very in depth review of the Kowa Genesis 8X33's. Can you compare them to the Trinovids? I valued you comparison with the Conquest HD's so your thoughts on the Kowas vs the Leica?
Thanks
Steve

Hi Steve

The weather was kind today so I am able to respond more quickly than I anticipated.

As always, bear in mind these comments are based my perception using my eyes and brain. Others may see things differently.

First off these are both great binos and could serve anyone as their sole instrument. There are some differences however.

The Kowa is a super smooth design with a knurled metal focus wheel which gives it an entirely different aesthetic from the angular Leica and its large diameter ribbed plastic focuser. Don’t turn your nose up at the word ‘plastic’ there: the vast majority of focus wheels are made out of this versatile engineering material.

The Kowa weights 40grams or 1.4ozs less than the Leica but is a tiny 3mm longer. A fundamental difference is that the Leica’s dioptre adjuster is not via a locking collar as on the Kowa. The Leica’s adjuster is only moderately stiff and makes one suspect it might move in the field but actually over a 3 day visit to nature reserves in our county of Suffolk it never moved at all. It has a bright red marker on the dioptre ring and during putting the binos on it is very easy to check if it has moved. The Leica's arrangement makes it less fussy to achieve a dioptre setting while the Kowa's won't need checking now and then to see if it has moved. After a good length of field use you might well find that the Leica's setting doesn't need checking either.

Kowa has the Leica beaten on field of view with 140m vs 124m (420ft vs 372ft). While you certainly don’t feel you are looking at an impoverished field of view through the Leica it is an inescapable fact (the 124m calculates to 7.07 deg real angular fov which confirms the apparent fov in Leica’s specifications) that when scanning the sky, or lake or sea or prairie you will be looking at a view 27% larger in area through the Kowa than through the Leica. Swapping between the binos you can easily see the difference.

On the other hand the Leica focuses as close as 1.0 metre (a bit less on mine and Troubadoris’s) while the Kowa manages an entirely respectable 1.5 metres. If you enjoy using binos on very close subjects then the Leica pretty much guarantees that when you find yourself close to a perched insect or a lizard frozen into immobility in the hopes that you won’t spot it (or a thousand similar examples), you will never have to take that step backwards to be able to focus on it and by doing that, scare it away. The focus speed of these two are almost identical when checking the number of turns from looking at a farm 2.5miles/4km away to the corner of my office which is 2m/2.19yds away: 0.75 turns for the Kowa and 0.70 turns for the Leica.

Optically it is a close match with the Leica being slightly brighter (as was the Conquest) and the Kowa having a bit more contrast. The Kowa's contrast makes it easier and quicker to achieve that final fine focus adjustment with some subjects but comparing the detail revealed I would say they are the same with regard to perceived sharpness. The Kowa has a definite edge when it comes to chromatic aberration: for all practical purposes it has none whereas the Leica does have a tiny amount if you search for it in the most highly contrasting subjects.

So there you have it Steve, two fine instruments with the usual balance of characteristics that will make them suit different folks and tastes. If I had to choose only one of these then it would be the Kowa, but the ultra-close focus of the Leica and it's brightness are very tempting.

Lee
 
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Thanks for the continuing reports about your new Trinovid HD 8X32s. I really enjoy and appreciate reading from those that own said binoculars and compare to binoculars they also own. This really gives others the big picture as best as possible.
 
Thanks for the continuing reports about your new Trinovid HD 8X32s. I really enjoy and appreciate reading from those that own said binoculars and compare to binoculars they also own. This really gives others the big picture as best as possible.

OK Chuck, I got the message :t:. And thanks for your kind words too.

Cheers Lee
 
I've come close to buying those suckers several times. They seem to be really well made. Nice, bright image too. The diopter adjustment...I guess Leica has gone the easy to adjust route on all the Trinovid HDs vs. the stay put route. It really is hard to have it both ways unless a central adjustment.
 
I've come close to buying those suckers several times. They seem to be really well made. Nice, bright image too. The diopter adjustment...I guess Leica has gone the easy to adjust route on all the Trinovid HDs vs. the stay put route. It really is hard to have it both ways unless a central adjustment.

Yes the dioptre was easy to adjust and I thought O-ohhh, this is going to slip. But over the days that we were out walking nature reserves and scrambling through brush and undergrowth, stuffing the binos inside my jacket so I could take pics of sea anemones and then pulling them out again, the dioptre setting never moved once. So handsome is, as handsome does and in this case, handsome did the job.

Lee
 
Lee
Thanks for the comparison I think I will wait for a sale on the Kowas and get a pair to go along with my 8.5X44's.Nice to have a good pair along when I am doing more photography or biking than serious birding.
Thanks
Steve
 
Lee
Thanks for the comparison I think I will wait for a sale on the Kowas and get a pair to go along with my 8.5X44's.Nice to have a good pair along when I am doing more photography or biking than serious birding.
Thanks
Steve

Steve
You have time to go photo'ing and biking? I would have thought you would spend all that time down at the gym pumping iron so you have enough strength to be able to carry those seriously beefy 8.5x44s. :-O

Good luck, you will love the 8x33s.

Lee
 
Lee
Having recently retired I do things at what ever pace fels good. I have the Kowas on an Eagle Optics harness and don't notice the weight. The weight and the somewhat longer than normal barrels make them the steadiest bins I have ever used. In fact Eagle had such an insane sale on Kowa demos about four years ago that I bought the 10.5's as well (paid less for both than the 5.5's cost today). The kowa 10.5's are the only ten power that I have been able to hold still enough to get good use from. Having retired to North Carolina some of the shore birding makes the extra magnification useful. Unless 12 ounce wrist curls count I don't pum iron.
Thanks Lee
Steve
 
Lee
Having recently retired I do things at what ever pace fels good. I have the Kowas on an Eagle Optics harness and don't notice the weight. The weight and the somewhat longer than normal barrels make them the steadiest bins I have ever used. In fact Eagle had such an insane sale on Kowa demos about four years ago that I bought the 10.5's as well (paid less for both than the 5.5's cost today). The kowa 10.5's are the only ten power that I have been able to hold still enough to get good use from. Having retired to North Carolina some of the shore birding makes the extra magnification useful. Unless 12 ounce wrist curls count I don't pum iron.
Thanks Lee
Steve

Shore birds and Loons are my favourites. Have fun Steve.
Lee
 
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