• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Leica 7x42 Bn's Best Binoculars I Have Ever Used! (1 Viewer)

D

[email protected]

Well-known member
Supporter
I just want to say I have had almost every brand and size of binocular and for my eyes Leica 7x42 BN'S are the best optically and mechanically I have ever seen. They are just fantastic! Thanks Leica for building such a great product. They are so good I just had to say that.

Dennis
 
Hi Dennis,

I too find the 7x42 BN's an absolute pleasure to use. I really can't fault the handling of the Trinovid line (also use the 10x42 BN) - to me they are superbly balanced, rugged and the view is never a let down. I never thought I'd settle for a lower magnification binocular but the 7x are just so easy on the eyes - when the day comes to 'upgrade', I will no doubt get another 7x42 - my only concern is that any newer model will have to live up to the Trinovids!!

Cheers,

Mook.
 
Greetings!

My favorite binoculars of all time... I actually prefer them to Ultravid 7x42s, and had an opportunity to buy either model when I picked up my BN's.

Best wishes,
Bawko
 
Atomic Chicken said:
Greetings!



420ft. at 1,000 yds.

It's large enough to fall into... :D

Best wishes,
Bawko
Click to expand...

Hi Bawko,

That's the same as the 7x42 SLC. I'm not familiar with either one, but have you compared them? The SLC is a "brick" at 33.5 oz. :scribe:

Blue skies,
Ed
 
Aren't they fantastic? They possess superlative structural integrity, with nearly indestructible eyecups and polyurethane armoring. I bird quite a bit in very strong sun, and they haven't faded or cracked in the slightest. Some of my friends sport old Zeiss 10x40 Dialyt binoculars with armoring falling off in shreds:)

For a truly first-rate dawn or dusk birding experience, mount them on a tripod within a blind, and study the surrounding landscape. The depth of field of these binoculars is stellar, allowing the user to keep a gigantic amount of terrain in razor-sharp focus. Frankly, I'm disgusted at what Leica is presently charging for the 7x42 Ultravids. They display VERY little improvement in optical performace, at least to my 40-year-old eyes. My Trinovids BN's were nearly $650 cheaper!!!!

Best,
CE
 
elkcub said:
Hi Bawko,

That's the same as the 7x42 SLC. I'm not familiar with either one, but have you compared them? The SLC is a "brick" at 33.5 oz. :scribe:

Blue skies,
Ed
Click to expand...

The Leica is lighter at 27 ounces. According to the specifications, the SLC has a bit better eye relief (19mm versus 17mm), while the Leica has a little better close focus (11 feet versus 13 feet)

I have the 7x42 SLCs, and really like them. The focus is fast and the smoothest I've found.

Clear skies, Alan
 
The main advantage the 7x42 Swaro SLC has over its competitors is edge sharpness. While the FOV is slightly smaller than that of the Leica its sweet spot is by far the widest among all 7x42 available. That´s why it give my eyes one the most relaxed view of all bins I´ve tried so far. Big prisms and eyepieces are needed for this optical performance. That´s where the additional weight comes from. In optics almost every advantages comes with a disadvantage at the same time.

Steve
 
Last edited:
I have owned many of the binoculars in question and would agree that the 7x42 Trinovid does have a certain appeal to it. Ofcourse, the combination of a large exit pupil and great depth of field are attractive but the fairly wide sweet spot and specific color representation also make the image exceptionally relaxing to view.

Back in September/October when I had to choose between them, a Swaro SLC and a Zeiss FL I ended up with the Trinovid because I thought the image was actually the most relaxing and color correct of the three. Others may feel otherwise.

Now if they could have made the exterior just a tad more ergonomic. ;)
 
Atomic Chicken said:
Greetings!

My favorite binoculars of all time... I actually prefer them to Ultravid 7x42s, and had an opportunity to buy either model when I picked up my BN's.

Best wishes,
Bawko
Click to expand...

So far the 10x42 SLC is my favorite 10x, chosen at the time over the EL and FL, even though the latter have several better features. I tend to orient to Swaro, so when push comes to shove it will a tough call. The Bn is also harder to find nowadays. Are they still in production?

Blue skies,
Ed
 
hinnark said:
The main advantage the 7x42 Swaro SLC has over its competitors is edge sharpness. While the FOV is slightly smaller than that of the Leica its sweet spot is by far the widest among all 7x42 available. That´s why it give my eyes one the most relaxed view of all bins I´ve tried so far. Big prisms and eyepieces are needed for this optical performance. That´s where the additional weight comes from. In optics almost every advantages comes with a disadvantage at the same time.

Steve
Click to expand...

Steve,

Can you explain how the size of prisms and eyepieces effect performance? This is not a trick question. I just don't know.

Thanks,
Ed
PS. Anyone else can respond also if they get the urge.
 
Ed,

sometimes short questions are hard to explain with a few words. I´ll try knowing that next questions will arise. But please, I don´t want to discuss about brands in the way of which one is better than the other.

The light beam that comes into the binoculars´ objective has a given diameter. After leaving the objective it shines through the prisms. A lot of modern birding bins have undersized prisms which cause a lost of even illumination. The field of view of such bins needs to pump up by the eyepieces. The limits of this is what we see if we have a small sweet spot. Under normal conditions this isn´t visible but I believe there are some effects we can notice. Some of these bins have for example a darker circle shaped area when you look at the bright sky with them. I believe it was S. Ingraham who once wrote about this phenomenon. I also think that the superior low light performance of the Swaro 7x42 has something to do with this.

If you take a look at widefield astro EPs, e.g. the Pentax XW series, you´ll see that they are big with big lenses of a wide diameter. The Swarovski 7x42 has this kind of optical design philosopy. It is designed for pure optical performance: a well corrected image with only small amounts of field curvature and astigmatism even at the edge without the need of compromise that comes with weight savings in optical components. I´m tempted to say that enforcement of weight reduction in birding optics caused by potential buyers is the tragedy of our times for those who just want pure optical performance.

What does this mean for practical use? I noticed this after several hours of continual use. When I get tired at the end of a long birding day and a lot of kilometers of walking and carrying my equipment my eyes get tired too. This is the moment when an even and wide FOV let me feel how much this supports my eyes. They don´t need to work against the lost of sharpness that comes with a too small sweet spot.

Steve
 
Last edited:
Thanks, Steve.

Yes, I realize that a seemingly "simple" question can require a lengthy answer, so I'll have to do my part and think about the relationships I'm really looking for. As I get older it's getting harder for me to figure out what I'm trying to do. ;)

Anyway, I do agree that my larger binoculars are more enjoyable to use, even though they weigh a great deal more. In fact, I never touch anything under 27 oz. nowadays, unless I'm on travel, and then I tend to carry pocket binoculars. Those beefy 7x42 SLCs are looking more attractive all the time.

Blue skies,
Ed
 
Thank you ThoLa and Dennis.

Blue skies,
Ed
PS. At the last minute I saw they were BA even though auctioned as BN. Wanted the short focus advantage.
 
Last edited:
There's no doubt in my mind, all things being equal, a 7x42 from the top tier makers are far and away easier on the eyes for prolonged viewing than any other configuration. A 7x has fewer glass elements than the 8x and 10x and the big exit pupil allows the eye to "roam" around the image easily. Honestly, I've never used a 7x42 SLC/BA/BN/BR/FL that I didn't like image wise. Some are more appealing image-wise/ergonomically but none are what I'd call "bad."
 
Interested in comparing leica to Swaro

hinnark said:
The main advantage the 7x42 Swaro SLC has over its competitors is edge sharpness. While the FOV is slightly smaller than that of the Leica its sweet spot is by far the widest among all 7x42 available. Steve
Click to expand...

Just wondering if the 7x42 SLC Swaro you mentioned is the new version or the previous version. I totaly agree that 7 power is the most enjoyable. My favorite bino is the 7x30 SLC that swaro used to make and am thinking of moving up to the 7x42. Thanks
 
Warning! This thread is more than 17 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

R
Leica Bins
2
Replies
28
Views
3K
Bentley03
B
M
Leica trinovoid advice please
Replies
19
Views
3K
Ofthewoods
O
B
Choosing 8x32 vs 7x42 vs 8x25
2 3
Replies
56
Views
5K
TheBlackGrouse
TheBlackGrouse
N
Ultravid 7x42 HD+ vs Noctivid 8x42
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
8K
Scott98
S
mgp13
Leica Trinovid HD appreciation thread
Replies
12
Views
2K
Rg548
R

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top