My new Ultravid HD 12x50 (2 Viewers)

Well after some shifting around of my collection of binoculars I ended up with a better diversity of my collection.
An 8x32 EL SV
Trinovid 10x42
And the newest member the Ultravid HD 12x50

My main contenders for the 12x50 were the Meostar 12x50hd - good reviews, good price/performance ratio. I owned the 10x42hd and liked it.

Ultravid - few reviews, strong reputation for the line, high dollar, replaced by the HD+. I have a Trinovid and like it.

EL Sv - many good reviews, strong reputation EL SV line, high dollar, I have the 8x32 EL sv and like it.

Well I came across a NIB pair of the Ultravid HD for the price of a Meostar so I took the plunge.

I will start with a general first impression. Leica builds a sexy well built binocular. They feel great in your hands and are beautiful just to look at. Accessories include objective covers that aren't as well built as Swarovski provides. The rain guard is a basic construction rubber. I have an extra Swarovski rain guard that I will use. These are much better constructed in my opinion. The next strap is on par with Swarovski, with the edge going to Swarovski for the easier installation and adjustment features. Leica provides a basic nylon or cordura case, but again not the quality of a Swarovski. I would like to see Leica cut back on the shiny box and formed rubber packaging inside and improve their accessory package. Swarovski seems to provide a better package. This is a minor critique, that shouldn't sway a purchase decision.

These binoculars feel great in my hands and hand a well placed thumb ridge instead of the indents found on many other brands. They are noticeably heavier than a typical 42mm. I think i will try a harness system if they are going to get use on longer hikes. I do think I can hold them from my hand comfortably for short periods, which was a pleasant surprise. The eyecups have 4 click stop positions. The diopter adjustment is excellent and a smooth focus wheel. My initial feel is that they balance better when holding them a little further down the barrel, but when I did this the focus wheel reach wasn't as comfortable. This will need some further experimenting and may not matter if they are used more on a tripod.

Crystal clear image with minor pincushion distortion around the edge. The close focus was tested at the reported 10 ft. The FOV seems very good, I didn't have a tunnel vision feeling with the 300'. I checked out the night tonight under the full moon light and the 50mm objective really lets the light in.

I think these will really shine on a tripod and I can't wait to spend more time behind them.
I will spend more time looking through them in upcoming weeks and share more thoughts.

Congrats!

I've read so many REALLY good things about the Leica UV HD and HD+ 50mm binoculars. They come across as one of their best binoculars. I've always wanted a 10X50 UV HD or HD +.

NICE AGPank! Agreed Chuck. As you know Chuck, I had the UVHD+ 10x50. Just an incredibly satisfying image. But the sheer size was slightly off-putting; and, the focus mechanism was perfect from infinity to close-up, but it had some grinding/stacking issues returning to infinity. So I returned it. Had the focus been right, I'd probably still own it.

The 12X50 perhaps legitimizes the size a little, and it would of been ideal on the vast savannahs I encountered last April in Rwanda, many images were a very very long throw. This past Monday I used a 12X50 belonging to our company's COO, and I was expecting a more jittery image and was very pleasantly surprised how stable they can be held. I may pick a UVHD or UVHD+ up if I run in to a significantly discounted one.

I leave for a short trip to Cape Town Monday, and I'll have the UVHD+ 8X42.

Below is an African Fish Eagle I took in Rwanda last year from an iPhone 6 through a Leica UVHD+ 7X42 - would of been a good time for a 12X50 (and a proper camera).

If someone is interested I have a brand new pair of Leica 12x50 Ultravid HD that I'm trying to sell for $1,599. I had bought a bunch for resell purposes (I was trying to meet minimum credit card spending to get a bonus).

I have pictures and a profile on ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-Ultra...N-40297-/162200393811?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT) and cloduynight (Guillaume_8667) if you want to look me up.

Of course on ebay I sell them for more because I have to pay the ebay fees.

Hope I get someone's interest.

So far I'm very pleased with these binos. I haven't been able to use them on a tripod yet. I ordered the Outdoorsman tripod adapter.

I have been surprised at how steady they are freehand. I enjoy the high power for some of the small warblers. I spotted two in my yard I haven't seen before. I think they will work well with my PhoneSkope too.

AGPank said:

So far I'm very pleased with these binos. I haven't been able to use them on a tripod yet. I ordered the Outdoorsman tripod adapter.

I have been surprised at how steady they are freehand. I enjoy the high power for some of the small warblers. I spotted two in my yard I haven't seen before. I think they will work well with my PhoneSkope too.

Click to expand...

Congrats on your purchase!
I happen to have the 10x50 HD+ and the 8x50 HD and fully agree with you: the x50 Ultravids are really great binos, among the best you can get, both mechanically and optically. I like them a lot.
Have fun with yours !

Tripod adapter arrived today. A really great system from Outdoorsman.

The tripod adapter slips over the bottom end of the focus mechanism. There is a plastic cap that pops off then the adapter slides over. There are 3 set screws that lock it in place. This adapter quickly slides into the main post. The top of the post presses in to allow the adapter to insert or remove.

I will test it out over the next couple of weeks.