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Best alpha 7x42? (1 Viewer)

John M Robinson

Well-known member
Since there aren't any alpha 7x32s how do you guys rate the various alpha 7x42? Has anyone tried a Leica 7x42HD? I see camerlandny has a like new- pre owned 10 year waranty 7x42HD for $1,550.00, now that I have two excellent 8x32 bins and a 10x42SE I'm considering selling my cherry 8x42 Ultravid BR and buying that 7x42HD.

I think the 7x42 SLCs are too heavy for me, but I would consider a Zeiss 7x42. The Zeiss has a whopping 450' FOV and weighs 26 oz, the Leica HD is 420' and 27 oz, the SLC 420' and almost 34 oz. I wish Leica made a 7x42 BL, I like that leather and lighter weight. I used my leather covered Leitz Trinovids for years (decades) before I had to replace the leather, no big deal. So it seems to come down to the Leica HD or latest Zeiss with lotu-tec.

Thanks for your input,
John

ps, Please believe me, I was sincere about believing I was set on bins, this is just a sideways shift, not a net gain in bins...
 
I had the 7x42FL and wasn't overly impressed, it was pre-Lotutec (SP). The FOV didn't look that wide and the soft edges combined with the large size made me sell it. "IF" I was going to buy a 7x I would look at the older Leica BN or the Ultravid.

My .02
 
Tie yourself to the mast, man!

Too funny! I really do need help. It just seems like any rational person would want a nice 6, 7, 8 and 10 power bin collection. Then all I would need is one of Tero's 9x36s to complete the set. Of course there is always 15x56 "Big Eyes" after that, it really never ends, does it?
 
Then there's the "I only need 8x" crowd--who own 7 different pairs of 8x. I'm starting to resemble that description myself.
 
Hi John,

I think the big exit pupil is the reason a good quality 7x feels so good. I love my 7x and would not trade for anything. Very forgiving view is how I would describe the feeling.

Once you get used to the 7's... the trade offs to 8x is small in comparison to the ease of use.

Cheers
 
The 7x42 FL would be my first choice followed by the 7x42 Trinovid then the Ultravid then the Meostar and then the SLC.
 
John,
I think you need a sub-title on this thread.

To wit: " Any Binophiles with deep pockets who own or have owned enough of these to compare them are asked to share their thoughts here.";) PS: Don't forget to include the new EDG!
Bob
 
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Sorry John but at this level "best" is really just personal preference. If it matters, I would get 7x42 Uvid HDs. I happen to like the way Leicas focus better and I like the solid mechanical feel they offer.
 
I hate to say, but my present non-lotu tec Zeiss FL is the very best (for me!).
One I would consider for its price is the Swarovski SLC, a pity they are so heavy (950g) compared to the competition, but for their price, you won't find anything better.

What I like about the Zeiss (and others maybe are not so fond of) is the wide FOV (allmost unsurpassed, unless you go for e.g. Nikon EII 8x30), the gathering of the light through these bins, the price (compared to Leica), the weight (compared to Swarovski) and the fast and fluent focus (which some do not like). I experienced far more friction in focus with Swarovski EL and Leica ultravid, straight from the shop (in some examples, not all).

To sum up, there is nothing wrong with choosing either the leica, zeiss or swarovski, but you would better have to try them yourself!
 
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Trinovids are heavy... and still available?

Bear in mind that you cannot compare edge softness of a wider view... If you have 150 mtrs of FOV, and let's say 50 mtrs (25 each side) are soft, you still have a FOV of 150 mtrs with 100 mtrs of it sharp.

If you have FOV of 130 mtrs, and only 30 mtrs soft (15 mtrs each side of sweet spot), the softness of the edges will be less notable, but are you really having a sharper bin?

Ofcourse, if edge softness is a problem, take a bin with really small prisms and FOV, those will always be sharper at the edges (because the edges are cut by the prism design...

Correct me if my theory is wrong B :)
 
denco@comcast. said:
I would pick the Leica 7x42 Trinovid BN. I had a Zeiss FL and the edges were just too soft for me...

Dennis

Could this be the same Trinovid that so recently had its butt kicked by a little 8x32 Porro? Perhaps the dissatisfied owner might be willing to sell cheap. ;-))
 
Could this be the same Trinovid that so recently had its butt kicked by a little 8x32 Porro? Perhaps the dissatisfied owner might be willing to sell cheap. ;-))

Yeah,
I was wondering if this was the same Trinovid that was the best binocular in the world, better image than the Hubble Space Telescope, far superior to anything else from Leica, Swaro or Zeiss. Actually regardless of view, both the SLC and 42mm size Trinovids are too heavy for my liking.

Regarding the Zeiss, I would rather they trim the soft part of the view out and live with a smaller FOV, I would find that extra area distracting if it's not close to the image quality of the rest of the view. It looks like I would lean toward the 7x42HD, as I would want an upgrade over by Ultravid BRs if I'm going to be spending more money on the exchange. Of course I could always come to my senses and stay pat with these wonderful 8x42 BRs. I know it looks like I am rich, but in my defense I have gotten killer, way below list, deals on all of these bins including the Ultravids. The demo price on these bins from CLNY is $1,400.00 for the 7x42 BRs, $1,550.00 for the 7x42 HDs and $1,650.00 for the Zeiss FLT with lotu-tec, so in that regard they are all contenders. It is really between the Zeiss and the Ultravid HDs, as for the little extra money, I would prefer these latest coatings and HD glass. With CLNY I could order both, try them out and return the one I don't like. I think I'll put my 8x42 BRs on consignment today. Sometimes I just need a little prodding in my thinking...

Thanks, John
 
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FWIW I tried 6 different pair of FLs late last year. 2 32s and 4 42s. Of those 6, 4 had a tight spot in the focus. It felt like maybe the focus axle wasn't true and at a point during rotation had an interference fit causing a tight spot. I don't remember if all of them had lotutec or not so I'm not sure if maybe the "tight" ones were older, or newer. I mention this as I think I'd like to have my pick of several FLs in a shop (if possible) before I plunked down my money. Your one mail order arrival just might have that issue.
 
I know one of the attractions of a seven power bin is its relatively large FOV, but I am quite happy with the 389' FOV of my Ultravids, 420' sharp to the edge will be fine with me. Like I said if Zeiss can't keep the image sharp near the edge I would rather they cut down on the FOV to a point where it is sharp. I would guess that, that would probably be near the Leica and Swarovski FOVs.
 
Though neither are current models, I think the Zeiss 7x42 Classic and 7x45 Night Owl deserve mention. They are still my favorites in this category. The Night Owls are too heavy to be a good birding bino but I like their optics. The Classic is still my favorite full size ergonomically (and only surpassed by the Swarovski 8x32 EL) and I like that the edge of the FOV is affected more by field curvature than astigmatism. If I were buying new I'd tolerate the 7x42 FL.

--AP
 
IMO the FOV on the 7x42FL didn't appear as wide as the spec.

The distance of your eyes from the eyepeice may be part of it? The FOV I see through my binoculars is reduced when my eyes are further away from the eyepeice. (I wear glasses.)
 
The 7x42 FL would be my first choice followed by the 7x42 Trinovid then the Ultravid then the Meostar and then the SLC.

FrankD - I know you're a Meopta fan, but it suprises me to see you rank the Meostar above the SLC. Would you rank the Meostar 8x42 above the 7x42, then the SLC 7x42?

The 7x42 config has such a mystique -fun reading ...

APS
 
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