james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
The ''un-waterproofness'' of recent Leica bins seems to be more than a few outliers...
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Leica Can you Fix my Noctivid or give me my cash back !!!!! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter GLOBETROTTER
- Start date
Iceberg slim
Fly by night
I think his concerns were where was Leicas quality control in the first place..
If I'd paid by credit card I think I would of just done a CC chargeback. There used to be no time limit for this but I think it's generally 6 months now. They send you a form to fill in and you need proof of shipping that the item has been returned to the vendor.
In the UK under consumer protection laws a company has the right to attempt repair once. If that fails the consumer can demand a refund or replacement. This is in addition to the protections you have purchasing with a credit card.
In the UK under consumer protection laws a company has the right to attempt repair once. If that fails the consumer can demand a refund or replacement. This is in addition to the protections you have purchasing with a credit card.
Patriot222
Well-known member
I know we've seen many cases of the Ultravid and poor water resistance in the past but it's really disappointing to see this sort of thing in Leica's newest design. My desire is for the brand do well but I'm continuing to lose confidence in their sport optics.
Hermann
Well-known member
Were there really "many cases of the Ultravid and poor water resistance in the past"? I can't think of many instances where people reported problems with the Ultravid. OK, Allbinos did, and a friend of mine had some problems with his 8x32, but that's about it.
Hermann
Mike F
Well-known member
The trouble with these things is that people understandably report problems (and sometimes they are genuine), but no one reports a non-problem. Given that, and the fact that the sample size is so small, it's easy to get the impression that a particular issue is widespread. I'm no statistician, but I'm quite sure that no self respecting one would conclude that Leica have a general problem with poor water resistance based on the reports thereof on BF.
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You are absolutely correct.
However, the statistics are irrelevant if your binocular is one that leaks.
In general I'd agree, but I've seen a few different reports of non-waterproofness in these Leica Noctivid binoculars, but can only recall seeing one such a report in the older Ultravids/Trinovids and none from other brands, e.g. Zeiss or Swarovski. Given optics, etc. are so similar between the alpha models aside from design differences, it'd be worrying enough for me to want to avoid them if I was interested in purchasing one of these alpha models.
dalat
...
With a little digging in this or other forums, you will find reports of leaky or mouldy bins from any brand, including Zeiss and Swarovski. I doubt that any meaningfull conclusion can be made from that, except that no brand is entirely perfect. That said, I can report that my Ultravid is perfectly waterproof since more than 9 years B
Patriot222
Well-known member
Perhaps "many" isn't the ideal terminology, when considering only the cases that we've heard about here at BF. But if I create a loose composite of those cases here at BF, then consider the two flooded Leica optics at Allbinos, (unbelievable in itself) my own leaking Trinovid 8x32 BN (sat overnight in the rain) a friend's fogged up Ultravid non-HD (inside a damp truck cab) and all the scattered cases of fogged or leaking Leica optics on the various shooting and hunting forums, which I occasion, it's a complete enough picture that it's concerning to me. Now we hear of a BF member's fogged NV already?
Swarovski seems to be the predominant high end optics brand here in the desert southwest US, among archers, shooters, and hunters. As a general example, I can't really think of a time where I was at the archery range, or the shooting range, or around hunting camp when someone mentioned a fogged Swarovski. I don't doubt that it happens, it's just that I never run into it with non-Leica optics, including all the different Monarchs in circulation which are also popular here.
Let me be clear that I'm not anti-Leica. I love the history of the brand and still own several including that 8x32 BN, 8x42 UV HD, Televid APO, LRF 1200 and darn, I still miss the 10x50BA that I traded in years ago! These days, I can really relate to what Maljunulo stated, in that I just don't want to deal with sending my optics in for repair work. I feel that Leica is at significantly higher 'leak' risk than my other optics, including my cheap Nikon 7x35 EX's which I routinely run under the faucet.
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Few instruments are waterproof in the long run as seals shrink and harden, as divers often find out as their expensive watches drown...
I haven't had any problems with my 2015 Trinovids in the rain here in England, however I'm guessing the dioptre adjuster assembly arrangement could potentially be a source of ingress.
I haven't had any problems with my 2015 Trinovids in the rain here in England, however I'm guessing the dioptre adjuster assembly arrangement could potentially be a source of ingress.
Patriot222
Well-known member
Most would not argue against that statement however, the context was, BF member, Martin Symth's mate's, 5mo old NV, along with some other rather new-ish examples.
I live in a very low humidity region where 0-5% moisture is the norm. Decent quality rubber/silicone seals will last a surprisingly long time if they're not exposed to UV light or 175°+F temps, regularly.
Torview
Well-known member
The Noctivid is a radical new design for Leica it seems to me, I`m not that surprised there are some issues that arise from real world use, any of these can be ironed out for newer production runs, but surely the main concern is how quickly or willingly Leica address these issues for those affected, its this care and service that would be my concern before paying £2k on a NV right now.
Mike F
Well-known member
If you're buying in the UK, fear not. Leica service UK is excellent. They went to extraordinary lengths to make sure I was totally satisfied when I had a problem. They really do understand that they 'dropped the ball' at one point (Mark Symes words, not mine) and they are extremely keen to rectify that situation and the damage it did to their collective image.
Well thought out post. I agree with what you are saying.. When it comes to issues in general Swarovski is the least talked about. I never even heard about the focus adjustment issue until I heard about it here. Also consider which brand is the most purchased of the big three. Probably Swarovski. I will say this...I've never had an issue ONE with any Leica rangefinder/binocular I have ever owned. I probably just jinxed myself...
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