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Leaky Trinovids (1 Viewer)

NoSpringChicken

NoSpringChicken

Well-known member
United Kingdom
I have a pair of ex-dem Trinovid 8x32 BN binoculars and have been delighted with them. Normally I put them under my jacket if it starts to rain, mainly to stop water getting onto the objective lenses. The other day, however, I was out in heavy rain and thought that I would leave them uncovered as they are reputed to be waterproof to 5 metres. The result? The left hand eyepiece is now misted up and the binoculars are unusable.

They are covered by five years Passport warranty and Leica have told me to return them to be repaired, so hopefully it will be inconvenient but not expensive. I am, however, rather disappointed as I didn't think this would be a problem with such highly regarded binoculars.

Has anyone else had similar problems or have I just been unlucky and bought a bad pair? Also, what are people's experiences of Leica's repair service in the UK?

Ron
 
I've never heard of that happening before, must be a fluke.

Besides having them in the rain on occasion, I've been washing Trinovids under the faucet since the early 90s with no problems.

Hopefully Leica will be quick with the repairs.
 
sounds like very bad luck to me, clearly a repair that will be covered by the warranty, hopefully they will turn them round quickly for you.
 
Sleeper said:
Hi Ron

I posted this earlier to help alleviate anybody else's worries and to give a "Joe public" experience rating through the process. Hope you find it of some use.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=102445
Click to expand...
That's an interesting thread Sleeper and does not entirely instill a great deal of confidence. I have sent the bins off to Leica at Milton Keynes by Special Delivery and will wait to see what happens. Meanwhile it's back to my trusty Swift HHS and just to be sure, I will keep them under my jacket if it rains.

Ron
 
NoSpringChicken said:
Has anyone else had similar problems or have I just been unlucky and bought a bad pair? Also, what are people's experiences of Leica's repair service in the UK?

Ron
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you've had a spot of bother with your trinovids, Ron

If it's just a case of a faulty seal I suspect they will be repaired on warranty at Leica's Milton Keynes service dept free of charge..

Had some older trinovids serviced myself a couple of years ago, admittedly I had to wait a month but they did come back fully serviced and clad in new rubber armour + new rainguard free of charge!!

Matt
 
NoSpringChicken said:
That's an interesting thread Sleeper and does not entirely instill a great deal of confidence. I have sent the bins off to Leica at Milton Keynes by Special Delivery and will wait to see what happens. Meanwhile it's back to my trusty Swift HHS and just to be sure, I will keep them under my jacket if it rains.

Ron
Click to expand...

I'd be very, very surprised if you received nothing than excellent service - Leica Camera have "acquired" during the last few months, a gentleman from Swarovski Optik in Austria who concentrated on their customer and consumer aftercare and built up their reputation of wonderful service....he is bound to bring this to Leica Camera (worldwide) amongst other things they seem to be doing to get back on track. Think positive, you 'll receive an acknowledgement and estimate of how long it will take to put in order.
 
PYRTLE said:
I'd be very, very surprised if you received nothing than excellent service - Leica Camera have "acquired" during the last few months, a gentleman from Swarovski Optik in Austria who concentrated on their customer and consumer aftercare and built up their reputation of wonderful service....he is bound to bring this to Leica Camera (worldwide) amongst other things they seem to be doing to get back on track. Think positive, you 'll receive an acknowledgement and estimate of how long it will take to put in order.
Click to expand...
Thanks Pyrtle, that's very encouraging. The Trinovids have been delivered to Leica this morning so I shall await further developments.

Ron
 
NoSpringChicken said:
I have a pair of ex-dem Trinovid 8x32 BN binoculars and have been delighted with them. Normally I put them under my jacket if it starts to rain, mainly to stop water getting onto the objective lenses. The other day, however, I was out in heavy rain and thought that I would leave them uncovered as they are reputed to be waterproof to 5 metres. The result? The left hand eyepiece is now misted up and the binoculars are unusable.

Has anyone else had similar problems or have I just been unlucky and bought a bad pair? Also, what are people's experiences of Leica's repair service in the UK?

Ron
Click to expand...

I suspect the problem is the separation (however small) of the two focussing knobs used to adjust each telescope. If the knobs are not carefully locked together (or somehow come apart in use), watertight integrity is compromised. In my own experience, and others I know, the Trinovid BA and BN series are totally reliable in all weathers and all conditions.
 
chartwell99 said:
I suspect the problem is the separation (however small) of the two focussing knobs used to adjust each telescope. If the knobs are not carefully locked together (or somehow come apart in use), watertight integrity is compromised. In my own experience, and others I know, the Trinovid BA and BN series are totally reliable in all weathers and all conditions.
Click to expand...

No, having the parts of the focus knob separated only compromises the water tightness of the knob itself, such that water can show inside the clear plastic window through which the diopter scale is read. In this case, something must be wrong with the seal around the ocular.

--AP
 
I have just received my Trinovids back from Leica, which was a surprise as I had not heard from them, apart to acknowledge that they had been received and booked in.

I sent them on the 8th September, so they have turned them round in two weeks, which is very good. There is no paperwork with them other than a delivery note but perhaps this will be sent to my home address. The binoculars were sent to my work address which was useful.

I haven't had a chance to really test them yet but they seem to be fine. I had forgotten just how small and neat they are! No free new rainguard or anything else though but never mind.

I am quite impressed with the service from Leica at the moment. :t:

Ron
 
In the mid nineties a pair of 10x42 trinovids which I had just bought, misted up internally after their first clean.I returned them and they were sent back to me repaired--- without any explanation of why it occurred----I kept them and later bought a pair of Nikon HGs.
 
I got my Trinovid used, and I think its a pretty old one, number 1114.... In the box was a sheet saying that it was ok to immerse it for cleaning, but not to hold it in a stream of forcefully running water, a procedure that had once been recommended.

I don't know if you got a copy of that sheet with yours or not, just thought I'd pass it on.
Ron
 
Marks out of ten!

NoSpringChicken said:
I sent them on the 8th September, so they have turned them round in two weeks, which is very good.
I haven't had a chance to really test them yet but they seem to be fine.
I am quite impressed with the service from Leica at the moment. :t:

Ron
Click to expand...

So, based on your experience, have you had a chance to evaluate the repair and give a comment on Leica Service? Don't want to tempt fate though.
 
PYRTLE said:
So, based on your experience, have you had a chance to evaluate the repair and give a comment on Leica Service? Don't want to tempt fate though.
Click to expand...
The binoculars seem to be as good as they were when I bought them. They still give an excellent, crisp view and feel wonderful in the hand. The focusing is so much faster than my Swift HHS, which is great.

I think two weeks to turn them round was very good and the process was completely hassle free. My only slightly negative comment is that it would have been nice to have had some sort of report on what they have done to them. There was no accompanying correspondence, apart from a delivery note, but, there again, there was nothing to pay and the repair was carried out under warranty.

All in all I am impressed with Leica's service. However, despite the repair, I think I will keep them under my jacket if I am out in horizontal, driving rain, as I was when they developed the leak before. Better safe than sorry.

Ron
 
NoSpringChicken said:
Has anyone else had similar problems or have I just been unlucky and bought a bad pair? Also, what are people's experiences of Leica's repair service in the UK?

Ron
Click to expand...

Back in the days when In Focus stocked Leica they wrote in their Equipment Guide (3rd ed) "occasional problems with waterproofing persist", for the 8x 32 and that edition was published in '97. So it wasn't unknown.

Nev
 
Yes, after six years my Trinovid 10x42 BAs fogged up in both barrels due to perished seals. The binoculars are at Leica's US office, but I am a little disconcerted to have received an invoice for $400 servicing. I am back at home between trips and hoping to solve this problem before I leave again. I had assumed that leaky seals would be covered under the original warranty, although this does not seem to be automatic (see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=61634). I am asking Leica for further information now and will hopefully have some good news soon!
 
ronh said:
I got my Trinovid used, and I think its a pretty old one, number 1114.... In the box was a sheet saying that it was ok to immerse it for cleaning, but not to hold it in a stream of forcefully running water, a procedure that had once been recommended.

I don't know if you got a copy of that sheet with yours or not, just thought I'd pass it on.
Ron
Click to expand...

I had that problem with an 8x32,I put them under a tap which caused fogging later.
Got them back sorted 7 days after sending them off for repair.
 
tom24 said:
I had that problem with an 8x32,I put them under a tap which caused fogging later.
Got them back sorted 7 days after sending them off for repair.
Click to expand...
Did you put them under a tap after the repair or play it safe? Were they water tight after being fixed?

I noticed the comment in the instructions with mine about cleaning them in a bowl of water rather than under a 'running faucet'. It seems they don't like the pressure of running water.

Ron
 
Last edited:
I didn't regularly immerse my binoculars, but I have washed light sea spray from the lenses with water. All in all though, given the outlay, I treated them with a reverence bordering on the obsessional! Sure enough, they have been used in high humidity, sometimes in the Arctic cold, and at high altitude, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to work in those conditions - after all, isn't that why they are sealed and nitrogen purged? Interestingly, my backup pair of $400 EagleOptics have not fogged under the same conditions... The same goes for both my Swarovski and (much older) Kowa scopes. Admittedly the EagleOptics are not as good optically, but if the Leica seals last just a few years and (most importantly) the original warranty is flaky, I must admit I'll be sorely tempted to save the $400 in repairs and go for something cheaper, or else put the money towards a pair that do have a proper warranty.
 
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