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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

New binoculars from leica (1 Viewer)

Hi Torview and Lee.
I remember driving often to Exeter or Plymouth, can't remember which, and there was this marvelous reddish sandstone long 'cliff' on the right hand side of the main road.
Definitely not green.

Perhaps the red colour is not Exeter sandstone?

Strange how different binoculars show colours and contrast.

I was only pulling John's leg a little. Its decades since I was down the south-west and I don't remember sandstone down there. I used to stay in Exeter at the Station Hotel and visit the tin mines in Cornwall.

Lee
 
"One thing some users might find mildly annoying, however, is the positioning of the strap lugs which, had they been located just a few millimetres closer to the ocular, would allow the focusing finger to be kept completely straight and, therefore, a little more relaxed."

I will wait until MKII where the strap lugs are not placed in line with the focus wheel.

;)

The Nvids at Bird Fair were not fitted with straps but a friend who has tried them on a neck strap comments that they hang so that the eyecups are against your body and the objectives some distance off it which would be very comfortable for pregnant ladies or beer-drinking men. I am guessing that this might vary according to the IPD that the bins are set to.

Lee
 
"One thing some users might find mildly annoying, however, is the positioning of the strap lugs which, had they been located just a few millimetres closer to the ocular, would allow the focusing finger to be kept completely straight and, therefore, a little more relaxed."

I will wait until MKII where the strap lugs are not placed in line with the focus wheel.

;)

Was it me or did the review seem to be kind of down playing the CA and we've heard it mentioned before from the Dutch dealer.

Ok maybe you have to accept some CA in order to obtain the other impressive attributes but I really do like that my Hawke Sapphire 8x43 has no CA, even my economy Kowa 8x32 has none to speak of and not even ED glass as far as I am aware. I think he was reviewing the 10x42 Noctivid though so maybe the 8x doesn't suffer so much?

I would really want an excellent CA performance for 2k. I'd even sacrifice some colour and brightness or contrast for no CA if needed. A little CA is ok in a basic bin. None in a bin like my Hawke is great but some in a high end bin I just wouldn't like. Clean edges to birds is very nice.

I'm sure we'll hear more about it but it may be this is the Noctovid down side, moreso even than bad lug placement which would be annoying also.
 
Was it me or did the review seem to be kind of down playing the CA and we've heard it mentioned before from the Dutch dealer.

Ok maybe you have to accept some CA in order to obtain the other impressive attributes but I really do like that my Hawke Sapphire 8x43 has no CA, even my economy Kowa 8x32 has none to speak of and not even ED glass as far as I am aware. I think he was reviewing the 10x42 Noctivid though so maybe the 8x doesn't suffer so much?

I would really want an excellent CA performance for 2k. I'd even sacrifice some colour and brightness or contrast for no CA if needed. A little CA is ok in a basic bin. None in a bin like my Hawke is great but some in a high end bin I just wouldn't like. Clean edges to birds is very nice.

I'm sure we'll hear more about it but it may be this is the Noctovid down side, moreso even than bad lug placement which would be annoying also.

I don't think he downplayed it. I think he called it as he saw it; clean in the center and apparent outside of the center. That's a typical Leica bino. They are not known for excellent CA correction like Zeiss or Kowa , but instead colors and contrast. It's all about individual taste and if sensitive to CA Leica should be avoided. I guess CA is not able to be corrected as well due to the design - short focal length of ultravids and who knows what's going on in the noctivid. I don't think Leica concentrates too much on it as much as other attributes.

CA should be less apparent with less magnification in the same model binocular.
My 7x doesn't show too much but it can be found in certain situations off axis but to me it's slight and not as obvious as other 8x Leica's I've tried.
 
I don't think he downplayed it. I think he called it as he saw it; clean in the center and apparent outside of the center. That's a typical Leica bino. They are not known for excellent CA correction like Zeiss or Kowa , but instead colors and contrast. It's all about individual taste and if sensitive to CA Leica should be avoided. I guess CA is not able to be corrected as well due to the design - short focal length of ultravids and who knows what's going on in the noctivid. I don't think Leica concentrates too much on it as much as other attributes.

CA should be less apparent with less magnification in the same model binocular.
My 7x doesn't show too much but it can be found in certain situations off axis but to me it's slight and not as obvious as other 8x Leica's I've tried.

Yes, seems that it's a Leica feature so nothing new with the Noctovid in this regard. It never bothered me with my 10x32 HD but I still thought that it wasn't particularly good but not enough to be a deal breaker.

I probably do have bins that suit me for this reason hence why I'm not keen to change them. I don't suppose Leica will ever change this but it's surprising for a high end camera maker that they don't seem to give this much priority. It's not as if you can edit it out afterwards with software as per a photo.

Oh well. I just saved 2k. I save a fortune with Leica 8-P
 
Oh well. I just saved 2k. I save a fortune with Leica 8-P


I got ripped off on the UV+. I didn't think the price would go down so fast, so I paid 2400 when it first came out and now it's listed at 2100, so I paid 300 bucks extra :( It got bumped down shortly after I purchased.

oh well. I only have one more bino to go and it will be a 10x down the road. I have already ruled Leica out, as I think I can get a nice 10x with wider FOV in another bin. So, the 7x42 I have should be the only Leica I'll ever own, but that's ok b/c I think it's the best of the lot essentially for my preferences.
 
I`v learned to take reports of c/a with caution, I feel its a combination of the optic and user, the way they personally interface, reports of c/a in this or that bin are far too variable to be conclusive.

For me the UVHD+ does show a little more than SF or SV off axis, but the reward is a shorter and more compact optic.
 
I`v learned to take reports of c/a with caution, I feel its a combination of the optic and user, the way they personally interface, reports of c/a in this or that bin are far too variable to be conclusive.

For me the UVHD+ does show a little more than SF or SV off axis, but the reward is a shorter and more compact optic.

That's a good point. If alignment is off while wearing eyeglasses, CA can show up. Also, polycarbonate lenses, which I have in my glasses, can induce more CA on the periphery.

It's sort of like reading bad reports of a binocular's sharpness , but the user never set the diopter when viewing the bin at the store.
 
That's a good point. If alignment is off while wearing eyeglasses, CA can show up. Also, polycarbonate lenses, which I have in my glasses, can induce more CA on the periphery.

It's sort of like reading bad reports of a binocular's sharpness , but the user never set the diopter when viewing the bin at the store.
Polycarbonate lenses are, without a doubt, a terrible source of CA. I made that mistake once and immediately changed to a more expensive high index lens. The difference was truly amazing.
 
That's a good point. If alignment is off while wearing eyeglasses, CA can show up. Also, polycarbonate lenses, which I have in my glasses, can induce more CA on the periphery.

It's sort of like reading bad reports of a binocular's sharpness , but the user never set the diopter when viewing the bin at the store.


Hello Gilmore Gal,

I have been wearing progressives for many years. When I need a new pair of sunglasses, I bought a simple distant vision pair. I immediately noticed increased clarity, a sharper image. My ophthalmologist advised me that my observation was accurate. Bifocals might have been better than the progressives at the cost of appearance and convenience.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 
Hello Gilmore Gal,

I have been wearing progressives for many years. When I need a new pair of sunglasses, I bought a simple distant vision pair. I immediately noticed increased clarity, a sharper image. My ophthalmologist advised me that my observation was accurate. Bifocals might have been better than the progressives at the cost of appearance and convenience.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Hi Arthur,

That's what I have - a simple pair for distance. I also have the same in a pair of sunglasses.

I don't need reading glasses unless the print is tiny and then I just use the reading glasses you get at the pharmacy right off the shelf.

I'm glad I don't have to wear bifocals , but that may be coming later down the road.
 
Polycarbonate lenses are, without a doubt, a terrible source of CA. I made that mistake once and immediately changed to a more expensive high index lens. The difference was truly amazing.

I noticed a little CA a few days after my first pair over 3 years ago and I remember looking up at a telephone pole (maybe there was a bird on it) and said to myself...oh look at that...there's a little CA there. But, after that I never saw it again. I think my eyes adjusted. From what I read about polycarbonate , it's supposed to only be on the periphery where the CA is not controlled as well as the other lens types. I like polycarbonate for its durability and also built in UV protection. They asked me if I wanted a UV coating, but I told them it's not necessary. They had no idea and probably sold the UV coating on PC lenses to a bunch of people who also had no clue.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/lenses/polycarb.htm
 
The Nvids at Bird Fair were not fitted with straps but a friend who has tried them on a neck strap comments that they hang so that the eyecups are against your body and the objectives some distance off it which would be very comfortable for pregnant ladies or beer-drinking men. I am guessing that this might vary according to the IPD that the bins are set to.

Lee

Which might indicate that the lugs are misplaced also.
 
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I`v learned to take reports of c/a with caution, I feel its a combination of the optic and user, the way they personally interface, reports of c/a in this or that bin are far too variable to be conclusive.

For me the UVHD+ does show a little more than SF or SV off axis, but the reward is a shorter and more compact optic.

I agree 100% John and I don't think Uvid's slight increase in CA detracts from them in the slightest, and as you say, the payback is a more compact unit.

Lee
 
"One thing some users might find mildly annoying, however, is the positioning of the strap lugs which, had they been located just a few millimetres closer to the ocular, would allow the focusing finger to be kept completely straight and, therefore, a little more relaxed."

I will wait until MKII where the strap lugs are not placed in line with the focus wheel.

;)

Why can't designers get this right, especially after the example of the Zeiss Victory (original version)? It's my main gripe with the lug design of the newest version (FieldPro) of the Swarovski EL.

--AP
 
Has anyone who's seen them taken note of focus speed on the Noctivid, in the sense of how many rotations of the focus wheel it takes to get from close focus to infinity? I'd be curious to know how they compare with the SF & SV in that respect (& the zippy FL, which to my mind is the perfect speed for fast-moving passerines). Thanks!
 
Has anyone who's seen them taken note of focus speed on the Noctivid, in the sense of how many rotations of the focus wheel it takes to get from close focus to infinity? I'd be curious to know how they compare with the SF & SV in that respect (& the zippy FL, which to my mind is the perfect speed for fast-moving passerines). Thanks!

Sorry I didn't think to make a note of this when I tried the Nvid at Bird Fair, but I don't recall anything about the focusing speed that made me think they were exceptionally fast or slow, although the Leica website does mention quote 'extremely fast focusing' unquote.

Lee
 
Has anyone who's seen them taken note of focus speed on the Noctivid, in the sense of how many rotations of the focus wheel it takes to get from close focus to infinity? I'd be curious to know how they compare with the SF & SV in that respect (& the zippy FL, which to my mind is the perfect speed for fast-moving passerines). Thanks!

Yes, I specifically looked at this. Although "two turns" from close-up to infinity is quoted, this is a bit misleading. That includes focussing down to about 6 feet and then to infinity. Using the Noctivids in the "usual" range for birders, from a few yards away to infinity, it was about the same as the SFs and SVs, maybe just under one full turn. It was also noticeable that when focussing from fairly close to middle distance, almost no re-focussing was necessary. I'd see the ease of focussing with the Noctivids to be a big plus. When mine arrive, I'll have a closer look at this aspect in comparison with some other bins.

Cheers David
 
Then it has plenty of focus past infinity? This should be good for nearsighted people who want to use it without wearing their spectacles.

Bob
 
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