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Leica 8x32 BN replaced WOW!!!!! (1 Viewer)

O

opticjunkie

Active member
My Leica 8x32 BN had developed some slight haze inside one of the prisms resulting in a loss of contrast on one side.

I sent them to Leica for repair and they rang me a few weeks later stating that they could not fix the prism for some reason.

They surprised me by offering me a free BNIB Leica 8x32 HD as compensation.

To cut a long story short, I said YES...lol

The binocular arrived and its a great little unit
Thank you Leica for your prompt service and great after sales
5 stars in my book

PS I do however miss my little BN's...they were sweet..I hope they go to binocular heaven so I can catch up with them one day....lol
 
I am glad to hear you were treated so well, and hope you enjoy the new HD.

There is something unique about the form and mechanics of the BA/BN though, as you note. I wish I could have my 12x50 BN hot rodded to an HD Plus optically, but keeping the grand old body.

Ron
 
Hi Ron,

I agree, the mechanics on the BN were amazing, I would say you could probably run over them with a car and they would still be fine, they looked and felt so strong. These newer HD's feel very plastic and cheap in comparison. For me, I actually preferred the optics of the BN over these HD's, for some reason, I can see CA in these HD's, which was never a problem in my BN's.

cheers
Peter
 
Admit I haven't looked through the new HD, but agree the BN is a special glass, I love the view through my 8x32BN, and also my Zeiss classics, just something about that generation of alpha binoculars, they just seemed to shout quality when you use them. Great service from Leica, good to hear.
 
opticjunkie said:
Hi Ron,

I agree, the mechanics on the BN were amazing, I would say you could probably run over them with a car and they would still be fine, they looked and felt so strong. These newer HD's feel very plastic and cheap in comparison. For me, I actually preferred the optics of the BN over these HD's, for some reason, I can see CA in these HD's, which was never a problem in my BN's.

cheers
Peter
Click to expand...

Peter,

There isn't anything cheap or plastic about the Leica Ultravid line. You can see pictures of a 10x42 sent in to Company 7 by a professional outfitter for its scheduled cleaning in the link below.

http://www.company7.com/leica/binoculars.html#Overview


I have a 7x42 Trinovid aka "the brick." It probably could be run over by a car and survive, not that I will put it to that test though!

I also have an 8x42 Ultravid Blackline. It is a very attractive classy black leather covered special edition binocular. It is lighter in weight and better looking than the standard rubber covered Ultravids are. There isn't anything that could be mistaken for plastic on it or in it. It has the same magnesium body the other ultravids have along with the titanium focusing rod which are reasons why the Ultravids are lighter than the Trinovids. The older Trinovids had aluminum bodies and steel focusing rods.

Bob
 
ceasar said:
Peter,

There isn't anything cheap or plastic about the Leica Ultravid line. You can see pictures of a 10x42 sent in to Company 7 by a professional outfitter for its scheduled cleaning in the link below.

http://www.company7.com/leica/binoculars.html#Overview


I have a 7x42 Trinovid aka "the brick." It probably could be run over by a car and survive, not that I will put it to that test though!

I also have an 8x42 Ultravid Blackline. It is a very attractive classy black leather covered special edition binocular. It is lighter in weight and better looking than the standard rubber covered Ultravids are. There isn't anything that could be mistaken for plastic on it or in it. It has the same magnesium body the other ultravids have along with the titanium focusing rod which are reasons why the Ultravids are lighter than the Trinovids. The older Trinovids had aluminum bodies and steel focusing rods.

Bob
Click to expand...

Hi Bob,

I suppose your right, I think the original Trinovids just 'felt' indestructible, that armour and all.

Also maybe due to the weight in those aluminium Trinovid bodies as compared to the new Magnesium made you 'feel' it was tougher.

I also have a few Swarovski's and the build quality on those feel a million dollars.

I suppose if I could have all my wishes come true, it would be a binocular designed from a combination of ALL manufactures technologies..Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski, Nikon etc..lol

Thanks for the heads up Bob
Still quite happy that Leica gave me a new HD model as a replacement, I never expected that

Peter
 
Peter,

Leica replacing your 8x32 Trinovid was a good deal indeed!

Did your 8x32 Trinovid have the old "Passport" warranty? My 7x42 has that. I also got a very nice light weight leather zip up case with mine which can be kept on the binocular while it is in use. It is a little big for use on my 8x42 Ultravid Blackline and fits loosely around it.

Bob
 
Last edited:
Hi Bob,

No I didn't have the passport warranty, I just had the original receipt of purchase and it was under 30 years old, so they took it on under warranty..

It came as a surprise to me also that they would cover me after such a long time. I have never had the same response from Zeiss, I had two WEST German binoculars I wanted to send in for repair / cleaning internals and they wouldn't cover under warranty (7x50 BGAT and 7x42 BGAT)
The email I received back from our "local" Zeiss rep said that Zeiss no longer services old West German stuff...PERIOD.

I find that very strange as a friend of mine in USA has sent several of his old West German items back to Zeiss and they not only serviced them, but didn't charge him either....go figure.

On the flip side of the coin, Swarovski is one of the best, if not 'The Best' after sales service I have ever seen from an optics manufacturer.
They really care about their product and customers.

PS I have no affiliation with any manufacturer whatsoever, I only love using high quality glass, so I am saying it as I see it and as I have experienced it over the last 10 years

Peter
 
Peter,

Company 7 has a good history of the Leica Trinovids and Ultravids in the link I put in post #5 above. You can also find a history of Zeiss in their website.

Bob
 
Last edited:
opticjunkie said:
My Leica 8x32 BN had developed some slight haze inside one of the prisms resulting in a loss of contrast on one side.

I sent them to Leica for repair and they rang me a few weeks later stating that they could not fix the prism for some reason.

They surprised me by offering me a free BNIB Leica 8x32 HD as compensation.

To cut a long story short, I said YES...lol

The binocular arrived and its a great little unit
Thank you Leica for your prompt service and great after sales
5 stars in my book

PS I do however miss my little BN's...they were sweet..I hope they go to binocular heaven so I can catch up with them one day....lol
Click to expand...

Even though you miss "the brick," it was quite a value gained, considering what the UV HDs cost vs. the BNs, and it's refreshing to hear Leica standing by their products after so many "horror stories."

Now I've got to find myself a cheap, beat up pair of old Trinnies in a pawn shop and see if I can get the same deal. :smoke:

Brock
 
brocknroller said:
Even though you miss "the brick," it was quite a value gained, considering what the UV HDs cost vs. the BNs, and it's refreshing to hear Leica standing by their products after so many "horror stories."

Now I've got to find myself a cheap, beat up pair of old Trinnies in a pawn shop and see if I can get the same deal. :smoke:

Brock
Click to expand...

lol...good luck without an original receipt Brock...;)

Give it a go though, you got nothing to loose
 
hgalbraith said:
Anyone have any idea if it is still possible to find a leather case for my 10x42 Ultravids?
Click to expand...

Greetings. eBay, and be ready to wait as they are not as common as the leather cases for the 8x32 BN, or BA. Of course, you may try contacting NY--maybe they can be of help, but I doubt it given the age of this case. Some finds could be followed on www.eBay.co.uk --but be sure that the seller is ready to ship to the US before bidding. Best of luck.
 
opticjunkie said:
My Leica 8x32 BN had developed some slight haze inside one of the prisms resulting in a loss of contrast on one side.

I sent them to Leica for repair and they rang me a few weeks later stating that they could not fix the prism for some reason.

They surprised me by offering me a free BNIB Leica 8x32 HD as compensation.

To cut a long story short, I said YES...lol

The binocular arrived and its a great little unit
Thank you Leica for your prompt service and great after sales
5 stars in my book

PS I do however miss my little BN's...they were sweet..I hope they go to binocular heaven so I can catch up with them one day....lol
Click to expand...

While this story appears good and well, I can't help but queary a couple of things.

What if you wanted to keep your 8x32 BN? Sentimental/family value etc? It sounds like Leica gave you no option to repair the bino? Unrepairable? How horrendous was this defect to render it such?

How old was this binocular and why was its prism hazing?

I would wager that Leica spending more than thirty minutes on your old bino would cost them more than just sending you the new one.

I'm just asking because I have some old binoculars which have allegedly 'much improved' modern equivalents, but there's no way I'd be swapping them out for new ones. I like them. Buying any new bin can take just a few seconds, but tracking down a sweet vintage bin can be far far more difficult.

Having said all that, nobody can complain that Leica did nothing!

Regards,
Rathaus
 
Last edited:
hgalbraith said:
Anyone have any idea if it is still possible to find a leather case for my 10x42 Ultravids?
Click to expand...

I recently bought one for my UV 8x42 from this dealer: http://www.orniwelt.de/products/Fer...ppaledertasche-fuer-Trinovid-Ultravid-42.html

Very nice case (it's the same the Trinovids BN/BA used to come with) and reasonably priced. However, I think this dealer doesn't ship to outside the EU, and I didn't see it being sold elsewhere. Perhaps you could ask directly Leica at your place.
 
Soft leather UV case

It is true that Orniwelt will not deliver to the U.S. I did get in touch with Leica
Parts division in NY and they have one case in stock. however at $86 it is too rich for my blood. I did find out that the reason Leica stopped producing the soft leather case was because "hunters" complained that producing a leather case that would be used in the rain was a ridiculous idea. Unfortunately, Leica have yet to learn never to listen to hunters!
 
Rathaus said:
While this story appears good and well, I can't help but queary a couple of things.

What if you wanted to keep your 8x32 BN? Sentimental/family value etc? It sounds like Leica gave you no option to repair the bino? Unrepairable? How horrendous was this defect to render it such?

How old was this binocular and why was its prism hazing?

I would wager that Leica spending more than thirty minutes on your old bino would cost them more than just sending you the new one.

I'm just asking because I have some old binoculars which have allegedly 'much improved' modern equivalents, but there's no way I'd be swapping them out for new ones. I like them. Buying any new bin can take just a few seconds, but tracking down a sweet vintage bin can be far far more difficult.

Having said all that, nobody can complain that Leica did nothing!

Regards,
Rathaus
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more Rathaus

Even though I was glad to get some resolution (New Ultravid) I must say, I actually preferred the view in the original Trinovid's. They were more 'pleasurable' for a better word.
I did ponder WHY they couldn't fix it?...To me the prism had some haziness on the extreme edge, how hard could that have been to clean?

Another alternative I came up with in my mind was this...

My Trinovid 8x32 BN was MINT..literally MINT apart from that prism.
One of the repairers at Leica thought WOW...I have been looking for one of these for ages, I think I will send this guy out an Ultravid and KEEP this beautiful classic of myself (after I clean the haze)...lol
I did cross my mind I must say..haha

Peter
 
Last edited:
opticjunkie said:
I couldn't agree more Rathaus

Even though I was glad to get some resolution (New Ultravid) I must say, I actually preferred the view in the original Trinovid's. They were more 'pleasurable' for a better word.
I did ponder WHY they couldn't fix it?...To me the prism had some haziness on the extreme edge, how hard could that have been to clean?

Another alternative I came up with in my mind was this...

My Trinovid 8x32 BN was MINT..literally MINT apart from that prism.
One of the repairers at Leica thought WOW...I have been looking for one of these for ages, I think I will send this guy out an Ultravid and KEEP this beautiful classic of myself (after I clean the haze)...lol
I did cross my mind I must say..haha

Peter
Click to expand...

Peter

I wonder if it would be straining your good will with Leica, if were to request the old bin back 'for sentimental heirloom reasons'....I wonder if they'd send it and just leave things as they are?

Rathaus
 
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