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APO 77 possible problems (1 Viewer)

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bantammenace

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I am hopefully in the process of buying an APO 77 second hand and I was wondering what possible problems I should be looking for when I get to see it.
The more horror stories the better.
Also where could I get it checked out professionally with a quick turnaround and at reasonable cost.

kind regards.
 
bantammenace said:
I am hopefully in the process of buying an APO 77 second hand and I was wondering what possible problems I should be looking for when I get to see it.
The more horror stories the better.
Also where could I get it checked out professionally with a quick turnaround and at reasonable cost.

kind regards.
Click to expand...

I've used the Leica 77 more or less since it first came on the market and its a fine scope, if a little heavy. The only area I would say that's given me any problems is the screw thread on the mounting shoe has worn and does not allow me to fit the tripod adapter as tight as I would like. From experiance I would say Leica would take 3 weeks or so to check and return your scope as to price??
Hope this helps.

Mick
 
Leica Apo 77.

I've had my Leica 77 Apo since they first came out and never had any trouble
whatsoever.Great scope agree they are heavy but thats the only down side I've found.
 
I've had one for years. It's a very well-made scope, optically excellent & I've had no trouble with it. If the used specimen you're interested in doesn't rattle or have scratches on the optics & produces a nice sharp image with no distortion or color fringing--as it should--I think you'd be safe in buying it. What's it selling for? Does it come with an eyepiece? IIRC there are 2 zooms, an old model & a new, the latter (the one I have) having the reputation of being noticeably better than the former. I also have the 32x eyepiece, which is first-rate.
 
Great scopes. I had problems with the coatings on mine - customer service was excellent and when returned they even threw in a filter to further protect it.

If weight is an issue consider the APO 62.
 
I think I've owned mine for about 8 years now and it's been flawless in every respect. It still looks and operates as it did when new. Optically it's fantastic and edges out the AT80 HD by a slim margin. My dad and I were on the back porch last night checking the low light performance then progressed to viewing Jupiter later in the evening. With the APO the bands across the planet were slightly more defined and seemed to offer a bit more faint color. The contrast between the edge of the sphere and the black behind it was also sharper with less blooming. If the scope has a weakness, I'd say it was the zoom eyepiece which seems to work best at 20x or 60x but in between the edge of the FOV is a bit soft. The 32x eyepiece is a winner though. The weight really isn't a factor unless you're hiking with it.
 
Carefully check out the front (objective lens) for scratches to the coatings - also unfortunately a few were found to have the coatings peeling off but most of these are now rectified...they will appear as circular smears if there is a problem. Also both the focus wheels should be smooth, not gritty or jerky, and ensure the eyepiece fitting is snug...look for any worn or minor metal fillings which will indicate regular removal or intechanging of eyepieces. Other cosmetics signs should indicate whether or not its had a knock, any dents will suggest a heavy or impact damage. Other wise one of the best spotting scopes around.
 
my first ever posting on birdforum referred to the 77 APO as an optical gem, but an ergonomic cow:

I 've had mine a few years and the thread went ripped out for the third time yesterday - just came away in my hand with no impact - same as the last 2 occasions.

I also had problems with the zoom eyepiece - twisting off the scope instead of zooming - I now hold tight when zooming as the only solution.

Decent service did not happen until I signed myself as Vice Chairman of the HK Bird Watching Society (which I am!) on my complaint letter.

Unquestionably it is heavy.

Optically however, it has performed a treat, both for birding and digiscoping.

Cheers
Mike
 
I've experienced the same problems. I found that a small elastic band placed around the top of thr zoom thread before fitting the zoom to the scope prevents the zoom slipping. I to have had the scope for quite a few years but still love it.
 
barontan2418 said:
I've experienced the same problems. I found that a small elastic band placed around the top of thr zoom thread before fitting the zoom to the scope prevents the zoom slipping. I to have had the scope for quite a few years but still love it.
Click to expand...

Agree with most of these comments, a little heavy, my only criticism is that the image at the edge is not as good as the image in the middle, though that may be because it needs a good clean.
 
I have had my APO77 for 7 years now~ faultless even after heavy going most days over rough terrain and scrub;the 20x eyepiece is a gem for digiscoping.
 
Unfortunately I am one of the Leica APO 77 users whose `scope lost its lens coating after only a few months.The image became rather hazy as a result.Several of my birding friends have had the same experience over the last couple of years.One friend even sent his back to be repaired(for the third time,with the same problem!) and upon receiving it back,he sold it immediately.
A real shame,apparently a certain batch of the APO 77 have all had this problem.I`m a great fan of Leica binoculars but I`d never get another Leica `scope.The lengthy,protracted repair time and the inability to find the correct person to correspond with at Leica have continually disappointed me an many others.
 
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