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Ultravid compared to UVHD's, and 1st Gen EL's. (1 Viewer)

cgr1971

Member
I'm pretty much a novice with bino's so don't beat me up too bad. Ive done a ton of reading and have narrowed down what I like and dont like. It's getting about time for me to get a good pair of bins and am wondering how much difference there really is between Ultravids, UVHD's, and 1st Gen EL's?

I have friends that have 8.5 x42 and 10x42 1st gen EL's and have looked through them enough to form an opinion of them. I love the optics on them, but think they are a bit heavy and bulky for carrying them around for long periods of time. I have a cheap pair of Brunton's that are just about identical in size and weight to the EL's and have carried them around to determine that I may prefer something a little more compact and lighter than them. I have looked through 10 x 32 EL's and am a bit underwhelmed with the 32's.

I have done a side by side comparison with the UVHD's and the Swarovisions, and felt the Leicas were very sharp but didn't have quite the contrasty "pop" that the Swaro's did. I'm also a little unsure what I think about the flat view. When looking through 10x42 SV's it seemed to me that the foreground and the background looked a little like someone smashed them together, like there was less depth than I was accustomed to seeing. I don't notice that with the 1st Gen EL's or the SLC's I demoed.

I have been seeing some good buys on non HD Ultravids and am wondering if the difference is very noticeable or are we just splitting hairs?
 
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I have done a side by side comparison with the UVHD's and the Swarovisions, and felt the Leicas were very sharp but didn't have quite the contrasty "pop" that the Swaro's did.

Re the "pop", are the Leica UVHD Plus a possibility?
 
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10x32 binoculars, even a Swaro EL, can be a little underwhelming with their tiny exit pupil and not very wide FOV. Sunny days help them a lot.

Try the 8x32 version of the Swarovski EL, SV and you might change your mind.

Many people use an 8x32 as their basic binocular. Stay with top of the line models like Swarovski EL Swarovision, Leica Ultravid, Zeiss Victory or Nikon's EDG. There are also some very good 2nd line models like the Zeiss Conquest and the Meopta Meostar.


Bob
 
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I have looked through 8x and 10x SLC's, and 8.5x42, 10x42, and 10x 32 Swarovisions. The only one I have not been able to find at a dealer to look through is the 8x32. Everyone seems to be thrilled with it so I am anxious to check one out. I initially wanted 10x binoculars. I did a side by side with my friends 8.5x and 10x EL's and immediately felt better looking through the 8.5x. I had no idea what exit pupil was at that point and then I got the opportunity to do a side by side comparison with 8x42 SLC's and 10x42 SV's, and then another comparison between 8.5x42 and 10x42 SV's. In every instance, I liked the lower power better. They just seemed brighter and had a more relaxed feeling looking through them so I have been considering the lower power. I am not a birder and am more a hunter. I spend a lot of time in the woods with my dogs and will have a mixed use of them between looking at more birds and things closer as well as viewing wild life out hundreds of yards. I plan on getting a pair of both 8-8.5 and 10x at some point.

I have had the opportunity to try out 10x42 Meostar HD's and also the Conquest HD's. I was impressed with the Meostar's and not as impressed with the Conquests. I would rather buy used Alpha's.

I don't want to spend $2k plus on two different pair of binoculars and will definitely buy on the used market. The UVHD Plus is a possibility, but will not buy new at full retail. I was just wondering how much difference there was between the UV, UVHD, and UVHD Plus. I have seen a few pairs of UV's in the $600-$700 range and that seems like a good buy, but not if there is a significantly better view and clarity in the newer models.
 
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I had UVHD, now have UVHD+, the newer model has definitely raised the bar, in fact it has put Leica back at the same level as the latest from Swaro and Zeiss in terms of punch and clarity, IMO, of course if you want a flat field design with sharp edges then you may be less impressed.

If you can run to the plus its definitely worth the extra.
 
I had UVHD, now have UVHD+, the newer model has definitely raised the bar, in fact it has put Leica back at the same level as the latest from Swaro and Zeiss in terms of punch and clarity, IMO, of course if you want a flat field design with sharp edges then you may be less impressed.

If you can run to the plus it's definitely worth the extra.

Agreed. I have two UVHD Plus and if as Torview said you're not looking for the flat field, I would suggest that in the 8x42, particularly if compactness is desirable, the Leica Ultravid HD Plus has turned out to be the best overall alpha binocular: saturated colors, superb contrast, and easy to hold. Really a spectacular image.
 

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Thank you guys, that's exactly what I was looking for. When I compared the HD's to the Swaro's, they lacked that little extra punch and wow factor. I am not enamored with the flat field. I love the Swaro 8.5 and don't notice the lack of depth in it very much, but find it much more noticeable in the 10x.
 
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