Absolutely very similar to the UVHD’s (+) optically. Clearly a step up from any other Trinovids, HD, BR, BN. Stunning is a good description. Every time you put them to your eyes, it impresses. Gorgeous image quality, like a lot of the alpha Leica’s. I know what you mean about the focuser but that is also part of its uniqueness. I’m not crazy about them when it’s below 20° outside 😟
Hi Andy,
We purchased these New a few days ago from FeatherEdgeOptics …. $185. I agree with all the positive reviews. Eye cups huge with corresponding eye relief with no blackouts with eye cups all the way down with our glasses. Plain looking, nothing fancy but seem to be built like a tank. Not the lightest but sure are compact. Great price even if paid full retail. Opticron did a great job at their price point. They might not have ED glass but the pair we received optically give nothing up to the Kowa 6.5x32 we owned. Those reading this who are or were going to get the Kowa here in North America, I highly recommend one trying these Opticrons first. The Opticrons have a Transferable Warranty, the Kowa’s do not. You might be pleasantly surprised with what Opticron managed to bring to compete with the 6- 7x power binoculars in the $200 - $350 price range and save some money too.
7x50 SLC neu - that I picked up as ex-demo stock. Very happy with them - unbelievably bright (I probably use them more for pre-dawn birding more than woodland birding though, purely because I still do very little woodland birding). Not the extreme FoV that some people crave, but good enough for me.
We purchased/owned a New 7x35 Leica back in the Mid 80’s,. I think I paid less than $400 back then , I really liked them. Today I am not going to pony up between $1200- $1400 for the Retro with it not being waterproof .
Just found this with a quick search..."$400 in 1980 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1,446.66 today"
For point of comparison, I own 8x42UVHD+ and SFL8x40. The 7x35 Retros are still my favorite binos. They are just simply sweet.
What is it that you like about the 7x35 Retros? Is it the 7x magnification and the compact size and weight?
I bet you would find the retro's a whole lot better than the Leica's of the 1980s... they , like all things Leica produces, oozes quality... I know I had an old pair of Zeiss Dialyt which are more or less the same style etc... But the old Zeiss were really 'long'..... these new Retro's are compact, light....super sharp view. They will not be as fast to focus as the Ultravid's...and yes, are not water proof. But what a nice pair of bins
Yes. But more importantly, although 'only' 7x (which is very rarely an issue), the FOV is big (140m/1000) and the eye-box very comfortable (I wear specs). So it's a bino that is immersive, and never interferes with the view.
