Curio 7x21 vs Leica trinovid 8x20 (2 Viewers)

[Risveden]

I’m looking for a new compact binocular. I already have an old generation Swarovski 10x25 that I use for hunting in the winter. For that purpose it’s the perfect size. I had an old generation 8x30 CL but I didn’t like to have it dangling around on my chest when skiing and absolutely not when crawling into position. The 10x25 I have in its pocket on the belt. I sold the 8x30 and bought a 10x42 NL that I use while I’m out in the forest on my spare time. It’s a fantastic binocular but now I’m searching for something really small that I can have in my pocket every day. I spend a lot of time in the forest at my work and sometimes I really want to be able to have a binocular with me. The trinovid seems to be the smallest and lightest one. The Ultravid seems to be a little bit bigger than the CL curio. I had a quick look on the curio in the shop and it felt very similar to my 10x25 and feels very natural for my eyes. The trinovid I didn’t see in real life. I know I have to compare them in real life to get a chance to pick up the one that’s suits me best but I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Or should I go for a mono binocular and really find something for everyday use?

 

[pm42]

I have the 3 of them and size difference is not significant in real life.
The Curio is my favorite because of its wider field and general comfort. In broad daylight, there are surprising even.

A monocular is as far as I'm concerned a backup or "always in the bag/really minimum size" solution. I have several, Leica & Zeiss and sometimes they are useful when I do not have binoculars with me but to be honest, it happens once a year.

And even the Leica 8x20 mono does not come close to the Curio.

 

[Ignatius]

I've had the Curio 7x21 for about a year and in that time it has quite a lot of use, especially when travelling. It is small enough for cargo pants' leg pockets or jacket pockets. I find it has easy eye placement but unlike full-size binos it will not just fit into my eye-socket. Instead I hold it with my r.h. index finger in front of the bridge and my middle finger on the focusser. The index finger then rests on my eyebrows, thus giving the binos the right distance for a full image. The eyecups are fully extended, but either do not extend enough or are of too small a diameter, or both.
All in all though I am very happy with this little instrument.
Recently I was able to try out a friend's Trinovid 8x20. It is tiny. This makes it undoubtedly even more portable than the Curio but it also introduces issues. Firstly holding such a tiny instrument at 8x steady is a bit of a challenge. Secondly I found eye placement to be rather fiddly, probably due to an EP of 2.5 mm vs the 3 mm of the Curio. Thirdly the eyecups are even smaller than the Curio's although I did not measure them, so this is just an impression I had. Again I had to employ some sort of index finger intervention. They are probably very good, but for me the Curio is as fiddly as I am prepared to accept, which is a reason why I am looking into the VP 8x25, which in a recent quick test at a shop impressed me quite favourably, especially in the eye placement department sans index finger support. They were almost like full-size binos in that respect.
YMMV.

 

[PW42]

The Trinovid is very small and very good but not waterproof. The UV is bigger (but still small) and waterproof. The Curio is a slightly different shape so I find it slightly more bulky than the UV and is of course 7x not 8x. The Curio is my personal favourite of the 3.

 

[b-lilja]

I think the Trin is a distant third behind the 2nd Uvid and 1st Curio. The Curio is incredible, just wish it was a bit better built.

 

[mwhogue]

Risveden,

As a regular user of all three, I generally agree with everyone's input here. One thing though, since you plan to carry "in a pocket" every day, the very slight differences in size between the three may make more difference to you in such use than to others. For example, even the small difference in size between the leather and rubber armored UV 8x20 make the leather model handier/easier going in and out of a pocket. The Trinovids are even better in this regard if you will normally be out and about with smaller pockets or especially if using shirt pocket carry. With the leather UV and Trinovids I can usually carry and easily take them in and out of a pocket without adjusting the IP distance which can be a big plus - the Leica hinges are stiffer than the Curio which helps with this.

I do prefer the optical performance of the Curio (which I find easier to use with one hand as well if relevant to you) but all three are excellent.

I agree with @pm42 if you can conveniently carry one of the three pocket bins in your standard clothing, IMO any of them would be better than the Monovid. The main advantage of the Monovid is no IP adjustment necessary.

Mike

 

[Risveden]

There’s a lot of good answers here, thanks. I forgot to tell that I use glasses, will it make any difference when choosing by those binoculars? Also wondering how concerned I should be about the non waterproof trinovid? Will I have issues if I store it in my pocket and walking in the rain for an hour or so?

 

[LucaPCP]

There’s a lot of good answers here, thanks. I forgot to tell that I use glasses, will it make any difference when choosing by those binoculars? Also wondering how concerned I should be about the non waterproof trinovid? Will I have issues if I store it in my pocket and walking in the rain for an hour or so?

Yes. I would for that reason not buy non-waterproof binoculars now. But you can always carry a ziploc with you.

I have the UV 8x20 and find them absolutely wonderful, but I have not tried the Curio.

 

[John M Robinson]

In 2010 or so I tried the Trinovid, Ultravid and Swarovski pocket binos eight and ten power. It was amazing the high optical quality they all had, but there was no getting around the compromises the designers had to make, to fit in such a small package. If you were James Bond or someone who absolutely had to fit their binos in a pocket, then they would work in a pinch, but the step up in ease of view, to a “compact” was huge.

So here we are, 13 years after writing pocket bins off, I’m in a shop and the proprietor hands me the new 7x21 Curio. I tell him I’m not interested in a pocket bino, but he persists and asks me to give them a try. I was shocked at how good they are and how easy the view was. My wife who rolls her eyes every time I enthusiastically comment on some high price binoculars, reluctantly took a look, then asked how much they cost. When she heard $839.00, she said I had five minutes to buy them and walked down the street!

Needless to say I’m a big fan of the Curio and for me there’s no comparison to the other pockets.

 

[mwhogue]

There’s a lot of good answers here, thanks. I forgot to tell that I use glasses, will it make any difference when choosing by those binoculars?

It might make a difference because the Trino has 14 mm, slightly less ER than the UV and Curio which have plenty. I can get the full FOV with close fitting glasses but it takes more effort and careful positioning.

Mike

 

[Trinovid]

Will I have issues if I store it in my pocket and walking in the rain for an hour or so?

I haven't had any issues from having any of my selections in my pocket (meaning Ultravid, Curio and various monoculars), but I'd still prefer the peace of mind that resistance to water can give. Regarding your mention of a monocular, I've got a couple of favorites but still think of them as a far removed from the enjoyability of just about any binocular, and only better when it comes to absolute compactness.

My preference for a pocket binocular is the Ultravid, but most people are going to find the Curio easier to use and it's probably the best choice, though you really should try them both against each other if at all possible.

 

[LucaPCP]

The Ultravid has good eye relief. The apparent field of view is not huge, and that makes it easier to have good eye relief. On the other hand, I don't find any small binocular (not even my Victory 8x25) fun to use with glasses; they are just too finicky to align. Once aligned they will work well, but they are no fun to align.

The smallest binoculars I have that works with glasses are my Leica UV 8x32. Yes, the eye relief is a bit marginal so you can lose a bit of the extremes of the field of view, but at least they are much easier to align with your eyes.

 

[Risveden]

I didn’t buy any pocket binoculars yet, still thinking what to buy. I visited the local dealer but he only had the trinovid. I didn’t really like it, can’t say exactly what I didn’t like but it wasn’t as good as I remember the curio. But I really want this one to be as small and light as possible so maybe I just have to compromise and by the trinovid.

 

[dorubird]

I didn’t buy any pocket binoculars yet, still thinking what to buy. I visited the local dealer but he only had the trinovid. I didn’t really like it, can’t say exactly what I didn’t like but it wasn’t as good as I remember the curio. But I really want this one to be as small and light as possible so maybe I just have to compromise and by the trinovid.

Trinovid 8x20 BCA vs Ultravid 8x20 BR

For a very long time I wanted to make this comparison, but I never had the opportunity to look through Ultravid next to Trinovid. My samples are new generations, benefiting from the latest coatings. Design and exterior finishes Trinovid, in my opinion, has a more mature and pleasant design...

www.birdforum.net

Maybe it helps in your decision!

 

[grackle314]

I did a comparison yesterday of Swarovski Curio 7x21 with Leica Ultravid 8x20 in bright summer sunlight in Southern California. In advance of details below, I consider both of these pocket binoculars quite good, along with the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25.

In bright sunlight the Curio and the UVD had about the same brightness to my eyes when popping the binocular up to the eye to view something quickly, such as a bird. In this sunlight level my eyes have pupil diameters less than 2 mm. The exit pupil of the Curio is 3 mm and the exit pupil of the UV is 2.5 mm. Even though the Curio has roughly 10% greater light gathering area than UVD due to larger objective, only about 44% of that light will enter my eye pupil in bright sunlight. For the UVD, about 64% of the gathered light enters my eye pupil. Bottom line subjective observation is that both binoculars were pretty similar in image brightness when viewing in bright sunny day conditions.

When I stood for a few minutes in a shaded patio and then popped the binoculars up to the eye, the Curio had a brighter image than the UVD. Under these conditions, once my eye pupil diameter was greater than 2.5 mm then the extra light of the Curio delivered in the outer edge of the 3 mm exit pupil could be included in what entered my eye. I don't do much birding from shady locations except from under my hat, so my eye pupils don't benefit much from the Curio advantage. On this element alone of image brightness, I would favor the Curio over the UVD due to its greater brightness when shaded and similar brightness when sunny. However, I would not reach for a pocket bino at all in low light conditions unless nothing better was available.

On magnification, I found the UVD 8x20 better for details than the Curio 7x21. My bias on magnification is to use Swarovski NL Pure 10x42 with forehead rest for quick stable bird views.

On field of view, the Curio is substantially greater than the UVD, roughly 135m to 113m at 1km. I suspect the wider field of view of the Curio will be a plus for many users, especially those new to using binoculars and those who use binoculars infrequently. I use glasses most times with my binoculars and find the field of view to be reduced a bit in all cases. However, I find the UVD field of view rather good for my birding activities even with glasses and don't seek a wider field of view.

On ease of aligning for viewing, the larger exit pupil of the Curio will be a little easier for those new to binoculars and those who use them infrequently. I use glasses mostly with my binoculars and find any binocular new to me takes me several minutes and maybe ten birds to get in the zone of easy on to the bird viewing. I find the Curio and UVD about the same ease for aligning to view when wearing glasses. Without glasses, they are about the same ease but the ways of holding for correct eye relief are different than with glasses.

In terms of size, Curio and UVD are pretty similar in size when open and on the hands. When folded up for pocket storage, the Curio is about 1 mm larger in each dimension than the UVD. In terms of weight in the hand, I can't sense a difference between the Curio and UVD. I don't have Trinovid but see the size is around 1 mm smaller than UVD in some measure.

For putting in, and removing from, the pocket, both the Curio and UVD are about the same convenience. For comparison, my Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25 takes 6-9 seconds to come out of my pocket and get sighted onto a bird. The UVD takes about 3 seconds to do the same. The reason is the Zeiss has a slightly triangular folded-up geometry and the focus wheel and diopter making it more difficult for rapid pocket entry or removal for me than the UVD.

For moderate light conditions and no one else walking with me, I typically take the Zeiss Victory 8x25 if a pocket binocular is my desire. I mostly take the Swarovski NL Pure 10x42 on a harness, which is comfortable for hours.

The UVD is my top choice when walking with my wife. She does not share the birding passion and also does not like frequent stops when hiking. I can pull the UVD from pocket while walking and get on a bird with perhaps a 1 second stop and then get back to the hiking without slowing my wife's pace. I suspect I could pull the Curio as conveniently. I cannot use the Victory Pocket 8x25 that smoothly.

I have a slight preference for the focus, diopter, and ocular rubber of the UVD over the Curio. On the other hand, I would be completely happy with a Curio as well for these circumstances where conveniently, swiftly pocketable binoculars were desired.

 

[mwhogue]

grackle,

Great and useful write up, thanks.

The UVD is my top choice when walking with my wife. She does not share the birding passion and also does not like frequent stops when hiking. I can pull the UVD from pocket while walking and get on a bird with perhaps a 1 second stop and then get back to the hiking without slowing my wife's pace. I suspect I could pull the Curio as conveniently. I cannot use the Victory Pocket 8x25 that smoothly

While I'm a big fan of pocket carry with both the UV 8x20 and Curio, for hiking you might consider a Rick Young harness to use with your VP as an enjoyable option as well -- a match made in heaven IMO.

Mike

 

[mwhogue]

I didn’t buy any pocket binoculars yet, still thinking what to buy. I visited the local dealer but he only had the trinovid. I didn’t really like it, can’t say exactly what I didn’t like but it wasn’t as good as I remember the curio. But I really want this one to be as small and light as possible so maybe I just have to compromise and by the trinovid.

Since you didn't really like the Trinovid optically, but want "as small and light as possible", you might consider the UV in leatherette armor. It is noticeably smaller than the Curio (and the rubber armored UV) and just very slightly larger than the Trinovid. The leather versions whether UV or Trinovid are also easier to get in and out of a pocket for me.

Mike

 

[Xray51]

Very interesting thread. I also am an owner of both the Ultravid 8X20 and the Curio. I have had the Ultravid for many years since they first came out and have used them on a continuous basis. I am not a birder, but I travel extensively and they are easy to bring along. They have great glass, and are amazing for what they are. And weatherproof. As many say, they are a bit "fiddly" and for me I need to adjust the eyecups slightly extended when I use them, as I have glasses. That way I get a better view. But there is no stop at that point, so I have to be a bit careful not to press them against my glasses too much. I also use them for theater shows, etc, at which they excel. So I do love them, even with their limitations. Excellent strap and occular covers also. And for all of their years of use, they look new.

But, when the Curios came out, and seeing what people were saying about them, I thought I would give them a try. They also are amazing in a somewhat different way. The glass is right up there with the Leica, if not more so. For most of my uses, they are brighter due to their greater exit pupil compared to the Leica. I also like their wider field of view. And I like their eyecups much better as they are the screw in type, which you can set at any point. That for me is a big help. But there is one more thing about the the Curios that I discovered by accident. On a trip, I was on a tour bus. I found that when viewing things through the bus window, if I set the focus near infinity, but not quite all of the way, the depth of field was almost incredible. Everything was in focus. It was like the hyperfocal distance on a camera lens when set to a certain setting. In other words, as we traveled along, I could look at most anything and NOT have to focus. Therefore I could just relax and enjoy the view, with things in focus and a wider view as well. It was a revelation. While other people were missing the view as they tried to focus as the bus moved on, for me, it was a complete pleasure with the ease of the view.

Now, do i have issues with the Curios? Yes, as others have said, the eye cup occular covers are ridiculously designed. The Leica is much, much better. Same for the strap. Again the Leica is better. Also, I do have concerns about the covering of the Curios. They are holding up, but I also have a Swaro 8X25CL, which had the well reported cracking occur in the cover. I sent them in and Swarovski fixed the issue to my satisfaction. But I hope that it won't happen to the Curios. But with all that, those little Curios are truly an amazing optical instrument in a tiny little package.

 

[grackle314]

grackle,

Great and useful write up, thanks.



While I'm a big fan of pocket carry with both the UV 8x20 and Curio, for hiking you might consider a Rick Young harness to use with your VP as an enjoyable option as well -- a match made in heaven IMO.

Mike

Thanks for the Rick Young harness recommendation. I've ordered one to try on the VP as you suggest.

 

[Risveden]

I got a very good offer on a slightly used Leica Trinovid manufactured in 2022, mint condition so I bought it. Haven’t used it yet but I hope I will get out and test it today.