I feel when you enter the world of Leica optics...you are enrolled in a special club. Not run-of-the-mill, not average...not something you find on every bird walk. Just quality all the way
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Leica Bins (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Rg548
- Start date
I like that concept of a 'special club', Leica bins do somehow have an aura of exclusivity which I believe begins with the unboxing experience. BUT, I'm not totally convinced 'quality all the way' is something I can buy into 100%, I genuinely believe quality control of what exits the Portuguese factory is perhaps not quite as tight as it might be.
As I type this, I have two pairs of 'as new' condition Leica Ultravids in Portugal undergoing surgery, one (8×50) the correction of an incredibly stiff focus wheel movement it returned home with after a first trip to Portugal for a cosmetic issue as well as an alignment issue, so in other words they fixed two issues and created another one! The other almost new Ultravid (10×42) is undergoing a prism system replacement, having been delivered to the Leica store in Mayfair for a thorough technical and alignment check because it just didn't feel quite right. A third Ultravid (8×32) I'm considering sending to Portugal because the hinge is too loose to reliably maintain it's position during use.
Not 'quality' issues as such, but I've sold both my pairs of Noctivid recently, the 10x42's I found too unforgiving for set up and eye placement (my 10x42 EDG are far more enjoyable because they are far more friendly in terms of ease of view) and my 8x42's just didn't feel right, not a good copy. I may well revisit an 8x42 Noctivid if I find a copy which feels right.
The 'Special Edition' binocular I highlighted earlier in this thread I've found out is apparently not quite as special as the marketing blurb appears to make out, so I'm passing on those.
That all said, I still own 6 pairs of Leica binoculars (all Ultravids) and I enjoy them all, very much! 😍
As I type this, I have two pairs of 'as new' condition Leica Ultravids in Portugal undergoing surgery, one (8×50) the correction of an incredibly stiff focus wheel movement it returned home with after a first trip to Portugal for a cosmetic issue as well as an alignment issue, so in other words they fixed two issues and created another one! The other almost new Ultravid (10×42) is undergoing a prism system replacement, having been delivered to the Leica store in Mayfair for a thorough technical and alignment check because it just didn't feel quite right. A third Ultravid (8×32) I'm considering sending to Portugal because the hinge is too loose to reliably maintain it's position during use.
Not 'quality' issues as such, but I've sold both my pairs of Noctivid recently, the 10x42's I found too unforgiving for set up and eye placement (my 10x42 EDG are far more enjoyable because they are far more friendly in terms of ease of view) and my 8x42's just didn't feel right, not a good copy. I may well revisit an 8x42 Noctivid if I find a copy which feels right.
The 'Special Edition' binocular I highlighted earlier in this thread I've found out is apparently not quite as special as the marketing blurb appears to make out, so I'm passing on those.
That all said, I still own 6 pairs of Leica binoculars (all Ultravids) and I enjoy them all, very much! 😍
To follow up on a couple of things I said in the above post...
Poor maths, I own 7 Ultravid, not 6.
The 10x42's came home yesterday and, having felt 'not quite right' before their trip to Portugal, are now perfect in every way (prism system replacement, alignment and new armour). Thank you Leica, I'm absolutely delighted!
The saga of my 8x50's has not been resolved, however. These went to Portugal via Viking Optical, from whom I purchased them. Leica quality control have decided that the now very stiff focus wheel movement is within Leica quality specification (tolerance) and are sending them back unadjusted. I shall reassess them when they finally get home, but I'll clearly need to go direct to the Mayfair office if I want to get the issue resolved. I should probably have contacted them as soon as Viking advised me of the Portuguese diagnosis. My bad.
James
Paultricounty
Well-known member
I find that many times the customer gets better service from the manufacturer directly , than the retailer/vendor. One would think the opposite, but not in my experience.
Paul
Yes, that's my experience also, you're far more likely to get the desired outcome dealing with the manufacturer direct. In this instance, I went through the retailer in the (very) vain hope that they might simply swap out my faulty unit from stock. No such luck.
James
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Big advantage of the UVHD over the mighty Trinovid BN I discovered only today is the hydrofobic AquaDura coating.
If you use your binocular a lot in wet environments it really has an advantage. Just wanted to mention this.
So now I'm confused...
Before packing them off to Viking to send them to Leica for the second time (to have the newly unacceptably stiff focus wheel sorted), three different people tested these binoculars and we all universally agreed that the focus movement was extraordinarily stiff, especially when compared to other Ultravids. Leica refused to adjust the focus wheel because in their view it was within tolerance, so I have been preparing myself for a further attempt to get it sorted through the London office.
The binoculars were delivered back to me an hour or so ago and.....well, the focus wheel now has similar tension to my other Ultravids and is perfectly smooth. It's perfect!
I'm going for a lie down.....
Too right Scotty!
The paperwork from Leica was perfectly clear, nothing wrong and no adjustments made to the binocular.
I did a mechanical comparison between my four non pocket Ultravids (after picking myself up off the bed). Hinges all more or less identical. Focus movement of 7x42 and 8x50 both very good, with the occasional jerky patch in a clockwise direction. My 8x32 felt similarly smooth without any rough or jerky patches, so slightly better overall, but the focus movement on my 10x42's is on a different level, creamy smooth, similar to a really good EL or x56 SLC movement. Not quite SF or NL PURE, but pretty close to Noctivid.
I attempted a side by side to establish most relaxed view between 7x42 and 8x50 (and also threw my MeoStar 8x56 B1 Plus into the mix), but it was impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions while my eye is recovering from surgery. A three way draw. Another day.
Similar threads
