Hermann
Well-known member
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New Leica HD Ultravid PLUS (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter binomania
- Start date
Hermann
Well-known member
But then with the grand old lady - facelifted or not - you know exactly what you get, whereas the new kid on the block may suffer from as yet unknown diseases ... 3
Hermann
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Hermann,
We allways communicate in RRP but the shopprice is allways -10%, so do the math
:t:
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
1500 euros have been the price the last 2 years here…so Leicas must have been a bargain in Sweden…
At the introduction 2008 they were around 1700 Euros.
The best price with discount I can find today,
on the "old" 8x42 ultra today, is 1300 Euros.
So there will be a real bump in leica-prices here with the new Plus at around 2000 Euros.
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But then with the grand old lady - facelifted or not - you know exactly what you get, whereas the new kid on the block may suffer from as yet unknown diseases ... 3
Hermann
Oh dear, Hermann, are you speaking from personal experience?? :-O :eek!: :eek!:
Lee
CJ
I am sure everyone groaned a bit when they saw that 'best birding binocular' claim . Thankfully it has disappeared and has been replaced with 'the new passion for birding'.
You are correct to point out that Leica has been more modest with its marketing of the HD Plus.
But then, Leica (at the moment) has a lot to be modest about
:-OLee
CJ
.............................
You are correct to point out that Leica has been more modest with its marketing of the HD Plus.
But then, Leica (at the moment) has a lot to be modest about
Lee
How so and why?
Bob
This was a mischievous remark aimed at CJ, Bob, and her response to Jan's pointing out that the Ultravid HD Plus is a modest update compared with the radical SF.
It was a referrence to Leica's relatively slow and gentle evolution of their mainline Ultravids with their design roots in the old Trinnies.
And since a 7x42 Ultravid is on my personal list of desirables you can rely on my 'modesty' remark being mainly about my wierd humour and not at all to do with disrespect. It also completely ignores the rather innovative Perger Porro rangefinder range and the fact that my wife Troubadoris is a Leica-Girl.
Peace.
Lee
Renze de Vries
Well-known member
Looks to me it all boils down to whether one wants a radical instrument around the neck or a modest one. Maybe even if one likes to be regarded as a radical or a modest birder. Now, there's a choice here.
Renze
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Something like the Ying and Yang of binoculars and both Made in Germany.
But Renze, its all about the view and nothing to do with the binoculars, isn't it? :smoke:
Lee
Yes. Peace indeed! It is a modest but logical update of the Ultravid. Nice to know that Leicas still have ongoing improvements!
Bob
hgalbraith
Well-known member
Ultravids in the field
Hi all, true to their word, Eagle Optics delivered to me yesterday two pairs of UV plus - an 8x42 and a 7x42. I managed to take both out into the field this morning for a quick test. The weather was lousy with snow, wind and ground blizzard, so not typical test conditions. Nevertheless, I put them thru their paces for a couple of hours. First general impression- really terrific bins. They have the usual compact, solid and classy Leica construction - a real quality feel. The moving parts all work well, with no issues with focusing or diopter setting. The view is spectacular on both - very bright and sharp right across the field of view. I'd say that they're distortion free up to 80 percent out from the center. The view is not as flat as in my SV 8x32s, but it is somehow more "natural" and relaxed because of that. Are they better than the swaro SVs, or the Zeiss HTs? I would not care to say.My impression is that they are all equally good, after which it comes down to anatomy and personal preferences. They are certainly up their with the field leaders.
My big question is which do I buy, the 7s or the 8s. The 7s are spectacularly good but I have always used 8s and 10s. Maybe going down to 7 is a mag too far? I would be really happy with the 8s. Don't have to decide right now since Eagle Optics allows me to use them both for a third day test period.
Hi all, true to their word, Eagle Optics delivered to me yesterday two pairs of UV plus - an 8x42 and a 7x42. I managed to take both out into the field this morning for a quick test. The weather was lousy with snow, wind and ground blizzard, so not typical test conditions. Nevertheless, I put them thru their paces for a couple of hours. First general impression- really terrific bins. They have the usual compact, solid and classy Leica construction - a real quality feel. The moving parts all work well, with no issues with focusing or diopter setting. The view is spectacular on both - very bright and sharp right across the field of view. I'd say that they're distortion free up to 80 percent out from the center. The view is not as flat as in my SV 8x32s, but it is somehow more "natural" and relaxed because of that. Are they better than the swaro SVs, or the Zeiss HTs? I would not care to say.My impression is that they are all equally good, after which it comes down to anatomy and personal preferences. They are certainly up their with the field leaders.
My big question is which do I buy, the 7s or the 8s. The 7s are spectacularly good but I have always used 8s and 10s. Maybe going down to 7 is a mag too far? I would be really happy with the 8s. Don't have to decide right now since Eagle Optics allows me to use them both for a third day test period.
Sounds like you are having fun HG.
I think 8x is the most popular for good reasons, but that doesn't mean there aren't good reasons for a 7x as well. If you have a nice 8x then a 7x would give you a change. For myself I find that 8x is right for most things and 10x and 7x OK in different and special circumstances.
Although my view on this might change with Zeiss's SF 8x having as wide a FOV as a 7x has had previously.
Good luck with your choice, my wife would approve as she is a Leica girl.
Lee
Hermann
Well-known member
If you also usually use a scope, I'd probably go for the 7s, otherwise for the 8s. The depth of field and the wider field of view make the 7x a very interesting proposition.
Hermann
The 8x SF may have the same true field as the 7x UVP, but the Leica will be quicker because it is lighter and more compact, has a smaller apparent field to examine, greater depth of field, and quicker eye positioning with its larger exit pupil.
It is true that detail recognition is slower with a 7x than with an 8x. But, sometimes birding is nothing but a quick draw contest where straining after detail has nothing to do with it---you win if you can simply locate and focus on the bird before it disappears. That really is fun! There's far too little of it out here in sparsely vegetated big sky country. But if you get into a lot of that, I think the 7x UVP would be great.
Ron
It is true that detail recognition is slower with a 7x than with an 8x. But, sometimes birding is nothing but a quick draw contest where straining after detail has nothing to do with it---you win if you can simply locate and focus on the bird before it disappears. That really is fun! There's far too little of it out here in sparsely vegetated big sky country. But if you get into a lot of that, I think the 7x UVP would be great.
Ron
I agree that both are very useful but the 7x probably is better suited to the hardwood and coniferous forests of Eastern America with its wider FOV and deep DOF of close subjects in brush.
Jerry Liguori, a raptor expert used 7x42s, and in his books he recommended the use of high quality 7x42 binoculars for hawk watching during migration season because of their wide FOVs.
Bob
Jerry Liguori, a raptor expert used 7x42s, and in his books he recommended the use of high quality 7x42 binoculars for hawk watching during migration season because of their wide FOVs.
Bob
hgalbraith
Well-known member
7 UV+ vs. 8 UV+
Hi all, thought that you might like to know that I have reached a decision on which UV to keep and which to return to Eagle Optics. I have been usin both bins a lot over the last week or so, mainly in the forests surrounding my house, but also at local lakes, farmland, and rivers. Weather conditions have ranged from out-and-out blizzards to calm and clear sunny days. After all this I have decided that the 7x42s are the bins for me. It was not an easy decision since both instruments are spectacularly good - as good as the swarovisions that I also use, and better than the Zeiss FLs that I also have around. After 50 years of using bins of all types for birding, I think that these Leicas must be either the best or certainly in the top two.
So why choose the 7x42s. Answer is that, apart from the incredible view, I gain so much from them and lose so little. I gain a wider fov, a deeper dof, a brighter more vibrant view, and some ergonomic benefits (they are slightly slimmer and lighter than the 8s. Ok, so I lose some magnification, but in the field I hardly notice this.
I am sure that if my choice had gone the other way I would be almost as happy. These are really great bins.
H
Hi all, thought that you might like to know that I have reached a decision on which UV to keep and which to return to Eagle Optics. I have been usin both bins a lot over the last week or so, mainly in the forests surrounding my house, but also at local lakes, farmland, and rivers. Weather conditions have ranged from out-and-out blizzards to calm and clear sunny days. After all this I have decided that the 7x42s are the bins for me. It was not an easy decision since both instruments are spectacularly good - as good as the swarovisions that I also use, and better than the Zeiss FLs that I also have around. After 50 years of using bins of all types for birding, I think that these Leicas must be either the best or certainly in the top two.
So why choose the 7x42s. Answer is that, apart from the incredible view, I gain so much from them and lose so little. I gain a wider fov, a deeper dof, a brighter more vibrant view, and some ergonomic benefits (they are slightly slimmer and lighter than the 8s. Ok, so I lose some magnification, but in the field I hardly notice this.
I am sure that if my choice had gone the other way I would be almost as happy. These are really great bins.
H
Omid
Well-known member
I saw the "new" Leica Ultravid HDs at the SCI show in Las Vegas last week. They had a 10X42 model for display. They are nice but I didn't notice any discernible difference looking through them. I also saw the Zeiss SF. I looked at several far objects and panned to see if I can observe a "rolling ball" effect. I did not. I didn't notice a rolling ball effect looking through Swarovski EL binoculars either so I guess that's not observable to my eyes.
That's my field report for this year
That's my field report for this year
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