Paultricounty
Well-known member
I also believe the 7x42 Habicht is the sweet spot in the line up. The sharpness and resolution is outstanding, and it’s low light capability is why it’s my main goto for low light conditions. Handles glare batter than the others, better than most binoculars in general and much better than the 8x30.Well ... perhaps. Yes, the FOV is tight in the 7x42. Either you can live with that or you can't. And it's maybe not brighter than other binoculars in good light. However, the clarity of the 7x42 is astounding, in any light, and its colour reproduction is the most neutral I've ever seen in any binocular. The contrast is also among the best and beats IMO many so-called "alphas". The large exit pupil is also very nice to have, even during the daytime. And what's very important to me: It's essentially free of any glare, especially veiling glare, one of my pet peeves. In that respect it's clearly the best of the Habicht series. Only very few binoculars are as good as the Habicht 7x42 in that respect. One example is the Noctivid.
I really like it ...
Hermann
The UV 7x42 is slightly better than the 7x35 retro on the edges and sharpness , but I find the retro maybe just a tad better with color saturation, the contrast of objects of similar color seem to pop a little more. A very sweet little package. I know there’s been conversations comparing SP and AK bins and some indicate they are superior in some way, and optically I’m sure we can debate that fact when it comes to certain areas. I know if all things are equal they transmit more light, but that doesn’t always equate to a brighter perceived image, of course coatings-play a large role. I’ve compared two AK bins Zeiss FL 8x42 and Vortex UHD to a few different SP, side by side with the Nikon EDG, Noctivids, UVHD’s, ZeissSF’s and NL’s and the only thing I might say, is there is a slight, tiny bit more dimensionality, but it is only noticeable in side-by-side comparisons.
To me the Noctivids (8x42) check all the boxes and they’re probably my favorite binoculars. Unlike some who wanted Leica to go down the same path as Swarovski and Zeiss with the huge FOV and flat fields , I for one feel they went a different route and took the more traditional style and just improved all aspects of the image. Making them as sharp as anything else, an excellent edge, great panning characteristics , still have that Leica rich color saturation and a FOV that appears bigger than the paper stat reflects. As far as build quality, the Nocs are second to none.
Paul