New Old Trinovids (1 Viewer)

John A Roberts · Nov 23, 2019

Hi Patudo,

There have been 3 series of Geovids:

Generation 1
From 1992, 7x42 BD and BDA - the A version has an integral electronic compass
These are Porro prism and IF, and are rebadged Vector rangefinders (and some production is marked 'Leica Vector') *
As can be seen from the image they are large; and they weigh around 1.4 kg/ 50 oz

Generation 2
From 2004 in 8x42 and 10x42; and from 2005 in 8x56 and 15x56
These are Uppendahl prism and CF. There are a number of versions, some of which include HD glass; a non-HD version is still in production
An original Leica design

Generation 3
From 2013 in 8x42 and 10x42; and from 2016 in 8x56
These are Perger prism and CF and have HD glass as standard. The come in 2 versions, one of which has ballistic curve calculation functions
Also an original Leica design

John

* Vectors are the de facto standard for western military hand held rangefinder binoculars
Because of current model capabilities private sales are controlled
e.g. maximum ranges of 6 km to 25 km; some include night vision technology; and, all include a triangulation function,
which among other things enables indirect fire to be accurately called down on targets

Photos:
A) Gen 1 7x42 BD vs Zeiss 8x45 Victory rangefinder (not the current generation Zeiss) from: http://www.gunsandammo.com/gear-accessories/the-rangefinder-revolution/
B) Gen 2 8x42 HD vs Leica 8x42 Ultravid HD binocular from: https://www.allbinos.com/245-binoculars_review-Leica_Geovid_8x42_HD-M.html
C) Gen 3 8x42 HD-B vs Zeiss 8x45 Victory and Swarovski 8x42 EL Range rangefinders from: https://technodocbox.com/70087467-C...-magazin-fur-waffen-optik-und-ausrustung.html

chill6x6 · Nov 23, 2019

Does anyone actually have the said binocular IN HAND?

henry link · Nov 23, 2019

Patudo,

I don't think much can be discovered about Uppendahls vs. SP by comparing old Trinovids to old Dialyts. The eyepiece designs and AR coatings were too different.

The old Trinovid design had beautifully minimalist optics, mostly limited only the available optical coatings of the time (AR, mirror and phase correcting). We know that the optical elegance of the old design is already compromised by the prism change. Now we need to see what other shoes will fall in the new design. Is the ingenious eyepiece focuser also gone? Will there be anything left but generic mid-grade modern optics in a retro housing?

Henry

Renze de Vries · Nov 23, 2019

tenex;[I said:
[Edit][/I] Actually here's another interesting question. The Leica blog alludes to their "Eye of Apollo" Trinovid monocular that went to the moon, though (unlike the famous Hasselblad) I'd never heard of it. Why didn't even NASA want a porro model that would have been sharper?

The Apollo Trinovid can be found on page 2 of Gary Hawkins' massive and beautiful binocular collection: https://pbase.com/g_hawkins/binocular_pictures

Why NASA chose for the Trinovid instead of a porro? Because binocular design is not about perfection, it's about optimisation. The Trinovid must have been good enough for the task.

Renze

Renze de Vries · Nov 23, 2019

ceasar said:
I remember reading somewhere in this website about Bushnell (I think) roof prism binoculars which used Uppendahl prisms that had phase coatings. Also, didn't some late model Leitz binoculars with Uppendahl prisms made in the late 1980s also have phase coatings?

No, the Leitz Trinovids did not have phase coating, right up to the end of production.

The reference to Bushnell / Bausch & Lomb is quite interesting in this thread because for reasons yet to be elucidated Bausch & Lomb once issued a 7x35 which was an exact copy of the Leitz Trinovid (not counting some minor cosmetic features). It came with Uppendahl prisms and a FoV of 8.5 deg (150/1000M).
The successor to this binocular was the 7x36 Elite, which came with SP prisms and a FoV of 8 deg. (140/1000m).

See pics.

Renze

henry link · Nov 23, 2019

This is probably the old thread Bob was referring to. It discusses the various iterations of the Trinovid derived B&L Elites and another clone sold under the Browning brand name.

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=216171

John A Roberts · Nov 23, 2019

To my knowledge Uppendahl prisms have only been used in the following binoculars:

A) Leitz/ Leica
- The original Leitz v2 Tinovids, and
- The Leica 2nd generation Geovids
as have been discussed previously in this thread

B) Bausch & Lomb 7x35 Classic and Browning 7x35 (a rebadged B&L)
Henry links to a comprehensive thread on them in post #86, which includes Renze’s images in post #85

C) Swift HCF Trilyte Compacts in 7x35 and 9x35
see the attached images from a pamphlet at Bensbins: https://www.flickriver.com/photos/95019762@N07/30699311486/
interestingly the prisms are referred to as ‘Erfle’

D) Bushnell Broadfield Compacts in 7x25 and 8x30
see the images from a 1973 pamphlet from that great resource Miniature Binoculars at: http://www.miniaturebinoculars.com/part3/Page21320.htm

John

galazie1 · Nov 24, 2019

to me it's good that Leica releases another 7x binos. and close to 30mm diameter. I want a high-end 6x30 binoculars, which is nowhere to buy. the new Leica will be the closest to it.

42za · Nov 24, 2019

henry link said:
Patudo,
-------snipped-------

The old Trinovid design had beautifully minimalist optics, mostly limited only the available optical coatings of the time (AR, mirror and phase correcting). We know that the optical elegance of the old design is already compromised by the prism change. Now we need to see what other shoes will fall in the new design. Is the ingenious eyepiece focuser also gone? Will there be anything left but generic mid-grade modern optics in a retro housing?

Henry

Hello,

Henry , you are probably right with your forecast.
Sadly this appears to be the direction that the modern world is moving towards.

Cheers.

Mike F · Nov 24, 2019

I’m wondering whether the modern version with SP prisms and modern coatings will be optically worse that the original? It may not be what it perhaps could have been, optically, but will it actually be worse? And I don’t mean FOV, but the actual image.

Hermann · Nov 24, 2019

Mike F said:
I’m wondering whether the modern version with SP prisms and modern coatings will be optically worse that the original? It may not be what it perhaps could have been, optically, but will it actually be worse?

Definitely not. It will be better, by quite a large margin.

The old version didn't have phase coatings, that alone had a huge detrimental effect on the image quality. In fact, basically *all* roofs without phase-coating aren't even worth trying nowadays. And the other coatings were pretty simple and far less effcient than modern coatings.

By today's standards the image quality of the old Trinovid was mediocre at best.

Hermann
who had a look through the one Trinovid
10x40 still in the family just yesterday

Mike F · Nov 24, 2019

Hermann said:
Definitely not. It will be better, by quite a large margin.

The old version didn't have phase coatings, that alone had a huge detrimental effect on the image quality. In fact, basically *all* roofs without phase-coating aren't even worth trying nowadays. And the other coatings were pretty simple and far less effcient than modern coatings.

By today's standards the image quality of the old Trinovid was mediocre at best.

Hermann
who had a look through the one Trinovid
10x40 still in the family just yesterday

Well, that’s good news at least. But again, speaking as a layman (relative to the experts here) where binoculars are concerned, I would think that in that case the vast majority of potential buyers will be more than happy, even though I understand the frustration of many here.

henry link · Nov 24, 2019

John A Roberts said:
D) Bushnell Broadfield Compacts in 7x25 and 8x30
see the images from a 1973 pamphlet from that great resource Miniature Binoculars at: http://www.miniaturebinoculars.com/part3/Page21320.htm

John

Wow, the Bushnells are very interesting: Uppendahls, air-spaced objective lenses, very wide fields, a reasonably sophisticated eyepiece, internal focus of some sort, perhaps a moving eyepiece field group like the Trinovids. I'd like to see those binoculars revived with modern coatings.

John A Roberts · Nov 24, 2019

Hi Henry,

I thought that you might have been intrigued by the features and spec’s of the Broadfields

It turns out that there was also a 10x40 version, see the page from a 1976 pamphlet from Elkcub at: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=184322

Strangely Ed indicates an external bridge/ focusing, which is in contrast to the text of both ad’s and the cross section image - so perhaps some confusion with other models?
(he also notes the lack of either multicoating or phase coating, which would be as expected in 1976)

All 3 of the Uppendahl models must have been rare, since there are very few images of 2nd hand units on the ‘net

There is also an 8x Mini in the 1976 ad. While it’s part of the Compact ‘family’ in terms of styling, it clearly does not share the body (and hence prisms) of the others
It most probably had S-P prisms

John

henry link · Nov 25, 2019

Thanks John. The $120 price for the Bushnell 8x30 in 1973 ($720 in 2019 US dollars) got me interested in looking up some old Trinovid prices and converting them to 2019 US dollars.

I found a price of $290 for a Trinovid 7x35 in the October 1970 issue of "Popular Science" magazine ($1740 today). A 1987 US dealer price list had the 8x40 Trinovid at $749 ($1722 today), the 10x40 at $798 ($1835 today) and the 7x35 at $473 ($1088). I recall that the 7x35 was often, for no apparent reason, discounted below the other models in the 80s, at least in the US.

Henry

Patudo · Nov 27, 2019

Mike F said:
I’m wondering whether the modern version with SP prisms and modern coatings will be optically worse that the original? It may not be what it perhaps could have been, optically, but will it actually be worse? And I don’t mean FOV, but the actual image.

I second Hermann's earlier comment - mid-grade modern optics are pretty formidable these days. Holger Merlitz has noted in his site that if the Leitz Binuxit, a highly praised classic of yesteryear, were made with modern glass and coatings it could compete in today's mid-range (not top-line) market. A couple months back I took my 10x40 Dialyt (P model) to the UK Birdfair for side by side comparisons with a number of 10x42s I was interested in. This binocular, which I'm really familiar with and still enjoy a great deal, was once, until the early 1990s or so, the best 10x Zeiss could make, but I was struck by how the binoculars I tried - especially Meopta's 10x42 HD and Zeiss's Conquest HD - were superior in pretty much every department: brightness (especially), colour rendition, sharpness, and even in most cases how steadily I could hold them. A Leitz Trinovid body with that kind of mid-range optics would be very nice indeed, significantly better than the probably 30+ year old 10x40 I tried at the same location, of which the gentleman at the InFocus stand commented would be outperformed by any 300 quid Opticron.

I remain however, somewhat doubtful just how commercially successful the "new old" series will be, given that there are a lot of really good binoculars around now, which wasn't the case when the original Leitzes were about. I guess only time will tell.

galazie1 · Nov 28, 2019

Patudo said:
A Leitz Trinovid body with that kind of mid-range optics would be very nice indeed, significantly better than the probably 30+ year old 10x40 I tried at the same location, of which the gentleman at the InFocus stand commented would be outperformed by any 300 quid Opticron.,

I have the Zeiss 10x40 as well. good one, lovely one. image is pale now but solid, smooth, high level of beauty. I disagree with that guy. 300-500$ optics now can be brighter, better coloured and better in other technical terms, but still far far behind in the beauty terms. I tried a Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 yesterday - much worse image compared to the old 10x40 to my eyes.

I look forward to the new trinovid 7x35. I need a great 6-7x 30-35mm binos. I haven't found one. I missed a new Fujinon FMT SX 6x30 on ebay recently. And the new Kowa 6.5x failed my expectation.

eronald · Nov 29, 2019

I still don't get it: Bins will get made, people will look thru them and hold them, if the image quality is as good as that of the HD (can it be expected to do worse?) it will sell well as a skeuomorphic novelty item for the racecourse.

Anyone on this forum who wants a portable about town binocular presumably has already got a Zeiss in their Pocket. I know I do.

Edmund

MandoBear · Nov 29, 2019

eronald said:
...it will sell well as a skeuomorphic novelty item for the racecourse.

Edmund

Edmund - thank you for introducing me to a new word. I've never come across the word "skeuomorph" before - I had to look it up.

One can learn about so much more than just binoculars on this forum.

eronald · Nov 29, 2019

MandoBear said:
Edmund - thank you for introducing me to a new word. I've never come across the word "skeuomorph" before - I had to look it up.

One can learn about so much more than just binoculars on this forum.

Now you have the word, but how do you pronounce it?

Overlarge active vocabularies are a diagnostic criterion for Asperger's. |=@|

Edmund

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