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Anybody have New Leica Ultravid HD's yet? (1 Viewer)

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Has anybody got the new Leica Ultravid HD's yet? I see they are available in 7x42 and 8x42. If they are better than the present Ultravid's and Trinovid's they must be made by GOD! Has anybody been able to compare the new Ultravid's HD to the old one's yet. If so let's hear your comments. I have to have proof before I spend $2K to upgrade!

Dennis
 
The Leica representative at the British Birdfair in August told me I 'probably wouldn't notice much difference' from my non-HD Ultravids. He wasn't a great salesman.
They were certainly nice to look through but I wasn't able to carry out any proper comparison with the Ultravids. They're available in 10x42 too, for £1,420 here in the UK. I think this might be a price leap too far for a lot of birders. I think their arrival in the shops is imminent here.

Sean
 
Has anybody got the new Leica Ultravid HD's yet? I see they are available in 7x42 and 8x42. If they are better than the present Ultravid's and Trinovid's they must be made by GOD! Has anybody been able to compare the new Ultravid's HD to the old one's yet. If so let's hear your comments. I have to have proof before I spend $2K to upgrade! Dennis

Dennis,

This is already being discussed in detail here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=92865
 
The Leica representative at the British Birdfair in August told me I 'probably wouldn't notice much difference' from my non-HD Ultravids. He wasn't a great salesman.
Sean
Not a great salesman, but maybe a good bloke...too honest!;)
 
The Leica representative at the British Birdfair in August told me I 'probably wouldn't notice much difference' from my non-HD Ultravids. He wasn't a great salesman.
........ They're available in 10x42 too, for £1,420 here in the UK. I think this might be a price leap too far for a lot of birders. I think their arrival in the shops is imminent here.

Sean

I think this is an important point - I have seen a few people on here saying they are 'upgrading' their Ultravids to the new HD Ultravids. Geez these peops must have muchos spondoolies !

I think the nearly £500 increase will not represent good value for money to these people. Even upgrading from a mid priced model £1400 for a piar on bins ? Come on !

Linz ( old Ultravid owner)
 
I think this is an important point - I have seen a few people on here saying they are 'upgrading' their Ultravids to the new HD Ultravids. Geez these peops must have muchos spondoolies !

I think the nearly £500 increase will not represent good value for money to these people. Even upgrading from a mid priced model £1400 for a piar on bins ? Come on !

Linz ( old Ultravid owner)

It does raise a few issues, Linz. Are we reaching the point where incremental "improvements" (if indeed that's what they are, rather than hype)
in optics are simply not worth the cost? How much more bird are you going to see for your extra 500 english squids? And the waterproof coating I just don't get...you can't see through bins in the rain anyway. A pair of Nikon Actions for 100 euro would do the job for most birding, and our fave bins are caprices over and above that (to which we're perfectly entitled, after all....that's been dealt with before). But the latest offering priced at a minimum of 2,000 euro makes me wonder. And the repeated delays in getting it onto the market reminds me of manufacturers restricting the supply of kids' toys before Xmas to increase sales of substitutes before Xmas, and sales of the demanded product throughout the oncoming year. Are we being taken for a right royal ride?
 
And the repeated delays in getting it onto the market reminds me of manufacturers restricting the supply of kids' toys before Xmas to increase sales of substitutes before Xmas, and sales of the demanded product throughout the oncoming year. Are we being taken for a right royal ride?


Hi Sancho!

An alternative explantion might be that the eager, young yuppie-ish marketing people have jumped the gun once more.
Like those software companies that announce the coming of a new operating system before the engineers have started their work, and who in due course start selling half-finished products.

The difference is that an optics company cannot possibly keep sending out a string of "upgrades" for the next 2 years (normal mode of conduct in digital highwaymenship) ;)

Cheers,
Cervantes
 
Hi Sancho!

An alternative explantion might be that the eager, young yuppie-ish marketing people have jumped the gun once more.
Cheers,
Cervantes
Hey Miguel, what´s new? I bet these marketeers have done their homework, though, and know just how much we consumers are prepared to splash out. We´ve been voting with our wallets for years now, but I´m out of the game, I´ve spent enough. (Until Leica or Swaro or Zeiss come up with a 12x Image Stabilised bino, then I´ll sell the In-Laws into slavery.....;))
 
I have a leica ultravid 10x42 Bl, i am in the marked to buy me a second one , but a 12x50 ultravid mainly for use when on a migration watch en birding in general, so when my wife comes along she takes the 10x42 and i the 12x50,
I will buy a new 12x50 ultravid HD version because there is an action here , when you buy one you can get a great deal, i can buy the 12x50 for 1750 euro !!!!!!!! its still expensive but more less than later in a few months i think.
 
It does raise a few issues, Linz. Are we reaching the point where incremental "improvements" (if indeed that's what they are, rather than hype)
in optics are simply not worth the cost? How much more bird are you going to see for your extra 500 english squids? And the waterproof coating I just don't get...you can't see through bins in the rain anyway.

I think if the HD's were around £1100 then that would be a fair price, given you can get the Ultravids for that price just now ( mine were £940 then the price hiked immediately to £1079). Leica should then reduce the old Ultravids to under a grand again.

I suspect that like the Trinnys, the ole Ultravids will eventually be phased out and the HD's will drop in price to around £1100.

I agree that you can't view much in the rain due to refraction (?) but Swaro replaced the objectives on my EL's presumably with the new glass which repels water and it means you don't have to wipe the droplets off.

The improvements to the focus mechanism may be hype, afterall ( whispers) there wasn't much wrong with the Ultravid action ( unless, of course you are a binocuthologist rather than an ornithologist ! ;) )


Linz
 
Although £1420 sounds like a big price tag it's only ~£100 more than the RRP of the original 10x42 Ultravids. Persumably the standard discounting will start after a while and they'll be down much closer to the cost of the other top binoculars.
 
Although £1420 sounds like a big price tag it's only ~£100 more than the RRP of the original 10x42 Ultravids. Persumably the standard discounting will start after a while and they'll be down much closer to the cost of the other top binoculars.


1750 euro for a 12x50 is a pretty good price i think, its £1260 !
 
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Any chance the secondhand market is about to flooded with Ultravids that have been discarded in favour of HD'S? (Not that I'm interested, you understand, I'm cured now.....)
 
The coatings on the New Ultravid HD sheds rain drops off completely,So you can view in a complete downpour if that is ok with you?,they also have the floride glass coatings-" HD" which is supposed to increase better light transmission to the eyes,However,You Must be a yuppie to purchase this kind of binocular at $2,000 U.S. honestly how many of you people are going to spend that much money on a binocular ?,the people that buy these binoculars are the same ones who can afford a new BMW or Mercedes without thinking about the price, Yes I beleive they are well made but not that good for that price that is ridiculous, Leica has increased thier prices more than Swarovski it is all because of the new coatings I just can not see paying that much for a binocular even if I had the money to buy them with a possible recession in the U.S. in 2008-2009 who will be saving for a $2,000 binocular ? Please be realistic, there are many nice quality binoculars for a lot less money.
 
The coatings on the New Ultravid HD sheds rain drops off completely,So you can view in a complete downpour if that is ok with you?,

Rumours have it Leica introduced a nanotechnologized magician called The Great Raindy into the HD models who can stop the rain altogether! He also regularly greases the focussing mechanics.

they also have the floride glass coatings-" HD" .

No. They haven't. The flouride is in the glass. It's not a coating. But even the Leica marketing people don't get it right in their catalogue.

You Must be a yuppie to purchase this kind of binocular at $2,000 U.S.

Yep! ...... Yup (?)

people that buy these binoculars are the same ones who can afford a new BMW or Mercedes without thinking about the price,

There are many others who just spend a lot of money on their hobbies ...

maybe some buy expensive binoculars because they can't afford a "Beamer".

I beleive they are well made but not that good for that price that is ridiculous,

Don't buy it!

Leica has increased thier prices more than Swarovski it is all because of the new coatings

No!
They are increasing prices because people are willing to pay them.
If people stopped bying them, prices would drop, and they would do so quickly.
It's called capitalist economy.

Please be realistic, there are many nice quality binoculars for a lot less money.

Yes, please be realistic. Your preaching is lost completely on the people discussing here.
They're probably all yuppies ....
 
Yes I will not buy them ,I guess I am wrong and you are right I am not preaching only stating the facts,I guess if people can afford them that easy then by all means buy them and enjoy I did not mean to offend anyone? they are just not for me that is all,enjoy.
 
A local birder with ties to Leica is saying that the specifications on the Ultravid HD's have changed, with closer focus and slower focusing speed.

I tried a pair of 8x42's in May, 2008, at Pelee Wings in Leamington, where they couldn't keep them in stock; however, the closest focusing distance with the new sample they had was about 10'.

The Leica site's technical data section doesn't appear to be functioning.

I'm comparing 7x42 Leica and Zeiss.

Comments?

Mike
 
While a local birder says that he can focus on his feet with his 10x42 Leica Ultravid HD's, Dave Elwell at Leica says there's been no change in the close focus of these binoculars, and a check with two popular retailers stocking them also shows no change. If there's an opportunity, I'll look at the sample of 10x42, and post anything interesting.

IMO the 7x42 Zeiss FL's close focus, field area, and retail price pretty much eliminates the Leica.

Mike
 
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