HD vs HD plus (1 Viewer)

SeldomPerched said:

The following may or may not be helpful as it involves comparing 8 x 42 HD with 7 x 42 HD Plus (which I bought to replace the 8 x).

The 7 x 42 HD Plus has something extra that just lifts the experience into another dimension - very unscientific but clearly noticeable to me.

The trouble is of course that I am comparing sevens with eights and so some of the extra snap I see may be to do with the smaller magnification, steadier apparent handheld image, or just something due to the different optics regardless of any Plus upgrade.

But I see this wow factor in both 8 x 32 and 7 x 42 HD Plus models, whereas I was never convinced by my 8 x 42 HD. Then again, that could be due to sample variation.

All three were new purchases so presumably had not been dropped, heavily dinged, etc.

All the best,

Tom

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Tom,

I also have the 7x42HD+. It's generally regarded as Leica's best glass (at least prior to the NV's) and the 'something extra' that you describe has been widely reported here on BF.

Ironically, I think that the most probable reason (or at least contributing factor) that they have 'something extra' is in fact that they have something less....... one less glass element to be precise, so therefore two less glass to air surfaces per side. The 8x has nine elements whereas the 7x has eight. So, as you rightly surmised, it's more to do with the fundamental optics rather than the HD HD+ upgrade, although I'm sure that adds a little as well.

This is only my personal assumption though. Others here on BF who have far greater technical knowledge may disagree.......

A little while back I compared in the field for several hours the 8x42 BR/HD/HD+ and found very little difference between the HD and HD+. With the Plus model, colors were maybe slightly more neutral in direct comparison (not enough to notice if I didn't have both in hand I think) and may have been very slightly brighter in very low light conditions. Again, without having to two models side by side I doubt I'd have noticed any differences between them. Both the HD and HD+ appeared brighter to my eyes and appeared to circumstances to control CA better than the BR series.

Ultimately this justified to me that a significantly discounted HD model was a far better buy than an HD+ and I ended up with a NIB, old stock 7x42 HD. I've never really been one to see sparkle, pop, or wow when I look through binoculars though, so maybe I'm a bit too ulitilitarian to appreciate the HD+.

Justin

Justin,
I think you made an excellent purchase, the HD is an excellent glass, I have the HD 8X42 and 12X50 HD, if you can purchase the HDs at a reduced cost, it is probably the best value from a Leica perspective. The + views in my opinion is not worth the extra $$ over the HD; I also have the 10X50 in BA, BR and HD+.

Andy W.

Mike F said:

Tom,

I also have the 7x42HD+. It's generally regarded as Leica's best glass (at least prior to the NV's) and the 'something extra' that you describe has been widely reported here on BF.

Ironically, I think that the most probable reason (or at least contributing factor) that they have 'something extra' is in fact that they have something less....... one less glass element to be precise, so therefore two less glass to air surfaces per side. The 8x has nine elements whereas the 7x has eight. So, as you rightly surmised, it's more to do with the fundamental optics rather than the HD HD+ upgrade, although I'm sure that adds a little as well.

This is only my personal assumption though. Others here on BF who have far greater technical knowledge may disagree.......

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Hi Mike,

To me it's enough that your and others' findings are much the same as mine: that the 7s have something special. This is not to say there is anything the matter with the 8s as Leica optics are of Olympian standard (and my eyesight is not!). On the other hand the better is always the enemy of the good...

The precise reason(s) for the difference I am happy to remain ignorant of. Actually an air of mystery about these things appeals to me!

All the best,

Tom

dries1 said:

Justin,
I think you made an excellent purchase, the HD is an excellent glass, I have the HD 8X42 and 12X50 HD, if you can purchase the HDs at a reduced cost, it is probably the best value from a Leica perspective. The + views in my opinion is not worth the extra $$ over the HD; I also have the 10X50 in BA, BR and HD+.

Andy W.

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Thanks Andy, I agree completely. I was all ready to jump on a demo 7x42 HD+ because I could not find a properly priced HD model until this one came up.
I will not argue with anyone who says they see 'sparkle' or whatnot in the Plus model as everyone's eyes are different, but I would only buy one if I could not find a competitively priced HD model

Justin

jremmons said:

Thanks Andy, I agree completely. I was all ready to jump on a demo 7x42 HD+ because I could not find a properly priced HD model until this one came up.
I will not argue with anyone who says they see 'sparkle' or whatnot in the Plus model as everyone's eyes are different, but I would only buy one if I could not find a competitively priced HD model

Justin

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Last year Leica repaired and "upgraded optical system" on my 2004 7X42 BR. Upon return I thought it was slightly brighter with less chromatic aberration. I have no idea if the upgrade was BR/HD/HD+ or green jello inserted into the oculars. I know they had to redo the guts of both scopes so it's safe to assume the upgrade was with later/latest spare parts. Since the hinge is also new it could have been a complete replacement for all I know.

The repaired version I now have is better than the new version I purchased in 2004. Leica did a fantastic job and I told them so when I examined the Noctivid at the trade show in Cape May. This time around the Noctivid was truly impressive.