LEICA TRINOVID/ULTRAVID 8x20 (1 Viewer)

I'm looking for some binoculars at around £200-£300, and I came across these compact leicas ( I don't particularly need compact binoculars, but these were the only leicas in my budget) . Does the small lens make much of a difference? And, do they compare well optically to binoculars like the Nikon EII or the more expensive leicas? Also which one is better Ultravid or Trinovid?


Thanks

I believe the Trinovids are the last binoculars left from the discontinued Trinovid series. You should be able to get a good deal if you play your cards right. I have one and I like it very much! It's bright enough to use in a dark concert hall and at night sporting events. I am taking it with me this weekend to Manhattan. I have tickets to see (and hear, of course) Bryn Terfil singing Figaro at the New York Metropolitan Opera. I know the binocular will perform there back in the orchestra seats as professionally as Terfil will on stage! I'll use them for sightseeing and maybe I'll even get to see NYC's famous Red tail Hawk, "Pale Male." I've seen any number of his cousins with them were I live.

Optically, they are as good as (taking into consideration their small Objective Lenses and Exit Pupils) as the Nikon 8 x 30 EII or the 10 x 35 EII, both of which I own and use with great enjoyment. Of course their Field of View is about 100' less over 1000 yards than the 8 x 30 but only 30' less over 1000 yards than the 10 x 35 and they aren't as bright in twilight situations which is to be expected. In fact the edge sharpness of the Leica 8 x 20 approaches the edge sharpness of my Nikon 10 x 42 SE and may be better than the edge sharpness 0f the EII's, which is high praise indeed for any Roof Prism binocular. It has a sweet spot that I judge to be about 90% of the view!

And my reading indicates that the Ultravid may be even better. The Ultravids are also waterproof but IMHO are homlier looking. I like the Trinovid's classic lines!

If you want a 1st class mini binocular you can't lose with either one of them!

Cordially,
Bob

Peter Hearnshaw said:

I'm looking for some binoculars at around £200-£300, and I came across these compact leicas ( I don't particularly need compact binoculars, but these were the only leicas in my budget) . Does the small lens make much of a difference? And, do they compare well optically to binoculars like the Nikon EII or the more expensive leicas? Also which one is better Ultravid or Trinovid?


Thanks

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Hi Peter;

I have a lot of 6x, 7x and 8x20’s and use them about 90% of the time.
That being said, unless you want or need:

Truly pocket sized binos to carry discreetly or all the time or,

Want to pare down to minimum weight for backpacking or similar or,

The only place free to carry them is in a pocket.

Then you would probably be happier with an equally priced, high quality optics in the 8x or 10x power with an aperture in the 30-40ish range. While I agree with everything Ceaser said and my 8x20 Ultravids would be second to last to go (7x42 Ultravids last to go) they are not for everyone. The larger binos should be brighter, have better resolution, easier to set and maintain the proper IPD and, in general, have a lot more relaxed view.

A lot of people have issues with the small exit pupil but since I use optics with 1.3 to 1.6 mm exit pupils all day I find 2.5 mm luxurious and 5+ mm plain obscene. People who use 4-6 mm most of the time have a problem with the small exit pupils and tire rapidly.

All in all, I still use 20 mm binos far more than anything else, and I have a lot of “anything else” lying around. If I am using during the daytime with resonable light, I do not really feel that I am giving up too much to the larger optics with either the Trinovids or the Ultravids.

Enjoy whatever you decide on.

Ron

Peter Hearnshaw said:

I'm looking for some binoculars at around £200-£300, and I came across these compact leicas ( I don't particularly need compact binoculars, but these were the only leicas in my budget) . Does the small lens make much of a difference? And, do they compare well optically to binoculars like the Nikon EII or the more expensive leicas? Also which one is better Ultravid or Trinovid?


Thanks

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Hi Peter, I don´t really do technical but I have the Ultravid 8x20 so I´ll try and fill you in on them. I found them brighter than the Trinos in the shop. I love them, but use them mostly as "pocket bins" when I´m out with the kids or in my cycling pocket when out on the bike. They are incredibly clear and bright, even well into twilight, and compare well with "full-size" bins of any sort. They are, however, slighly harder to use, eye-placement is critical, if you don´t get your eye to the right spot the image "blacks out". The FOV is less than my bigger 8x bins too, 5.2 degrees, I think (check the specifications online). But if portability and pocketability are paramount, they could easily serve as "full-time" bins. Best of Luck with your choice.

Sancho said:

Hi Peter, I don´t really do technical but I have the Ultravid 8x20 so I´ll try and fill you in on them. I found them brighter than the Trinos in the shop. I love them, but use them mostly as "pocket bins" when I´m out with the kids or in my cycling pocket when out on the bike. They are incredibly clear and bright, even well into twilight, and compare well with "full-size" bins of any sort. They are, however, slighly harder to use, eye-placement is critical, if you don´t get your eye to the right spot the image "blacks out".

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I also have the 8x32 ultras and agree with all of this - they are stunning little bins and do have the edge over the trinovids. The only downside is the ease of use, which can lead to eye strain if you use them for long periods of time. If you want a pocket pair you'll struggle to beat the 8x32 ultravids. However as an alround pair of bins in that price range I'd definitely go for the Nikon 8x30 EIIs - wider FOV and easier to use.

My wife has the 8x20 ultravids , super compact bins . I have the 10x25 , a little bigger and if I am honest not quite so easy to use . Both provide crisp and bright images . I like the waterproof aspect of the ultravids too .

Well, as for me, 25 years ago I bought my first Leicas, 10X25 Trinovids. I carried them for more than 20 years until the focus mechanisim finally wore out and I was unable to focus them at infinity with my eyeglasses. I eventually sent them for repair and still have them. Then last year, I decided to get a new pair of 8X20 Ultravids. Holy crap. What a great pair of binos. I was so impressed I then went for the 10X25 Ultravids. They are great too, but I have to say that because of the field of view, and the depth of field and lower "shake" factor, I absolutely love the 8X20s the best. I have no trouble with "blackouts" or anything with these using glasses. I also have several other larger bins, in the Canon IS series, which I also really like, but if there is one pair of bins that I would use anywhere at anytime, the 8X20 Ultravids are it. I have them on my belt right now, as usual. If you have an opportunity to get the 8X20 Trinovids , I am sure that you would be happy with them as well. But the Ultravids are at an even higher level of quality.

Take my word for it. Get a high quality pair of 8x32's if you want something compact unless you absolutely need the tiny size of the 8x20's. I would recommend the 8x32 Leica BN's or BA's. The 8x20's are a pain to use compared to the 8x32's. I have had them and I sold them and would not buy them again.

Dennis

FWIW, there is a current ebay auction for 8x20 Trinovid, it seems to be an older Leitz model.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-Ernst-Lei...ryZ50538QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It may be too late to answer the original poster's question, but what about an inverted porro, such as a B&L 8x26? Optically they can be very nice, and they are inexpensive, so you can throw them around and not worry.

In fact my view on the 8x20 roof prism binoculars (and I own Zeiss and Swarovski examples) is that they are best avoided unless small size is essential. A much cheaper 8x26 inverted porro (which can be stuffed in a large pocket), or a modest 8x30 porro, is preferable.

Very late to the party, but I have both. The ultravid has noticeably better edge performance than the trinovid, and has much less pincushion as well. Frankly, I was surprised at how much better the ultravid performs, not a small difference.

laservet said:

..... Frankly, I was surprised at how much better the ultravid performs, not a small difference.

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I can only second this! But I still use the Trinovids as well, particularly in theaters and concerts. I chose the 10x25 for the Ultravids instead, so as not to exactly duplicate the Trinovids.

The Trinovid line had improved as well over the years. My present 8x20s are the second pair, and there is a considerable difference compared to my first pair.