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Trinovid bn 8x32, are they still worthy? (1 Viewer)

Wrenie

Member
Hi folks,
I'm looking for a good binocular for birding and butterfly watching on walks. My old 8x40s are getting a bit heavier at 700g, (I'm 5ft tall and have correspondingly small hands). l'm currently looking at the Trinovid bn 8x32. and have read previous older reviews but just wondering if they're still great bins. I've looked at Zeis victory fl 8x32 as well, impressively light in weight, fantastic close focus, but more costly, obviously.

Is there anything else I should look at? I think I'm going to have to stear away from brand new, cost wise, for a better quality binocular too but I'm not too sure for the improvements that it's worth buying new.

Your thoughts on this ladies and gents would be gratefully recieved. :t:
 
Focus Optics near Coventry are offering Leica Trinovid 8x32 HDs at £745 and these are great binos with a super-close focus. They are situated out in the country and have a great environment in which to try out binos.

Lee
 
Hello Wrennie,

By all means, try before you buy. I have owned the 8x32 BN which was top dog for a while. I would say better than its contemporary, the Zeiss 8x30 Dialyt. It is as known as a rather robust glass. It has neither extra dispersion glass, which I would not think is that much of a negative, nor does it have dielectric mirror surfaces, which may affect both brightness and colour rendition. Only you can judge how important those may be.

If I recall it has eye relief that is a bit less than a Zeiss 8x32 FL. That Zeiss would also be lighter, because it uses a metal reinforced polycarbonate body and has better suppression of chromatic aberration.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 
The Trinovid 8x32 BN is an icon Binocular. Superb piece of Leica craftsman ship in my old school bird watcher humble opinion. With a cult following. Make sure if you buy its a BN model not a BA the BN has a closer focus.
 
The Trinovid BN 8x32 is a very nice classic binocular and my favorite for a non-current binocular. It has a very nice natural view and excellent build quality. Probably the best three current 8x32's are the Swarovski SV 8x32, Zeiss FL 8x32 and the Nikon EDG II 8x32. Any of these three will probably out peform the Trinovid but at a price so you have to decide how much you want to spend. If you look on the used market you can find deals.
 
I owned a pair of these from 2003 until the end of last year, they were never dropped or abused in any way, just used a lot. My experience is this:

Bought new early 2003, the dioptre started to slip immediatley until they would no longer focus to infinity. I sent them back to Leica. Two months later I recieved them back but as soon as I used them the dioptre slipped again. Back to Leica again for another two months. This time they worked ok and lasted for several years without problems.
By 2010 the eyecups had become difficult to move but by then I only used them eyecups down so I did nothing about it. In 2012 I asked at the Leica stand at the Birdfair if they could do anything but was told they would have to be sent back. I still didn't bother.
In 2016 the dioptre slipped again. I decided that as lack of eye relief was becoming more of a problem I would get them serviced/repaired and sell them.
This time I took them to my local dealer. They told me that the dioptre probem was a very common fault with this model. They sent them back to Leica and after a couple of weeks I was told that they would need new eyecups and that this would take longer than normal as they were no longer in stock and would have to be machined and then have the serial number engaved on them.It took 13 weeks. They looked like new when I received them, complete with a little red Leica seal attached. I made the mistake of trying them and the dioptre slipped again.
By now I had already bought replacements with better eye relief so it was several months before I took them back to the dealer with instructions to sell them as soon as they were returned. I have no idea if the last repair was successful. They made a good price, I lost very little if you ignore inflation.

Many will tell you they are an icon or built like a brick but they do have their problems and Leica service and quality control leaves a little to be desired.
In 14 years mine spent 9 months back at the factory.
After 57 years of owning binoculars they remain the only pair I have ever had to return for repair or service.
I would recomend you go to a good dealer and try some modern glass. There are several now that will give a better performance for very little more money than used BN's.
 
Must have been a Friday built model :-O Sold my first pair to buy a 7x42 But missed them so got a another pair that look as new. No problems so far touch wood. 8x32 BNs still sell for between £400 & £600
 
Must have been a Friday built model :-O Sold my first pair to buy a 7x42 But missed them so got a another pair that look as new. No problems so far touch wood. 8x32 BNs still sell for between £400 & £600

Perhaps all the attempted repairs were on a Friday too;) I hope yours serve you better. There is nothing more annoying than having to wait for repairs and then finding they have not been successful when you have trips planned.
 
Perhaps all the attempted repairs were on a Friday too;) I hope yours serve you better. There is nothing more annoying than having to wait for repairs and then finding they have not been successful when you have trips planned.

Yes my friend. Have a pair of Zeiss 10x40 BGAs sent them of to Zeiss in Cambridge for a service. Came back looking brand new complete refurbish. Best part did not charge me a penny
 
I bought my lovely Leica 8x32 BNs new in 2003 - I reckon that conservatively I've had them around my neck for more than 15,000 hours. They are worn smooth and shiny, and the eycups are stuck at my position because of sand I can't get out - they're still waterproof - I think, so I daren't wash them under the tap like I used to do. The insides are pristine, but the coatings are a bit worn due to my obsessive (almost!) cleaning. I've never had to send them back to Leica. Still fulfilling their purpose admirably and to be honest I feel quite smug about their wear and I'm not sure I want them refurbished. They have somehow become part of me.
 
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It is the other way around, they are part of you.(DNA) just kidding, I know the feeling, a memory of many visions, hard to part with some of my oldest glass.

Andy W.
 
My Leica BN

Hello Simon,

I bought my Leica 8x32 BN in 2005, as a refurbished binocular. These red binoculars were loaners for those who wanted to try the binocular. A pro forma bill was executed. If the prospective buyer wanted one, he returned the red one and took home a standard one. Should this binocular ever be serviced by Leica or a Leica agent, the armour will be replaced with standard black armour. I doubt that mine was made on a Friday.

Shortly after buying it, I bought a 10x32 Zeiss FL, as I liked it so much I bought an 8x32 FL demo. As I wrote in an earlier post, I found the Zeiss more to my liking than the BN, which I liked more that the Nikon 8x32SE, a true cult item. Although I thought that BN's reliability gave it a slight advantage over the Nikon 8x30EII. In any case I still think highly of the BN but I favour my 8x32 FL.

I should add that the eye cups have only two positions, up or down, rather old school,

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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I bought my lovely Leica 8x32 BNs new in 2003 - I reckon that conservatively I've had them around my neck for more than 15,000 hours. They are worn smooth and shiny, and the eycups are stuck at my position because of sand I can't get out - they're still waterproof - I think, so I daren't wash them under the tap like I used to do. The insides are pristine, but the coatings are a bit worn due to my obsessive (almost!) cleaning. I've never had to send them back to Leica. Still fulfilling their purpose admirably and to be honest I feel quite smug about their wear and I'm not sure I want them refurbished. They have somehow become part of me.

Do them Swaroski new boys show you some old school respect ;)
 
As I wrote in an earlier post, I found the Zeiss more to my liking than the BN, which I liked more that the Nikon 8x32SE, a true cult item. Although I thought that BN's reliability gave it a slight advantage over the Nikon 8x30EII. In any case I still think highly of the BN but I favour my 8x32 FL.

I should add that the eye cups have only two positions, up or down, rather old school,

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

So you are saying that both the BN and the SE are true cult items? I'll take that!:t: I have never tried a Nikon 8x32SE but would really like to try one sometime - as with many older birders, I started with porros - an 8x30 Jenoptem being my first real binocular.

The sand stuck in my eyecups is quite handy - it keeps the eyecups about half up, which is ideal for me. Sorry if this makes the binocular collectors cringe - I understand, however the trials in the field over the years will not keep them looking at showroom standard.
 
It is the other way around, they are part of you.(DNA) just kidding, I know the feeling, a memory of many visions, hard to part with some of my oldest glass.

Andy W.

I'm with you on this - I definitely don't think of them as a material possesion, even though they are ;)
 
Do them Swaroski new boys show you some old school respect ;)

Only when I call out the ID of a distant, approaching raptor well before they do ;) A friend has the Swarovision 8x32 - I can barely look through them they're so good :-O

I do "suffer" from the slippery rolling ball syndrome though, and I'm not sure if I could get used to it - so maybe one day when I'm rich, I'd get the lastest 8x32 Leicas.
 
Hey! Thanks for all your thoughts and experiences, good and not so good.

The BN s still seem to be worth trying if I can find a pair. Are they heavier than the HD? I'm almost obsessed with weight!

Thanks
Wrenie
 
So you are saying that both the BN and the SE are true cult items? I'll take that!:t:

Hello Simon,

I think that some on this forum have raised the 8x32SE to a fetish, an item of cultic worship. That model never worked for me. Others have called the BN a cult item; even one poster on this thread. The BN was a well appreciated top of the line Leica binocular. Leica has a reputation for well made products. Their M cameras were the photojournalists standard a half century ago. One photographer praised that camera's robustness and reliability, even if others cameras may have been optical equals. Leica has also attracted collectors rather more than other optical brands.

I took my BN's out for a spin, today. I thought that the FOV was narrower than my FL. I also found that I not quite able to focus at infinity without my eyeglasses. Nevertheless, the binocular felt great in my hands. My recommendation to Wrennie is still try before you buy. Gr8teful Doug, in the other thread with this title, thought that a used BN was a good value. I think that the BN is old school but I also think that patience, persistence, and the resulting experience are much more important for bird watching than whether one has a very good binocular or an excellent one.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Greetings. The Leica 8x32BN gave me years of wonderful, enjoyable, and reliable service. As weight became an issue, I exchanged it for the Ultravid 8x32HD. Yes, I miss the old friend, but time moves on. Regards.
 
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