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No retro Trinovids after all? (2 Viewers)

Well... that is interesting. Indeed gone from Leica's site but still shown on B&H's and Adorama's sites. Amazon doesn't show them. I'll check in a few days to see if they've been taken off their sites.

This makes me wonder if Leica is choosing to go back to the drawing board and do what they must to make them waterproof before releasing them -or- if they are throwing in the towel on that project.
 
I can't find them on the Leica USA website either. They still show up in Leica's PDF Nature brochures covering all their binoculars.

My guess is that Leica decided they weren't worth the bother and they decided to cancel them after reading all the criticism about them not being waterproof on binocular blogs like this one.

Common sense tells us that making them waterproof would add several hundred dollars to their retail costs and would put them in direct competition with the Ultravids rather than the 2nd line Trinovids.

The Abbe/Konig prisms are on their last legs; why bother bringing back the Uppendahl Prisms? Stick with the old reliable, stodgy Schmidt/Pechans while wringing out the last little improvements that are left in them!

Birders by nature are stodgy. They are reluctant to reward optical companies for new ventures in binoculars.

Bob
 
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My guess is that Leica decided they weren't worth the bother and they decided to cancel them after reading all the criticism about them not being waterproof on binocular blogs like this one.

It was amusing to read this: Leica engineers did not know people want waterproof binos and have found that by reading the BF posts.

Anyway, here is the reply I got from Leica:

"I can confirm a delivery date by the end of February.
Due to the many pre-orders, there may be delays in delivery."

So there's still hope.
 
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It was amusing to read this: Leica engineers did not people want waterproof binos and have found that by reading the BF posts.

Anyway, here is the reply I got from Leica:

"I can confirm a delivery date by the end of February.
Due to the many pre-orders, there may be delays in delivery."

So there's still hope.



Good!

After first noting that you misinterpreted the reasons I gave in my original post #4 I will comment that Leica is still betting a lot of its own the money in this game even if it isn't making the binoculars water proof.

If they have chosen to ignore the negative opinions about the new Trinovids lack of water proofing that we read almost daily on Bird Forum then good luck to them in this venture!:t:

Bob
 
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It was amusing to read this: Leica engineers did not know people want waterproof binos and have found that by reading the BF posts.

Anyway, here is the reply I got from Leica:

"I can confirm a delivery date by the end of February.
Due to the many pre-orders, there may be delays in delivery."

So there's still hope.

Mmmmm, that's strange.
We couldn't pre-order since no Leica rep had any sample, just pictures. I can't imagine any dealer pre-orders without seeing the real thing, but appearantly that is what happened according to your spokesman;)

We were told delivery date by the end of June, but most likely (if they will ever come) BirdFair England.

Jan
 
Jan:

The "coffee" shop above your store has already received some samples, check them out.

Cheers,
Peter

PS. Seriously, my contact works for Leica Camera's CS in Germany, and given my previous experience I have hardly any reason not to trust him.
 
Jan:

The "coffee" shop above your store has already received some samples, check them out.

Cheers,
Peter

PS. Seriously, my contact works for Leica Camera's CS in Germany, and given my previous experience I have hardly any reason not to trust him.

LOL,

The fire brigade had to come with pneumatic tools to enforce entry. All Leica contraband were flushed through the toilet........

PS. Seriously, my contact told me it is a Portugal initiative and we really don't know anything.

Jan
 
The new "retro" Trinovid line seems already to have disappeared from Leica's US website.

Strange.

Gone from the German web as well.

Lack of interest from the resellers?

Press release said "in store in September 2017".

"Das Leica Trinovid ist ab September 2017 in Leica Stores und im Fachhandel in folgenden Ausführungen erhältlich.
"
 
Mmmmm, that's strange.
We couldn't pre-order since no Leica rep had any sample, just pictures. I can't imagine any dealer pre-orders without seeing the real thing, but appearantly that is what happened according to your spokesman;)

We were told delivery date by the end of June, but most likely (if they will ever come) BirdFair England.

Jan

So we have delivery dates of February (with possible delays), or June (or not) or August 2018 (if ever, maybe).

Since the sources were all Leica, I think its fair to say that the Leica left hand doesn't know what the Leica right hand is doing, and neither of them know what is going on behind the back.

What better way to start the new year than with a mystery?
Lee
 
B&H had a sale on Leica binoculars on "Cyber Monday", including the regular and new retro Trinovids. Maybe there weren't enough pre-orders to suit Leica, although I'm starting to regret not locking in the lower price, if they ever do come out.
 
So we have delivery dates of February (with possible delays), or June (or not) or August 2018 (if ever, maybe).

Since the sources were all Leica, I think its fair to say that the Leica left hand doesn't know what the Leica right hand is doing, and neither of them know what is going on behind the back.

What better way to start the new year than with a mystery?

I'm pretty sure Zeiss can beat that.

BTW, when are the SF 8x32 due, Lee? At the BirdFair, in August 2021?

Hermann
 
I'm pretty sure Zeiss can beat that.

BTW, when are the SF 8x32 due, Lee? At the BirdFair, in August 2021?

Hermann

I absolutely agree Hermann, Zeiss has a crazy record for delays following announcements such as HT and then SF 42.

On the other hand I don't think there has been any official announcement of any date at all for SF 32, but your little joke is well aimed: Zeiss has nothing to be proud of in this respect over the last few years.

The most recent Zeiss launch has been the Harpia scope with deliveries promised to start in January 2018 and I heard that production began in early December which sounds encouraging, but I will believe Harpia scopes in the shops when i see them there.

Lee
 
Leica's website has become (like others to be sure) very difficult to navigate and almost devoid of genuine information, except for PDF downloads if you can find them. So I suppose it's possible this is just a glitch, but for now there is no (non-HD) TRINOVID choice in their binocular menu.
 
I don't think Zeiss has ever mentioned this model as ''coming'', or even on the drawing board - same with any 32 mm HT's.

All Birdforum rumours.

Correct James although Stephen Ingraham did mention it to a BF member at a US birding event. No official announcements have been made and they seem to have had their hands full with Gavia, Harpia and the new rangefinder bino.

Lee
 
The retro Trinovids have now disappeared from B&H's website, which until now listed them as available soon.
 
The retro Trinovids have now disappeared from B&H's website, which until now listed them as available soon.

They do still figure on some German websites such as Intercon Spacetec, or even with a due date as „available from Feb. 20, 2018“ on astroshop.de.
 
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