• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Noctivid 10x42 HD? (1 Viewer)

B

billstent

Member
Hi all, Bill here

Apart from being a birdo and an astrophotographer, I also work at a business that sells Leica binoculars. Yesterday I had an inquiry from a customer who had, the previous day, bought a Noctivid 10x42. He had found on another website an advertisement for a binocular called Noctivid 10x42 HD, complete with a photo with that stamped on the binocular. The one he bought from us simply says Noctivid 10x42, without the HD. He was concerned that we'd sold him an inferior pair without extra low dispersion glass. I don't believe that Leica uses standard optical glass in any of its lenses.

I'm not an expert on Leica binoculars, but I've never heard of Noctivid HDs, and I'm having trouble finding anything on the internet about them. I've seen other Leicas with this, but not Noctivid.

Could it be a new model that we haven't seen yet? Or could it be that there's no difference, and it's simply a marketing refreshing of the body, in order to drive turnover? Could it be a version that isn't available locally (I'm in Australia)? Or is there some other explanation?

I'm going to contact the sales rep to see if he knows, but a helpful person on Birding-Aus suggested I ask here, which I am.

Thanks for any information you can give me.
 
Leica makes the Noctivid (8X42 or 10X42 formats), the glass that your company sells (Leica binoculars), plain and simple. The Noctivid has ED glass (low dispersion glass), sometimes titled HD glass. Leica does not make a Noctivid with HD stamped on the binocular. The OP is looking at a scam.

Andy W.
 
Wow, do you think so? Does this happen often? I'm familiar with rip-offs of older Zeiss (e.g. Jena etc.) but not Leica.

What should I do about this? Should I name and shame the website?

Surprised, Bill
 
Probably just a sloppy bit of advertising.
Leica did produce the Ultravid HD line, they even had an Ultravid HD Plus.
So the seller probably assumed the Noctivid would be similarly listed.
It does raise a caution flag though, clearly the seller is not that familiar with the Leica line.
 
dries1 said:
Leica makes the Noctivid (8X42 or 10X42 formats), the glass that your company sells (Leica binoculars), plain and simple. The Noctivid has ED glass (low dispersion glass), sometimes titled HD glass. Leica does not make a Noctivid with HD stamped on the binocular. The OP is looking at a scam.

Andy W.
Click to expand...


If it's stamped Noctovid HD on the bino it very well could be a Chicom scam. Wouldn't be the first time as there are lots of Chinese fake Leupold scopes around. The Chicom's don't give a ratsazzz either.
 
It's not a sloppy bit of text in an ad - there's a photograph of the binocular with "NOCTIVID 10X42 HD" stamped clearly on the side. If it's a scam (and I'm not yet convinced), this photo must have been Photoshopped.

I haven't been able to post the photo here directly, but this is the link to my original post with the photo on Birding-Aus: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3442445215770408

I don't have the link with me here, but it's at work, so I can find it tomorrow and do some more investigating if people think it's worth it.

Bill
 
billstent said:
It's not a sloppy bit of text in an ad - there's a photograph of the binocular with "NOCTIVID 10X42 HD" stamped clearly on the side. If it's a scam (and I'm not yet convinced), this photo must have been Photoshopped.

I haven't been able to post the photo here directly, but this is the link to my original post with the photo on Birding-Aus: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3442445215770408

I don't have the link with me here, but it's at work, so I can find it tomorrow and do some more investigating if people think it's worth it.

Bill
Click to expand...

The pictures you post show a Leica product, which would only make sense if Leica sells the Noctivid in some markets as the Noctivid HD.
Alternatively, it is a well executed fake, which I'm sure Leica would like to know about.
I lean to the first possibility, simply because the Noctivid is not a huge seller afaik, so I'm puzzled where the profit from a fake would come from. It does cost up front money to make a look alike case even if the optics are generic and the potential sales volume seems insufficient to justify the effort.
 
Yeah, I'll certainly be talking to our Leica rep about it. He might be able to get to the bottom of it.

Of course, there would be a chunk of costs to fake a Noctivid - there's all the hardware to copy, and optics to fit, but being involved in that industry to an extent, I know that it's possible, if not easy. The profits would only come after you'd sold a few of the fakes, so you could cover your initial expenses. But in these days of precision cut aluminium parts and 3-D printing, it's not impossible. I'll keep an open mind until I hear from Leica.

Thanks for all your input so far!

Bill
 
As the marking is on the insert that’s on the side of the RA covering of the Noctivid, it would not be difficult for either Leica or anyone else to make a new insert
See a current image from the Leica site at: https://en.leica-camera.com/Sport-Optics/Experience-Nature/Binoculars/Leica-Noctivid
- I can’t see any reference on the site to an HD upgrade or a marking change

For a forger it would be a very cheap way to offer a 'Special Limited Edition Leica' to get a premium price (perhaps as simple as using a Dymo label maker?)
It could be seen as plausible as Leica does do many special editions, especially with the camera lines


John
 

Attachments

  • Noctivid.jpg
    Noctivid.jpg
    103.1 KB · Views: 135
Last edited:
My initial impressions are that it is a photoshop hack job. For what purpose, I don't know. The 'hd' version is lower res than the non 'hd' photo. If you zoom into the HD version, you can also see a change in the noise/texture on the barrel above the 'hd' text.

The photos are publicity shots, not a picture of a 'real' binocular, as in someone is holding a binocular with the 'hd' text printed on it.

My conclusion is that someone modified a pre-existing publicity photo.

-Bill
 
Last edited:
John A Roberts said:
For a forger it would be a very cheap way to offer a 'Special Limited Edition Leica' to get a premium price (perhaps as simple as using a Dymo label maker?)

John
Click to expand...

Yes! I agree that the text on the side is quite similar to the Dymo Labelmaker text.

In studying the 2 photos again, it looks like they've not changed the size of the insert, just used more of the available space to add the 'hd' text. Meaning that it is easy to cheat it in a photo, and also that single element could be manufactured to replace the existing one.
So, whether Leica has done it, or somebody else, its entirely doable... digitally, and physically.

Right now, though, all we have seen is just what appears to be a modified pre-existing publicity photo.



-Bill
 
Last edited:
OK, an update - probably resolving it.

I spoke with the National Product Manager (polite talk for sales rep?) for Leica binoculars in Australia. He confirms that there is no such binocular as a Noctivid HD and to the best of his knowledge there are no plans for one. However, he's familiar with the website the client found and says it's genuine.

His best guess for what's happened is that very early on in the marketing of the Noctivid, a number of product shots were created. He thinks that they may have created a photo with the HD on it, thinking that they may, at some future point, have such a product. That hasn't happened, but when creating a product listing, a sloppy operator may have used the wrong photo.

The Leica guy is going to get into contact with the other retailer and have them fix the photo.

Thanks for everyone's help here, it's been an interesting exercise!

Bill
 
billstent said:
His best guess for what's happened is that very early on in the marketing of the Noctivid, a number of product shots were created. He thinks that they may have created a photo with the HD on it, thinking that they may, at some future point, have such a product. That hasn't happened, but when creating a product listing, a sloppy operator may have used the wrong photo.

Bill
Click to expand...

It's a bit moot really, but I think that is a much less likely explanation than the one offered earlier by others than it's simply a photoshopped marketing scam. I don't believe for a minute that Leica would have made a special side badge with HD on it to take some nice photos that they may or may not want to use in the future. Makes no sense at all.

In fairness to the product manager he was probably just thinking on his feet and just came up with that as a possible explanation. Anyway, the only relevant point is that there has not ever been, and probably never will be, a Noctivid HD.
 
St. Elmo said:
I guess that rules out a Noctivid HD+
Click to expand...

Anything is possible of course but I very much suspect that Leica won’t go down that road with the Noctivid, and in fact the last time that Leica applied the HD suffix, i.e. to the Trinovid, most people considered it as a downgrade (from the 2012-15 Trinovid) rather than an upgrade. In any case HD refers to the use of glass which the Noctivid already has.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

S
Trinovid vs. Noctivid (& NL Pure)
Replies
15
Views
3K
Woen
Woen
N
Ultravid 7x42 HD+ vs Noctivid 8x42
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
8K
Scott98
S
T
Noctivid eyecups
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
Russ Bart
R
T
Leica help
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
Paultricounty
P
K
Duovid 10/15 x 50 coatings question
Replies
6
Views
912
ticl2184
ticl2184

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top