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Trinovid hd 8x32 report (1 Viewer)

ronh

Well-known member
On a recent little stay in San Francisco, I found the big red spot store directly across the street from our hotel. I have long craved a nice roof prism 8x32, and planted that seed in my wife's mind to grow. I had decided the Ultravid HD plus was probably the one for me. But in the store, I found to my surprise the Trinnie to be its equal, image quality wise, and although 4 oz. heavier at 22 oz. (the instructions say it's constructed of Aluminum, rather than magnesium as every advertisement I've seen has claimed, and the weight is the same as that of the early Trinovid BA/BN), half an inch longer, single eyepiece diopter adjustment, and with 8% smaller true field, it cost only $899, vs $1999 for the Ultravid. It also sports 4mm greater eye relief (17mm), which I thought would be very handy since I often wear sunglasses, and half the Ultra's minimum focus distance at 1 m, which is probably a dubious advantage for my use. It had been years since I got a new binocular, and this extreme hardship has been relieved at last by buying not one of these but two, one for my wife, and I'm still $200 richer than I had feared.

Although having quite different SNs, the two units are as alike as peas in a pod, right down to the lettering on the focus knob being oriented the same at infinity focus. Every time I've thought I saw a difference, it did not stand up to repeated comparison. That gives me some confidence that Leica is at least building what it intends to build.

The at-store impression of image quality has held up under field use. Central sharpness is all you could want I think, edge sharpness is very good indeed, although not like a Swaro EL. I've noticed hardly any CA even under tough conditions (branches against snow), and the brightness, color presentation, and contrast are typical Leica: Not as illuminated looking as the Zeiss FL, but with greater color saturation. It is noticeably clearer looking than my Ultravid BR. When I watch the exit pupil in the eye lens and tilt the binocular, I see the exit pupil deform towards a football shape, and as it is eclipsed by the field edge, it is still a healthy 70% of its size when circular, implying an imperceptible dimming at the field edge, which lends to the overall good impression of brightness.

Glare resistance is very good: when viewing near the sun or at deep dusk under a bright sly, I will see glinting artifacts, but these can be avoided by judicious moving of the eyes off to one side a little, and, that done, the view is surprisingly free from the general cloudiness that plagues every other binocular that I've used.

The focus knob takes a lot of cranking to go from 1 m to infinity, but most of that is at the close distance. Indeed the angular rotation needed in going from 10 ft to infinity is the same as on the famously quick 8x42 FL, and the HD's smaller focus wheel diameter gives a faster ratio when finger travel is considered. The focus knob turns more heavily however than on the Zeiss, although without a hint of play or stiction.

The combined modest field and long eye relief make for a comfortable view with glasses on. I can see the entire field with my small reading glasses on, and with my rather bulbous sunglasses more like 97%, enough to keep the eye confidently centered. I need the eyecups fully up for viewing without glasses, with the cups nestled fairly snugly in my eye sockets. I have to be careful not to adjust the IPD too wide, or I find myself in brow-propping territory. If you are socket-crammer like me, this is the one thing I'd say look out for with this binocular.

There's a hint of pincushion to keep rolling ball in check, but hardly noticeable. A small circular object, moved from the center to the edge of the field, suffers a tiny squashing as though being mashed against the field edge, not nearly as strongly as seen in a Swaro EL, suggesting a little more pincushion might be required to perfectly conquer rolling ball, but I think it's a good compromise, certainly given the relatively narrow field.

I am satisfied with these binoculars! No doubt other people will prefer the Conquest HD, the Monarch 7, Swaro CL, or some lesser known brand, and I don't argue with those choices at all. But I think, consistent with what I learned from being around astronomical telescopes, the little Trinnie's extra optical length, modest field of view, sturdy construction, and simple mechanics (single eyepiece focusing) amount to a design in which very high quality and ease of use can be attained rather easily and therefore cheaply.

Ron
 
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Thanks Ronh, nice review and story, especially the way you lead into it. I am glad you are getting out there and enjoying the views.

Andy W.
 
Ron,

Thanks for the report. Delighted that you and your wife are happy with you new acquisitions, and long may you enjoy them. The Trinovid HD is not really my cup of tea, but if they do it for you, that's all that matters. Enjoy!

David
 
Thanks for your compliments guys. Troubador's report already said most of it, and I am in agreement with that, just adding some personals and details for your amusement.

With another day's usage under my belt now, I'll especially elaborate on his comment about the focusing action. Fast knob rotation requires a rather heavy force, but despite the action being heavy in that sense, the complete absence of stiction means the knob will move very slowly with a force that is almost imperceptibly small. Since the gearing ratio is quite fast, that's exactly what is needed in achieving optimum focus, and it requires a "very" delicate final motion.

Ron
 
Nice review!
I also own a Trinovid HD 8x32 and I think they're amazing too.
To me personally, they tick all the boxes, except for the smaller field of view, but that doesn't really bother me.
Their resolution is also very good. I looked at a computer screen at a distance and I felt that they resolved at least the same, if not even more detail than 3 others, which were a Bynolyt Albatross ED 8x32, Trinovid (nonHD) 8x42 and Victory HT 8x42.
Did this 'test' handheld, so maybe not 100% reliable but it does says something..
 
Nice report Ron!

You know, I've never tried a Leica binocular that I didn't like. They don't always look as good "on paper" as some others but in actual use most are very pleased with them. Most are very well made. I've bought a lot of binoculars in my day and I've never returned a Leica for any reason whatsoever.
 
I've never seen the 8x32, but I fully agree with your statement about the image of the Trinovid HD being the total equal of the Ultravid. For me that holds true with both the Trinovid and the Ultravid in either 42 mm models, at 8x or 10x. It is also my opinion that the amount of fov in the Trinovid is more than adequate for completely satisfactory use. Sometimes specs can get in the way too much.
 
Nice report Ron!

You know, I've never tried a Leica binocular that I didn't like. They don't always look as good "on paper" as some others but in actual use most are very pleased with them. Most are very well made. I've bought a lot of binoculars in my day and I've never returned a Leica for any reason whatsoever.
" I've never tried a Leica binocular that I didn't like. "

Didn't Will Roger's say that.;)
 
Hello All,

Probably a little bit off-topic , but overall how does the 8 x 32 compare to the 10 x 32.

I know that the 10 x 32 is the less popular binocular.

Thank you for your replies.

Cheers.
 
Thanks again folks for the kind words, and especially Nivado for sharing you experiences with this model.

42za, I did briefly try a 10x32 at the San Francisco Leica store. While its feel and view quality were very good, I was bothered by the issues naturally accompanying such a small exit pupil. Not that an 8x32's 4mm pupil is fat city, somehow I can tolerate that with a smile. But at 3.2 mm I noticed dimming effects as I scanned the field of view.

It wasn't a bright environment during that test, and I suspect that in full sunlight it would be more comfortable. But I wasn't really interested in 10x that day anyway, and didn't give it much of a chance. I suppose if you're really after a 10x32, the Trinovid HD would be a reasonable candidate.

Ron
 
What lens cleaning solution works best on the HD's coated lenses? I understand alcohol is out.
If the Trinis are much like the Ultras:

"Your Leica Ultravid binoculars need no special maintenance. Use a soft lens brush or a blower to remove large particles of dirt, sand, etc.

To remove fingerprints etc., first wipe the eyepiece and lens with a damp cloth, then dry them with a piece of clean, soft chamois leather or lint free cloth.

If the binoculars, particularly the rotating eyecups, are very dirty, simply rinse them under a running faucet.

Always rinse off salt water.

Moisture inside the central focusing unit (visible through the scale window) will dry quickest when the two rings (3/4) are unlocked. Alcohol and other chemical solutions must not be used."
 
I tried out a Trinovid HD 10x32 quite recently and was very impressed with it. Wonderful build quality, excellent optics, great size and handling. I was comparing directly with 10x32 binoculars priced at $2,100, $2,300, and $2,550, and I did notice a very slight difference in ultimate sharpness/clarity, but the difference was not much and I had to try hard to see it! The Trinovid HDs held their own very respectfully!

For the money, I'd say that the Trinovid HDs are awesome binoculars and a great value!
 
I had decided the Ultravid HD plus was probably the one for me. But in the store, I found to my surprise the Trinnie to be its equal, image quality wise...
I just got my first decent binoculars (Trinovid 8x32b) and have instantly regretted not getting them years ago. Every time I use them it becomes more obvious how they carry none of the frustrations I've seen with far too many binoculars over the years and every time that I've used something in the past that seemed impressive, they also turned out to be far too expensive for my needs.

Now that I've got them though, I keep thinking of the Ultravid or Trinovid HD and your review is exactly what I needed to see. Not only did you compare the two models I've been considering, you also seem to go much further into realms of detail than my novice eye is able to detect.

One thing I'd still like to find more information on though, which seems to be all but lacking in my searches so far, is a comparison to find out how much, and what kind of advantages I'll be getting in going from the 8x32b to the HD model. Hopefully someone out there will have had both models and I also suspect that the older model will end up being the car binocular, or vice versa when I do buy an upgrade.
 
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