BirdingTom
Member
My background is as a beginner. Here is my opinionated and raw commentary as to why I chose the Noctivid’s over Ultravid’s.
The testing was 1 week with each the Trinovid HD 8x42, Ultravid HD Plus 8x42 and Noctivid 8x42.
Why I chose the Noctivid’s over the Ultravid’s
1. Close focus - The Noctivid can focus down to 1.9m compared to 3m. For me this is a big deal. Allowing me to see things I simply couldn’t with the Ultravid. Interestingly the cheaper Trinovid’s also beat the Ultravid’s with 1.8m close focus.
2. Smooth focus - While the Ultravid has an accurate focus, I found it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the Noctivid’s or Trinovid’s. The Ultravid’s focus is a little crunchy and noisy, but accurate and durable. Pickup the Noctivid and you notice the difference. Silky smooth. Perhaps not as smooth as the Trinovid which uses a different technology, but a close second place.
3. Diopter - Both the Ultravid and Noctivid are very functional with a center diopter focus. For me the Noctivid has the edge on design. Allowing for the same knob to change both focus and diopter settings. Very impressive!
4. Distortion - The Noctivid produces a flatter image in my eyes, while maintaining no “rolling ball effect”. The Ultravid’s produces more pin cushion distortion on the edges when compared to the Noctivid’s.
5. Accessories - The Noctivid comes with superior accessories. This includes a much nicer case, much nicer objective covers and rain covers. I’m not sure why Leica doesn’t include the same accessories throughout their range?
6. Comfort/ Style - The Noctivid’s look excellent with their open design. Being compact it is difficult to grasp between between both barrels with larger hands. The Ultravid’s perhaps have a slight edge on comfort. Though this would depend on the individuals hand size and placement. Overall a wash here, both preform well, are extremely comfortable and look excellent.
7. Image Quality - Both bin’s preformed really well here. With the Noctivid’s having the edge. I found it more difficult to focus the Ultravid’s pin sharp, especially in low light conditions. The Noctivid’s immediately produced “wow” image in most conditions. Perhaps due to the smoother focus or better low light performance.
8. FOV/ Brightness - I’ve paired both of these together because most will not notice any difference without doing a side-by-side comparison. The Noctivid are brighter and wider, though the Ultravid still hold’s it’s own here.
So are the Noctivid worth paying 20% more? Yes. I would even consider upgrading if I was an Ultravid HD Plus owner with spare cash.
The testing was 1 week with each the Trinovid HD 8x42, Ultravid HD Plus 8x42 and Noctivid 8x42.
Why I chose the Noctivid’s over the Ultravid’s
1. Close focus - The Noctivid can focus down to 1.9m compared to 3m. For me this is a big deal. Allowing me to see things I simply couldn’t with the Ultravid. Interestingly the cheaper Trinovid’s also beat the Ultravid’s with 1.8m close focus.
2. Smooth focus - While the Ultravid has an accurate focus, I found it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the Noctivid’s or Trinovid’s. The Ultravid’s focus is a little crunchy and noisy, but accurate and durable. Pickup the Noctivid and you notice the difference. Silky smooth. Perhaps not as smooth as the Trinovid which uses a different technology, but a close second place.
3. Diopter - Both the Ultravid and Noctivid are very functional with a center diopter focus. For me the Noctivid has the edge on design. Allowing for the same knob to change both focus and diopter settings. Very impressive!
4. Distortion - The Noctivid produces a flatter image in my eyes, while maintaining no “rolling ball effect”. The Ultravid’s produces more pin cushion distortion on the edges when compared to the Noctivid’s.
5. Accessories - The Noctivid comes with superior accessories. This includes a much nicer case, much nicer objective covers and rain covers. I’m not sure why Leica doesn’t include the same accessories throughout their range?
6. Comfort/ Style - The Noctivid’s look excellent with their open design. Being compact it is difficult to grasp between between both barrels with larger hands. The Ultravid’s perhaps have a slight edge on comfort. Though this would depend on the individuals hand size and placement. Overall a wash here, both preform well, are extremely comfortable and look excellent.
7. Image Quality - Both bin’s preformed really well here. With the Noctivid’s having the edge. I found it more difficult to focus the Ultravid’s pin sharp, especially in low light conditions. The Noctivid’s immediately produced “wow” image in most conditions. Perhaps due to the smoother focus or better low light performance.
8. FOV/ Brightness - I’ve paired both of these together because most will not notice any difference without doing a side-by-side comparison. The Noctivid are brighter and wider, though the Ultravid still hold’s it’s own here.
So are the Noctivid worth paying 20% more? Yes. I would even consider upgrading if I was an Ultravid HD Plus owner with spare cash.