Torview
Well-known member
What do you prefer in the view of a Noctivid over the Zeiss SF or Swarovski 8.5x42?
I don`t prefer anything in the view which is why I don`t have one, I just don`t agree that its a distant third to the other two.
What do you prefer in the view of a Noctivid over the Zeiss SF or Swarovski 8.5x42?
What do you prefer about Leica's? The optics or the ergonomics. They are small in size and weight which I like. I feel the small size handicaps the performance of the optics because of short focal length issues and such.
I consider Leica's to be a distant third behind Swarovski and Zeiss. One of their best binoculars the Leica Ultravid Plus 10x42 is 13th place in the Allbino's ranking of 10x42's. Really! Not very impressive for a $2200.00 binocular. There are a lot of less expensive binoculars that outperform it. Even the Vangusrd Endeavor EDII!
https://www.allbinos.com/allbinos_ranking-binoculars_ranking-10x42.html
A very warm color transmission biased towards the red spectrum and slightly higher in CA than the other alpha's and less sharp edges.
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..... And personally I would take Chuck's assessment of a pair of binos rather than Allbinos, any day of the week.
Lee
Additionally I really like the color-contrast of the Leicas. I also prefer a more compact, lighter bin because I hike in the mountains a lot. I'm not a birder per say, but I watch wildlife a lot.
I have never found the Leica's to have that "ease of view" you describe. I have problems with short eye cups and blackouts with a lot of them but that depends on how they fit your face and how deep your eye sockets are. You mention color-contrast and size. I like the small size of Leica's also and has been said some people like their highly saturated colors and some don't. Leica's are a more colorful binocular with warmer colors. Zeiss and Swarovski are colder and more neutral.The number one thing that works for me with Leicas better than the other Alphas is ease of view. It might just be the shape of my face, deep set eyes, I don't know, but the 8x42 size Leicas almost universally present an easy, picture window view for me. The only other bin that gave me that same easy view was a 7x42 Zeiss Dialyt that I got to use, it was awesome. Surprisingly the 32 size Leicas don't work for me as well, I get blackouts. The 32 size Swaros are better, but I love my SEs.
Your comment about distant third seems disingenuous to me. All the alpha brands and some of the mid tier are so good, you are splitting hairs and personal preference to separate them.
Additionally I really like the color-contrast of the Leicas. I also prefer a more compact, lighter bin because I hike in the mountains a lot. I'm not a birder per say, but I watch wildlife a lot.
It is partly subjective but partly based on Allbino's somewhat objective reviews. I would not knock Allbino's reviews totally because they are probably the best objective reviews we have on the internet. I know this goes against the popular vote but personally I find a lot of Allbino's reviews to be pretty accurate. It is true they don't take account a lot of variables in why somebody chooses a binocular over another one but they can't consider everything. They do a pretty good job of sorting out the optics. I also agree with a lot of what Chuck says. There are not too many people that have day to day access to so many different binoculars so his opinion lends a lot of weight but it is still subjective.Leica a distant third? This all a bit subjective of course but my subjectivity would not allow me to use the word distant at all. And personally I would take Chuck's assessment of a pair of binos rather than Allbinos, any day of the week.
Lee
[email protected], I have to ask this. I've been following this thread and others that you've posted in on the Leica forum, and I just wonder what point it is that you're trying to make. You obviously prefer Swarovski and Zeiss to Leica. That's OK - each to his/her own, but it seems that you're not comfortable with the fact that many prefer Leica, primarily for the view that Leica gives. I'm just curious why?
Gilmore Girl. Your are right in that the Zeiss FL is one of the best binoculars for controlling CA. What exactly do you find "beautiful" about the Leica image? Is it the colors? When I tried the Leica Ultravid HD Plus 8x32 I was impressed with the intensity of the colors. It was almost like technicolor. You hear that a lot when somebody describes a Leica.
I don't necessarily prefer any brand. I find it interesting to know why you prefer Leica's. I like to try different binoculars so if I know why you like them it helps me decide if I want to try them. Sometimes when somebody else describes the good points of a product such as a binocular it helps you appreciate it more. Kind of like people. Their good sides at first aren't immediately apparent.[email protected], I have to ask this. I've been following this thread and others that you've posted in on the Leica forum, and I just wonder what point it is that you're trying to make. You obviously prefer Swarovski and Zeiss to Leica. That's OK - each to his/her own, but it seems that you're not comfortable with the fact that many prefer Leica, primarily for the view that Leica gives. I'm just curious why?
I don't believe you are wrong at all. I just want to understand why you like the Noctivid and then maybe I will try one. I need to be convinced.I think he just believes we're all wrong, and he wants to enlighten us😀.
Interesting "Washed Clean." I wonder if that would be like free of aberrations? The little Ultravid is short on ER for glasses. That makes me want to try a 7x42 Ultravid HD because when it is somebodies only binocular it has to be good.
I don't believe you are wrong at all. I just want to understand why you like the Noctivid and then maybe I will try one. I need to be convinced.
I am not really well versed on Leica as I have not tried their latest and greatest the Noctivid. I was trying to garner some opinions on it on this thread to see if I should give one a go. That is encouraging that you chose the Ultravid over the EL because owning the EL 8.5x42 SV FP I know it is a fine binocular. What in particular made you choose the Ultravid over the EL? Optics, handling, ergonomics or size. Have you had any warranty issues with Leica's where you had to have them serviced? jgraider in the above post who I really trust seems to have had some bad experiences with their warranty department. I recently tried the Ultravid HD Plus 8x32 and I was impressed outside of the fact that the eye cups were a little short for the eye relief for me resulting in blackouts. How are the eye cups on the Ultravid for you?I joined this forum in 2009 and you were an long time member with lots of experience back then. I was avid in following this forum for a few years back then, reading everyone's opinion, buying and trying all kinds of alpha bins. What I discovered was that there was no perfect bin, I'm sure all of what we call Alpha manufactures pull out all the stops to achieve perfection, but compromises must be made.
I actually approached the hobby predisposed to want a Swarovski, most of my well heeled hunting buddies had an EL or SLC. After trying Zeiss, Nikon< Swaro and Leicas of all sizes and powers, I narrowed it down to a 8x42 Ultravid BR and a Swaro 8.5x42 EL. My local store let me take a sample of each home for the weekend. I spent hours looking through both pair, in all conditions, near and far, full light, twilight. I ended up liking the Leica a little better, but even then I noticed the pros and cons of each bin. That said, I'm sure I would have been very happy if I'd gone with the EL's.
Another thing I discovered about myself was that, never being happy with what I've got, always wanting the next small improvement, took away from my enjoyment in actually using what I had. For a few years I obsessed about every newly introduced bid and actually bought a few. I'm not rich, so paying as much as a new car (1960's prices), for a pair of binoculars is a big deal. I finally took a hiatus from the forum, quit analyzing and just started using my bins. I found that I was perfectly happy with my imperfect bins.
I think you are well versed on the Leica look, and it just isn't your cup of tea. That's fine, I respect and understand your opinion, variety is the spice of life.
I finally took a hiatus from the forum, quit analyzing and just started using my bins. I found that I was perfectly happy with my imperfect bins.