Comments please on Leica 8x40 trinovids, AKA "retrovids" (1 Viewer)

[mwhogue]

I was lamenting and gaining over my old Leitz 7x35 Bs that were beyond repair, and wondering why Leica and everybody else had given up on the 7x35 format.

(John M Robinson): O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men of those men in England That do no work today!

Henry V Rex: What's he that wishes so? My cousin, (John M Robinson)? No, my fair cousin; if we are marked to die (/as a vanishing brotherhood of 7x fans) we are enow. To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honor. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more....We few, we happy few, we band of brothers....

 

[Trinovid]

…the Retrovids are optically equal to my Ultravids, but in a much nicer package. People hear Trinovid and think second tier binoculars.

I’m even guilty of that, and posts like yours suggesting them to be optical equals, not to mention a great number of posters citing them as their most used binoculars should definitely show that they are not 2nd tier at all.
For me though, and at least a few others, the desire for the same ‘premium’ features is hard to overcome. Add waterproofing and there would likely be even more owners overnight.
Still, they’re no less great than their older, and still popular iteration.

 

[PYRTLE]

There's been a strong push in recent years for anything retro

Can't think of another major optics manufacturer that has produced a "retro" example..... can you name one apart from the Retrovid? Zeiss' SF and SFL have nothing much harking back to their Classic Dialyt ( I have a 7 x 42 Dialyt and an 8 x 42 SF - the only thing similar is a wonderful balance ) whilst Swarovski's NL Pure was futuristic if anything.

 

[Trinovid]

Can't think of another major optics manufacturer that has produced a "retro" example..... can you name one apart from the Retrovid?

No, but my point was that many things which take they’re stylization from older products are very much in vogue, and though the Retrovid is a fairly lonely optical example, it still remains a product formulated at least in part on its ‘looks from a different time’.
It actually started a long time ago with antique stores, then a plethora of retro fakes from almost every old-looking desirable that can be named, from cars to furniture, light fixtures and on and on.
I recently bought an old hand crank wall phone for a house decoration and there is absolutely no shortage of fakes available, many of them for far more than I had to pay for mine, and the worst thing is…neither of them even work!

 

[Owlbarred]

I have a birding friend who several times pranked uninformed birders curious about his binoculars. He claims his 'Retrovids' are a pair of never-used (still in the box) 50-year old Leitz Trinovids purchased recently at an estate sale for $200. Observers, of course, are blown away in disbelief when they look through them -- with one "higher-end" binocular owner actually asking him if wanted to make an even trade, and then seeming almost relieved when told they were new 'Retrovids.'

 

[Scott98]

Can't think of another major optics manufacturer that has produced a "retro" example..... can you name one apart from the Retrovid?

How about the Habicht and Nikon E2's?

 

[John M Robinson]

How about the Habicht and Nikon E2's?

Good catch, but I think Trinny’s point is the Retrovid is based on a really old design, (1958?), that was discontinued over forty years ago. I don’t know how long the E2 was out of production or if Swaro ever stopped making the Habicht.

 

[Trinovid]

…point is the Retrovid is based on a really old design, (1958?), that was discontinued over forty years ago.

Yes, and even more to the point, it looks like an ‘outdated’ design from decades ago that was never modernized; til the era of ‘that which came next’.

 

[GrampaTom]

Maybe...
May also be its so old, few around recognize that/it. Rather it stands against modern rubber coated designs and looks... different, maybe retro, maybe person doesnt know, cuz never saw the old. In some ways, I have suspected some of the reticence around the NL is the wasp waist that doesn't look like anybody else's. Those that struggle with change balk. I rather dig the Retro. I have that history dating to 1971. My 30 something friends do not, so it has to hit them in another way. May turn out to be a niche thing today, that catches on and slowly becomes a thing. May need some influencers to put it over the top. May never get there. Hopefully the target market wasn't just old folks who knew, like nostalgia, but its something new all over again.

 

[John M Robinson]

Well said Tom😊

 

[chill6x6]

I have on order a pair of Leica 8x40 Trinovid binoculars. These are the so-called "retro" version with leather and old styling. Online reviews say they are top quality and good optically.

Does anyone have these and do you recommend them?

They aren't like some of the other Leica models that have waterproofness to several meters and fogproof coatings. I am wondering if these are a mistake compared to the regular Trinovids or Ultravids? They also come in 7 and 10 power versions. These "retros" appeal to me because of their light weight and the retro features (leather etc.). I have a pair of 8x42 TrinovidBAs which are optically great but just too too heavy. I probably will sell them and I hope this is a reasonable replacement.

Hi,
So yeah I have the 7X35 and the 8X40 of this binocular. Probably the nicest looking binoculars I have and made with excellent attention to detail. VERY compact with excellent handling. Optics are excellent! Very current glass and coatings. Mechanically excellent. Both models for me have been zero issue binoculars.

The "problem" with these binoculars IS...they ARE Retro. Armoring doesn't cover all/most exposed areas. FOV is a little on the low end especially with the 8X40. No absolute water-proofness. I think most consumers want all that if they are forking out that kind of money for some binoculars. I really don't think any of the above "issues" will hinder one from enjoying these binoculars.

I say go use and enjoy your Retrovids!