• 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.
Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

How does the Leica APO 65 Televid compare? (2 Viewers)

LucaPCP

Happy User
How good is the Leica APO 65 Televid compared to the equivalent Swarowski, and to the Kowa 883 & 553?
In general I like the construction quality of the Leicas, and the placement of the focus controls (rather than the rotating collars).
I would be interested in hearing from people who could compare one with other scopes (even if of somewhat different apertures).
 
How good is the Leica APO 65 Televid compared to the equivalent Swarowski, and to the Kowa 883 & 553?
In general I like the construction quality of the Leicas, and the placement of the focus controls (rather than the rotating collars).
I would be interested in hearing from people who could compare one with other scopes (even if of somewhat different apertures).

Not worth the extra money (compared to Swaro ATS). I found the CA too high in the APO and the famous "Leica contrast/color" was over the top.

Maybe the "latest new/re-released version" from this year is better, I don't know if there are any visible changes, and I only tried the previous version.

A quick price check here and the the APO 65 is 35%! more expensive than the ATS65 (including a 25-50x). Maybe prices are different elsewhere.

Also I very much prefer the ergonomics of a helical focus ring, which you more comfortable can operate from below.
So it was a no-brainer for me. Pay less and get a better scope with the ATS.

553 and 883 are very different scopes...

An 883 would blow the APO 65 to pieces... ;)

553, no thanks, wait for the Swarovski ATC, I'm pretty sure it will be a better scope.
 
Last edited:
How good is the Leica APO 65 Televid compared to the equivalent Swarowski, and to the Kowa 883 & 553?
In general I like the construction quality of the Leicas, and the placement of the focus controls (rather than the rotating collars).
I would be interested in hearing from people who could compare one with other scopes (even if of somewhat different apertures).
I have had an APO 65 for about three years and it's the best 'scope I've ever had. Previously had Leica APO 82, the older 62, Swarovski ATX95 (good but got tired of lumping it around) and three different ATS80's that kept fogging up, though I know birders who've had them years with no such problems.
 
I had APO 65 for a VERY short period....hated the way it turned anything beyond the focal point into a mosaic type pattern rather than just out of focus. Traded in for Swarovski ATX 65 although I still highly rate my old Leica APO 62 against that!
 
Just got the APO Televid 65. First impressions are great, solid construction and very good ergonomics.
The eye piece is great, one of the best that I have experienced with glasses on.

Focusing from near (2.9 metres, about ten feet) to infinity takes... ...a long time. But the dual focuser works great.

Will probably post a separate thread once I have had it for a while.

Vespobuteo: did you look through the current model - or the previous version?
I could not find any CA when I first tried it out and now that I have it I have not noticed any CA so far, and it is something I usually notice straight away. I am waiting on better weather for a more in depth work out for the scope but today on a very overcast day there is no CA to be found.
 
The comfort of the occular 25-50 Leica is incomparable with glasses!
After reading this I actually went in to the optics store that have Kowa, Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, Vortex and many more in store and side by side to check it out for myself. I usually have trouble with spotting scopes (and binoculars) with my glasses.

And, I agree, for me this is one of the very best oculars for glasses wearers. I have more room to spare with the Leica than any other of the top scopes. The eye strain (for me) is less than with virtually all other spotting scopes they have in store.

I have not looked through a Leica spotting scope in many years, they are just not that common, and back then it was good, but not great. The older Leica model (don't remember which one it was to be honest) had too much CA and the eye piece did not work well for me.
 
I had APO 65 for a VERY short period....hated the way it turned anything beyond the focal point into a mosaic type pattern rather than just out of focus. Traded in for Swarovski ATX 65 although I still highly rate my old Leica APO 62 against that!
Allen: I actually noticed some of this when looking at a bird with a lot of branches in the background. The effect varies with distance and in this case it was noticeable. The out of focus area can be very "busy" in certain conditions. I can "live with it" and it does not bother me so much - even though I would prefer it being less "busy" in those conditions.

For comparison the BTX 85 (bino eyepiece, fixed magnification) always looks smooth and fantastic when it comes to out of focus areas.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top