Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD Plus (1 Viewer)

[ibramr]

Greetings, All. The Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD (not the Plus) is an important pair of binoculars given my use that varies from bird watching to nature hiking, to frequent urban walks. This pair supplements very nicely the excellent service I get from 7x42 HD Plus and Noctivid that I also use and enjoy frequently. It would be very kind from the friends in the Forum to opine on whether an upgrade to the 8x32 HD Plus would be reasonable or not. Based on what I have learnt here, the jury is still out, specifically, when it comes to the 8x32 size— many has indicated that upgrading to the HD Plus is more meaningful to 7, 8, and 10 x 42 size but not the 32. I wonder if this is still the common wisdom as I am hoping that with the upgrade to the Plus, the 8x32 would be more bright. Thank you very much for your opinion.

 

[eitanaltman]

I wouldn’t expect any miracles with that particular upgrade. Even if the transmission is ~2% higher that’s not going to make a significant change to the viewing experience. Gijs’ transmission data:

UVHD - 84% at 500nm, 87.5% at 550nm
UVHD+ - 86.8% at 500nm, 89.2% at 550nm

That 2-3% gain is fairly typical for the HD vs HD+.

Alternate route: why not try the Retrovid 7x35? Tiny and light, higher transmission than the 8x32 UV; Gijs measured it at 90%/92%, so a 3% bump from the HD+, and a 5-6% gain vs the 8x32 HD you have. And you get the 5mm exit pupil which will make it feel even brighter relatively in poor light.

So rather than an incremental upgrade, you add a different tool to the kit!

 

[ibramr]

Eitan,

Thank you very much for your comment and advice with respect to the Retrovid. With the new 10 year passport warranty, if applicable on the Retrovid, I might ignore the absence of the rubber armoring and waterproofing; weather proofing may prove adequate for my use. However, it is very difficult to ignore the superiority of the UV’s size and design — they make it a perfect tool. Perhaps a visit to Leica store here in DC can be of help. Once more, thank you.

 

[Canip]

Greetings, All. The Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD (not the Plus) is an important pair of binoculars given my use that varies from bird watching to nature hiking, to frequent urban walks. This pair supplements very nicely the excellent service I get from 7x42 HD Plus and Noctivid that I also use and enjoy frequently. It would be very kind from the friends in the Forum to opine on whether an upgrade to the 8x32 HD Plus would be reasonable or not. Based on what I have learnt here, the jury is still out, specifically, when it comes to the 8x32 size— many has indicated that upgrading to the HD Plus is more meaningful to 7, 8, and 10 x 42 size but not the 32. I wonder if this is still the common wisdom as I am hoping that with the upgrade to the Plus, the 8x32 would be more bright. Thank you very much for your opinion.

My own experience (direct comparison 8x32 HD with HD+): the + version is not noticeable brighter, the difference is negligible in my view.
As Eitan suggested, if you need more brightness, you should consider upgrading to a different model.

Canip