Leica Ultravid HD + vs vortex razor (1 Viewer)

[golfbum]

Comparing these two pairs and don’t see as much difference as I thought I might? I am far from an optic expert but thought the Ultravids would be a lot better then the razors. In most cases my eyes just don’t see that much difference. I do find the Leica’s to be a little brighter in low light but I’m not sure my eyes can justify the cost. Am I Crazy??!!

Thoughts on either pair?

 

[Yeti Man]

Just curious if you are comparing to the Razor HD or HD+. The HD+ are reported to be a noticeable improvement, and I would be interested to hear about this comparison.

 

[eitanaltman]

You're not crazy. The difference between a really good ~$1000 binocular like the Razor HD and a really good ~$2000 binocular like the Ultravid HD is fairly minimal, especially to a casual observer. And the Razor HD is one of the best ~$1000 binoculars.

Thinking a ~$2000 binocular will be "a lot better" than a ~$1000 binocular is an unrealistic expectation. Diminishing returns

 

[golfbum]

Just curious if you are comparing to the Razor HD or HD+. The HD+ are reported to be a noticeable improvement, and I would be interested to hear about this comparison.

These are the Japan made regular razor hd not the uhd and the Leica Ultravid hd plus

 

[eitanaltman]

Just curious if you are comparing to the Razor HD or HD+. The HD+ are reported to be a noticeable improvement, and I would be interested to hear about this comparison.

To be clear, HD vs HD+ is the Leica Ultravid branding. There is no Vortex HD+.

The Vortex branding is HD vs UHD, with the HD being the older design (similar chassis to the Tract Toric and Zeiss Conquest HD) and the UHD being a larger, AK prism design like the Maven B2.

The Razor UHD has fabulous optics, very much on par with alphas, however it's large and ungainly and has a very slow focus, all of which make it impractical as an everyday birding glass.

 

[Yeti Man]

My mistake on terminology, I have been a bit immersed in Leica products lately, but I very much appreciate the description of the difference between the Razor HD and UHD.