Hi,
We are seing now Leica Ultravid HD-Plus binoculars on market. Does it exist non HD plus versions?
When Leica Ultravid HD-Plus has been introduce on market?
Thanks in advance and best regards
Yves
The Ultravid HD was launched in 2007; the HD-Plus in 2014, I think.
Identification:
- HD models are marked ‘HD’ on the ID panel on the left hand barrel, and
- HD Plus models have the same marking, except that the ‘HD’ is in red instead of white (see the image from the 2015 catalogue)
John
Hi Yves,
Just to add a note of caution if buying secondhand...
Unlikely you'll come across the following but be aware of what I was told by the staff of Ace Optics in Bath when I bought an Ultravid HD Plus from them. Mine was new and is excellent but they warned me that they had come across instances of people trying to pass off used HDs for sale as HD Pluses after painting over the white HD logo with red paint! Luckily they checked the serial numbers and the model number on the boxes and caught the scammers out.
Tom
I have a feeling you would be correct; if the glass needed replaced for whatever reason (to address the 'speckles'), it would be likely they would only have the newer lenses in stock (just an assumption on my part, of course).Another twist to the story...
I bought a 7X42 BR in 2004. In early 2018 I had it repaired to address the "speckles" I could see inside both tubes. It was returned in perfect, like-new condition with noticeably less CA. The invoice noted "Optical Upgrade" but there were no labeling changes to the exterior.
Personally, I don't care about external labels but I do believe the upgrade is either HD or HD+. After seeing an HD+ (latest version) I tend to think my upgrade was to HD. It's hard to say without confirmation from Leica.
I don't see many BR's for sale and I would encourage people looking for used Ultravid's to go for the HD/HD+. The CA in the original BR's often intruded on the "view" and I was quite pleased to see it minimized in my upgraded version.
Identification:
- HD models are marked ‘HD’ on the ID panel on the left hand barrel, and
- HD Plus models have the same marking, except that the ‘HD’ is in red instead of white (see the image from the 2015 catalogue)
John
Hi Yves,
Just to add a note of caution if buying secondhand...
Unlikely you'll come across the following but be aware of what I was told by the staff of Ace Optics in Bath when I bought an Ultravid HD Plus from them. Mine was new and is excellent but they warned me that they had come across instances of people trying to pass off used HDs for sale as HD Pluses after painting over the white HD logo with red paint! Luckily they checked the serial numbers and the model number on the boxes and caught the scammers out.
Tom
I've got a pair of 8x32 HD in green, which I bought when I had too much money burning a hole in my pocket, because they looked nice and were unusual.
In a long-running saga, they've been back to Leica about four or five times (I can't quite remember) to try and get the bad focuser fixed. This didn't happen, despite very senior people at Leica getting involved.
Apart from the fact that Leica seem unable to actually fix a poor focuser, the thing I find very odd is that when they came back the final time (at that point I'd decided to give up) the white HD marking was now red! This makes me reluctant to sell them, because there's obviously now a conflict between what's on the binoculars and what the box says. I might have trouble convincing a potential buyer that Leica painted over the marking and not me!
I have a 'regular' black pair of 8x32 HD+ on which the focuser is fine, but that's because I actually tried the bins out this time instead of just naively believing Leica either wouldn't send out binoculars with a duff focuser, or at least would be able to repair them.
I've got a pair of 8x32 HD in green, which I bought when I had too much money burning a hole in my pocket, because they looked nice and were unusual.
In a long-running saga, they've been back to Leica about four or five times (I can't quite remember) to try and get the bad focuser fixed. This didn't happen, despite very senior people at Leica getting involved.
Apart from the fact that Leica seem unable to actually fix a poor focuser, the thing I find very odd is that when they came back the final time (at that point I'd decided to give up) the white HD marking was now red! This makes me reluctant to sell them, because there's obviously now a conflict between what's on the binoculars and what the box says. I might have trouble convincing a potential buyer that Leica painted over the marking and not me!
I have a 'regular' black pair of 8x32 HD+ on which the focuser is fine, but that's because I actually tried the bins out this time instead of just naively believing Leica either wouldn't send out binoculars with a duff focuser, or at least would be able to repair them.
Sorry you've had a bad experience. It seems highly unlikely to me that Leica would paint over the HD marking with red paint. Much more likely that they replaced your bin with a new HD+ in order to solve your focus issue. I have a Leica 7x42 HD+ but the box just says HD. AFAIK the boxes for the HD+ models do not state 'plus' anywhere on them. Check your black 8x32 HD+ box and see if it says HD+ anywhere. I suspect that it doesn't......
Sorry you've had a bad experience. It seems highly unlikely to me that Leica would paint over the HD marking with red paint. Much more likely that they replaced your bin with a new HD+ in order to solve your focus issue. I have a Leica 7x42 HD+ but the box just says HD. AFAIK the boxes for the HD+ models do not state 'plus' anywhere on them. Check your black 8x32 HD+ box and see if it says HD+ anywhere. I suspect that it doesn't......
Hi Mike, you're probably right about the boxes - I'll check tomorrow. However, they absolutely did paint over the HD symbol. Same serial number, same rubbish focuser, same armour. They told me that the only 'proper' way to fix the focuser was to remove the green armour and replace it with black (green no longer available). I told them the whole point of having the green bin was because it's rare, so they explored other ways of fixing the focuser, with partial success. By that, I mean the slap was *almost* removed, but at the cost of the whole mechanism now moving perceptibly back and forth in the horizontal plane.
As I already have a black HD+ with a near-perfect focuser, I saw no point in having a black-armoured 'regular' HD.
The green bins are in all other respects OK, but I now never use them, and for the reasons explained above am reluctant to offer them for sale.
Cheers
John
Good to know that they think they could repair the focuser properly, if you let them do it. (Then again I've seen someone else say this didn't work out.)They told me that the only 'proper' way to fix the focuser was to remove the green armour and replace it with black (green no longer available).
Good to know that they think they could repair the focuser properly, if you let them do it. (Then again I've seen someone else say this didn't work out.)
I wonder why they would have put an HD+ marking on your bino if they couldn't take it apart, and so can't have replaced the prisms? The result is a curious rarity, or apparent rarity. (There are no green HD+s, are there? Did the green armor not wear well, or was this just economization?)
I have a theory, only anecdotal evidence, that once an Ultravid leaves the factory with a faulty focuser (the original BRs were terrible for this), it can't be fixed. If you want an Ultravid it's critically important that you test the example yourself. I had an 8x32 BR which went back twice to no apparent effect. I've since passed that on to my daughter.
Therefore, I'm not convinced that Leica could have fixed my HD, even if I'd let them re-armour it. They didn't elaborate as to why they no longer supply green armour, just that it's no longer an option. Looking at the bin now as I write, apart from the colour, the armour looks and feels the same as that on my HD+. How it will endure, of course, is another matter.
I'm baffled why they would put an HD+ marking on the bins. Your point about the rarity aspect is one I've considered. I don't think there were ever any green HD+, so it would appear to be unique (although as you say, it can't be a true HD+ because it hasn't had the Schott prisms installed). For that reason, I can't market it as an HD+, although I could, I suppose, say something about its history.
However, with the less than perfect focuser, I guess that will depress its value, perhaps to the point where it's better to keep it as a spare.
Cheers
John