I received a pair of Ultravid HD Plus 10x42 today.
I've enjoyed the Conquest HD 8x32 and 10x42 for many years. They really are excellent, all-around bins! No peer, at their level, I guess.
But recently, I decided to step up and sample some "alphas".
And all I can say is... I won't be needing those wonderful Zeiss Conquest HDs any longer. Fortunately, Conquest HD just HAPPEN to be my wife's favorite bins! They fit her eyeglass wearing needs and she's thrilled with them. She isn't a binocular fanatic, like I am, either. That's all well and good!
My recent Ultravid HD PLUS sampling includes the 8x32, 7x42, and joining today is the 10x42. The UVHD+ 7x42s certainly have impressed me, and the super compact UVHD+ 8x32 are stunningly nice! And so far, I'm even MORE impressed with the UVHD+ 10x42. I think my impressive UVHD+ 7x42's may see a lot less action, now.
In every case, that Leica "look" is stunningly satisfying to me. And while the flat-field sharpness all the way to the bleeding edge offered by some other options isn't undesirable to me, I don't consider that characteristic to be "all that and a bag of chips". Not everyone places high value on flat-field sharpness, all the way out to the edges.
The sweet spot for me - if it covers about 70% from center out, is fabulous. Honestly, I am much less interested in what the very edges look like, than how the sweet spot looks. I DO understand that it is quite a technical accomplishment to get great sharpness all the way out to the edges, but such an accomplishment is not necessarily all that important to everyone who uses binoculars.
I don't scan my binocular view by scrutinizing the image quality at the extreme edges... I move the central area (sweet spot, perhaps 70%?) of whatever bins I am using to MY area of interest. I don't spend my viewing time, staring at the edges.
If something of interest shows up closer to your edge of binocular view, do you keep looking at it, at the edge of your binocular view? Or do you move the binoculars, placing that subject of interest in the center of your binocular view? Yes... the latter, of course!
A wide field of view can be nice to have, as well. But not necessarily nicer to have than a stunning, visually inspiring picture quality "look" presented to your eyes. Perhaps it is the artist/photographer in me that responds to the picture quality that Leica bins present. They are, after all, a premier camera company, renown for stunningly beautiful picture quality.
While some competing options may rate higher on "technical" scoring, or technical "achievement"... Leica still brings that beautifully rich, uber-sharp clarity, pleasingly warm color-character, punchy-color look, contrast, and "sparkle" to the eyes.
In a word... the Leica view is simply visually "DELICIOUS." And, with UVHD+, the clarity and sharpness of detail in the sweet spot is truly stunning! I noticed this right off when I got the UVHD+ 8x32. Then again when I got the UVHD+ 7x42. And today, even MORE so with the UVHD+ 10x42.
In my view, Ultravid HD+ (particularly for those of us who do not wear glasses and don't NEED long ER!) is VERY much in the running, among all the "latest" alphas. The build quality is stellar, they feel great in the hands, the view looks amazing to the eyes... and they are priced SOMEWHAT reasonably, compared to the "latest, greatest" alpha bins. There is a lot to love about ALL of that.
I certainly do enjoy my Zeiss 8x32 SF bins, but they aren't what I most want to reach for. I love the SF ocular balance, the light focus wheel feel, and the wide field-of-view, but as wonderful as the SFs are (and kudos to Zeiss for SF technical achievement!) they come off more "technical" than artistically alluring. The SFs lack the personality and charisma that Leica glass so excels at, and presents to mine eyes. Neither is better than the other, of course, as they are each SO very different from each other.
Bottom line: There are great alpha glass options available to please each and every comer, and every unique preference.
I do enjoy having bins from the BIG THREE (I have two pair of Swaro CL Pockets, also, the 8x25 and 10x25), but the photographer and artist in me is gravitating toward Leica!
One more pair of bins are arriving Friday, to compare to... Zeiss Victory SF T* 10x42. I'm eagerly awaiting this "lauded" pair of bins - I expect they will be quite similar, in quality and attributes, to my pair of 8x32 Victory SF bins.
Yes, I am on quite a roll.
But it's a really fun one.