NL reliability anecdotes / info: I hesitate to link this here, but I think it’s worthwhile (1 Viewer)

[BirderNL]

Haven't done it yet. Anyway, the thought of applying anything wet on an optical instrument makes my hair stand up all over.

Does it not end up on the lenses even if the caps are on?

I just clean them with small amount of soap and a damp cloth after a day birding. Remove the small amount of soap with the damp cloth. No need to "flush" them under the tap, just clean the coating. Whole cleaning process maybe takes a few minutes. Not a big deal for me, just normal maintenance
After a few years of use my NL Pure still looks like new. Not a single problem with the coating.

 

[Isthatascratch?]

Haven't done it yet. Anyway, the thought of applying anything wet on an optical instrument makes my hair stand up all over.

Does it not end up on the lenses even if the caps are on?

Can do but will dry. They make a big thing about cleaning it in the manual and storing it in a plastic bag with silica gel in humid environments or climate.

 

[Maljunulo]

We have at least one guy on here who cleans his by dunking them in a river.

Seems to work, with no harm done at all.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I have washed my ELs in soapy water a couple of times.
After a couple of bumpy Scilly Pelagics in MV Sapphire to remove salt water. Once when a lady poured a cup of coffee over my chest (waterproof cost, luckily) and binoculars and once when my (unsupervised) granddaughter was using them with sticky (toffee we think) fingers.

Can’t see any problem with washing fully waterproof binoculars (is it up to 4 metres ?) gently with warm mildly soapy water.
Dabbed dry and lenses cleaned with proprietary lens cleaner, when thoroughly air dried.

 

[Yarkho]

So I have to clean the lenses afterwards? 🙈

I mean, I understand the need to clean a dirty binocular/armor, but do I need to do it if I don't dirty it in the first place?

 

[PatR]

We have at least one guy on here who cleans his by dunking them in a river.

Seems to work, with no harm done at all.

Guilty as charged M'Lud.

Mind you the waters of the River Vyrnwy are blessed with magical properties, most probably sheeps piss from upstream.

However, once most of the cack is off or the waterproof test is over, I do rinse the lenses with bottled water before dabbing dry, in case some dastardly Englishman has stirred up the alluvial deposits by paddling in the river.

Minute particles of waterborne grit are not optics best friends.

 

[Isthatascratch?]

Guilty as charged M'Lud.

Mind you the waters of the River Vyrnwy are blessed with magical properties, most probably sheeps piss from upstream.

However, once most of the cack is off or the waterproof test is over, I do rinse the lenses with bottled water before dabbing dry, in case some dastardly Englishman has stirred up the alluvial deposits by paddling in the river.

Minute particles of waterborne grit are not optics best friends.

I did read in the blurb that Swarovski armour is only resistant to Germanic sheep piss!

 

[Birder from Europe]

Today I unfortunately had the same problem of that part breaking. Luckily they were on my lap when I saw it, so I could prevent them from falling and possibly damaging them. I have always taken good care of my NL Pure’s and never abused them. I am clueless as to why this has happened and am just hoping for Swarovski to repair them.

I have to say this really puts a dent in my trust in the durability of Swarovski binoculars. They may repair them, but I have to be without them for maybe months. And although I find that unacceptable, I have to live with it.

NL Pure 10x42 broken connector

 

[Maljunulo]

Seems to be another testimonial to the fact that they solved a non-existent problem by creating a real one.

 

[hopster]

Yes, the "answer" is that Swarovski struggles with the mechanical stuff....so does Leica IMO. Probably because of being smaller boutique optics companies versus the big guys Zeiss and Nikon....even Kamakura and KUO.

Swaro and Leica counter that with white-glove service treatment, but it is what is is.....

Does Leica "struggle with the mechanical stuff"? In my experience (and many opinions that I hear on this forum and elsewhere) they are one of the best, if not the best.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Does Leica "struggle with the mechanical stuff"? In my experience (and many opinions that I hear on this forum and elsewhere) they are one of the best, if not the best.

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars - Leica Ultravid 8x42 HD - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars - Final results and summary - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars​

12. Leica Ultravid 8x42 HD​

The Leica Ultravid HD series consist of top-of-the-range binoculars, produced by that German manufacturer. Although the 8x42 model reached 136.4 points in our optical test, the result might leave you a bit unsatisfied. The best models of Nikon, Swarovski or Zeiss, even the best Alpen, fared better than the Leica. The fans of that company and its red dot could explain it by the fact that mechanically, the Leica would be able to defeat its rivals without any problem. Is it really true? Let’s check it up!

Waterproof qualities
According to the specifications, the Leica Ultravid HD series of binoculars is waterproof up to a depth of 5 meters. We don’t hesitate to say the producer simply doesn’t tell the truth. The binoculars we tested didn’t manage to survive a submersion in knee-deep water for half an hour. After such an operation, the device was completely drenched and most of its functions stopped working. It is a huge fault for such a renowned manufacturer because it is expected that they are honest, and their product perform exceedingly well. Meanwhile, the Ultravid HD didn’t manage to fare as well as the Delta Optical Forrest II, which costs a measly 400 PLN or the Pentax DCF 8X43 ED, which was supposed to be only splash-proof! The photos below show in what miserable state the Leica was after we took it out of water. One of the tubes was fogged up, in the other one the water sloshed merrily about… It is not nice to kick the defeated opponent, but we must add here that even the window with a scale, positioned on the focus wheel, was completely flooded. A real tragedy and a complete failure!

 

[DMW]

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars - Leica Ultravid 8x42 HD - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars - Final results and summary - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars​

12. Leica Ultravid 8x42 HD​

The Leica Ultravid HD series consist of top-of-the-range binoculars, produced by that German manufacturer. Although the 8x42 model reached 136.4 points in our optical test, the result might leave you a bit unsatisfied. The best models of Nikon, Swarovski or Zeiss, even the best Alpen, fared better than the Leica. The fans of that company and its red dot could explain it by the fact that mechanically, the Leica would be able to defeat its rivals without any problem. Is it really true? Let’s check it up!

Waterproof qualities
According to the specifications, the Leica Ultravid HD series of binoculars is waterproof up to a depth of 5 meters. We don’t hesitate to say the producer simply doesn’t tell the truth. The binoculars we tested didn’t manage to survive a submersion in knee-deep water for half an hour. After such an operation, the device was completely drenched and most of its functions stopped working. It is a huge fault for such a renowned manufacturer because it is expected that they are honest, and their product perform exceedingly well. Meanwhile, the Ultravid HD didn’t manage to fare as well as the Delta Optical Forrest II, which costs a measly 400 PLN or the Pentax DCF 8X43 ED, which was supposed to be only splash-proof! The photos below show in what miserable state the Leica was after we took it out of water. One of the tubes was fogged up, in the other one the water sloshed merrily about… It is not nice to kick the defeated opponent, but we must add here that even the window with a scale, positioned on the focus wheel, was completely flooded. A real tragedy and a complete failure!

Do Leica Ultravids have a known issue fogging up in normal use? I'm not inclined to leave my binoculars in knee-deep water for half an hour.

 

[Isthatascratch?]

Seems to be another testimonial to the fact that they solved a non-existent problem by creating a real one.

I do believe they

Does Leica "struggle with the mechanical stuff"? In my experience (and many opinions that I hear on this forum and elsewhere) they are one of the best, if not the best.

Do Leica Ultravids have a known issue fogging up in normal use? I'm not inclined to leave my binoculars in knee-deep water for half an hour.

In simmer mine for 20 mins!

 

[Dennis Mau]

Do Leica Ultravids have a known issue fogging up in normal use? I'm not inclined to leave my binoculars in knee-deep water for half an hour.

LEICA NOCTIVID 8x42 Fogged-up/Leaker

Hi folks, I got a pair of Leica Noctivid 8x42 at UK Birdfair 14 months ago. Suffice to say I was very pleased with them and reckoned they deserved all the plaudits, I'd spent 2 days there comparing them with their rivals and optically thought they were the best, if they could have been...

www.birdforum.net

Problem with Leica Trinovid 10x42

Hi guys, wondering if anyone has any idea what the issue is with my Leica Trinovids? I have had the Trinovid 10x42 now for about two years, and right before the fall season 2020 they fogged up inside both tubes. Sent them to Leica for warranty and got them back after 8 weeks. They had fixed...

rokslide.com

 

[Hermann]

Do Leica Ultravids have a known issue fogging up in normal use? I'm not inclined to leave my binoculars in knee-deep water for half an hour.

No, they don't.Dennis being Dennis quoted an ancient "test" by Allbinos, his favourite website.Totally irrelevant.

Hermann

 

[Dennis Mau]

No, they don't.Dennis being Dennis quoted an ancient "test" by Allbinos, his favourite website.Totally irrelevant.

Hermann

Yes, it is relevant. The Allbinos test may be older, but let's remember Leica hasn't significantly changed their binoculars in 20 years. If they haven't changed their optics, I doubt they have improved the waterproofing. Also, the problem with these Noctivids was in 2019 which is not exactly ancient.

LEICA NOCTIVID 8x42 Fogged-up/Leaker

Hi folks, I got a pair of Leica Noctivid 8x42 at UK Birdfair 14 months ago. Suffice to say I was very pleased with them and reckoned they deserved all the plaudits, I'd spent 2 days there comparing them with their rivals and optically thought they were the best, if they could have been...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Patudo]

There must be room here for an enterprising aftermarket manufacturer to do a run of solid metal replacement parts, with a standard strap attachment, that can be glued into the binocular via a high strength epoxy!

Unless Swaro were clever/devious enough to make that an important access point for service ... but it doesn't look like they are?

 

[hopster]

I'm not going to get drawn into a discussion with Dennis as I have learned better. I do know what I have heard here and on other websites about design/manufacturing/reliability faults in top quality optics. Here are the most common that I can remember. I'm sure others here can add to this list and comment on its validity.

• Swaro new armour (endless), eye cups, FP attachments, coatings?
• The original/grey Zeiss SF armour and focuser issues, still eye cup issues.
• Zeiss VP & Swaro CL diopter knobs.
• My own Zeiss HT 10x42 letting in water on one side after just rinsing eyepieces under running water and the repair could not be guaranteed.
• Nikon EDG II diopter knob interfering with the focuser. Also, spare parts unavailable now in many territories despite it not being an old design.

Compared to these I think I have heard one story here about a Leica focuser failing several years ago but that's a very rare one by comparison. My own NV has been faultless and is built so solidly and precisely that it feels like it will go on for a long time like that. I have heard many similar comments here about Ultravids/Noctivids and there are also plenty of very old Leica/Leitz optics still going strong which is one reason why they hold their price so well.

Hence my question about the comment above that 'Zeiss and Nikon were head and shoulders above others'. It doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Dennis Mau]

Leica didn't do that great in Allbinos Endurance Test of Binoculars. They were ranked 12th out of 20. A Bushnell Elite was ranked even higher at 9th place. Zeiss was 1st and Swarovski was 4th. Nikon did pretty good at 5th and 6th place. Of course, Trashco was dead last. I can understand the Zeiss FL being 1st. That is one tough binocular.

Endurance test of 8x42 binoculars - Final results and summary - AllBinos.com

 

[dorubird]

Does Leica "struggle with the mechanical stuff"? In my experience (and many opinions that I hear on this forum and elsewhere) they are one of the best, if not the best.

Yes, Leica make very strong binoculars! Best mechanically!