Sooo... I've had a little time the field behind the Retrovid 7X35. I purchased my sample from Leica of San Francisco. Service was excellent. They kept me informed of when they were to arrive to their store all the way to Alabama.
First impression of the binocular is of quality and small size. It's almost a shame to take such a nice looking binocular out birding. Mine is the black leathered model and it really IS a nice looking binocular. Besides quality...one can't help but notice the SIZE of the thing. It is SMALL...almost toy-like. Holding it in your hand it looks so much smaller than any binocular I'm used to. VERY slim/trim feeling.
I've rigged mine up as I practically always do with a Rick Young Ultralight harness. This harness goes specially well with the Retrovid. While carrying in the field you hardly notice it's there. For storage it's easy to just wrap it around the binocular a couple of times and everything fits nicely in the included leather(ish) binocular case. Certainly a compact set up.
It's kinda difficult for me to come up with the 7X35s direct competition for comparison. Do I want to compare to other 7X binoculars that I have which are all 42mms OR to similar sized 30-32mms which are all 8X? I picked mostly 32mms with a 7X42 thrown into the mix.
Here are some comparative weights:
Retrovid(Trinovid) 7X35- 20.2oz
SV 8X32- 20.6oz
CL-B 8X30- 16.7oz
EDG II 8X32- 23.1oz
Conquest HD 8X32- 22.2oz
UVHD+ 7X42- 26.4oz
Out in the field...you notice the Retrovid really IS a bright binocular. Really! After using it exclusively and going to the SV 8X32...it comes across as "brighter." Maybe just a different color profile. In no way does the SV come across as "whiter." I also checked the FOV against the UVHD+ 7X42. It is exactly the same or about 420ft @ 1000yds.
Eye relief... Looking at specs one has to navigate to Leica's "Lifestyle and Leisure" optics instead of the usual "Experience nature" or "hunting" sections. Leica lists the ER for the Retrovid as 16mm. They also list the UVHD+ 7X42 as 17mm. Comparing these two either the UVHD+ ER is slightly more than that OR the Retrovids is slightly less. Wearing eyeglass I have the Retrovids eyecups all the way down and it's perfect. The UVHD+ is a notch up from all the way down for me. Through several birding trips I never felt the need to adjust the ER with the Retrovid. Always perfect when brought to the eye. No blackouts or kidney beaning whatsoever.
In the field impressions...
That FOCUS....as smooth as it gets quite frankly. Literally perfect function but it IS somewhat SLOW. Getting on a bird was fast and easy with a quick ID BUT...many times the bird would move before attaining perfect focus. It's something you might not notice if the Retrovid was your only binocular BUT swap to the SV or Conquest HD reminded you how it should be. I used the Retrovid almost exclusive since I bought it with an occasional swap to something else. One thing I noticed is that it didn't seem to "point" quite as well as say the SV, probably a function of what I'm used to. Some birds were acquired from just a few feet(winter wren, pine warblers, and ruby crowned kinglets) and never did I bottom out the focus. So so far the longish close focus doesn't seem to be an issue. I did notice a little more CA when compared to the UVHD+. Also when viewing and IDing some juvenile bald eagles at a distance on an overcast morning, I could certainly see it. I didn't have time to bring another binocular up to compare but it is what it is.
So far that's about it. I'm sure I haven't said all wanted to but to be honest my MacBook battery is winding down and I don't have my charger with me! LOL! Feel free to ask if you have a question and I'll get back to you. I'd have to say that the Retrovid is a nice little quality binocular. It truly IS unique being a 7X35. I'm planning on birding with it throughout the spring. It will make the trip to Magee Marsh in May. I'm not quite sure I'd recommend it over even some less expensive known entities namely the Conquest HD 8X32.
I plan on adding to this post has the year progresses. Feel free to add your own birding impressions of your own Retrovid 7X35.
Including a few pics of the above binoculars for comparison sake.
First impression of the binocular is of quality and small size. It's almost a shame to take such a nice looking binocular out birding. Mine is the black leathered model and it really IS a nice looking binocular. Besides quality...one can't help but notice the SIZE of the thing. It is SMALL...almost toy-like. Holding it in your hand it looks so much smaller than any binocular I'm used to. VERY slim/trim feeling.
I've rigged mine up as I practically always do with a Rick Young Ultralight harness. This harness goes specially well with the Retrovid. While carrying in the field you hardly notice it's there. For storage it's easy to just wrap it around the binocular a couple of times and everything fits nicely in the included leather(ish) binocular case. Certainly a compact set up.
It's kinda difficult for me to come up with the 7X35s direct competition for comparison. Do I want to compare to other 7X binoculars that I have which are all 42mms OR to similar sized 30-32mms which are all 8X? I picked mostly 32mms with a 7X42 thrown into the mix.
Here are some comparative weights:
Retrovid(Trinovid) 7X35- 20.2oz
SV 8X32- 20.6oz
CL-B 8X30- 16.7oz
EDG II 8X32- 23.1oz
Conquest HD 8X32- 22.2oz
UVHD+ 7X42- 26.4oz
Out in the field...you notice the Retrovid really IS a bright binocular. Really! After using it exclusively and going to the SV 8X32...it comes across as "brighter." Maybe just a different color profile. In no way does the SV come across as "whiter." I also checked the FOV against the UVHD+ 7X42. It is exactly the same or about 420ft @ 1000yds.
Eye relief... Looking at specs one has to navigate to Leica's "Lifestyle and Leisure" optics instead of the usual "Experience nature" or "hunting" sections. Leica lists the ER for the Retrovid as 16mm. They also list the UVHD+ 7X42 as 17mm. Comparing these two either the UVHD+ ER is slightly more than that OR the Retrovids is slightly less. Wearing eyeglass I have the Retrovids eyecups all the way down and it's perfect. The UVHD+ is a notch up from all the way down for me. Through several birding trips I never felt the need to adjust the ER with the Retrovid. Always perfect when brought to the eye. No blackouts or kidney beaning whatsoever.
In the field impressions...
That FOCUS....as smooth as it gets quite frankly. Literally perfect function but it IS somewhat SLOW. Getting on a bird was fast and easy with a quick ID BUT...many times the bird would move before attaining perfect focus. It's something you might not notice if the Retrovid was your only binocular BUT swap to the SV or Conquest HD reminded you how it should be. I used the Retrovid almost exclusive since I bought it with an occasional swap to something else. One thing I noticed is that it didn't seem to "point" quite as well as say the SV, probably a function of what I'm used to. Some birds were acquired from just a few feet(winter wren, pine warblers, and ruby crowned kinglets) and never did I bottom out the focus. So so far the longish close focus doesn't seem to be an issue. I did notice a little more CA when compared to the UVHD+. Also when viewing and IDing some juvenile bald eagles at a distance on an overcast morning, I could certainly see it. I didn't have time to bring another binocular up to compare but it is what it is.
So far that's about it. I'm sure I haven't said all wanted to but to be honest my MacBook battery is winding down and I don't have my charger with me! LOL! Feel free to ask if you have a question and I'll get back to you. I'd have to say that the Retrovid is a nice little quality binocular. It truly IS unique being a 7X35. I'm planning on birding with it throughout the spring. It will make the trip to Magee Marsh in May. I'm not quite sure I'd recommend it over even some less expensive known entities namely the Conquest HD 8X32.
I plan on adding to this post has the year progresses. Feel free to add your own birding impressions of your own Retrovid 7X35.
Including a few pics of the above binoculars for comparison sake.