SFL or Trinovid/Ultravid? (1 Viewer)

[DonRoger]

Hello! I'm about to buy new bins (8x42) to replace my GPO Passion ED (8x42), I wonder how the quality of the glasses from SFL (8x40) compares against a Leica Ultravid or a Trinovid. I know the Leica's are build like tanks, but I'm not sure about SFL's build quality. They need to last at least 10 years or so ( I'll treat them properly ofc. ).

I perfer Leica's saturated optics by a bit, but I don't mind the natural look from Zeiss.

Roger

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Roger,
Why do you want a replacement for the GPO?
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[DonRoger]

Roger,
Why do you want a replacement for the GPO?
Gijs van Ginkel

Hoi Gijs!

They are really well build, especially for this price point. I'm searching for better optics ( in the range between 1k and 2.5k euro's) because I experience quite a lot chromatic aberration on the GPO's (which gives me a headache if I use them for too long). And maybe even a better build bonicular to last a long time.

Roger

 

[Scott98]

You might want to consider the focuser aspect, I like the Zeiss ones a lot better than the UVHD, althought I've only briefly tried the SFL

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Hallo Roger,
In that case I would look for the 8x32 Meopta, almost the same specifications as the Leica Ultravid 8x32-plus but for half the price of the Leica, look at our test results on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[Paultricounty]

Hello! I'm about to buy new bins (8x42) to replace my GPO Passion ED (8x42), I wonder how the quality of the glasses from SFL (8x40) compares against a Leica Ultravid or a Trinovid. I know the Leica's are build like tanks, but I'm not sure about SFL's build quality. They need to last at least 10 years or so ( I'll treat them properly ofc. ).

I perfer Leica's saturated optics by a bit, but I don't mind the natural look from Zeiss.

Roger

if you have the money and don’t mind spending it buy the best. Buy the Leica , the optics of course are excellent and the build quality is second to none. And you won’t be selling it for 50 cents on the dollar if you decide to sell it. The Zeiss or Leica will certainly last you ten years if you take care of them.

 

[Zappa]

Noctivid 8x42 the best !

 

[Paultricounty]

Noctivid 8x42 the best !

Yup! 👍

 

[DonRoger]

You might want to consider the focuser aspect, I like the Zeiss ones a lot better than the UVHD, althought I've only briefly tried the SFL

Thanks for your input, that's something to consider indeed. Never really tried the Zeiss SF because it is beyond my budget, it's a game changer if the optics in SFL can compete with the SF and Ultravid ( the SFL is 1600 Euro's vs Ultravid HD+ is 2400 Euro's here in the Netherlands, and the SF is at 2600 Euro's).

Hallo Roger,
In that case I would look for the 8x32 Meopta, almost the same specifications as the Leica Ultravid 8x32-plus but for half the price of the Leica, look at our test results on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor.
Gijs van Ginkel

Hoi Gijs,
That's a new brand for me, I'll add the Meopta to my list! I will take a look on the House of Outdoor site!

if you have the money and don’t mind spending it buy the best. Buy the Leica , the optics of course are excellent and the build quality is second to none. And you won’t be selling it for 50 cents on the dollar if you decide to sell it. The Zeiss or Leica will certainly last you ten years if you take care of them.

That's what I was thinking too, it will be an expensive investment, but worth it if I can use it years and years to come. And also the reason why the build quality is important, even if I take good care of it.

Noctivid 8x42 the best !

I like the Noctivid, absolutely. Price tag is too steep for me, sadly.

 

[MiddleRiver]

Roger,I own both 8x42UVHD and 8x40SFL. They are both excellent.
SFL pros: faster/easier focuser, lighter weight, slightly wider field, lower price
UVHD pros: to my eyes better contrast and saturation, overall slighly better subjective IQ, leica build/haptics

I've considered selling my UVHD's only because I also own NV. SFL's are my trekking, adventure-travel binos. But I'm moving slow, since I'll lose money on the UVHD and they are such sweet glass. First-world problems, I know!

 

[Rg548]

Yep.... do take a look at Meopta.... first class optics... easily rival Leica

 

[DonRoger]

Roger,I own both 8x42UVHD and 8x40SFL. They are both excellent.
SFL pros: faster/easier focuser, lighter weight, slightly wider field, lower price
UVHD pros: to my eyes better contrast and saturation, overall slighly better subjective IQ, leica build/haptics

I've considered selling my UVHD's only because I also own NV. SFL's are my trekking, adventure-travel binos. But I'm moving slow, since I'll lose money on the UVHD and they are such sweet glass. First-world problems, I know!

Nice comparison, thanks! I haven't tested the models yet, but it are really promising pros of both. And also the reason why I can't really decide yet which one is the best for me. But because of the Leica build, it is a potentional end game bin for me, I wonder if the SFL will last like 10 to 20 years.

And also the price of the SFL, that's not really alpha territory, right?

 

[Paultricounty]

Nice comparison, thanks! I haven't tested the models yet, but it are really promising pros of both. And also the reason why I can't really decide yet which one is the best for me. But because of the Leica build, it is a potentional end game bin for me, I wonder if the SFL will last like 10 to 20 years.

And also the price of the SFL, that's not really alpha territory, right?

Lol, you have to be careful with the word Alpha here, it upsets the definitioners , I know that’s not a word 😜.

Both the SFL & Ultravids are what I would call premium glass. You won’t find anything better or more elegantly built than the Leica’s. As I had said many times the build quality is second to none and I have them all.

My opinion is that Zeiss cut a few corners in order to produce this very unique & excellent category of Binoculars in the SFL. I would suggest try them both and choose the one you like the best.

 

[DonRoger]

Lol, you have to be careful with the word Alpha here, it upsets the definitioners , I know that’s not a word 😜.

Both the SFL & Ultravids are what I would call premium glass. You won’t find anything better or more elegantly built than the Leica’s. As I had said many times the build quality is second to none and I have them all.

My opinion is that Zeiss cut a few corners in order to produce this very unique & excellent category of Binoculars in the SFL. I would suggest try them both and choose the one you like the best.

Haha my apologies, I hope they won't kill me for this

Ah I see, they are both premium products, but there is a big price gap between the SFL and Ultravid ( like 800 Euro's at the moment). So I thought maybe there is a quality difference in optics or build if you look at that price gap.

Another noob question: I also wonder how long the coatings on the lenses will last, I guess they are not permanent right? ( Like the AquaDura coating on the Leica's and the T and LotuTEc coating on the Zeiss').

 

[Paultricounty]

Haha my apologies, I hope they won't kill me for this

Ah I see, they are both premium products, but there is a big price gap between the SFL and Ultravid ( like 800 Euro's at the moment). So I thought maybe there is a quality difference in optics or build if you look at that price gap.

Another noob question: I also wonder how long the coatings on the lenses will last, I guess they are not permanent right? ( Like the AquaDura coating on the Leica's and the T and LotuTEc coating on the Zeiss').

Im splitting hairs here but, I feel the Ultravid is a more premium product all around. I think that gap pays for that quality. Put them both in your hands and difference is evident.

Don’t get to much into the coatings right now, nothing there is a make or break choice. Both are the finest coatings available, so they say 😜. Take care of them and they should last decades. they better at this price point. I have 60 year old binoculars that the coatings are still intact and work stunningly.

 

[MiddleRiver]

I am not privy to the details of each bino's 'build' so it's hard to say which will 'last a lifetime'. There is a not-insignificant $ diff and I'm not able to say it's because of quality differences or just MIJ vs Euro/Portugal. Externally, I really don't see anything non-alpha in the SFL. Will anything start falling off in a year or two... only time will tell.

 

[mbb]

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the GPO or SFL, and the only Ultravid I have experience with (having one) is the UV 8x32 HD (not +).
As you mention chromatic aberration: the UV is not free of chromatic aberration. It's not bad to that respect (and really impressive on many other fronts), but e.g. my Zeiss FL 8x32 shows significantly less chromatic abberations.
While actually I love the focusser of my UV and the focusser of my FL has a slightly uneven rubbing. (Still way better than many cheaper binoculars.)
It's just to say: considering you already have good binoculars and an idea of what you want to improve, you should probably try to find a chance to compare before you spend big money on a new top model. (Those are really at a level of binoculars where personal preferences start to become important and Nome is better than the others for every single user.) And/or look for a good second hand offer.
Also, as you mention "lasting long" (which is also a criterion for me), you may also want to consider the warranty & service when considering new or second hand binoculars. (E.g.for warranty and service of even second hand bought binoculars, Swarovski is impressive, as is Kite. From reading experience here and from my own experience.)

Regarding coatings: I haven't seen here many complaints about coatings deteriorating in high-quality binoculars of the last decades, except for some specific old model of Leica scopes (an issue that was solved in subsequent models), and of course very bad handling/cleaning, or maybe if they would be exposed to much sand+wind.

 

[Paultricounty]

Haha my apologies, I hope they won't kill me for this

Ah I see, they are both premium products, but there is a big price gap between the SFL and Ultravid ( like 800 Euro's at the moment). So I thought maybe there is a quality difference in optics or build if you look at that price gap.

Another noob question: I also wonder how long the coatings on the lenses will last, I guess they are not permanent right? ( Like the AquaDura coating on the Leica's and the T and LotuTEc coating on the Zeiss').

You should be able to shop those two and narrow that price disparity down a bit. Here in the states the SFL’s are retailing for $1800. You can find the Leica’s for $2000 or less on the other side of the great pond. Foto Henny Leica store in Lisse has given me some great deals on Leica. When you get to a couple of hundred dollars between these two, it’s a no brainer, imho.

Your also very close in price to the Swarovski EL’s , another phenomenal optic.

Good luck.

 

[DonRoger]

Im splitting hairs here but, I feel the Ultravid is a more premium product all around. I think that gap pays for that quality. Put them both in your hands and difference is evident.

Don’t get to much into the coatings right now, nothing there is a make or break choice. Both are the finest coatings available, so they say 😜. Take care of them and they should last decades. they better at this price point. I have 60 year old binoculars that the coatings are still intact and work stunningly.

Yep, and the law of diminishing is also a thing at this price point of course, but that will count for both bino's.

Ah, I was not aware about the coatings, thought they would maybe last like 5 years or so, lol.

I am not privy to the details of each bino's 'build' so it's hard to say which will 'last a lifetime'. There is a not-insignificant $ diff and I'm not able to say it's because of quality differences or just MIJ vs Euro/Portugal. Externally, I really don't see anything non-alpha in the SFL. Will anything start falling off in a year or two... only time will tell.

I agree, and it also depents on how careful the bino's are treated of course. It's nice to hear about the good externals of the SFL, I heard mixed reviews of the SF externals, or maybe some people are just too picky?

Disclaimer: I have no experience with the GPO or SFL, and the only Ultravid I have experience with (having one) is the UV 8x32 HD (not +).
As you mention chromatic aberration: the UV is not free of chromatic aberration. It's not bad to that respect (and really impressive on many other fronts), but e.g. my Zeiss FL 8x32 shows significantly less chromatic abberations.
While actually I love the focusser of my UV and the focusser of my FL has a slightly uneven rubbing. (Still way better than many cheaper binoculars.)
It's just to say: considering you already have good binoculars and an idea of what you want to improve, you should probably try to find a chance to compare before you spend big money on a new top model. (Those are really at a level of binoculars where personal preferences start to become important and Nome is better than the others for every single user.) And/or look for a good second hand offer.
Also, as you mention "lasting long" (which is also a criterion for me), you may also want to consider the warranty & service when considering new or second hand binoculars. (E.g.for warranty and service of even second hand bought binoculars, Swarovski is impressive, as is Kite. From reading experience here and from my own experience.)

Regarding coatings: I haven't seen here many complaints about coatings deteriorating in high-quality binoculars of the last decades, except for some specific old model of Leica scopes (an issue that was solved in subsequent models), and of course very bad handling/cleaning, or maybe if they would be exposed to much sand+wind.

Thanks for your input! The GPO are great bino's, right! A littlebit of chromatic aberration is not a problem for me, but it feels a lot on the GPO, maybe it's my eyes?

Its indeed better to compare the two in real life because there a lot of differences, but I've seen the Ultravids for 2000 Euro's right now on a webshop, that's a 475 euro discount and it last until sunday evening. So it's really tempting to buy it right now instead of testing them out first. (I'm a bit afraid to buy it second hand btw)

The warranty and service of Swarovski is great, Leica doesn't come close to that here in Europe from what I red.

Oh wow, I didn't knew these coatings lasts for such a long time. So that's something not to worry about.

You should be able to shop those two and narrow that price disparity down a bit. Here in the states the SFL’s are retailing for $1800. You can find the Leica’s for $2000 or less on the other side of the great pond. Foto Henny Leica store in Lisse has given me some great deals on Leica. When you get to a couple of hundred dollars between these two, it’s a no brainer, imho.

Your also very close in price to the Swarovski EL’s , another phenomenal optic.

Good luck.

Hmm yeah, the SFL is also priced like 1600 to 1800 euro's here in the netherlands, the Ultravid HD plus is quite expensive; 2475 euro's. I can buy them for 2000 euro's right now until sunday evening, that saves a lot of money. Not sure what to do next, buy them now for 2000, or test them out in a couple of weeks and buy them for 2475? Lisse is a bit too far away for me, it's a 7 hour bike ride or 3 hours with public transport ( I don't have a car at the moment).

The Swarovski is also priced 2000 euro's, that's also a decent pricepoint.

 

[fazalmajid]

Yep.... do take a look at Meopta.... first class optics... easily rival Leica

And indeed Leica outsourced the manufacturing of its previous-generation APO-Televid spotting scopes to Meopta, as did Zeiss I believe.