Expo Report
Yesterday (Friday) was the opening day of the Nature Expo so I headed on down to Tucson to check it out. Everything was basically the same as in previous years and it seemed busier to me than last year. The parking lot was near full and I noticed a lot more folks purchasing binoculars. I hope that is the case because it encourages the vendors to return in the future.
In attendance were Zeiss, Opticron, Swaro and Leica for the optics exhibitors and then there were the government entities such as the Game and Fish and the Park Service, also touring companies, the Tucson Audubon Society store and some other miscellaneous exhibitors. I spent most all of my time meeting with the optics exhibitors and a little time at the gift store.
The Expo is held in a large hotel conference room with no windows so it is not the best environment for checking out binoculars. However the exhibitors were good about letting interested attendees take them outside.
The Tucson Audubon Society is a dealer for all of the optic brands represented at the show. The Society store has made arrangements to offer a show special of an additional 10% off binoculars purchased at show. Additionally, the Society is non profit so there is no sales tax.
Zeiss
My first stop was at the Zeiss table with Rich Montcrief, Zeiss Nature Observation manager, and Luke Tiller. Luke helps out at some of the shows for Zeiss and is a board member with the Hawk Migration Association of North America and so he has a lot of expertise about hawks. That was great because I got some of my hawk questions answered.
New on display at the show this year for Zeiss were the black armored SF, the Gavia scope and the Terras with the new style armoring. Unfortunately the new Victory Pocket binocular is in short supply and they could not get any for the show. One model that I was not expecting to see but was on display was an 8X32 FL. I had not looked at one in years and so I spent a little time with it and was pleased with what I saw. I liked the high quality view in such a small and light package. I suspect it will not be around that much longer. I did not get any definitive word on a new replacement but I got the impression it will happen eventually. Birdfair is the place to be for any announcements of new products and that is next week.
One item on my list to see was the Terra 8X25 because of all the good reviews it has been getting here on the Forum. I can now see why people like it. Normally pocket models are difficult for me to use, especially dealing with eye placement. That was not nearly the case with the Terra. I think the secret is the 25mm objective vs the 20mm in some other models. I can see me getting one of these at some point. The other pocket I wanted to see was the new Victory, but as mentioned, it was not available for the show.
In addition to the price promotion offered by the Society store, Zeiss has some additional show extras. They were listed on a sign and in hindsight I should have taken a photo as I do not remember all of the detail. There were several accessories choices available with the purchase of a Gavia scope. For instance, one could choose between a free case or a variety of phone digiscope adaptors. There were also a couple of more choices. The SF and Conquest also had some extras. Zeiss is including a free lens cleaning kit with the purchase of any binocular or scope at the show.
One really nice service Zeiss provides at the shows is on the spot fixes for some issues. Rich has some big plastic storage boxes filled with various parts that can be replaced in the field. Examples are eye cups and emblems. I saw him help several people while I was there. I noticed the 8X32 FL demo was missing the focus knob cover so I asked what happened. It turns out a Zeiss owner of a 32m FL was there just before me that had a damaged or missing cover and wanted to know about getting it replaced. Rich popped the one off the demo and fixed the customers unit on the spot. I think that is a great example of taking care of a customer.
Opticron
Opticron was set up right around the corner from Zeiss so that was the next stop. Opticron was represented by Tom, who goes by Dunk. This was the first time I have met him and he was really nice guy. He does this part time for Opticron, more so on the west side of the county. He is a long time avid birder and so is a good fit for the birding festivals.
The two items that I was interested in were the new Traveller 8X32 and the new 10X42 iMagic BGA VHD. The good new was that the new 8X32 Traveller was right there in front of me on table so I could check it out. It looks to be a ugraded version of my Cabela's Guide with the edition of ED glass. I did not have the Guide with me so I could not do a side by side, but I was very happy with what I saw with the Traveller. It has all the nice handling of the Guide, a nice wide FOV and it may be a little brighter.
The not so good news was that there was no 10X42 iMagic BGA VHD at the show. However there was an 8X42 so that gave me an idea of what the model was about. It had real nice handlng and seemed to be well built. The optics were nice and bright with a crisp view. The DBA is supposed to have better glass but I think I prefer the less expensive iMagic. The FOV on the DBA strikes me as just to small for that price class The iMagic left a favorable impression and should be on the list to check out for anyone interested in that class of binoculars.
In addition to the show store promotions on Opticron products, Opticron has mail in rebates on some models right now. There is a $100 rebate on the DBA and a $30 rebate on the iMagic. There are also some $30 rebates on a few other models but I do not remember which ones.
Leica
As you can tell from the above photo, Leica was right next to Opticron so it was off to see Jeff Bouton who is the nature products rep with Leica. I have talked with Jeff a few times before at the shows and it is always a pleasure to see him.
The primary items of interest were the new Noctivids, the new 8X32 Trinovid and the combo neck strap and case that comes with the newer Trinovid.
I had seen the 10X42 Noctivid a couple of months ago at the Tucson Audubon store and had issues with the eye cups being on the short side and flickering blackouts so I was eager to see how it would go the second time around. The results were better this time although the eye cups (for viewing without glasses) were still on the short side. The flickering black outs were reduced.
I am not sure why the difference but it could be due to the eye cup mechanism design which is different from anything I have seen. When fully extended, there is still room to turn it one more click. When it is turned that extract click, the eye cup retracts in length one position. I do not understand the reason for the design and I do not remember this from my experience of a couple of months ago. I am wondering if I did not have the eye cups fully extended on my initial experience. This time I tried them at the full extension but with the one turn left that would have retracted the eye cups. Strange indeed! Jeff did acknowledge that they have heard a few other folks looking for a longer eye cup so that is something they are looking into.
Jeff and I discussed the extra 3D that some people experience. I told him I did not see it in the 10X42 that I tried. He said it is more noticeable in the 8X42 and so we went outside to give it a try. Sorry to say I did not pick up that extra 3D in the 8X either. The 8X had beautiful 3D but I did not get the impression it was any more noticeable than any other quality binocular. I have a wide IPD of just over 70mm so maybe that has some bearing, I do not know.
Anyway, the optics of the Noctivid are impressive . Jeff says the transmission data he has seen shows a relatively flat transmission but I get the impression there is a little boost toward the red side. It does look good.
Jeff did have the new 8X32 Trinovid so I gave it a quick checkout. It was a nice bright view and it fit me better than the 8X32 Ultivid Plus, which again has short eye cups. The FOV was acceptable but I think it should have been wider for the price category. It does have very close focus, so that is the trade-off. I would rather have the wide FOV since I am not a bug watcher, but it is good to know their is an excellent product out there for those that have other interests.
Finally there is the combo strap and case that comes with the newer Trinoid. When it first came out my first thought was what are they thinking! I figured I need to be open minded and check it before rejecting it. Jeff had a Trinovid on display with the combo attached. I did not like it. First , the part that went around the back of the neck felt hot, not good for AZ. The other complaint for me was it felt bulky. I will pass. Jeff said it is well liked by most hunters but not so much for birders. He said Leica does include a conventional neck strap with the Trinovid for folks like me, but it does not include a separate case since the combo also functions as a case.
Swarovski
Last but not least is Swaro. I saved them for the end because I knew they did not have much new this year on the birding side. The one item that may appeal to birders is the new binoviewer that attaches to their scopes. This allows for much for comfortable two eyed viewing. They had one on display and so I took a quick look and it does give an impressive comfortable look. The tripod was on the low side for me and the packed room was not the best for scope viewing, but I was able to see enough to conclude that this is a nice product.
I was at Cabela's a couple of weeks ago and was told they can not keep them in stock. That was confirmed at the show. The hunting market took to the Binoviewer immediately and now the birders are starting to see the value in it. They sell as soon as they arrive.
Swaro was represented by Clay Taylor and Tom. I had to ask Clay if he still uses the 12X50 EL SV as his primary binocular and that is still the case. I picked up one of the newer Profield models to see if I could pick up any coating chages from my pre Profield 2015 model and could not. This was not a side by comparison but if there is a change, I doubt if it is that noticeable.
(Sorry for the terrible Swaro photo-Binoviewer on left)
Freebies
I kept forgetting to check on what promotional items were being handed out. Zeiss had some olive green ball caps and I got one of those. There were some other items on the table but they may have been samples of the extras included with a binocular purchase. Zeiss also had a full size Zeiss Products Birding Brochure dated March, 2017. Leica had those microfiber lens cleaning clothes that stuff into a small pouch attached to a snap ring. Those are really nice out in the field. They also had a couple items that looked similar to a credit card. I think one my be a magnifying glass but I am not sure. I forgot to look at Opticron and Swaro.
Raffle
The Society is having a raffle for either a Leica 10X42 Trinovid binocular or a guided birding trip. You can get one free ticket by entering a game were they give you a sheet with the pictures of six stuffed animals. You then have to go around and find the booths that have the stuffed animals. Just as in real life, I had a hard time finding the Scarlet Tanager. You can also buy one ticket for five dollars or 5 tickets for $20 dollars. I am in for the one free ticket and the additional 5 tickets. If I win, I suspect I will have a lot better opinion of the combo strap and case that comes with the Trinovid.
It was a good day seeing the new products and getting to visit with folks that I have not seen in a while. I enjoyed it!
