Ultravid focus knob (1 Viewer)

[Robert Ellis]

Does anybody else have trouble with the large flat margins where the two portions of the knob come together? My finger want to be right there, but there is to traction. Do you think Leica would consider fitting a BR with the knob set from the BL? Hmm, I suppose I had better ask them.

 

[Jonathan B.]

Does anybody else have trouble with the large flat margins where the two portions of the knob come together? My finger want to be right there, but there is to traction. Do you think Leica would consider fitting a BR with the knob set from the BL? Hmm, I suppose I had better ask them.

You are on to something. My index finger naturally goes to the lower focus wheel, so I have never noticed the span between the gripping surfaces. I just tried to operate the bins with my finger there, and like you I could not get traction. I handled a BL long ago but did not notice that the wheels were different. Looking at the Leica site, I can see they are exactly what you need. Keep us updated on whether they can make the change for you--I can't imagine they wouldn't do it.

 

[Rob Smallwood]

How odd - my finger just aligns perfectly on the whhel - so much so I had to go and get them to see what you were talking about!

It just goes to show that even (or especially) top of the range binoculars can feel very different to different users.

I "upgraded" from Swarovski SLCs to mu Ultravids - and it took a few months of birding before I really enjoyed them purely down to the fact that I had used the others for nearly 10 years and they "fit like gloves".

 

[Otto McDiesel]

Does anybody else have trouble with the large flat margins where the two portions of the knob come together? My finger want to be right there, but there is to traction. Do you think Leica would consider fitting a BR with the knob set from the BL? Hmm, I suppose I had better ask them.

I don't have a problem with that, and i would guess that it is something that people would quickly learn and adapt to. After all it is 5mm or less that we are talking about.

 

[xenophobe]

I have the BL and I think the focus wheel is perfect the way it is. I do prefer it over the BR, but that's a relatively minor difference, IMO.

 

[garymh]

Hi,

I have been doing some measuring and can see no reason why it would not be possible to fit a BL knob set on a BR.

I have a BR to repair at the moment so I will experiment over the next day or two and let you know the answer.


Gary.

 

[garymh]

Hi,

The focus wheels from the Ultravid BL do fit the Ultravid BR. They look fine and give a better grip. We are now able to carry out this conversion at Leica UK in Milton Keynes although unfortunately a charge will have to be made for the work.


Gary

 

[matt green]

Hi,

The focus wheels from the Ultravid BL do fit the Ultravid BR. They look fine and give a better grip. We are now able to carry out this conversion at Leica UK in Milton Keynes although unfortunately a charge will have to be made for the work.


Gary

i wonder if you could put the rubber coated br focus wheel on a trinovid,that would be cool.

matt

 

[Swissboy]

i wonder if you could put the rubber coated br focus wheel on a trinovid,that would be cool.

matt

All these wishes!!! What I'd really find cool would be a Leica Ultravid focus knob on a Zeiss FL.
Serious, I think that Leica has the best system there. Whereas Zeiss has a few other advantages at the moment. The major one for me has been the closer focus.

I'm happy with the focus knob on my Trinovid, though.

 

[justin2992]

I have the BL and I think the focus wheel is perfect the way it is. I do prefer it over the BR, but that's a relatively minor difference, IMO.

The BR focus wheel texture is the most distracting I've every used. I find the BL wheel very nice with its uniform texture.

 

[Otto McDiesel]

The BR focus wheel texture is the most distracting I've every used. I find the BL wheel very nice with its uniform texture.

I focus my BR in two ways

1. I use two fingers from the top, the index and the "i love you too" finger, and they fit perfectly fine on the two ridged buttons. I have absolutely no problems focusing, but i do admit that the 4 mm smooth area between the two buttons is a design flaw - if someone tries to focus with one finger only and if the focuser is on the stiff side, than focusing may not be very pleasant, more pressure needs to be applied, and upon slight pressure the finger may slide without the focuser rotating.

2. I grab the focuser from the top and from the bottom with the thumb and the index, and i have absolutely no prolem focusing.

My 10x42 BR works better in cold weather - the colder the better, and it is silky smooth. In hot weather it still works fine, but i sometimes whish that they were lubricated (i can't help about this, i was a mechanic for a long time, and the first thing that i learned was that "a drop of oil at the right place and at the right time is worth two mechanics").

All being said, i need to remind you all that binoculars are tools just like any other, and a bit of learning and adjusting is needed.

 

[justin2992]

The smooth area between the two focus wheels is not nearly as annoying as the single thick smooth ridge on the front-most wheel.

 

[Otto McDiesel]

The smooth area between the two focus wheels is not nearly as annoying as the single thick smooth ridge on the front-most wheel.

Justin, i understand. But it reminds me of the princess, nine pillows, and the pea story. I can see that ridge, but i never seem to notice it under my finger tip...
Designing binoculars must be fun.

 

[zuiko]

I've found my fingers naturally fit such that my index finger goes to the upper wheel, and the middle finger to the one below. I use both fingers to turn which overcomes some of the stiffness in movement.

I have large hands, and sometimes I additionally use my left index finger on the lower wheel for a push pull type action which makes things even more controlled.

 

[Fair Islander]

Hi,

The focus wheels from the Ultravid BL do fit the Ultravid BR. They look fine and give a better grip. We are now able to carry out this conversion at Leica UK in Milton Keynes although unfortunately a charge will have to be made for the work.


Gary

Gary, what sort of charge are we talking here?

 

[garymh]

Gary, what sort of charge are we talking here?

Hi, Because a number of new parts have to be fitted and the focus drive needs stripping to fit them the price is going to be around £100 to £110 plus VAT.