Christmas Binos,
- Thread starter Slimfinn
- Start date
jjs405
Beginner
- Dec 24, 2017
- 158
- 85
I always thought that Zeiss was at the top & the best that was to be had. Lots of people love their Swarovski's & at the time I never really thought much about Leica's ... At one point I compared all three top models side by side & wanting the Zeiss real bad, but in the end the Leica's had the clearest and sharpest image of the three & that's the one I went with and have never been sorry.
My personal opinion only - I would rate my experience with my vision wearing corrective lenses & rank them as 1-Leica, 2-Zeiss, 3-Swarovski - Again, just my personal opinion.
My personal opinion only - I would rate my experience with my vision wearing corrective lenses & rank them as 1-Leica, 2-Zeiss, 3-Swarovski - Again, just my personal opinion.
slim , I got a set of 10x42 vortex razor HD's that I like . I like the size , weight , low light ability , glass quality . they really seem like nice bino's . what I have noticed while out hunting with them is, it seems I need to keep a finger on the focus . I noticed this a couple years ago in Idaho when I would be glassing down into a canyon . the canyon might be 1200 yards deep . if I glassed a little closer , or further , I needed to turn the focus . I noticed this in Kansas a couple years ago . I noticed this again a few weeks ago in Colorado . I don't seem to notice this around home . I guess I'm not changing distance as much as I am out west , or I'm glassing at closer distances . I'm not sure what this would be called maybe , " depth of field " ? this needing to constantly focus really bugs me , it wears my eyes out . I'm not sure maybe I'm expecting to much , but I think there has to be something more forgiving on the market . maybe one of the guys will know what I'm talking about and tell us what it's called , so you can watch for that .
I've had a set of Swarovski SLC's in 10x42 for over 20 years and they are absolutely awesome!
Have owned an older set of Leica Geovids in 10x42, and the glass was very good.
These two were very comparable in quality, clarity and low light transmission.
A friend owned the older Zeiss 10x40 that used to be the standard by which all binos were judged against. Very good glass.
Sorry, cannot comment on the Conquest binoculars, but do know that I was not impressed with the quality of the Conquest rifle scopes.
Have owned an older set of Leica Geovids in 10x42, and the glass was very good.
These two were very comparable in quality, clarity and low light transmission.
A friend owned the older Zeiss 10x40 that used to be the standard by which all binos were judged against. Very good glass.
Sorry, cannot comment on the Conquest binoculars, but do know that I was not impressed with the quality of the Conquest rifle scopes.
I have the Trinovid HD 10x42. Looked through them all, even the Swaros. The Leica was the best for me, by a mile. My test was counting hairs on the mounts in Sportsman’s Warehouse. Not the best test but that’s all I had...it was dark outside.
Best to look through all of them if you can.
Best to look through all of them if you can.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks guys, i need to get off early one day and look thru them outside. I have a pair of minox that are running almost 20 years old now and started noticing halos around the trees on a snowy hillside when the suns shining this season. Thats the reasoning for a new pair.
I purchased a pair of Zeiss Conquest 10X42 as demos from Redhawk Rifles in Grand Junction Colorado this summer. I have no comparison with the Leica or Sawvorski binos but am very pleased with what I have. The demos came as new in the box, promptly shipped, and at a great price, nearly $300 less than what I saw at a retail store recently for the same model.
tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
I would suggest you include Meopta in the list of binos to check out.
I have a pair and I don’t go in the woods without them.
I have a pair and I don’t go in the woods without them.
No direct experience with those specific models.
I have a Leica Duovid 8-12x bino which is fantastic but lacks a lot of the modern lense coatings. For me its clarity is outstanding, but when looking in the general direction of the sun it glares up a lot quicker than my Bushnell Engage 10x42 binos which come with HD glass and can be found for under $200 dollars.
Additionally, Leica's generally have inadequate eye relief for use with glasses, my father wears glasses and he "adopted" my Bushnell Engage bino's which have a lot more eye relief. The leica's though have much better depth of field that Jim noted, along with better clarity, resolution and color fidelity than the Bushnell. The Bushnell I think has a little better light transmission with the modern lens coatings, but it is tough for a direct comparison given the difference in magnification.
Zeiss scopes I love and use a lot, one 3-9 conquest and multiple HD5's 3-15 and 2-10. Zeiss binoculars and spotting scopes do not work well with my eyes. I have looked through several models in stores and in the field and they all seem dark and grainy compared to my Leica and Bushnell binos.
I have a Leica Duovid 8-12x bino which is fantastic but lacks a lot of the modern lense coatings. For me its clarity is outstanding, but when looking in the general direction of the sun it glares up a lot quicker than my Bushnell Engage 10x42 binos which come with HD glass and can be found for under $200 dollars.
Additionally, Leica's generally have inadequate eye relief for use with glasses, my father wears glasses and he "adopted" my Bushnell Engage bino's which have a lot more eye relief. The leica's though have much better depth of field that Jim noted, along with better clarity, resolution and color fidelity than the Bushnell. The Bushnell I think has a little better light transmission with the modern lens coatings, but it is tough for a direct comparison given the difference in magnification.
Zeiss scopes I love and use a lot, one 3-9 conquest and multiple HD5's 3-15 and 2-10. Zeiss binoculars and spotting scopes do not work well with my eyes. I have looked through several models in stores and in the field and they all seem dark and grainy compared to my Leica and Bushnell binos.
jjs405
Beginner
- Dec 24, 2017
- 158
- 85
Nimrod84":3sc7nui5 said:
I do not have first hand experience with that model Leica, but mine feature adjustable eye relief in the form of adjustable eye cups that rotate out for use without glasses, or rotate in for use with glasses.
Slimfinn,
I have been pleased as punch with Leica's warranty and customer service (CS). My Duovids were purchased used, many years ago. Leica did a deep clean and semi-refurbishment free of charge on them three or four years ago. I couldn't be happier with their care and attention to a second hand product. I suspect that the first owner purchased their upgraded VIP warranty service which stuck with the bino, but I haven't confirmed that with Leica.
I've also been very happy with Zeiss CS. When the Zeiss HD5's were introduced I had one with the adjustment dials installed backwards; they took care of it promptly and upgraded them to the target turrets.
I think you would be happy with both companies CS.
JJS405,
I am glad that your Leica's work with your lenses.
The Duovids have adjustable eye cups as well. The issue is that most Leica bino's have 15mm or less eye relief. For long term use, eyeglass wears normally aim for 17+mm total of eye relief. The Duovids tend towards 12mm but are advertised as being 14-15mm.
The best quote I can give on this is from RNOVI post 6 at: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/b ... rer.50700/ "I started with Leica's and they worked great when I wore contacts...but they also had the shortest eye relief. That meant I really had to shove them up against the lens (cups down) to get the eye relief right. IIRC, the Leica 10x42 Ultravids had about 3.5mm of eye relief.
My next move was to Zeiss Victory FL 8x32 (*and 10x32's later) bins gave me 4mm of eye relief. They were much easier to use with glasses.
Now that I have Lasik, the Leica's are the best for me...except I prefer the size and weight of the Zeiss."
Swaro glass tends to have longer eye relief for eye glass wearers and the Zeiss tend to be middle of the road with some models having long eye relief.
I have been pleased as punch with Leica's warranty and customer service (CS). My Duovids were purchased used, many years ago. Leica did a deep clean and semi-refurbishment free of charge on them three or four years ago. I couldn't be happier with their care and attention to a second hand product. I suspect that the first owner purchased their upgraded VIP warranty service which stuck with the bino, but I haven't confirmed that with Leica.
I've also been very happy with Zeiss CS. When the Zeiss HD5's were introduced I had one with the adjustment dials installed backwards; they took care of it promptly and upgraded them to the target turrets.
I think you would be happy with both companies CS.
JJS405,
I am glad that your Leica's work with your lenses.
The Duovids have adjustable eye cups as well. The issue is that most Leica bino's have 15mm or less eye relief. For long term use, eyeglass wears normally aim for 17+mm total of eye relief. The Duovids tend towards 12mm but are advertised as being 14-15mm.
The best quote I can give on this is from RNOVI post 6 at: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/b ... rer.50700/ "I started with Leica's and they worked great when I wore contacts...but they also had the shortest eye relief. That meant I really had to shove them up against the lens (cups down) to get the eye relief right. IIRC, the Leica 10x42 Ultravids had about 3.5mm of eye relief.
My next move was to Zeiss Victory FL 8x32 (*and 10x32's later) bins gave me 4mm of eye relief. They were much easier to use with glasses.
Now that I have Lasik, the Leica's are the best for me...except I prefer the size and weight of the Zeiss."
Swaro glass tends to have longer eye relief for eye glass wearers and the Zeiss tend to be middle of the road with some models having long eye relief.
UPDATE .............
before I went to Kansas I got the instructions out for my bino's . I went over the diaopter adjustment , per the instructions . I also gave them a good cleaning . this did seem to help with the constant playing with the focus . I think I'll have to check this yearly as my eyes age . I'm kinda new at this getting old stuff , looks like it's gonna be a bumpy ride .
before I went to Kansas I got the instructions out for my bino's . I went over the diaopter adjustment , per the instructions . I also gave them a good cleaning . this did seem to help with the constant playing with the focus . I think I'll have to check this yearly as my eyes age . I'm kinda new at this getting old stuff , looks like it's gonna be a bumpy ride .
I bought a pair of Leica Trinovids 10x50's 25+ years ago and hunted with them for over 20 years. A buddy had Swarovski 10x50's and mine were better in low light conditions by a good degree and clearer to my eyes. Since then I have owned 10x50 Ultravid and now 10x42 HD-B 3000's. I also have a pair of Meopta 15x50's. The Meopta are good but not in the same league as the Swarovski or Leica's IMO. I really think most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference with occasional glassing in good daylight. When you glass for hours on end eye fatigue becomes a real thing and the best out there have the lowest eye fatigue. I really think the manufacturing technology now has helped narrow the gap between all of them so then it comes down to which brand is best to your particular eyes. The only way to figure that out is to look through them.
Old post, but my input. I have had a pair of Zeiss 10x42 HD.
Pros: I really like the glass. Great warranty, although work on these is done in Germany and takes longer
Cons: when using a chest rig to carry them, the focal point changes after a few minutes of hiking. You have to re-focus each time you use.
I sent mine back to Zeiss for warranty to fix the focus point drift. They returned them after 6 weeks all tuned to factory specs.....they still drift. For a $1K set of glass, this shouldn't happen. Otherwise the glass is great, nice low light.
Pros: I really like the glass. Great warranty, although work on these is done in Germany and takes longer
Cons: when using a chest rig to carry them, the focal point changes after a few minutes of hiking. You have to re-focus each time you use.
I sent mine back to Zeiss for warranty to fix the focus point drift. They returned them after 6 weeks all tuned to factory specs.....they still drift. For a $1K set of glass, this shouldn't happen. Otherwise the glass is great, nice low light.
- Thread starter
- #16
They didn't happen for christmas but I have decided on the Trinovids for when I decide to pull the trigger. talking with the guy at the counter those are the ones he suggested out of the 2 and explained it very well and basically came down that Zeiss is not advancing as fast as Leica is. It is hard to see any differences until someone is there pointing them out to you that knows.
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,418
- 6,286
Slimfinn":1s5myjn7 said:
A sales associate that actually knows the product is invaluable. Usually, we get a bunch of refugees from a junkyard trying to sell us on whatever they think they can push. There are a number of quality binos on the market. It is a great time to be shopping for such as you can actually fit the product to your precise needs/budget.
