High-End Binoculars

mckrob

mckrob

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I will soon be in the market for a pair of high-end binoculars and have narrowed my choice down to the following three models (in no particular order):

1 - LEICA ULTRAVID 10x42 BR
2 - SWAROVSKI 10x42 EL
3 - ZEISS 10x42 VICTORY FL T*

I have spent a fair bit of time reading every sort of review available on the net, and what I gather is that when you get three high-end manufacturers with very similar products that the choice will be a matter of personal preference in the end (all three are very good).

My question: have any fellow forumites had any experience with these particular three models/manufacturers, I am particularly interested in any bad experiences.

I am not really looking for any recommendations per se, just comments on the three models listed above.

Thanks !
 
I can't help you much, but about 10 years ago I used some Zeiss 10x42 (model unknown) binoculars belonging to our Wyoming guide, and I was mighty impressed with them. But I'm sure I would have been impressed with the others you mentioned here, too. I wonder if you could find some guide association that might have polled its members to see what they liked best.
 
Can't comment directly about the models listed -
but working on more (good) knowledge is better - please take a look at -

Binolculars Reviews at ConsumerSearch - where they claim to be reviewing the reviews. Their choices are 8x (as opposed to 10x) their reasoning is in the Full Story tab.

Personally I like BetterViewDesired.com - the articles seem very knowledgeable, and their picks seem very sensible - but the site was not very highly rated by ConsumerSearch.

Hope that helps rather than annoys.

--
Vincent
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2007
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2006
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2005
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2004
http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
Sorry -- I have glassed all three but deleted bc you asked for no refs. Generally, however, esp if you haven't had a chance to handle them yourself: why 10x instead of 8x? The sacrifices far outweigh the gains, IMO and most others. 10x42 is really for a minority even among dedicated birders.

Better View Desired is good but they apparently don't review binos that aren't sold by their sponsoring site. The don't, for example, review reputable makers like Steiners (which I don't personally care for) or Eagle Optics or Vortex Optics.
 
storyville said:
Sorry -- I have glassed all three but deleted bc you asked for no refs. Generally, however, esp if you haven't had a chance to handle them yourself: why 10x instead of 8x? The sacrifices far outweigh the gains, IMO and most others. 10x42 is really for a minority even among dedicated birders.

Better View Desired is good but they apparently don't review binos that aren't sold by their sponsoring site. The don't, for example, review reputable makers like Steiners (which I don't personally care for) or Eagle Optics or Vortex Optics.
Click to expand...

I have 10x32 Leica Trinovids and wished I had purchased the 8x32s. I figured hey, more magnification for about the same money...but I'm still really happy with my Leica's.
 
my good friend has the leicas. fantastic optics, i was amazed at the clarity and detail. also built like tanks.

he also has a pocket pair of zeiss 8x20's. nice in their own right.

i have handled all three, but have only taken the leicas outdoors. i felt the zeiss and swarovskis felt a bit more fragile.


sorry, edited to add he has the 8x42's, not the 10 power.
 
A pair of Swaro 10x50s has been my primary glass for 15 years now. Obviously, I've been, and continue to be, extremely pleased with the optical quality. As you're not simply looking for recommendations, the one bit of data I can offer that may interest you is that, while living overseas (early '90s), I managed to damage the binos rather badly one day. It was clearly my fault, and I told them as much. Without going into too many details, suffice it to say that the customer service I received from Swarovski went far, far beyond my wildest expectations.
 
I have the 10X Leica as well as 8x pocket Zeiss but what I truly enjoy are the Canon IS 12X. Effort free viewing.
 
I got a pair of Nikon Monarch 8 x 42s last year for around $300 at binoculars.com and am very happy with them. I've used my buddy's Swarovskis (10x) and they are superb, but the Nikons are very, very close, and about $1,000 less.
 
Bronco said:
A pair of Swaro 10x50s has been my primary glass for 15 years now. Obviously, I've been, and continue to be, extremely pleased with the optical quality. As you're not simply looking for recommendations, the one bit of data I can offer that may interest you is that, while living overseas (early '90s), I managed to damage the binos rather badly one day. It was clearly my fault, and I told them as much. Without going into too many details, suffice it to say that the customer service I received from Swarovski went far, far beyond my wildest expectations.
Click to expand...

ive heard that. read about a guy who drove over his with his car. swarovski replace them no questions asked.
 
I've owned a Leica 8X42 BR Ultravid since early 2004. Never had a minute's problem with it. Smooth quick focus, the rubber armor feels very solid on the barrels, color rendition is excellent (subjective), as is contrast. The soft armor on the Ultravid tends to pick up some debris and I don't care for the objective covers (the new ones have an improved version). The multi position eyepieces are a big improvement over the older ones. The case (cordura) offers decent protection, but is no design winner. It can be rather clumsy, or maybe I am rather clumsy.
 
Swarovski, by a hair then Leica then Zeiss, again, by a hair. Its very hard to call it and may well be personal preference, afterall, there is very little between the three.
 
I have the Leica trinovid's in 10x42 and 12x50, In 2000 i hunted caribou in Canada 40 miles from Arviat. I used the 12x50 and still do hunting deer antelope etc and my nephews carry the 10x42 and i have 2 pairs of brunton epoch. I love the leica's but i don't think you will go wrong with the others you mentioned. I bought my leica's in 98 i think, and have not had any problems.
 
I own a Zeiss, which is outstanding, but Leica is just as good. You need to look through one, and you'll know what I mean. I love Zeiss.

My Dad dropped a rifle with a Zeiss scope in a half frozen lake in Winter. He came back in Spring and recovered the rifle, which had turned into junk. The scope was still OK, he used it for over then years after.

There is nothing better out there, and if you can afford it, why go for second best?

I'd forget about the Swarowski.
 
Contact Doug at www.cameralandny.com. He will actually send you a couple of pairs to try out, keep the one you want and send the other back. You may have to join /www.24hourcampfire.com to get the chance but Doug is an awesome person to deal with and you will not beat the price or service. I prefer Swaro's but I also have a pair of Minox asph that are very good for less than half the price.
 
rt014 said:
I have 10x32 Leica Trinovids and wished I had purchased the 8x32s. I figured hey, more magnification for about the same money...but I'm still really happy with my Leica's.
Click to expand...

If someone gave me $1500 for any one pair of binos, I would take the 8x32 Leica Trins, hands down. For sightseeing or casual viewing, and definitely for hiking or backpacking, I find x42 too bulky and heavy to lug around comfortably in a daypack, much less around the neck for any length of time. (Sort of like wearing a forest axe as a neck knife.) X32 gathers as much light as the human eye can take in under most daytime conditions; x42 really only makes a difference during the first and last 30-45 mins. of daylight, and even then mostly for hardcore birders, IMO.
 
if you are hunting, or just casually observing...go with 8x

zeiss 8x30 for 999 are a tremendous value along with the nikon 8x43 monarchs

and last but not least...pentax has some super ed models which are worth looking at...totally submersival in water


I cant hold 10x without getting a headache in an hour or so
 
Any of the "Big Three" (Leica, Swarovski, Zeiss) will serve you well for the rest of your life. You can then pass them on to your descendants.

Like several of the other contributors, I would choose 8x over 10x.

"With practice, and given exceptionally well-balanced binoculars, the average birder can learn to extract detail from a 10 power image. Extracting detail from an 8 power image is even easier, and, in objective tests conducted by Zeiss, birders consistently extracted the most detail (at least on eye charts) from a 7 power image. As noted above, my experience has been that there is no practical difference in the amount of detail you can see in hand-held binoculars of equal quality between 7 and 10 power. There is, however, a real difference in the amount of fatigue generated over a day’s use.

The extra effort and concentration needed to hold 10x binoculars steady and extract detail will tire many birders after a fairly short time in the field, especially if the depth of field is shallow enough to require constant refocusing. A tired birder will, in the long run, see less. There are exceptions, of course, but my general recommendation, after years of testing and using binoculars, is that 8x is just about the ideal power for birding."

http://betterviewdesired.com/The-Ideal-Birding-Binocular.php

If you are over about 35 to 40 years of age, forget about huge exit pupils. Your own pupils can now only dilate to about 5mm, so extra light-gathering power is wasted money on expensive glass your eyes can't use.

An excellent site that reviews and rates binoculars is Kikkert Spesialisten:

http://www.kikkertspesialisten.no/

A minor drawback is that it is in Norwegian only, but - as they give numeric scores for every attribute of a pair of binoculars - it's pretty easy to work out that a 10 is better than a 9.5!

I had my choice of any glass I wanted as a present when I retired.

I chose Leica 8 x 42 Ultravids.

maximus otter
 
As said before---you really can't go wrong with any of them.

I'm partial to Zeiss--just because that's what all my riflescopes are---Leica's are fantastic too----no experience with Swarovski---but I would buy them on reputation alone.
 
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