On the surface of it, you may think that buying a pair of Leica 8×42 Ultravid HD binoculars is a bad idea.
This will no doubt be because of the price, which is certainly not one of the lowest you will see on the market.
If you do consider buying them, then naturally you will want some form of reassurance that you will be getting what you’re paying for. Consider this your reassurance.
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With 8×42 size, it is clear that these binoculars are aimed more at the bird watching market.
They are after all considered by the majority of bird watchers to be the closest you can get to perfect balance between magnification and size.
Leica Ultravid HD Binoculars Vide Review – Watch Below
Leica Ultravid HD Binoculars Specifications
| Leica Ultravid HD 10×32 | Leica Ultravid HD 10×42 | Leica Ultravid HD 10×50 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Size | 10×32 | 10x42 | 10×50 |
Eye Relief | 13.2 mm | 16 mm | 15 mm |
Field of View | 405 ft/1000 yds | 336 ft/1000 yds | 352 ft/1000 yds |
Close Focus | 6.6 ft | 9.5 ft | 10.8 ft |
Lenses | Roof prism with phase correcting coating P40 and HighLux-System HLS™ | Roof prism with phase correcting coating P40 and HighLux-System HLS™ | Roof prism with phase correcting coating P40 and HighLux-System HLS™ |
Weight | 20 oz | 26.5 oz | 35.3 oz |
Dimensions | 116 x 120x 56 mm | 120 x 147 x 68 mm | 125 x 178 x 70 mm |
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What Makes Them Good
Ever since they were founded, Leica has always prided itself on using the best optics available and having a group of workers that are never willing to compromise on anything.
Everything must be as good as they designed it to be. Somehow however with these binoculars they have been able to improve their game even more.
Leica make the bold claim that they have made a grand total of 200 improvements to their older versions, and all of the changes are extremely innovative.
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Newly Designed Lenses
One of the biggest changes they have made is to a newly designed hydrophobic coating that goes around the the outer surface of the lenses.
This is a very handy feature as it enables the user to keep the lenses free of any problems involving dirt or water.
The coating is named AquaDura coating, and it’s similar to the ones used on many of the more advanced and professional binoculars.
This coating makes this particular pair of binoculars perfect for any dusty or wet surroundings.
Easy to Clean
On a more practical side, these advances mean that it is much easier for you to remove any fingerprints that you have noticed on the lenses, along with any dirt particles that have become annoying and too much of a distraction.
It also means that unwanted marks made by things such as dirt are less likely to leave any scratches or abrasions behind when you remove them, which also makes it less likely that you will ever leave a mark that is impossible to remove.
This is obviously good news for those who spend a lot of time and effort cleaning the lenses on their binoculars, or worrying that they may end up with a permanent mark this is just too big to be ignored.
Lens Performance Improvements
The lenses themselves have been made using fluoride, or calcium fluoride to be more precise.
Leica say this has given them the opportunity to address other performance issues. They say they have corrected the majority of imaging errors because of the fluoride lenses, and as a result light transmission has increased.
This is something that will win them many plaudits from users, as light transmission is becoming more and more important to customers.
Image Contrast and Color Fidelity Improvements
Image contrast and color fidelity have also been improved, meaning that the view the user will see will be a lot more natural and impressive. Leica also say that the overall image has improved by three percent from their previous Ultravid model.
This is something that is very difficult to fully confirm or discover for the majority of users, by everyone who buys these binoculars will see that the image is crisp and clear even in conditions that don’t have much light. In fact the image is probably not that far from the more heavy duty binoculars that are available on the market.
Leica Ultravid HD Binoculars Unboxing Video – Watch Below
Smooth Focusing Mechanism
The focusing mechanism has also been given a lot of care and attention. The teflon disks in the mechanism contain almost zero lubrication, which means that focusing on an image is smoother than every before.
That includes pretty much any surroundings you find yourself in. Lecia say that the mechanism remains very smooth and flexible even in temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius, a temperature at which most other binoculars would fail according to Lecia.
There have also been issues with lubrication of the focusing mechanism in the past during warmer temperatures, although it’s not something the majority of users have encountered.
Having said that, some people have reported that in the heat the lubricant can leak from the mechanism and completely ruin the optics.
This is usual because the mechanism becomes too free, but this is something that Lecia says is a problem that will not occur with these particular binoculars.
Comfortable Body & Waterproof
The actual body of the binoculars are black and armored, and are also coated with black rubber.
This makes it very comfortable for the user to hold them naturally and for a long period of time, while at the same time it also protects the binoculars themselves from any knocks or bumps they pick up along the way. Lecia do claim that the binoculars are waterproof, although this isn’t entirely the case.
They are however watertight to a depth of around 5m, which is still rather impressive. It just means that they are not really suitable for any form of marine use.
Redesigned Eye Relief
The binoculars also come with redesigned eye relief at 15.5mm.
Some people may find that this is not what they would consider to be long eye relief, but it does mean that the majority of people who wear eye glasses will be able to use them in comfort without having to remove them.
The eyepieces are also adjustable with two different positions, which isn’t the highest available but should be enough to make the majority of users comfortable.
The Verdict
These binoculars certainly will not disappoint anyone looking for the top range available for bird watching.
It’s a little difficult to say if they are worth their heft price tag, but they do come with a large amount of improvements and new features that certainly make them worthy of your attention.
After all Leica have decided to use the best optics available so these particular binoculars were almost certain to be expensive.
If you have the money to spare and you know that you are going to use them regularly, then these are well worth a purchase.
The improvements made to the lenses and the coatings around it alone is enough to win over any bird watcher who is looking to get the best quality view of whatever they spot.
You do get the feeling though that Leica could have made a bit more of an effort marketing these binoculars to a wider market.
They certainly can’t cut it if you’re looking for something for marine use, but they certainly are impressive sports, safari, or hunting.
Indeed for general use they are still very impressive. As we’ve seen though, the price tag will put a lot of people off and send them looking for something cheaper.
If however you feel you can afford it without breaking the bank and you do feel that you can get the best out of them, then the Leica 8×42 Ultravid HD binoculars are certainly well worth a purchase.