Month: May 2018

Leica Trinovid is synonymous with superior optical performance. The Trinovoid line was solidified by its diverse offerings of compact and full sized binoculars. The units are famous for being made rugged with an innovative prism technology. They are a mainstay for professionals and nature enthusiasts who want top of the line viewing at a midrange price.

The Trinovid 42 is Leica’s premium binocular offering. The company’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Sport Optics division affirms that the development process for all Leica’s products is done with the objective to be the best in their class. The Trinivoid 42 is no exception. According to Leica, the newest line of Trinovids stays true to the hallmark of their product line. It has superior engineering and value to performance ratio.

Faultless Construction

Leica Trinovid’s premium entry-level binoculars are made with the highest quality materials. The binocular shell is void of any plastic parts. The entire outer body is composed of durable magnesium. For dual strength, meant to withstand even the harshest terrains, the magnesium shell is encased within rubber armor.

The units are completely waterproof to five meters. The waterproof feature of the Trinovid 42 collection contrasts with the water spray resistant construction of the Leica Trinovid 25 collection. Additionally, the Trinovid 42 collection has a nitrogenized interior. The nitrogen renders the binoculars fog proof, a necessity in humid or cold weather.

Their stainless steel hinge construction and generously sized eyecups make for comfortable viewing. The 10×42 packs 16-millimeter eye relief, while the 8×42 model is a close second with a 15.5-millimeter eye relief. This is excellent news for those wearing prescription eyeglasses. The eye relief of both models is not so compact that the outer edge of the field will severely be lost or constricted.

The Trinovid comes in the following configurations:

• 8×32
• 8×42
• 10×32
• 10×42

Details Details

Leica Trinovid has always been known for its hallmark and revolutionary prism design that lends to its superior optical performance. However, with all the power packed into the newest Trinovids, it can be said that the improvements are far beyond a minor upgrade. The Trinovid 42 collection is developed to be intuitive in its adjustment capabilities, powerful on the performance end, compact for easy handling, and ergonomic.

The roof prism design offers a superior phase correction coating of P40. An additional mirrored layer, previously not offered, increases the overall transmission of light by 99.5 percent. This HighLux system, referred to as HLS, makes images brighter to increase the users viewing pleasure and accuracy. The HLS system, coupled with their enhanced optical and mechanical construction improvements, minimizes the occurrence of stray light dramatically.

The Leica Trinovid 10×42 has a field of view of 326 feet at 100 yards. That said, the field of view of the 8×42 is the real mind-blower with 378ft at 1000 yards. The 8×42 undoubtedly qualifies for use as a wide-angled binocular. That will please many avid bird watchers and hunters. However, for those looking for short range viewing such as general nature watch, butterflies, small animals, or anything that will be within close range, the Trinovid would not be a prime choice.

As expected, Leica Trinovid sticks to the high grade of style, durability, and internal construction they are known for. Although the price tag is extremely reasonable, for their function and power, nothing was compromised. So the only real choices left to make, once you buy one, are do you fancy a wide field view or greater magnification? Almost every other adjustment is factored into the technology. Overall, the Leica Trinovid is pretty impressive if you want the most viewing power for your money.

With up to 95 percent more light transmission, Zeiss’ new Victory HT Binocular offers its users the chance to view nature in a whole new way. The company calls the new line groundbreaking and state that it’s the brightest super-premium binocular globally. This is definitely a huge claim to make after the success of the already-great Victory FL binoculars that were made.

Bright When it Counts

When light travels along a binocular, sometimes the light is lost by way of reflection and absorption in the prism system or in an air-to-glass surface. By the time the light exits the piece, the amount of light that remains will differ depending on the binocular. The best ones have greater transmittance percentages, allowing brighter and better images.

Like others in the premium optics industry, Zeiss uses several coatings to ensure that the majority of the light used can reach your eyes, but it is accepted as inevitable that a tiny amount of light can be lost.

The great and most interesting thing about the Victory HT is that the new lenses are able to transmit more than 95 percent of the light captured in a set of binoculars.

There are obvious advantages in these binoculars; there is greater transmittance, especially with the blue violet spectrum, meaning better mesopic vision. It comes with a reduced lensing effect thanks to the higher brightness, giving a better image quality overall.

Feature-Loaded

There are also a number of other exciting features on the Victory HT, including the following:

• T* coatings: With multi-layer Carl Zeiss T* coatings, there is plenty of anti-reflecting coating available for the lenses.
• Fluoride lenses: These also have fluoride ions means to correct colors and improve sharpness.
• LotuTec coating: In addition to the T*, there are Zeiss LotuTec coatings available with hydrophobic qualities. These are applied on the outside of the Victory HT binoculars by Zeiss, ensuring that if you get water on the glass, it will roll down immediately without leaving watery residue. You also won’t get oily fingerprints stuck on your lens.
• Abbe-König-prism System: This set of binoculars has a big Abbe-König prism, which means it can work without an additional mirror. It is actually the best and brightest system currently available.
• Ergonomics: The striking appearance of the Victory HT binoculars are said to help with ergonomics, making them more accessible and easier to use. The lens barrels has a great grip on them, which make them easy to use and feel natural in your hands. It also has a focus wheel that is further forward on the bridge than you might be used to.
• Double-Link-Bridge: This is made of ultra-light magnesium to ensure the Victory HT remains durable but lightweight.

According to Zeiss, the focus mechanism also includes a rather long ratio of gear to help make focusing the lenses precise and fast. In other words, it will take you a few turns of the wheel to start from near focus and end up on longer, farther focus. You’ll get the option for a precise view, but it’ll take you a little longer to swap between the two extreme views.

The 10×42 in particular is a bit heavier than the 8×42 counterpart, though this one is great for view objects at longer distances without losing much on the field of view; it still manages to look great at the bigger zoom without sacrificing anything on quality. If you are in need of premium binoculars and want to have the extra distance advantage, we highly recommend the 10×42.

If you want to see a video overview of this incredible line of high end binoculars, here is an excellent one done by Sportsman’s News:

We here at Optics Den are big fans of Upland Optics products, so we were excited to try out the new high-end binos offered by the brand.

The recently released Venator 10×42 binoculars are significantly more expensive than their bestselling Perception HD, but the increase is well worth it overall.

First, here are the specs:

• 10x optical zoom, 42mm objective lens
• 114m field of view at 1000m
• 15mm eye relief
• Waterproof & fogproof
• Includes carrying case, lens cloth, neck strap, and lens caps
• Dimensions: 5.5″ x 5″ x 2″
• Weight: 1.5 lbs

The Venator offers the highest quality optical clarity through top-of-the-line Extra Low Dispersion Glass. That means exceptional clarity no matter the situation, and it means you can expect an amazing visual experience in every hunt, birding excursion, or other event.

In addition to the ED glass upgrade, the Venator is notable for its high-quality build. Holding them in your hands you can feel the attention to detail and the solid durability of the body. We like the thumb grips and the texture of the rubber on the body — this doesn’t feel like a pair of binos that will go sliding out of your hands when the weather is inclement. Additionally, they feel sturdy, so if they do take a tumble out of your hands or pack, they feel like they’ll hold up. The design is open bridge, which helps reduce overall weight and enables a sleeker design than less-expensive single-hinge binoculars.

Technically speaking, the Venator offers higher light transmission percentage, which means more light is allowed into the binos. This feature means that you’ll find these are excellent in low light conditions. The upgraded glass is a higher technology than most, with advanced proprietary lens coatings for supreme anti-reflection, anti-fog, and other technologies making them an extremely high quality of glass with actual purposes beyond clarity and precision.

Between the high quality glass and the functional, solid design, the Venators are built for extreme weather conditions. These are the kind of binoculars you want on a long hunt in inconsistent and extreme weather.

There’s a lot to love about the Venator, but here are some key things to keep in mind:

• Lifetime warranty: This is huge. Few companies stand behind their binos for a lifetime, but Upland offers this on all their products.
• Incredible optics: The Venators blow plenty of the competition out of the water with their top of the line optical technology
• Superior build: You can take these on any excursion without worrying about whether they can handle the heat, wind, fog, cold, rain…whatever.

It’s worth mentioning price here, as the price is both a plus and a minus. It’s difficult to even talk about the Venator in terms of competition, as there really aren’t many binoculars at this price point, period. It’s tough to know what the price might be if Upland was sold in stores (they keep their prices low by offering their products online only), but it isn’t too far out of line to say this pair could save you several hundred dollars versus competitors with over $1k price tags. Bottom line? The Venators offer you an option for a high end feel at a lower price.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks to discuss as well.

• Price: Though I mentioned this as a plus above, these binoculars are still going to be out of budget for plenty of shoppers.
• Weight: While fairly lightweight, these do still feel a tad heavy.
• Focus wheel tightness: If I’m being nitpicky, I’ll say the focus wheel feels a little tight when adjusting it.

The Upland Optics Venator 10×42 should definitely be on your radar if you are looking for a pair of high-end binoculars. For a high-end pair, the price is pretty stellar, and the construction and optics technology make these a pair to beat. Check them out here to see the current price.