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Leica 10x50 BA vs Ultravid Plus etc

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Bhauer View Drop Down
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    Posted: July/01/2019 at 19:19
Thank you for letting me join the group.  
I have a 10x50 BA pair of Leica’s I bought new decades ago.   Lately I’ve been looking at Leica’s newer models and I am wondering if some of you have an opinion on whether or not there is a noticeable difference between what I have or the Ultravid Plus model and Noctivid to justify the price.   
I use binoculars quite a bit where I live and have an elk hunt coming up in September on our ranch in the Black Hills of SD.  I’m thinking an 8x50 would be good for low light. Or is the 8x42 Noctivid the way to go?   I really like the low light capabilities.  
I’ve been using Leica ever since the early 80’s when I heard a German Professional Hunter in Zimbabwe describe Leica 10x50’s as “MAGIC”.  
Thanks for any help or advice.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sparky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/01/2019 at 20:35
Welcome to the OT Bhauer!!!

Sorry I can not give an answer to your question though.
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Bhauer View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bhauer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/01/2019 at 21:42
Thanks!
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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/02/2019 at 01:54
Newer binoculars are clearly better.  Whether that justifies the price really depends on what you are looking for.

In terms of design philosophy, Noctivid is going to be a sorta like your BA, except with two more decades of improvements and refinements.  I think the 8x42 Noctivid is the best binocular on the market right now, although the difference between comparably configured top end Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski binoculars is really down to personal preference.

Noctivid agrees best with my eyes, but some prefer Zeiss SF or Swaro EL.

ILya
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Bhauer View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bhauer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/02/2019 at 08:35
Thanks Ilya!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/03/2019 at 10:54
Hello Bhauer, and welcome to OT!

As Koshkin said, the newer generation Leicas have slightly better image quality. When compared to the BA series, I believe much of that is due to improvements in prism coatings (silver vs dielectric).

I can't directly answer your question because I've never looked through a Noctivid. However, FWIW I do have a Leica Trinovid BA 8X50 and Ultravid HD 8X32. 

Once I bought the UV HD 8X32, I hardly ever use my other binos because its image quality is so excellent that I'm not left wanting for more performance than what it offers. It's so compact and convenient to carry that I'm amazed by its IQ given how small it is. I decided to use the 8X50 BA for a few days during hunting season last fall, and I was still amazed by its performance for a 20+ year old bino, but it still doesn't quite have the resolution of the newer Ultravid HD.

I've done direct comparisons between the two and was surprised that the little 8X32 UV HD held its own very well with the 8X50 BA in low light performance despite having much smaller objective lenses. The 50mm BA still slightly edged out the 8X32 as would be expected, but I was very surprised that the difference might have been a minute or two of waning light at dusk. The little 8X32 UV HD out-punches its weight class. Again, the newer 8X32 UV HD has better resolution. It's not a quantum leap better; you have to do a side by side comparison and some critical viewing of the same objects to see the difference, but it is better.

I've also compared my 8X32 with the Leica Geovid HD-B 8X42 and 10x42 range-finding binos, and I couldn't say definitively that either was optically superior to the UV HD or vice-versa.

In short, the newer Leicas are indeed superior to the BA series, but as Ilya said, whether or not that difference is significant enough to warrant the hefty price tag is a question only the buyer can answer.
Ted


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Bhauer View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bhauer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/03/2019 at 13:12
This is excellent information! Thank you.  I’m still debating on what to do.    
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