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12X50 Ultravid?

Printed From: OpticsTalk by SWFA, Inc.
Category: Other Optics
Forum Name: Binoculars
Forum Description: Anything that requires two eyes to look through it
URL: http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3869
Printed Date: March/28/2024 at 17:00
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Topic: 12X50 Ultravid?
Posted By: Rusty
Subject: 12X50 Ultravid?
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 09:12
Has anyone used this binocular before?  If you have, what are your observations for the view quality.  Is this a pretty good bino for lugging up the mountain and using for elk and mule deer?



Replies:
Posted By: Chris Farris
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 09:55

I've used the 12x50 Leica a lot on management whitetail hunts where only mature eight points can be harvested.  The extra magnification really comes in handy for aging and counting points.  They are great if you hunt from a stand.

 

Mule deer and elk is a different ball game.  The narrow field of view of the 12's make it very difficult to find bedded mulies or elk on a distant hill side.  An 8x42 and a good spotting scope is ideal for mule deer and elk..... a compromise if you don't want to pack both would be a 10x42 binocular.  If someone is hunting with you one can pack an 8x42 and the other can pack the spotter or 12x50 Leica.  Use the 8's to locate and the spotter or 12x50's to confirm that the animal is worth pursuing.  A good spotter has saved me miles of walking and a lot of valuable time.

 

 



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Posted By: Rusty
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 12:37

Chris,

 

Is the Zeiss 10X42 FL as good or better in low light conditions than the Leica 12X50?



Posted By: Chris Farris
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 15:44

42/10 = 4.200 mm exit pupil

 

50/12 = 4.167mm exit pupil

 

Because these two optics have almost the same exit pupil it comes down to glass, coatings and twilight factor.  The Zeiss has the edge in glass and coatings but the Leica has a better twilight performance (also known as twilight factor).  Twilight Performance/Factor is not widely accepted but here is how it works.

 

Twilight Performance - During daylight hours the magnification will be the principal factor in image resolution. At night, when your pupil is dilated, objective size is the controlling factor. In twilight conditions both of these factors affect resolution. The twilight performance compares the binoculars performance under these conditions. A higher twilight performance indicates that the binocular will resolve images better under dim light conditions.

Calculate the twilight performance of a binocular this way:

1) Multiply the magnification by the aperture
2) Find the square root of this product

 

IE:

Leica 12x50

12 x 50 = 600

Square root of 600 = 24.49489742783178

Leica 12x50 has a Twilight Performance of 24.5

 

Zeiss 10x42

10 x 42 = 420

Square root of 420= 20.493901531919196

Zeiss 10x42 has a Twilight Performance of 20.5


It's kind of hard to digest and there are many more factors to consider (like distance and target), but in most cases the Zeiss will present a brighter image with less resolution under twilight conditions.

 

If you had both of these binoculars side by side sitting in a deer stand looking deer 100 yards away here is what would happen.

 

When it is first getting dark you will be able to count the deer with both binoculars but only able to count points with the Leica.  As it starts to get really darker you will not be able to see the deer with the naked eye or the Leica but will be able to see them with the Zeiss enough to count them but you can't tell bucks from does.

 

Because a spotting scope has both extreme magnification and an extreme objective lens it very well in twilight, add in the variable magnification of a spotting scope and you can alter the exit pupil on demand.

 

To really hunt mulies and elk successfully you really need to be using a high quality spotting scope and a 10x42 or 8x42 binocular.



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Posted By: Rusty
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 16:35

Chris,

 

Thanks again for this detailed description.

 

Dean



Posted By: Chris Farris
Date Posted: May/31/2006 at 16:49

I used 10x binoculars and a 16-48x62 spotter to successfully harvest these two mule deer last year.

 

 



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