Magnification : 10x Front lens diameter : 42mm Exit pupil : 4.2mm Field of view : 110m @ 1000m Near focus : 2.95m (approx.) Dimensions : 141 x 130 x 57mm Weight : 890g Content and images originally posted by Andy Bright
Reviews
Faith's review
This review is based on my 8x42 BNs, rather than the 10x42 BNs, but as it is basically the same instrument, except the magnification, I thought I would post it anyway. My first impression was of the quality feel of the things. They are solidly built without being too heavy. On looking through them, I was confronted by a very bright, clear, sharp image with no colour fringing (something I always look for and try to avoid). Focussing is very smooth and is an absolute joy, compared to other binocular brands I have used in the past. Setting them up, and adjusting them to your own eyes, is easy too. Once they are set up for your eyes, they can be fixed in that setting, but can be easily adjusted for another users eyes. I have only one tiny grumble, and that is for spectacle wearers, when the eyecups are in the down position, there is a slight blacking out of the image, solved by holding the bins away from your glasses a couple of millimetres. I would thoroughly recommend any birder buying a pair of these. They are absolutely superb, very robust and with great optics. The only downside is their price, at an average cost of �679 they are by not inexpensive, but as that reflects their quality, I think that they are by no means overpriced. 10/10.
Pros
- Build quality
- optical performance
- rubber armouring
- waterproof
Cons
- Price!
salty's review
Pros
- quality well made binos that last for ever
- brilliant image. the close focusing ability is fantastic.
Cons
- other half nearly killed me when told how much i paid for them! �699.90 but worth it! good value compared with the "ugly" swarovski 10x42s - nearly 200quid cheaper!
TrackersNZ.com's review
I own and operate three sets of Binoculars: Swarovski SLC WB 10 X 42 Leica Trinivid BN 10X42 Steiner Safari 8 X 30
All are excellent glasses. But Leica & Swarovski definitely a step up in short and mid-range clarity. Interestingly enough, the Steiners out perform both of the others at very long distance. (A big surprise for me.) Comparing the Leica's with the Swarovski the differences in optical performance are so negligible that they hardly rate a mention. I find the Leica diopter setting a little simpler to use and the swarovski have a slightly better ergonomic feel, with shaped thumb indents. Price wise they were very similar. The biggest drawback I've found with Leica is not being able to get any sort of front objective protection. I tend to sling my bino's round my neck, rather than carry in a case. Those front objective lens are very vulerable. Swarovski supplies very good rubber lens covers, as standard accessary at purchase. Both Leica and Swarovski have good eyepiece protection. Both are quite weighty. This problem has been addressed in later models (Ultravid and E.L.) by both manufacturers.
Pros
- High quality optics. Great ergonomics. Easy to focus. Robust rubber coating. Great close up focus.
Cons
- No lens protection on front objective. And hard to find anything to fit. Weight.
booder's review
After I no longer had my Trinovid 10x42 BA�s, I thought I would never be able to afford another pair of Leicas, but I made a decision after two years without them, to sell my astro scope and purchase a pair of the Trinovid 10x42 BN�s.
This as it turned out (apart from not having a scope for star gazing any more) was then best move I have made in the bins ownership stakes. I may be weird or just lucky, but I quite like heavy binoculars, so on the weight side of things I am happy.
Aesthetics
Let me get the trivial bit out of the way� they are still the best looking bins on the market, and this I believe is no accident.
The looks stem from their ergonomic class; the aesthetics are a natural result of the superb tactility. I have heard a few people say that the strap ring on the side of the shafts, dig into their palms while viewing, but I think this is due to not taking advantage of the long focuser wheel, I hold mine about half way down the shaft with my right hand which means I still have my first and second fingers on the wheel, my left hand is snug around the very end of the left shaft. I will not lie, finding the correct position for my hands took a good week to become automatic, but this is because I hate my hands touching each other while viewing� I told you I was weird.
Optics
I have now been given the opportunity to look through both the Swarovski 10x42 EL�s and the Zeiss 10X42 T* FL and I find no discernable difference, apart from they are both uncomfortable to hold and ugly binoculars.
I did at first find the Leicas to be lacking on the long focus, as many others have said, after some time checking and rechecking my Diopter setting I found that if I set the individual eye settings on an object about fifty yards away, the results are not as good as a setting using an object 100 yards away. Now I have them set to perfection, and find that I take my scope out with me less and less. If the setting is not quite right, you may find that they lack depth of field, this is a good indicator that they need to be adjusted.
I do however have two diopter settings, one is for Tuesday to Friday, and the other if from Saturday to Monday� WHY? I hear you ask. HANGOVERS! I reply, for what ever reason, I can not use the usual setting when a little too much grog has been consumed the night before.
The best way to test if there is any aberration in the field of view peripheries; is to use them for star gazing (this is true for all binoculars), if you look at the Pleiades (M45) (this is a good object for this test), it will almost fill your field of view, then move your eyes around the field of view without moving the bins, you will be able to see any aberration, and with the Leicas I can see none. This is best done with the bins on a tripod.
Add to the above the fact there is no tint or colouration these bins are superb.
Extras
At last Leica have supplied a decent strap, and when shortened so the bins lie steady on your chest you hardly notice you are wearing them.
As a spectacle wearer, when I took the rain guard off the eye cups on my old BA�s the eye cups stayed in the down position, but I find with the BN�s they tend to rise from this position, which is a little annoying, especially on the first use each day as the rain guard is tight on, but is just resting on the cups from then on, so it does not happen with such frequency. This is something that Leica could improve on future models, and take on board the new idea of twist up and down cups.
I do not like objective lens covers, and if the BN�s had them; they would be taken off toot sweet! I have never in all the years I have used binoculars ever had any damage to the objective lens, and apart from cupping the end of the bins with a hand when on the road side when a car passes, I find I do not need protection for the objective, and I do not understand the obsession with covers.
Faults
You may now be thinking does he find any faults with the BN�s, well yes, but not that affect the viewing.
The eye cups I have mentioned, but the other is the makeup of the focuser wheel.
I dropped my old BA�s and the top half of the focuser wheel was the only damage. It cracked and I had to tape the whole wheel to stop the top half revolving without the bottom, thus changing the diopter all the time. This has not changed with the BN�s; it is still a thin cheap plastic feeling thing. This also presents another problem. When it is cold and your hands are dry, they tend to slip on the smooth hard plastic, OK they are ridged but without a rubber coating this frustrates, but I have a solution. I bought myself a pair of black washing up gloves, at the price of �0.99p and cut a section out of the little finger (Pinky for the US readers) the length of the focuser wheel and stretched it over the wheel, it has to be the top of the glove finger as you need the rubber to thin out as the space between the wheel and the frame of the bins is very narrow, this has made all the difference to the reaction of the wheel.
Overview
If you are OK with the weight of 890g and want to pay out for a pair of bins for life, these are them. Since I have had them, I feel like I have started birding all over again, what fun.
Pros
- Cracking Optics
- Great Feel
- Bins for Life
Cons
- Weak Focus Wheel
