Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular USA

Comments about Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular:

Lightweight, compact and great optics

Comments about Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular:

If you don't plan on needing binoculars for low light situations, this is an excellent product. I purchased these binoculars after comparing with much more expensive full size models from Leica and Swarovski. In full light these offer virtually identical image quality (which is simply gorgeous, stunning), while being cheaper, smaller and more light weight to boot. They fold up very compactly so I never think twice about taking them with me, wherever I go. They have a very solid build and I believe come with Leica's lifetime warranty. I don't think I'll ever need another pair of binoculars.

Cons: the only drawback I see for these binocs is the somewhat tight tolerances you need to have in lining them up with your eyes when wearing glasses. If not centered perfectly to your eye there may be a slight vignetting of the image, note this is not a problem if you don't wear glasses.

Comments about Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular:

I owe Swarovski 10x42 EL's and they are great but hard to take when traveling. The Leeica 8x20 are prefect and the image quality is superb. I take them on all my trips and use them at my ranch when cruising around.

Comments about Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular:

I bought mine as a graduation present in 1984. As I recall, they were just [$]at a local high end camera store. I have taken them around the world an uncountable number of times. They have been on (not in) the water, and in the Himalayas. They go on road trips. They are as sharp now as the day I bought them (to go to a Moody Blues concert that eve). Their compact size demands that they 'come with' I even like them better than the Steiner's that I used to own (which were stolen as they were too bulky to follow with me that day). Before buying a pair of GOOD binoculars, go and buy a really cheap pair--and learn to appreciate the headaches and eye fatigue that the Leitz leave behind!The only complaint that I have is that the diopter adjustment ought to be lockable.

Comments about Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid Binocular:

I bought these two years ago when I had a job sellingbinoculars. Even today I am still amazed that I own thesethings, they are simply phenomenal. At the time we soldthree brands of premium binoculars: Swift, Leica andSwarovski, all I must say make excellent products. Prior tomy experience at the store, all I had ever used was cheapsub $50-100 binos my dad or uncle had lying around, nothinggood at all. Yet as an avid photographer I have a keensense of image quality. Let me say that I was first majorlyimpressed by these things because under normal daylightviewing the 8x20 trinovids rivaled Swarvski's best offering,the massively expensive EL series as well as Leica's bestfull size offerings. It is important to point out that likeall compact binoculars, the performance suffers under lowlight, but if you only plan on using during the day, saveyourself $1200 and buy these. The clarity, sharpness andcontrast of the trinovids are on par with what I expect frommy Canon L glass. Next I'd like to point out why I chose these over swarovskiand swift's compact offerings, which also rivaled in imagequality. Basically it came down to three things, price,compactness and build quality. Swarovski's offerings againwere exceptional, but were also expensive and much morebulky than the leicas. The leica's double hinge designallows these to fold up outrageously small, making thesethings very easy to pocket. There is never any resistanceto take these due to their size or bulk, they always make itin my bag. Swift also had some pretty good offerings, butoverall I felt lacked the a bit of build quality, they werebulky and not quite as good in the image quality department,but cheaper nonetheless. The limited 5yr warranty was alsoa bit of a drawback, with the leicas I will not need to buyanother pair of compact binos EVER again, its guaranteed. Lastly I wanted to just talk about a few specific modelsthat I see as competitors for the leicas:Swarovski 8x32 EL: I got to try these things when theswarovski sales rep visited the store and was blown away. These are THE ultimate binoculars, imo best binoculars evercreated. Bigger than the leica 8x20s these felt almostlighter than them due to the superb ergonomics and the useof lightweight magnesium alloy. If you have money to waste,get these and you will not be disappointed. I however amhappy with my cheap leicas that cost 1/3rd to 1/4th of theprice.Canon 8x25 IS: Let me say I never got a chance to sellthese, and friend bought them, but they have been a greatjoy to borrow from time to time. First off the image andparticularly the build quality is nowhere near the leicas. Nonetheless these things are still marvels for the pricepoint. The image quality is very acceptable and still inthe lower range of high end, but the image stabilizationjust makes these a pleasure to use. When I go out on myboat I often will convince my friend to swap my leicas forhis canons, the image stabilizations makes a profounddifference in rocky waves. The only thing that disappointsme about these is the shoddy plastic build, which seems verycheap. For the price they're more than a good bargain, itjust disappoints me.

Problems Encountered: Having tried to sell these to many, often dimwittedcustomers who couldn't see the difference between aswarovski and a $10 pair of Bushnell's, I will say one thingmay be a bit difficult to first get down. That is thepositioning of these binos to in reference to your eyes canbe a bit difficult. The field of view of these things isexcellent, but the amount of tolerance in adjusting thedouble hinge so that they fit up exactly to your eye with novignetting is a bit tight. Find the correct spacing thoughand you're set.