Great Product! Well worth the Price.

Author's Rating:

Pros: High quality lens, fully multi-coated, and Lightweight

Cons: Close focus (10ft), Rainguard (design could be improved slightly)

The Bottom Line: 
For $1100-$1300 you will not find a better pair of binoculars. Even if you spent $300 more, you still would not find a better pair.

Author's Review
I have been an avid birder for about 8 years. Recently I decided to buy a new pair of binoculars. During my search I left no stone unturned. I examined every brand and model possible that was over $1000. Ultimately, the pair that I purchased were The Leica Ultravid 8x42 binoculars.

The first reason I purchased these binoculars is because of the quality of the lenses. The roof prism design and fully multi-coated lenses allow plenty of light through. To my eye, the Ultravids allow more light through than any previous model of Leica's. Not only that, no other binocular that I reviewed were vastly superior to the Ultravids lens quality. The only pair I found slightly better (and I do mean by the slightest of margins) were the Swarovski EL (8.5 x 42). Those let a little more light through, but not $300 more worth (the EL's average about $300 more than the Ultravid). The only concern that I had with the lenses was the near focus is 10ft. Several models that I looked at had as low as 7ft. However, this was not a make or break for me.

The second reason I chose the Lecia Ultravids is because of body construction. Hands down, these are the superior model to all binoculars.

First of all, the rubber coating is far more comfortable to hold in the hand than a metal or plastic body. The rubber coating is also more durable. It provides better resistance to shock/drops and scratches. Secondly, the ergonomic design of these binoculars is excellent. Of course this is subjective, but the second I put these binoculars in my hands, I liked the overall "feel". The center focus knob is in perfect location. It also doesn't take 10 turns to get a bird/object in focus. Thirdly, the aluminum construction of these binoculars makes them very light compared to other roof prism models. Finally, the body is nitrogen purged and is waterproof to 5m. I am not going swimming anytime soon with my binoculars, but I do bird in the rain and in foggy conditions. The only design area that I may not agree with is the rain guard. The rainguard is made of a high quality rubber, but its not easy to get it on and off the lenses. I have not "missed" a bird because of this, but I do wish they were a little easier to remove.

The final reason for choosing these binoculars is the warranty. Leica has a lifetime, "no questions asked" warranty. If you were to drop kick your binoculars (please don't) and break them, you could just send them back to Leica and they will repair OR replace them free of charge. In fact, after using my binoculars for about a month I broke one of my bottom lens covers. I emailed Leica and 1 week later I had a pair of replacement lens covers in my mailbox. The customer service group at Leica were very responsive.

Overall, you can't go wrong with these binoculars. They are light, durable, ergonomic, and have high quality lenses. Three of my friends have switched to this model binocular (one from Leica Trinovid, one from Zeiss, one from Swarovski SLCs). The price is high ($1200), but I don't think you'll find a better model in this price range.