Leica Ultra 8X32


 Leica 8x32You may recall the mini review of the new Leica Ultra 8X32s in the August 1993 issue, and you may also recall my initial enthusiasm. Since that time I have done more extensive testing and added untold hours of field experience with the glasses, and I am coming to the somewhat reluctant conclusion that the 8X32s may just be the best all-around birding binoculars currently on the market. The combination of features -- exceptional resolution, contrast, and color fidelity; adequate brightness for almost any field condition; ideal power for holdable detail; a wide, natural field of view; smooth, quick, precise, close, focus; eye relief that places the eye at the optimum point for the easiest, widest view; complete fog and waterproofness; extreme ruggedness; excellent holdability, balance, and weight to bulk ratio; minor, but very well thought out, design innovations; and that indescribable sense of satisfaction that comes from owning and using a no-holds-barred, cost-is-no-object, precession instrument -- make the 8X32 Ultras all but irresistible. They are a joy to own, a joy to use in the field, and, just by being what they are, they add to the already great joy of watching birds. In my mind, that is the highest accolade that any piece metal and glass, and any sample of the opticians craft, can achieve.

So why the reluctance?

Perhaps it is only a matter of unrealistic expectations. I expect the best to be pretty close to perfect, and, while the Leica 8X32s are certainly great birding binoculars, they are not perfect. For one thing they are too expensive -- priced right out of the range of many average, and almost all beginning, birders. Then too, I am not yet convinced that the slight distortion at the edges of the field is necessary in a glass this expensive -- or that, if, as Leica says, the opticians put it there on purpose, it was a good idea. The pop-up eyecups are an excellent idea, one of those well-thought-out design innovations I was talking about above, but the material they are made out of is slightly too hard for total comfort, and, if the sample I had is any indication, not quite durable enough (mine developed cracks). The glasses could, conceivably, be 2-3 ounces lighter without sacrificing durability. I would like to see the effect of using multi-coating on all glass surfaces (the outer elements are MgFl single coated for "durability"). Okay, I know, picky, picky! But then, if they were not already so good, I wouldn't be tempted to pick at them.

Binoculars choice is, of course, an intensely personal decision and, despite all our attempts at science, still a very subjective one. Given that, I am ready to say, that unless your birding style, habits, or needs are considerably out of the ordinary, the Leica 8X32 Ultras will satisfy you for years to come. They are, simply, the best all-around birding binoculars that I have yet had the privilege to use. They are so good that I am creating a new category in the Reference Set for them: Best Overall!

Now, who among the binoculars makers, is going to try to take that title away from them?