Binocular Review - Leica Noctivid
African Birdlife|Sep/oct 2017

Binocular Review - Leica Noctivid

Peter Ryan
Binocular Review - Leica Noctivid

In 1958, Leica was the first company to introduce roof-prism binoculars with fully internal focusing and unmatched optical excellence. Called Trinovids for the three key innovations they introduced, these binoculars had a compact yet robust design that made them the first choice for any serious field work. NASA even sent a pair to the moon! As a schoolboy in the 1970s, my 8x32 Leicas were my most prized possession. I was gutted when they were stolen, along with my first spotting scope, from my broom cupboard office at university. Since then I have owned several other pairs of Leica binoculars, but none has quite lived up to the elegant simplicity of that first pair.

In the 1990s I was seduced by Swarovski when it introduced the ergonomic open-hinge design and in the 2000s I was dazzled by the compact efficiency of Zeiss’s 10x32 Victory binoculars, which remain my first-choice binoculars 10 years on. But when offered the opportunity to test the newly released Leica Noctivids I was more than keen to do so, because at heart I retain a soft spot for the ‘red dot’ of Leica.

Leica is still selling Ultravid, Duovid and ‘entry-level’ Trinovid binoculars, but since its release in 2016, the Noctivid is the company’s premier binocular range for nature viewing. There are only two models, 8x42 and 10x42, which have identical dimensions and weight.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Sep/oct 2017-Ausgabe von African Birdlife.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Sep/oct 2017-Ausgabe von African Birdlife.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS AFRICAN BIRDLIFEAlle anzeigen
EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
African Birdlife

EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS

Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
footloose IN FYNBOS
African Birdlife

footloose IN FYNBOS

The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
Living forwards
African Birdlife

Living forwards

How photographing birds helps me face adversity

time-read
10 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
CAPE crusade
African Birdlife

CAPE crusade

The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
water & WINGS
African Birdlife

water & WINGS

WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.

time-read
1 min  |
May/June 2024
winter wanderer
African Birdlife

winter wanderer

as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.

time-read
1 min  |
May/June 2024
when perfect isn't enough
African Birdlife

when perfect isn't enough

Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
Southern SIGHTINGS
African Birdlife

Southern SIGHTINGS

The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
flood impact on wetland birds
African Birdlife

flood impact on wetland birds

One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
May/June 2024
a star is born
African Birdlife

a star is born

It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
May/June 2024