Alpha Binoculars
(High Quality Binos)
Leica HD (10x50)
Swarovski El (8.5x42)
Zeiss Victory II (12x56)
Updated 16th 22nd Oct
9th Nov 2009
My Bino Tips Page
Introduction :
These are top class binocular instruments. These are my Alpha Binos; each a work
of precision engineering. Each one performs miracles in its own
right. They are all 3 in the heavy weight department for handheld binoculars. Swarovski's are the lightest at 820g and great for birding, I hear.... the other
two are definitely more specific for low light or Astronomy. They are all so different enough from each other in design, weight and
characteristics that they compliment each other rather than compete. For
everyday general use I would select the Swarovski because they are lighter and
offer great handheld views, but for Astronomy the Zeiss show up a lot more Stars
(indeed the Pleiades look dull in the Swarovski binoculars after viewing with the
Zeiss!). The Zeiss are actually fine handheld ; not a completely still image but
a useful, informative and impressive one. The specifications of the Zeiss are
quite high and they do not forgive in terms of optical performance. They do have
excellent light transmission as I will describe further on. Leica are good all
rounders. In fact he Leica HDs are
somewhere in the middle in terms of power, performance and weight. They are not
perfect, but for me they are just right and very pleasing to use! On the subject of handheld, I would
suggest all binoculars are better off tripod mounted. Low power such as 7x or
8.5x are the best models to hand hold for steadiness. In Astronomy,
there's nothing more practical and useful than peering outside for 10 minutes
scanning the sky with binoculars before deciding if conditions warrant setting up a
scope. Mainly for this reason, binoculars are my most used and most useful tool in
Astronomy. When I go away for a holiday I cannot take my telescope with me...
but a binocular is always easy to pack. Binos give a view exactly half way
between a naked eye view and a view through a moderate telescope.
Above : Leica HD 10x50
(note not all Bino pictures are to scale)
Leica Ultravid HD 10x50 :
These Ultravid HD binos (order number 40 296) were introduced in October 2007. Mid weight (1000 grams)
they lie half way between the Swarovski and Zeiss. My first impression was great
colours... great saturation and warmth of colours. I got Albireo and its double
separated... with great colour contrast; here is striking proof that stars have
different colours.... best out of the 3. However, optical
limitations include obvious curvature of field and obvious pinch cushion
distortion. I checked my Swarovski binos for the same kind of distortion... and
surely enough there's less of it, but it's there. (A straight line will curve towards the bottom of the
field of view.) The "sweet spot" along the line of sight (LOS) or narrow optical
axis is sharp, and colour (green and purple fringing) very
contained on axis. Perhaps I had tested my new 10x50s too briefly in the shop,
and somehow it seemed impossible, but I wasn't totally happy with them when I
got home... a feeling of eye strain, perhaps?
Clifton Cameras in
Dursley, were great though ; I explained the uncertainty I had and they gave me a second
chance to compare them with another pair that they had sent from Leica in
Milton Keynes. In fact,
exactly one week later, after a 1 hour comparison I chose the second pair, because I felt there was a
very slight degree of eye strain in the first pair... perhaps eye strain is too
strong a word, at any rate the second binocular gave a more relaxing and
immediate comforting picture... When buying binoculars I highly recommend
testing 2, 3 or more identical models out. The Swarovski I chose, for example,
was the best 1 out of 3. Daytime tests are best... no real need for a star test
(though if you are allowed to do this so much the better.) I tested the
collimation, and viewing at closest focus, where there is usually highest eye
strain involved. Some tests are subjective... I think it's possible there is
such a thing as matching an individual binocular to its user. I would have
accepted the first pair, but I snap the images from both barrels together
without effort in the second pair of Leicas. Let me say straight away that
defects occur off axis... and certainly 50% out from centre to the edge of the
filed of view, the image has degraded significantly, especially in sharpness. The second pair seemed to
show these defects more strongly than the first pair... but I still felt on axis
performance of the second pair was higher. The first pair had better off axis
performance... they were certainly not identical. Apparent field of view is
meant to be the best with these binos.... on paper, it's 67 deg. compared to 62
of the other two binoculars. I can't say I notice that in practice... at a
glance the Swarovski seem to have the widest apparent field. Anyway the Leica
binos are classed as wide field of view. The Leicas are not dim, but they are
the least bright binocular of the 3. Astronomy is very stringent
test of optics ;
star colours in particular stand out and contrast beautifully.. You do get Coma
and other distortions with stars (almost all binoculars do because the optics
are not as well collimated as telescope optics.) Also, the astigmatism comes
"natively" from the defects in my own eyes.... still I prefer using binoculars without
wearing my glasses. Bright stars spike twice in the 5 and 7 o'clock position
without glasses but not with glasses. In comparison, with glasses there is very
little spiking if any to 1 and 11 o'clock positions. My astigmatism does not
compromise the view on dimmer stars, and quite frankly I can tolerate it on the
few brightest stars without wearing glasses. Focus can compensate for my short sightedness, and though
all 3 binos have enough eye relief for glass wearers, I feel better without
them. Leica support and service is very good; Leica Passport covers you for 1 year accidental
damage at no extra cost. You can also change ownership during this first year
without losing these benefits. Leica recently had a cash back offer of £220
going on their Binoculars.. so on the last day before the cash back closing date
offer I took the plunge
and bought a pair. The Passport arrived less than a week after sending my form
in; the cash (in the form of a cheque) arrived a couple of days after that.
Swarovski ELs 8.5x42 :
These are jewels ; light (820 grams.) , handy super wide field of view
(apparent=62 deg.) make most other binos look like you are viewing through a
barrel. You see 7.4 deg. of sky which is a nice big chunk and allows you to see
large parts of a constellation in the same view. You can hold these with one
hand because of their super ergonomic design and they are practical great all
round binos. It feels so secure to be able to wrap your fingers pretty much
right around each barrel. Thus these binos are very nice to hold... excellent
design. I bought these from Ace
Cameras in Bath. They let me try 3 pairs (one at a time) at home, so I could
do Star Tests... great flexibility there... and I did find differences in all 3
units. I chose the ones with the most relaxing view, and neatest star pinpoint.
Day viewing is very sophisticated, low Chromatic aberration and bright, crisp views to the edge with natural colours. The focus knob requires a large amount of turning for a small change of focus (later ELs have shorter focus times) - this is not a problem especially in Astronomy. Maybe it's a good thing in order to achieve fine focus. These binos are rated very highly worldwide, and I would certainly add my positive impressions to those already published on the net. The lens caps are nicely designed and Swarovski have a wonderful reputation for their after sales service and warranty. Star Comas are neater and more regular than with the Zeiss, though when I bought these binos, I did Star tests on 3 pairs in all to find the best one. All in all, this is a stunning binocular to own. Colours are not the best; everything through these binos appears a little yellow and the saturation muted. Cold colours do not have that chilly hue. Hand holding these binos is superb... it's really nice to be able to wrap your hand around those barrels; stability is great and the binos feel nice and light. The eyecups turn outwards really smoothly, but the objective caps have become annoyingly loose with time. Pinch cushion distortion is only just noticeable, but less so than the Leicas. So is off axis sharpness a little disappointing... (again, less disappointing than the Leicas though)... just make sure you are viewing through the centre on axis.
Zeiss Victory II 12x56 :
This is a mammoth handheld binocular ; quite heavy (1300 grams.), but manageable for periods
(you can rest your arms every 5 minutes so they don't drop off). I bought these
after the Swaros from
LCE Bath. They
were a special order... but Zeiss sent 10x56s by mistake.. they rectified the
problem within 24 hours and the courier delivered 12x56 the next day so I could
have them in time before going away. I seem to buy Binos in October after the
Summer ! Anyway, the Zeiss have the same apparent
field of view as the Swarovski binoculars, but only show 5.3 deg. of sky ; You can
just about get Castor & Pollux in the same view. The daytime views with 10x56
Victories had too much chromatic aberration for my taste but these 12x56s I
think offer
a calmer view - more balanced and not too rich. However... for Astronomy stars
really do shine brightly through the Zeiss. Rich and brilliant Pleiades shine
out all sparkly. The optics in this binocular are not void of defects, but they are very
pure. Light transmission is superb, i.e. very high and it's hard not to keep
having a look through this binocular.
Star colours jump out ; detail and star count is impressive, and it's often possible to extract a lot of detail from the views you get before your arms tire and you need to put it down. The Zeiss Binofix adapter is a bit cumbersome to fix on, and you have to order Objective Eye Cups as an extra, but Zeiss give you a better leather pouch which allows the strap to be kept in use unlike the Swarovski supplied case. Performance wise, Star comas are not particularly good (in fact Stars are not pinpoint at all ; the Swarovski do a little better even if their magnification is less) - but this is an area where no general binocular does well. On the whole I would say that for Astronomy this Zeiss excels.
Astronomy :
I will post some drawings and sketches using all 3 binoculars. The views are quite
different. One may appreciate that the extra power of the 12x Zeiss comes with a
weight price. They are a lot bulkier to handle ; you need 2 hands and plenty of
technique and experience to deal with these. However, I do successfully use them
handheld.... just not for too long at a time. In just 20 minutes, which was all
the clear sky I could get tonight before the clouds rolled in, I saw a wealth of
extra detail and new objects : M27 The Dumbell Nebula, close to Sagitta. The the
Andromeda galaxy revealed more of a spiral shape than ever before, especially
using averted vision... M31 is probably best in the Leica. Then Open Cluster M34 in Perseus looked great, as did the
3 Open Clusters in Auriga. Next the Pinwheel Galaxy M33 in Triangulum was easily
located - not an easy object because the Apparent Magnitude is spread out over
such a large area. I'll put in a drawing of Alcyone, a multiple star system in
the Pleiades ; I could see the following 4 stars :
Mintaka or Delta Orionis Nov 9th 2009 observation report: This is a tailor made binocular double star at just less than a minute separation. It's the right star in Orion's belt. It's mag. 2 and the companion is mag. 6. The Swarovski's couldn't find the companion, but the Leica HDs could... after careful patient viewing the much dimmer companion does show up. (see Harrington "Touring the Universe through Binoculars" p.191).
I would add that the quality of the above 3 binos is excellent. The views they give are superb - using both eyes is a real treat and a natural, more relaxed way of observing. The Zeiss feel great and are fine handheld for limited amounts of time. Holding the ends of the barrels, and lying on a deck chair and also the weight of the Zeiss all seem to help in keeping them steady. They are warm to touch (helps keep your hand warm). You can check their site to look up the Coatings they use : B T*P*. All 3 binoculars obviously have superb coatings and are full of expensive lenses and prisms that weigh a ton. You'll find most Astronomy books recommending Porro prism models over Roof Prism models, but the light transmission of these binoculars is first class (especially the Zeiss which use long Abbe-Konig prisms). Lastly, I would point out that in Binoculars you get what you pay for quality wise. Top class binoculars such as these rarely disappoint, and should last a lifetime.
My ratings :
-
Swarovski EL 9/10 ;
Very Easy to hold and very easy going view
excellent bright and crispy picture
big and wide apparent field
pity that colours are a little tame & unsaturated. -
Zeiss Victory 8/10 ;
Heavy to hold but very bright and sparkly
excellent light transmission
vibrant purity of colours
a very striking image
fringing very evident; mostly it's off axis -
Leica Ultravid 7/10 ;
warm lush saturated colours
on-axis sharpness is good with vivid contrast
off-axis sharpness declines a little too quickly
minimal to no on-axis fringing
Favourites at the moment : My New Leica HDs !