Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leica Ultravid hd 8x32

Look at buying a set of these seeing Doug has a good sale on them. Want to know what people think of them. Looking for a good set of 8x32 for woods hunting mostly deer and elk. Also those that have what are your pro's and con's.

Superb optics. Schit warranty and customer service.

Don't have those but the 10x40 so may not apply but I have been very pleased with them. My only complaint is that dust gets trapped in the eye cups but once I got over being reluctant to run them under a faucet this has become only a minor concern. The 8x30s feel good in the hand and should serve you well.

Some will tell you xyz brands are better and they may be but my eyes aren't good enough to discern any huge differences. There will some differences in color transmission, edge clarity, donut effect (roving ball) and others but for me these are certainly good enough.

I wish I had gotten them sooner rather than going through multiple others that ended up collectively costing more than the Leica's.

I have three Leica scopes, a Leica 60mm pre-APO spotter, a Leica Rangefinder and the Leica 10x42 Ultravid HD's. They are absolutely my favorite glass, hands down.

I did have to send a scope in for a repair. It took 2 weeks and no charge on shipping. No complaints from me here.

I got a pair of the 8X32 HD+ when they first came out about a year ago. I used them a while, but didn't think they were as good as I had hoped. I couldn't even get $1750.00 out of them after months of trying to sell them.

I won't argue that Leica has good optics, but be ready to take a beating when you want to trade up or off. There must be a reason you can always find Leica cheaper than Zeiss or Swarovski.

Superb optics. . .Correct
Schit Warranty. . . BS

For the ORIGIONAL owner, three year Passport warranty (covers everything) lifetime for after that for defects. The warranty is not transferrable, not a problem if buying new.
I don't work for them, I just own 4 scopes, 4 binoculars and 1 camera.

Compare that to the Swaro warranty. CS is also SCHIT. BT/DT.

The glass and ergonomics are absolutely superb. For the money, though, you get more with Swaro than you do with Leica because of the warranty and customer service.

Agree 100% In this arena Swaro and Leica shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. I NEVER saw Leica stuff come into our camps, except for the very occasional Geovid.

I have the 8x32HD and they are incredible. I don't know about warranty issues, but the Leica glass is premium. These replaced my Swarovski SLCs, and they are certainly a few steps ahead in technology (and age). I also have new Leica 8x20 and they are much better than the previous generation Swarovski 8x20 and 10x25. Again that is apples to oranges because the Swarovski are the last generation.
Because Leica has a bad rep on warranty, I would probably give heavy consideration to Swarovski. I never had problems with either brand, and I guess my glass is 50% of both brands. I was going to trade my Meopta Pros that I keep in the truck in on a set of alpha, and I was thinkin ELs. I'll decide when I am at the dealer because they have a nice outdoor viewing porch. Usually current generation stuff is a close tie under my observation.

I'd buy them and not be concerned. I've been hunting the last 5 years or so with a 10x42 Ultravid HD with complete satisfaction.

I just got back from doing some last light viewing with a pair of new 8x32 Swarovisions and they were superb as well. I bought them instead of Leica's simply because I bumped into them first but I would just have gladly bought the Leica's...

Thanks guys! I have a set of Minox 8x33 now there around 10 years old and beat up pretty good looking to upgrade from these.

Also looking at the Swarovski 8x32 EL anyone know who has the best price on these?

I've had a variety of 8x30 glass over the last 30 years, including Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leica. Glass at this level is a matter of grading diamonds.

There's no doubt that Swarovski has better customer service than Leica, but the thing about Leica is, because of build quality, you'll likely never need it. Not so with Swarovski.

I currently have the 8x32 HD... wouldn't trade them for Swarovski or Zeiss, as good as they are.

If you are looking at a new 8x32 binocular, the Swarovski
8x32 SV is the best one now available.

I have this one, and have several others that compare.

Leica has some good glass, but they will not compare to
the Swaro., the flat field view of the 8x32, the brightness, and the rest are better.

The Leica is on sale, and so there is a reason why... They are slow movers.

The Swaro. warranty is another good reason why.

Lol, "best?"

Give me a break. Their "flat field" is visually difficult for many with it's rolling field of view, me included, and they're not nearly as robust. Good thing you've got a good warranty.

+1 about to say the same

The Leica does not compare optically, and the rolling
ball thing only affects 2% of the population.

I can tell some of you have no experience. The Zeiss
SF is a better bet in the 42mm size. I don't play
favorites.

Anyone that uses the term "best" when it comes to optics or anything else is not worth listening to. Everything is a compromise weighted in one direction or another. I prefer Leica's optical compromise to Swarovski's, but I don't have the ignorance to call it "best."

Brad:

I'm happy for you.

The OP was looking for advice, and I don't think Leica is it.
There are better options, and we have not even started talking much about Zeiss.

Check Natchez. They usually have some demos that you can't tell from new. Full lifetime transferable warranty applies.

CLNY has a like new demo Leica 8x42 ULTRAVID HD Plus for $1499. The 42mm is super compact in this particular line. I've had it in my mind that where the ULTRAVID HD Plus series is concerned the 42mm is the way to go.

Just a note: Folks have reported the new Swarovski EL 8x32 is hampered by excessive field flattening. This can contribute to rolling ball effect for those, like me, who are susceptible. Further, I find a super flat field straining over extended periods when scanning and searching for game.