Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Upgrade a 1985 Leitz Trinovid 10x40B

Question for the optics gurus. I have a Leitz Trinovid 10x40b that I purchased in about 1985. At the time, it was considered top tier, but of course a lot has changed in the last 35 years. I still use these binoculars and they still work pretty well for me, but I wonder what I'm missing out on in terms of currently available optics. I like the Leitz for their ergonomics, they're not too bulky or heavy, they're solidly built, and the glass quality itself is still pretty decent. They have been back to Leica once a few years back for new eye cups and general refurbishment. My question is, how much would I have to spend to get a binocular that significantly out performs my old Trinovids? I hear good things about Tract, and I was really tempted to buy the Vortex Razors that Cabela's had on sale for Black Friday. I would just like to know what is out there that is reasonably priced and will work as well or better than the old Trinovids I've been using.

I'm no guru, but I have an attachment to a pair of old Zeiss Classics which is similar in quality to Trinovids.

I don't think you can buy a "reasonably priced" new binocular that can beat it. You'll probably have to spend more than $800+ to get into the quality of Meostar or Zeiss Conquest HD.

If you wait until after hunting season you may luck out finding a more recent model of used Swaro, Leica, Zeiss.
Good Luck

Thank you StrayDog. With all the advancements in glass, coatings, etc I was hoping the price point for similar quality to the old Trinovids was coming down. I don't regret buying top tier glass in the first place, after all, amortized out over all these years my Trinovids have been a bargain - I'm not against paying $800 or more, I'm just curious where that price point is where the quality and the price reach a happy medium.

I recently bought the German Precision Optics (GPO) 10 x 42 HD's binoculars from Doug at cameraland during the black Friday sale. You will get many opinions on what to buy here, but these binoculars are fantastic. I have the meopta meo stars 10 x 42 hd and the Swarovski SLC 10 x 42 and these are every bit as good if not better. JMO

Good luck in your search.

I have the newer Leica Trinovid HD 8x42 and have been extremely pleased. I’ll probably not buy another binocular unless these meet with a tragic hunting accident.

The good thing about buying great optics, they will last your lifetime if you take care of them. My 8x Leica will probably still be going long after I’m dead.

I appreciate the recommendation. I am leaning toward GPO or Tract. There is a pretty big price gap between those two and the Alpha level of Swarovski, Leica, or Zeiss, with not nearly as large a gap in performance. I just don't think I have enough hunting seasons left in me to justify that much higher price point, but if I had 20 years or more ahead of me I might choose differently.