Thread: Leica Geovid HD-B vs Swarovski EL Rangefinding Binoculars

Crazy why would they not use the same glass you have to wonder ? I have a pair of Leica Geovids ( 10 yrs old now ) they have served me well and up to about a year ago the picture was mint , I now need glasses to read and I just cant get the focus perfect like I used to .
I need to have a look through some other brands and having a TBR on them would be nice , but really need to field test the dam things , not look down the street .

The rangefinding binos are too bulky/heavy imo. And they'll be obsolete soon enough, when the next piece of whizz bang technology comes out. I've only owned/used the Leicas and Swaros, but according to reviews, the new Zeiss are at the front of the pack - both in terms of ergonomics and optical quality.

I think an ordinary pair of high quality binos give you more: both in terms of image quality and peace of mind that they won't be superseded by something 'better' in a few years.

It's a big 360 for me, because I've been down the RF bino path several times, and it just wasn't worth it.

It always seems to happen. You splurge a great deal of cash on the most sophisticated gear, then you take it into the field and deer start popping up at 50m haha. The animals are the way they've always been - we're the ones complicating the game. For some of us, that's part of the fun, I suppose.

Leica swaro and zeiss’s top tier non rangefinding Binos all have slightly better glass, something to do with integrating the rangefinder and electronics and the coatings required to send the laser. If that subjective 5% better glass is an issue, then go for the stand alone Binos. I’ve had both ,Far more convenient to have rf Binos than carrying a rangy and Binos for me, I find the tiny light rangefinders a lot harder to hold steady and generally have a shittier darker image, as well as being another thing to lose. Each to their own though

I am pretty confident the glass quality of rangefinding Geovids and ELs will blow my mind compared to what I currently use so that does not worry me. Kit will forever be upgrading for as long as I live so If I am gonna let that stop me from buying the latest thing then I will never get anything will I haha. I was sold on getting some Swaro's but the more I look into the Geovids the more they seem to be ahead of the game at this time. Zeiss look pretty good too but yeah another step on the dollars game. Cheers for the inputs thus far.

Originally Posted by stagstalker

I am pretty confident the glass quality of rangefinding Geovids and ELs will blow my mind compared to what I currently use so that does not worry me. Kit will forever be upgrading for as long as I live so If I am gonna let that stop me from buying the latest thing then I will never get anything will I haha. I was sold on getting some Swaro's but the more I look into the Geovids the more they seem to be ahead of the game at this time. Zeiss look pretty good too but yeah another step on the dollars game. Cheers for the inputs thus far.

leicas have real nice glass. my personel opinion. They are heavy though.

Yeah I was worried about how they look heavier. After comparing the weight of running two individual units though the combined weight difference seems almost non existent. + or - 50grams or so.

Yes weight in both the EL and HD-B - but - holding a heavy bino has advantage of less shake and can hold steady as a rock on object at distance

Originally Posted by ARdave

Leica swaro and zeiss’s top tier non rangefinding Binos all have slightly better glass, something to do with integrating the rangefinder and electronics and the coatings required to send the laser. If that subjective 5% better glass is an issue, then go for the stand alone Binos. I’ve had both ,Far more convenient to have rf Binos than carrying a rangy and Binos for me, I find the tiny light rangefinders a lot harder to hold steady and generally have a shittier darker image, as well as being another thing to lose. Each to their own though

The EL Range has less interference than most due to the rangefinder electronics being housed in the two humps under the main barrels. Downside to that is the two humps.

The best combo I had was the EL 8x32 and a separate Leica rangefinder but my eyes were giving me trouble at the time. I find the smaller size of 8x30/32 binos are less intrusive and they're also useful to just glass with. Each to their own though, as you say.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Go and use a normal pair of ELs for a while and then go use a pair of EL range... the normal ELs are noticeably better than their range finding counterpart. They're still good binos but if I was forking out the money for them I would be a little pissed to discover what they gain by including a rangefinder is lost in quality of the glass.

Couldn't tell the difference between them apart from the flat field of view and that was after some very expensive eye surgery and nor could two other people. That was with the latest EL Range which may or may not of had a slight tweak to the optics.

I currently used a pair of el 8.5x42 and a Leica rangefinder with ballistic program.(2000 b or 2400b, I don't remember)
And thinking the same, going down to a pair if 8x32 Swarovski and keeping the rangefinder.
Cutting down the weight