Hot or Not? Leica Ultravid Edition Binoculars
Limited Edition Leica Ultravid 8x20 and 10x25 BL Binoculars
Leica have introduced two very limited edition (only 750 will be made) compact Ultravid binoculars that come with a very distinctive hand-crafted chestnut-brown trim in natural calfskin with an ostrich-style embossed pattern.
Compact Duel Hinge Design
Compact yes, but it is the duel hinge design is what makes these Leica binoculars really small when folded and so they can easily fit into a shirt or jacket pocket. Meaning that you can take this ultra stylish beauty on safari, a regatta, to a concert, the opera or to the racecourse with minimal fuss, but maximum quality and style.
Main Ultravid BL Specifications
Whilst on the outside they look quite different, the main specifications of these two Leica Ultravid Edition binoculars are the same as the corresponding models in the standard Ultravid range.
This means that not only do they look good, but they are as tough as ever, fully water and fogproof and you still get high end features like the water and dust repellent AquaDura coatings on the aspherical lenses that help keep the image sharp right to the periphery of the view.
Prisms are have phase correction coatings and have dielectric coatings to ensure the highest levels of internal reflection for the brightest and sharpest images possible.
Ultravid 8x20 BCL | Ultravid 10x25 BCL | |
Order No: | 40298 | 40299 |
Magnification | 8x | 10x |
Objective lens diameter | 20 mm | 25 mm |
FOV |
330 ft @ 1000 yards |
273ft @ 1000 yards |
Close Focus | 2.2 m / 7.2ft | 3.2 m / 10.5 ft |
Weight | 240 g / 8.5 oz | 265 g / 9 oz |
Eye Relief | 15mm | 15mm |
Price & Availability
Available from October 2012, Leica will only be making 750 of these Ultravid Edition Binoculars which are available in the UK at a recommended price of £650 for the 8x20 and £690 for the 10x25 model. The can be purchased from any official Leica dealers.
For comparison the standard models cost about £520 ($800) for the 8x20 and £540 ($850) for the 10x25 Ultravid (see links to Eagle Optics and Amazon on the right menu bar to check current prices)
Update November 2012: If you are in or around London, you can visit the Leica Store in Mayfair who now have this very limited edition compact Ultravid available to try. You can also reserve or order a pair by phone 0207 629 1351 or email the store using this address: welcome [at] leicastoremayfair [dot] co [dot] uk