You sense rather than see the movement.. Slowly you raise your Ultravids to your eyes, and there it is. Your first Snowy Owl. Picked out in ultra-clear detail. Despite the background of stark white snow, despite the uncertain early-dawn light you can see individual feathers on the bird's head, ruffling in the biting wind. The Ultravids are performing as they always have; flawlessly through tropical downpours, howling gales, in equatorial dust bowls, across frozen tundra. That really is something - your first Snowy!
The robust all-around favourite
They are almost as compact as 32 mm models and nearly as high-aperture as 50 mm binoculars. But the 42 mm Ultravids also impress due to the benefits of the new HD models - Leica AquaDuraTM and new FL lenses.
LEICA ULTRAVID 10 x 42 HD
The most powerful binocular in the 42 mm Ultravid class. The redesigned eyecups allow for a very comfortable positioning of the eye. This becomes very apparent with the improved image steadiness while viewing over great distances.
Even extreme cold cannot keep the robust Ultravids from delivering the ultimate viewing experience : the new focusing mechanism on the Leica Ultravid HD models works with high-performance Teflon disks and almost no lubrication. This ensures constant smooth focusing - even at temperatures as low as -25°, where other binoculars would surely fail.
Fluoride lenses
With the help of new fluoride (FL) glass, in Leica HD models the color fidelity and contrast of images is further improved. Optical FL lenses are to a large part made up of calcium fluoride, a mineral with a crystalline structure. Unlike conventional optical lenses, this creates a very low level of dispersion (light scattering) and corrects aberration (imaging errors) significantly better. So as a result, the viewing experience is more natural and impressive than it has ever been before.
Imitating nature : Leica AquaDuraTM
The models of binocular and spotting scopes with the new HD lenses are now fitted with Leica AquaDuraTM, a "hydrophobic coating" which with its water and dirtrepelling properties, ensures clear visibility even in poor weather conditions. As with the leaves of the lotus plant, droplets of rain simply roll off the lens, and fingerprints and dirt particles are much easier to remove. In addition, thanks to its increased abrasion resistance, Leica AquaDuraTM will protect your valuable lenses from damage even more effectively.
Increased light transmission
As a result of constant development of antireflex coating and reflective layer on the prisms, it has been possible to increase the previously already very high level of transmission on all HD models by at least a further 3 %. Especially in poor lighting conditions such as twilight, image brightness is crucial. If you then optimize the coating, especially for its suitability at nighttime, with conventional lenses this is then only at the expense of color neutrality, which is a drawback for daytime viewing - the image can appear to have a blue tint. If you do it the other way round, the result can be a green tint. The new Leica HD range now reliably combines an optimum degree of image brightness with a constant level of color neutrality.
Excellent image quality - even in awkward light conditions
Stray or false light can significantly reduce the viewing experience. To eliminate this effectively, Leica is taking a great number of steps which, in awkward sidelighting and backlighting situations in particular, ensure a high-resolution, clear image without any reduction in contrast or constraints due to milky fogging. Specially developed software simulation allows stray light to be seen during development stage. Consequently, thanks to an optimized housing shape, improved light-absorbing paint, apertures and stray light traps, the construction of the new HD models have been optimized to such a degree that stray light is (almost) no longer of any significance. Because after all, you cannot select the position of the sun when you are observing nature.
Consistently smooth focusing - whatever the temperature
The mechanics for the Ultravid HD focusing have been further refined. As a result, focusing is even smoother and remains free of play across the entire range. Optimized material pairings and gliding discs made from extremely tough, high-performance plastic are used. In cold conditions, the conventional greased focusing mechanisms sometimes only work with difficulty, and at higher temperatures they move too freely. Furthermore, these focusing mechanisms can feel "sticky", and at higher temperatures there is even the danger that grease can escape and run on the lens. With the optimized Leica focus, these risks have been eliminated.
