With the Leica Noctivid, Leica have surpassed my expectations. They are lightweight, wearable and lovely to handle. The incredible optical quality, colour and clarity meant that, at times, I almost forgot they were there. With these binoculars, Leica have managed to create something very close to human vision. The view feels natural and balanced and they are an absolute joy to use. Here is my Leica Noctivid technical review which explains some of the facets of these stunningly versatile binoculars.
Colour, contrast and resolution
The first thing that strikes me about them is the colour. Leicas are renowned for being one of the richest. This just got even better with Noctivid.
“The whole visible spectrum of light is transmitted through the binoculars almost without loss. The colour rendition of the Noctivid binoculars is therefore extraordinarily close to the point of absolute colour neutrality (achromatic point).”
Leica website
This means the blacks are pure black and you can see more colour. Which may seem counterintuitive. But, for example, you might be looking at the black feathers of an ibis, but you’ll be able to see the iridescence set against the deep contrast. Same with the speck of an ant against shaded leaf litter, or the reflections in a dragonfly’s eye.
Reds are quickly lost with cheaper pairs. This is because, to get a rich colour, you have to build lenses that optimise for reds and yellows (saturation) but this compromises greens and blues (vibrance), which are the colours you see in low light. Less optimal optics, therefore, prioritise vibrance and end up with a noticeably greenish image.
The Noctivid is perhaps the first binocular to optimise both ends of the spectrum.
The glow of a sunset on preening waterfowl, for example, is amplified with a good pair – you’re seeing the kind of picture that wildlife films are made of. It’s stunning.
The second thing that strikes you is the clarity. On cheaper pairs you’ll be aware of faint colours around the margins of objects against a bright sky. You can’t unsee that once it’s there. This manifests throughout the image and reduces the contrast between areas of light and shade. With Noctivid, this problem is completely eradicated. You’ll be immediately aware of the amount of incredible detail.
Flat (maximum) field of view
In cheaper pairs of binoculars you may experience ‘barrelling.’ If you sweep the binoculars from side to side, aberrations at the periphery create a lens effect as the edges are distorted. The Noctivid don’t have this. They are flat almost right to the edge. This makes the viewing nice and comfortable on the eyes. As a result, you also have a maximum field of view. This is where it’s helpful to understand the numbers that come with binoculars.
What does 8×42 mean?
I like 8x binoculars. This literally means that the image is magnified eight times. Some people may prefer a 10x pair. The extra magnification can be good for looking at more distant objects but the units are bigger and a bit heavier. You also need to hold them steadier.
I like that the 8x are pocket-sized and I can handle them easily. The clarity is so high that I’ve always found I’m able to enjoy the details I need to see. Also, often, it’s nice to look at things nearby. That’s easier with slightly less magnification, as the field of view is wider.
Just because the subject might be smaller in the centre of the image doesn’t make the view less powerful. You can buy a cheap pair of 12x binoculars with poor lenses and might get the impression of more detail due to the magnification. When you have more redundant space around the subject at 8x, it doesn’t mean you are seeing less. With immense visual clarity comes the chance to see better and more. Your chance of finding the subject is improved, for starters, and if you tremble slightly, it makes no difference.
Field of view is partly determined by the ’42’ number. This refers to the mm diameter of the objective lens (the lens at the front). My old pair were 32s, meaning a narrower field of view.
Exceptional light-gathering and plasticity
Wider also means more light-gathering. But what’s the point in having bigger lenses if the edges are distorted and the image lacks clarity? Neither of these are problems for the Noctivid user The precision engineering, high quality lenses, saturation and vibrance, and impressive-sounding ‘high-temperature plasma process’ to apply anti-reflective coatings, all contribute to a brilliant image.
The other key factor is exit pupil size. When you look at the back of your binoculars you’ll see a circle of light. As long as this is smaller than your eye’s pupil, you’ll see a bright image. The 8×42 pair have an exit pupil dimension of 42 ➗ 8 = 5.25mm. As you get older, your pupil size declines slightly but usually remains larger than 5.25mm in most people, even in low-light.
Leica have introduced me to a term I have not heard before, which is ‘plasticity.’
“Noctivid offers an impressively natural viewing experience, with the stunning image plasticity of the human eye – only much larger.”
Leica website
In other words, all of the fantastic features above, add up to a behaviour that is almost immeasurably similar to what we see without binoculars … only magnified. That’s an impressive statement that bears out in use.
Fast and close-focusing
A key factor that revolutionises user experience is the fast focusing. There are binoculars on the market that are advertised as ‘self-focusing’ or ‘focus-free’ but this is misleading. They are designed mostly for long-distance use. For example, if you’re looking at whales, you can use marine binoculars to see clearly from about 15m to the horizon, without needing to focus at all. But these binoculars don’t close focus. They aren’t that versatile.
With the Noctivid binoculars, hardly any focusing is needed at middle-to-distant range, which makes them very ‘fast’ to use. If anything, the focus is just a fine adjustment for detail. Remarkably some users have reported ‘almost no impulse to change focus.’
Naturally this doesn’t apply if you’re focusing really close up, in which case you’ll need to turn the focus wheel significantly. But close-focus this is another massive benefit of these binoculars.
I use them interchangeably to look at flowers, insects, birds, whales and dolphins. Being about 185cm tall, I can even focus on the ground just in front of my own feet.
Watertight!
Needless to say, the Leica Noctivid are properly watertight to a depth of 5m. Waterproof does not mean the same thing by the way. I very often clean my binoculars by rinsing them off under a tap. In theory, you could use these to watch fish while snorkelling … though I would not recommend it.