Review on Leica Ultravid Binoculars AquaDura Coating by Taffy Taylor

I ordered these after trying the Swaro EL 8.5X42. I wanted to try both and see which one is "better". In truth, there really isn't anything better, just differences. First, it's a much smaller device to hold, about 1/2 shorter than the EL or 3/4 inch than the new Zeiss SF. I liked it. However, the EL didn't bother me with its size as a deciding factor. - Diopter works great on both but I liked seeing the position on the Leica, again nothing major. - I like the fact that it's 7x, after a lot of research I find it to be one of the best if not the best magnification, with a wider field of view, better depth of field and a larger 6mm exit pupil for faint Light. 8x or 8.5x is good too after trying. With both (8 and 7) side by side I really didn't notice a slight increase in magazine and so other factors heavily influenced my decision to upgrade to 7x.-Glass is great, nothing bad accept. as strong as EL? To be honest I can't say, but EL claims to be famous for their pitch equalizer. The Leica glass is very, very clean and warm. Colors just pop. Works wonders even in low light. I had an old Zeiss Classic 10x40 (great glass) and did a direct comparison at dusk to near night time and the Leica showed a HUGE difference. I looked at the flower pot from about 30 meters away and at Zeiss it was black, the leaves were dirty and everything just faded into the background. With the Leica, the planet still looked brown and the leaves were sharp and clear with more depth of field. Generally very happy with the glass eyecups, better than EL for me. They have VERY positive clicks and don't move. There are no complaints. EL were a bit sloppy (wrong word actually) but were ok. - Build quality - Leica good, Leica. So the build quality is great! They use a magnesium body with a titanium shaft for the focus so it's not vulnerable to climate change which makes the focus move slower in cold weather - very cool! The rubber armor feels very comfortable. Overall, you get the feeling that this is a luxury product. It feels VERY well made. In my opinion the Leica wins over the EL in terms of build quality. The Swaros are excellent too, but their rubber doesn't feel that great to me, and overall I just didn't have the same quality feel. If you look around you will make people think the same thing. The build quality of the Leica<Swar<Zeiss forum is a general consensus and I agree. That's it I think. I suppose it's like comparing it to EL? I hope this helps people a little. Swarm is great too. I can try the NEW EL coming out in October 2015. The glass will be the same, just cosmetic differences, and the armor will change, so maybe that changes my take on that? I am not sure. Any of these beans are way beyond gtg for your average user and, frankly, just splitting hairs. I strongly recommend taking 7x instead of 8x. Go to the topic GW. It's got a lot. Birdforum is a great research tool.