Binos: leica vs zeiss ballistics program

[macfly]

Looking at getting some rangefinding binos and am looking primarily at the geovid hD-b and the Zeiss victory RF models.
Would people who have them comment specifically on what they think of the ballistics programs. Things to be aware of, positives/negatives in actual usage. And any other general comments/comparisons are welcome.
At this price range both are excellent and differences probably minor but all info is welcome.
And if anyone feels like throwing the bushnells in for fun go ahead.

 

[omurnion]

I have had both, the Zeiss are by far better. They range farther, faster, and more accurately. With the Zeiss you can also scan and switch from meters to yards. I had the Leica HD's for 3 months before they quit ranging. It only took a year and one wrong pair of binos shipped to me to get my binos back. I also think that the glass is better in the Zeiss.

 

[macfly]

Can i assume you are talking about the older geovid models? I thought he new one was just getting into people's hands now.
I was under the impression that the new HD-B is a big improvement

 

[omurnion]

Don't know about the HD-B. All I can tell you for sure is the HD's that I had sucked and their customer service is horrible.

 

[macfly]

finally got a chance to check out the leica 8x42 vs the swaro and the zeiss tonight.
The leicas feel really nice in the hand and the image is amazing. When I first looked through them I thought to myself, "this looks almost like an oversharpened digital image." The edge resolution and contrast are amazing and the color is spot on with a depth that is most impressive. The swarovskis looked really good too.
Just for fun I checked out the much larger zeiss 10x56. image was good but not as contrasty and sharp as the leicas (but small difference..maybe 9 to 10- vs 10 for the leica). The 56mm objective was pretty eye opening though. what a huge field! I could sit in front of those all day, almost felt like looking through a window.
would be nice if the leica HD-Bs came in a larger objective too.
anyone else have thoughts on these? obviously there isnt much out on the net about them so any comments are welcome to add to the discussion.
Have a pair of the 10x42 leica's on order but wonder just how they will compare to what I saw in the 8x42


And since it seems to be a quiet night......another question for more experienced feedback:
obviously these are great binoculars but how to choose the 8x42 vs 10x42?
seems for most the main issues would be exit pupil and field of view.
what is nice about these geovids is that they seem to have an abnormally large FOV: 7 degrees- 427ft at 1000yrds for the 8x42 and 6.5 degrees , 374ft at 1000yrds for the 10x42. The zeiss 10x56rf has 330ft at 1000yrd.
so would you go with the 8 or the 10 for your average woodland hunting, not wide open western or mountain hunting? does the large field of view on these make up for the slightly extra power?

 

[macfly]

hey,
just a quick update. Anyone on the fence about these...get off and get some.
These binos are amazing. i got the 8x42 and the image is breathtaking. contrast and color fidelity are some of the best i have seen. watching mirage come off the top of city traffic 30 meters away is a crazy experience. Twilight viewing is impressive with an ultra bright image.
Havent had too much chance to verify the corrections offered by the ballistics program but the range finder works pretty well too. I have ranged out 1700 meters under decent conditions. Would love to hear what other people are thinking about these