Leica geovid r 15x52 compared to swaro and meopta

[Mrindecisive]

I’m looking at getting something to replace my vortex HD fury binos for spotting at PRS matches. I had the opportunity to look through some Swarovski 15x SLC’s, all I can say is wow! I really wish they had a 15x model with a lrf. I just stumbled upon the Leica geovid r 15x w/lrf. These seem to fit my needs. My question is how would these compare optically to the Swarovski slc/el, meopta meostar, Leica geovid pro? Will they be a huge upgrade to the vortex hd fury’s?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The Geovid R is nice and a huge upgrade from Fury's but optically they don't really compare to an SLC and I'd say the Meostart B1 and B1+ edges it a bit too.

For spotting at matches I'd much rather have the SLC's, there's really no need for a LRF anyway and it's just a component that's going to be very unhappy if it gets kicked over on a tripod.

 

[C130]

I just looked at the same binoculars Saturday. The Swarovsk’s may have been a little better, sure they were, but I thought the Leica Geovid R’s were great also. I looked at the Leica Pro’s also but leaning towards 12x -15x. Also trying to figure out if I want a separate rangefinder or combined within the binoculars.

 

[Chesapeake]

I have Meopta 15x56s that I use for spotting at prs matches and hunting. I also have a 10x42 Geovid R for rifle hunting and NRL Hunter matches. I would say the glass is perfectly adequate on the Leica to do what you want. IMO, the only time you will notice the difference in optical quality is in those extreme times where you have heavy mirage/glare/smoke/rain. This is where the best glass really shines compared to lesser glass. The Leica has great glass but no RF bino is as good as a stand-alone binocular from the big three as of yet.

OP, will you be using these strictly for spotting and ranging at matches or do you hunt big game out west?

@redneckbmxer24 does bring up a good point. If you shoot a lot of matches, your binos most likely will take a tumble at some point. Meopta took care of my 15x56s in about 5 weeks total when they got knocked out of collimation. I hear Leica has really stepped up their customer service but I have no firsthand experience as of yet . Most electronics are not warrantied for as long as a stand-alone bino. Something to consider.