Leica Spotting Scope

[Elk2008]

Hi all. Was wondering if anyone had any feedback or time behind the Leica 82 spotter. Haven’t looked through one but was considering it over the Swaro stx but can’t find much information on the Leica. Any of you have the Leica or looked through the 82? Thanks

 

[gr8fuldoug]

You might also check out the Meopta Meostar 20-70x82 S2 we have on special for only $1,799.99

 

[jacknifejc]

The Leica is good, but I don’t think it’s better than the Swarovski.

 

[Hemmert6187]

How is the weight on the Meostar comparable to other spotters in its class? That’s a really good price


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[rickjames80]

I have never seen the Leica, but I thought the S2 was better than the ATM/ATS Swarovski side by side

 

[Brian Fahs]

Dont overlook kowa 880 series.

I own leica and swaro scopes.

Kowa sees the most use.

 

[TBossHSauce]

I run the 82 and love it. Phenomenal glass and clarity is amazing. All are good glasses and you can't go wrong with any but I do love my Leicas

 

[fatrascal]

Years ago when I was choosing between the Swarovski and Leica spotter I found that the Swarovski had a slight greenish tint or view kinda as if you were looking through sun glasses, and the Leica had more of a white or clear view as if looking through non sun glasses but plain glasses. After spending time behind the Swaro's you did not notice the greenish view. I found optical quality to be equal. I ended up going with Swarovski because the Swarovski company seemed to have many more accessories as well as after market companies supporting Swarovski with accessories. I like to digiscope so accessories are important to me. That was 15 years ago and I've gone through a couple of spotting scope upgrades since then. I still use Swarovski and with the options afforded with the ATX change out system it was just a no brainer for me. But you cannot go wrong with the quality of Leica if that is the route you choose to take. Fatrascal.

 

[JaredJ]

I own the Leica Televid 82 and a Televid 62 APO they are very nice. Top glass class is all really good, I have been impressed with Leica customer service as well. The only complaint is the neoprene case was a bit pricey for what it is, however, I do like the cover. Good luck with your search.

 

[Broomd]

lol...The meopta-phytes always wiggle out of the woodwork with these threads. You get what you pay for with glass. Nuff said.

The Leica 82 is a phenomenal optic equaled only by the Swaro HD / ATX series and Kowa 880 series, IMHO. I haven't tried the Zeiss Harpia; it's probably right there as well.

And gold star to Fatrascal, he nailed it, the Swarovski does indeed have a greenish tint, the Leica offers a truer color rendition, that's always been the case in my viewing.
Not the 82mm series, but with the last recent comparo I did, the Leica 65mm APO had better edge to edge clarity, and truer color that the Swarovski ATS 65mm HD. I'm a huge Swaro fan too, they're both great!
The Leica are fantastic scopes.
Service/warranty appears to be doing pretty good over there these days as well. That turf has always been owned by Swaro and for good reason.

 

[JP100]

Its funny how you dont see more Leica spotters. Ive only looked at them in store, never in the field.

As above I agree about the color. I have leica Binos and a Swaro spotter. Both make some of, if not the best glass there is.

for me the Leica always have a color 'pop', everytime they are just stand out. Swaro glass is good and just as clear, but the color is different for sure.

I dont think you could go wrong with the Leica

 

[Jimss]

Are you going to be hauling your 82 around on your back? It is a chunk heavier and bulkier than the 65 or 62! When hauling a spotter plus tripod the weight plus bulk adds up! It takes a pretty stout tripod and head to hold up an 82!

The larger 82's would be nicer for low light glassing but not a whole lot different. I have a Leica 62 and it is super compact and a very nice scope. I recently bought a Swaro 65 and like it just as well as the 62. I do a lot of sheep, mtn goat, deer, and elk hunts where I'm hauling spotter plus tripod......and would highly recommend a 62 or 65 rather than 82. Swaro recently came out with a different body style with lenses separate from the scope body. You can actually swap between large and smaller sized lenses. That is nice but the lenses are super expensive!

 

[Spiral Horn]

I’ve handled and looked though the Leica APO-82 spotter. Typical Leica indestructible build quality, and I really liked how it handled. With the inclusion of pure fluorite crystal, the optics are superb. I’ve always loved Leica’s color trueness and vivid image. The downsides are - it is a pretty old design (over a decade I think) and the eyepiece is limited to 50x magnification (they also sell a pretty slick doubler). So, it was really diffIcult to fairly compare it to Meopta, Kowa, and SwarovskI. Overall I liked it but the limited magnification and price pushed me away.

Just recently spent months looking for the best value/performance high-end spotter. Quickly eliminated Vortex, Leica, Zeiss, etc - and eventually narrowed it to Kowa 883, Swaro ATX 85, or Meopta Meostar S2 (or its Cabelas clone). Loved the Kowa‘s image but the non-armored housing was a huge turn-off that I just couldn’t get past. The Swarovski ATX is just plain fantastic - great ergonomics and image quality second to none - but the near $5k price tag pushed me away. That leaves the Meopta Meostar S2 - fantastic ergonomics/components/build quality, and an image quality very close to the Kowa and Swarovski. Found out that Cameraland had S2 case-demos on sale for $1799. That’s way too good a deal to pass up, bought one yesterday.

 

[Elk2008]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have a Leica 82 ordered up and will let everyone know how it it turns out.

 

[Gaffer]

I’m considering the Leica 82 so looking forward to hearing your review. Especially how it compares to the Swarovski 85


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[fwafwow]

I’m considering the Leica 82 so looking forward to hearing your review. Especially how it compares to the Swarovski 85


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Me too.


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