A Leica spotting scope enable impressive nature experiences. Distant subjects appear bright and sharp through a Leica spotting scope. Leica has been producing high-quality spotting scopes since 1907 – the quality is top class. Products from the Leica company can definitely compete with manufacturers such as Swarovski or Zeiss.
Leica’s “Televid” model series
The Leica APO Televid 82 belongs to Leica’s relatively new model series and is suitable for use in combination with an eyepiece from 25x to 50x magnification and is equipped with an objective lens diameter of 82 mm.
The Leica “Televid” series also includes the somewhat more compact class with a lens diameter of 65 mm. Whichever model you choose, you can be sure that the “Aquadura” outer coating and the fast “Dual Focusing” as well as a waterproof and very robust magnesium housing have been built into your spotting scope.
You can easily use the APO Televid 82 into the twilight hours, as the color imaging of this spotting scope from Leica is extremely powerful and allows for great observations even in low light conditions.
The spotting scope offers excellent contrast right to the edge of the field of view. In the 82 version of the APO Televid from Leica (with straight viewing) you are in a price range of about 2,200 £.
The weight of the device is about 3 lb. As can already be seen from the designation of the device, the front lens has a diameter of 82 mm. The prices and weights given here refer exclusively to the spotting scope (without eyepiece or other accessories).
Leica spotting scope APU Televid 65
The smaller version of the Leica spotting scope from the Televid series – with a front lens diameter of 65 mm – is also a top-class product. The smaller and more compact version from the Leica model series is particularly suitable for nature observations that involve longer walks. Just like its bigger brother, the 65mm model processes objects under low light conditions with high contrast and detail. The 65mm version from Leica is available on the market for about £1,800.
Leica spotting scope in digiscoping
The manufacturer Leica has recognized the desire to save nature observations on camera and launched a complete solution for digiscoping users. In addition to the Leica APO Televid spotting scope, the complete package consists of a Leica T camera, a Leica digiscoping lens and a Leica T2 adapter.
Furthermore, the package includes the Leica Vario wide-angle eyepiece with zoom levels between 25x and 50x magnification. The manufacturer claims that this complete set is excellent even for digiscoping beginners and is also particularly easy to use. The digiscoping complete set has been available in stores since June 2016.
Processing Leica spotting scopes
As mentioned at the beginning, Leica spotting scopes are very high-quality products. However, it should not be left unstated that the workmanship of the manufacturer Leica significantly reduces disturbing factors during nature observation. Water and dirt are kept away extremely effectively, the lotus effect on the housing and glass surfaces ensures that the optics and the image of the observed object are not impaired. This results in a further advantage for the convenient user: the effort required to clean the device is significantly reduced.
Example of an image taken with a Leica spotting scope
The following video demonstrates the power of Leica Sports Optics. The imaging quality does not solely rely on spotting scope, however. With digiscoping, the camera must also be associated with the image and deserves credit here. Nevertheless, a nice example of the possibilities when using Leica spotting scopes.
Prices of Leica spotting scopes*
The following short list shows the prices of Leica’s APO series and is based on information from Optik-Pro.
| Spotting Scope | Price (optics-pro*) |
|---|---|
| Leica APO-Televid 82 straight spotting scope + 25-50X zoom WA eyepiece | £2.931,60 |
| Leica Spotting scope APO-Televid 82 with angled eyepiece + Zoomokular 25-50X WA eyepiece | £2.931,60 |
| Leica APO Televid 82 82mm spotting scope, angled eyepiece | £2.026,08 |
| Leica APO-Televid 82 82mm spotting scope, straight eyepiece | £2.026,08 |