[Leica] Leica Televid Spotting Scope Developments

[marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)]

Leica has made some fairly significant changes to 
their range of Televid Spotting Scopes.

First, the original Televid 77 and APO-Televid 77 
have been axed and are replaced by Televid 82 and 
APO-Televid 82 models.  This seems to be 
primarily a matter of opening up the front 
element a tad, as the new scopes preserve the 
basic 440mm and 82mm filter size.  The new scope 
is substantially lighter than the 77:  for the 
APO models, the difference is 1.695kg versus 
1.35kg. That reduction in weight might mean a use 
of replacement light-weight components and a 
preservation or increase in quality or it might 
mean a reduction in quality.  I do not know, but 
it is really hard to beat the quality of the APO-Televid 77.

The Televid 62 and APO-Televid 62 remain in production or, at least, for 
sale.

The Televid line at its peak had a great line of 
solid oculars:  for the 77, a 20X Weitwinkel, 32X 
WW, a 40X WW, and a 20X to 60X Vario-Okular.  The 
32X has been renumbered though it seems to be the 
same as the old 32X WW.  The 20X and 40X are, 
sadly, gone.  There is a new WW version of the 
20X to 60X Vario and a completely new 25X to 50X Vario.

Leica seems to be streamlining the breed while 
focusing it more directly against the Zeiss 
Diascope line.  At the same time, Leica is 
ramping up the use of the Televid for 
"digiscoping".  It is an interesting sign of the 
financial strength of Leica that they would 
invest in revising and updating a successful line 
in what is, world-wide, a fringe market.  (Leic 
and Zeiss have a much deeper penetration among 
birders and hunters in Europe and Asia than is the case in the US, of 
course.)

I have owned an APO-Televid 77 since 1995 and 
have used it extensively.  I feel no huge desire 
to upgrade though I will probably invest in the 
two new Vario eyepieces even though I am enough 
of an optical snob to prefer prime-focus oculars.

Marc


msmall@aya.yale.edu
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