Leica rangefinding celebrates 30 years – from pioneer to market leader
When Optische Werke Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar launched its first binoculars in 1907, no one in the company, which had previously specialized in microscopes, thought that there might one day be special binoculars with electronic inner workings. Ernst Leitz II was not only a photographer, but above all a passionate hunter. Thus, after the first Binocle 6×18, more innovations quickly followed. In 1956, the Amplivid wide-angle binoculars appeared with a field of view of 212 meters at 1000 meters – it remains a popular collector’s item. Two years later, the first Trinovid went into production. These binoculars had a slim design and internal focusing, and were waterproof.
The binocular division repeatedly set milestones. After the development of many hunting binoculars, a monocular based on a weight-reduced Trinovid was used for the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. This was both an honor and a confirmation for Leitz. Following three generations of Trinovid binoculars, the Ultravid series was developed in 2003. The glass used for the High Definition (HD) lenses was particularly time-consuming to process. Color defects were minimized, making the image even more lifelike and brilliant.
The real revolution in Leica binoculars, however, was the combination of optics and electronics. A glass that offers more than “only” perfect images would have been a dream for the hunter Ernst Leitz II. With the start of development work on the Geovid
For info on release dates.
When Optische Werke Ernst Leitz in Wetzlar launched its first binoculars in 1907, no one in the company, which had previously specialized in microscopes, thought that there might one day be special binoculars with electronic inner workings. Ernst Leitz II was not only a photographer, but above all a passionate hunter. Thus, after the first Binocle 6×18, more innovations quickly followed. In 1956, the Amplivid wide-angle binoculars appeared with a field of view of 212 meters at 1000 meters – it remains a popular collector’s item. Two years later, the first Trinovid went into production. These binoculars had a slim design and internal focusing, and were waterproof.
The binocular division repeatedly set milestones. After the development of many hunting binoculars, a monocular based on a weight-reduced Trinovid was used for the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. This was both an honor and a confirmation for Leitz. Following three generations of Trinovid binoculars, the Ultravid series was developed in 2003. The glass used for the High Definition (HD) lenses was particularly time-consuming to process. Color defects were minimized, making the image even more lifelike and brilliant.
The real revolution in Leica binoculars, however, was the combination of optics and electronics. A glass that offers more than “only” perfect images would have been a dream for the hunter Ernst Leitz II. With the start of development work on the Geovid
For info on release dates.
