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Michael
and Diane Porter and a team of Iowa birders tested 24 spotting scopes
for a review in the March, 2003, issue
of Bird Watcher's Digest. This account of Leica's APO-Televid scope
is part of that review.
The
Leica scope goes beyond bright — it's brilliant, and it has
incredibly sharp focusing ability from center to edge. Even at high
magnification, the image is remarkably free from color fringing.
 Interchangeable
bayonet-mount eyepieces attach with a quick twist. Our judges particularly
admired the high-quality 20-60mm zoom, which has excellent
eye relief for glasses wearers. Its
twist-up eyecup lets you set the amount of eye relief you require.
The zoom is purchased separately. 
The
scope is waterproof. On the built-in lens hood, small post-and-notch
sighting bumps let you line up on your target accurately. The Leica
Televid is unique in having two focus knobs, with separate gear
ratios, one for fast, and the other for fine focus.
The scope comes in angled and straight-through models, and with
the special apochromatic lenses or with the less costly achromatic
lenses.
The
only complaints about this scope came from two judges who found
the fast focus wheel a little stiff and hard to turn.
Ruggedly
constructed and finely engineered, this scope is beautiful to look
at as well as through. It was one of the judges' favorites in Michael
and Diane Porter's July, 2000, trials for Bird Watcher's Digest.
2003
update: This is still a great scope. However, now it must be
compared to the new Zeiss Diascope
and the new Swarovski ATS80.
Although the Leica is just as sharp as the Swarovski and almost
as sharp as the Zeiss, it is noticeably larger than either.
--
Michael and Diane Porter
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Leica
APO-Televid 77 