My kind of bargain...

[ollypenrice]

I've bought used items from Clifton Cameras before, which means I must have been happy. They had a pair of Leica Trinovid 8x42BNs on their used list at about half the price of a new pair. (That is, they were still monstrously expensive!) When I asked the sales guy to look at them for me he said they were very good (the site said mint) but he didn't give me the impression that they were perfect. He said very good indeed for their age, which wasn't specified. OK, I said Yes.

This afternoon I opened a brand new pair of Trinovids. The strap had never been attached. The 'real leather' ticket had never been snipped from the case, the bar code was still tacked to the ocular cover. The cardboard box showed no sign of having been opened, though it had. I thought, Hell, these are new. They'll be wanting them back in exchange for the used pair. Moral dilemma, do I just send them back and say, More care next time, guys, in separating new from used. However, inside the neat plastic wallet with all the documentation I found that a certain Mr J had bought them in 2002 and registered them with Leica. Clearly Mr J had then left them untouched in their box thereafter. I see lots of optics and these are straight from the factory. They have never been cleaned, even professionally.

Well, call me happy. It is absolutely pizzazzing it down and has been doing so since I collected them from the post office this afternoon, but First Astronomical Light will come and when it does I'll give an update.

You can't beat a deal in which the price comes down on the basis of age alone, when condition is literally new. If only it were always like that...

Olly

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Congrats on a very fine deal and a very fine pair of bins!

[Wobbly Bob]

Great result Olly, dont you just love it when a plan comes together.

[E621Keith]

Congratulation on the new binocular.

Sometimes I don't understand why people spend so much on world class optics and then leave them in a cupboard and not use them. However, it's good news for those of us who buy second hand.

[ollypenrice]

Well, this morning the rain had stopped and the moon, Venus and Jupiter were still malingering. The valley below us was a smooth lake of temperature inversion mist, there was snow on the Alps in the distance and the eastern (Alpine) horizon was a lemon-yellow in the pre-dawn. Not too bad, then! Out with the bins.

Jupiter gave a clean disc and the moons still showed against the brightening sky. The moon was almost false colour free, maybe just showing a hint of red on one limb and a hint of yellow on the opposite limb, but negligible. On the other hand the contrasts and hints of colour on the lunar surface were exquisite. Contrast and colour were very striking.

Panning around the valley and towards the Alps gave views to gladden the heart. In the low light all the colours - of the sky, the hillsides, the old village buildings, the autumn trees, all were mightily intensified but rendered perfectly and the image is sharp.

I think these are going to go down well.

Olly

[chr1s]

they sounds excellent olly!

here's hoping they continue to meet expectations!

[alan potts]

Well Done Olly,

Maybe I should start using your name when I buy things from TS, using my own name I just seem to get rubbish. If it had been me getting these bino's the lenses would have been cracked. This year the only thing I have been able to get in Europe that has not had a serious problem is Televue eyepieces.

Again well done I am pleased for you.

Alan.

[ollypenrice]

Well Done Olly,

Maybe I should start using your name when I buy things from TS, using my own name I just seem to get rubbish. If it had been me getting these bino's the lenses would have been cracked. This year the only thing I have been able to get in Europe that has not had a serious problem is Televue eyepieces.

Again well done I am pleased for you.

Alan.

I'm sorry to hear that, Alan. The used Leicas came from Clifton Cameras, whom I've used before perfectly happily for good used equipment.

Olly

[laser_jock99]

Leica bins are in a league of thier own IMO. We had some on our boat which were the clearest bins I ever used, no colour fringing whatsoever (pity they were sold with the boat).

Clifton Cameras have provided me with a few bargains in the past too. Best was a brand new Fuji IS Pro full spectrum camera for £350 (while they were still selling elsewhere for £1K plus!