Swarovski swarovision review

[dryflyelk]

LAST EDITED ON May-19-10 AT 03:40PM (MST)[p]Just a heads up that I just posted my first full review on my new site, and I thought I'd start it off right with the swarovision 10x42. I think they are the best binos in the world.

http://www.mygearhabit.com/?p=38

 

[fatrooster]

Great review. I'll have to admit that you make me want to go out and get a pair. Also, I like your website. fatrooster.

 

[TwoDogs]

Sorry man.....no sale.

There is no way these new Swaros are better than the new Zeiss and Leicas......no way. Zeiss and Leica have been in the business muuuuuch longer than Swaro. The new Zeiss and Leica are cutting edge. They lead.....not follow. This has been the pattern for decades as evidenced by Swaro's "new model" that is a few years behind the other two. There is no way Swaro suddenly came up with some big secret that is noticeably better. No way.

Swaro might be as good.....but not better.

Yer eval didn't mention:

1) Focus wheel play (or lack thereof)

2) Eyecup play

3) Tightness of the hinge

4) Fit and feel

5) Objective lens coatings for easy cleaning.

6) Focus wheel size and easy gripping

There is much more to a bino than the view.....much more.

 

[NJS]

Some of my birding buddies have commented that owners of the new Swaro EL have mentioned that they feel a bit nauseous when they follow flying birds with the new EL. Have any of you Swarovision owners noticed this?

 

[dryflyelk]

LAST EDITED ON May-19-10 AT 09:33PM (MST)[p]LOL.

Have you looked through them? I'm guessing you haven't.

I've got no dog in the fight. I just call it like I see it, quite literally. I've owned all of the big three, and I really don't care which one is best. In this case, my opinion is that the swaros are in a new league. I think you'll find that many, many others agree with me, including some of the most respected names in optics. You are welcome to disagree but I think you'll be in the minority.

It's quite possible, probable even, that Leica and Zeiss have new models that will be coming out soon that compare or even surpass the swarovisions. Right now, again in my opinion, they do not.

I didn't intend for the review to be the end-all be-all all comprehensive review. I just talk about what's important to me and guys like me. Most of the guys that are interested in the new swaros aren't interested in the "tightness of the hinge" or "eyecup play". It is assumed this stuff is top notch, just as it always has been. The question everyone has is, "how are they better? What has improved?"

I've got a hunch. Once these binos get "out there" a little more, and you start seeing major publications and bird journals doing the reviews, they'll agree with me.

I'll leave it at that.

 

[dryflyelk]

>Some of my birding buddies have
>commented that owners of the
>new Swaro EL have mentioned
>that they feel a bit
>nauseous when they follow flying
>birds with the new EL.
> Have any of you
>Swarovision owners noticed this?

They're referring to the "rolling ball effect" that I mentioned in the review. If you do a lot of quick panning, like in birding, you may see it and it may bother you. It has to do with the way the lenses are set up to allow the sharpness clear to the edge of the lense with minimal distortion. Some birders hate it. If you're a hunter, it won't make a lick of difference.

 

[TwoDogs]

I'm always in the minority, fly. That's my MO... that's where I function best.... that's how I operate.

"Minority" = least popular. Minority doesn't mean wrong.

 

[carterj16]

I took a long time before deciding which ones to buy this yr. I went with the new swaros also. I compared them on quit a few nights -clear, rainy, cloudy. the swaros killed leica, not even close (amount of light they pull in) the zeiss are very nice but they felt cheap to me in my hands? (the grip) The rolling thing i have not seen, i will go follow some birds in the air and let you know. Wait, that would be a huge waste of time for me, these will not go in the duck blind with me.
The best part about them is how they pick up animals body heat and put a blue circle around their body, makes it nice for spotting those deer.

 

[fatrooster]

The blue ring sounds pretty cool. fatrooster.

 

[Fortis]

Nice review dryfly. I'm sure they're fantastic. As far as the Zeiss/Leica/Swaro debate, when you get to that level of glass it's usually a matter of personal preference/tastes. Don't forget about the Nikon EDG either.

 

[CDN]

dryflyelk- in your review you mentioned the new SLC's- and the fact that they would be more sturdy. Can you explain? I always thought of the SLC as tough as nails. Thanks, Cody

 

[dryflyelk]

Sorry for the confusion.

I meant that the SLC is generally considered tougher than the open frame styled ELs and now Swarovisions. Some guys are worried about the durability of the ELs and SVs, so they may want to opt for the SLCs with the full piano hinge.

 

[CDN]

Interesting- I've never heard of issues or concerns with Swarovski's open-bridge designed bino's. Thanks for the reply. CDN

 

[Timberbuck]

The only thing different on the new Swarovisions compared to the latest Leica and Zeiss offerings are the field flatner lenses which increase the sharpness towards the edges of the FOV. Nikon also included these in their first rendition of the EDG binocular but I have herd they took them back out on the new EDG design. The technology is avaliable to Leica and Zeiss but because some people are effected by the rolling ball syndrom they leave them out of their designs. Its true that Leica and Zeiss have had FL or ED,HD Objective lenses in their designs for a couple of years before Swarovski, all three have up to date lens and prism coatings. Its all a matter of what type of view looks best to your eye. Leicas tend to have a nice contrasty relaxed view. The Zeiss FL is extremely bright(most efficient prism design, less mirrored surfaces=less light loss through the prisms) but its so neutral (correct) in its transmission of colors that its not very contrasty. The Swarovision is more neutral in color transmission like the Zeiss with a little better edge sharpness and a little more contrast but its not quite as bright .

Look through them all and take your pick and decide which one you like best-you can't go wrong with any of them.

To say the Swarovision is an advanced bino and that Zeiss and Leica need to upgrade to its level is simply not true in any sense of the word.

Personally I am excited about the new SLC comming out which will have ED objective lenses and no field flattners .

 

[TwoDogs]

>The only thing different on the
>new Swarovisions compared to the
>latest Leica and Zeiss offerings
>are the field flatner lenses
>which increase the sharpness towards
>the edges of the FOV.
>Nikon also included these in
>their first rendition of the
>EDG binocular but I have
>herd they took them back
>out on the new EDG
>design. The technology is avaliable
>to Leica and Zeiss but
>because some people are effected
>by the rolling ball syndrom
>they leave them out of
>their designs. Its true that
>Leica and Zeiss have had
>FL or ED,HD Objective lenses
>in their designs for a
>couple of years before Swarovski,
>all three have up to
>date lens and prism coatings.
>Its all a matter of
>what type of view looks
>best to your eye. Leicas
>tend to have a nice
>contrasty relaxed view. The Zeiss
>FL is extremely bright(most efficient
>prism design, less mirrored surfaces=less
>light loss through the prisms)
>but its so neutral (correct)
>in its transmission of colors
>that its not very contrasty.
>The Swarovision is more neutral
>in color transmission like the
>Zeiss with a little better
>edge sharpness and a little
>more contrast but its not
>quite as bright .
>
>Look through them all and take
>your pick and decide which
>one you like best-you can't
>go wrong with any of
>them.
>
>To say the Swarovision is an
>advanced bino and that Zeiss
>and Leica need to upgrade
>to its level is simply
>not true in any sense
>of the word.
>
>Personally I am excited about the
>new SLC comming out which
>will have ED objective lenses
>and no field flattners .
>


Ditto.......x2.

 

[WapitiBob]

X3

 

[dryflyelk]

I'd like to see if you guys felt the same way after spending some time behind them. I sure wasn't anticipating the results I detailed. Have you guys chcked them out?

 

[WapitiBob]

A good friend of mine who lives down the road is the Leica rep. I've heard all the stories why Leica is better/different than Swaro and why none but Swaro are close.
I've heard all the same arguments as to why Swaro is better/different than Leica.
There are only so many aspects that can be physically measured, after that it boils down to personal preference.
If you're going to look thru them with your eyes, look thru them and pick one.
If you're going to be taking pictures thru them, take pictures and compare.

Thanks for the review. Whether I like Swaro or Leika, I appreciate your time and effort.

 

[lostinOregon]

I have always used Leica, seem to fit my eyes. Have a 12X50 pair of ultravids, however I won a pair of 10X40 SLC's new in the box and they saw swarovision on the box. So this fall I will compare them side to side and will let all of you know. I do think that someone using bino's for bird watching is a tad bid different that hunting, just a thought.

Rich

 

[mtmuleys]

Although I haven't seen the Swarovision binoculars myself, I trusted the OP's review. I bought a pair of binoculars after his recommendation and like it a lot. Now if I have the means to afford a pair of Swaro binoculars, I will at least give it a fair chance.

 

[CDN]

lostinoregon- I do not agree that bird watching is different than hunting. Except for the whole flying thing. Birdwatchers need everything we need in a piece of glass. In fact, I think the best glass just might be more crucial to their success than ours. Birdwatches demand the best when it comes to optics. Birders also own a great majority of the optics market, especially the big 3. That's right, birders spend way more on optics than the hunting community. Also go on to their forums and you'll find them very informative on glass. Some of the best, most comprehensive field tests I've read have come from birders sites. No, I'm not a birder. I just appreciate their passion for looking through the best glass in the outdoors. I hope you like your 12x50's, that is my next purchase. Let us know what you think. CDN

 

[SageHunter29]

These are the best binos I have one pair left I will sell for 2300$ plus shipping! That will save you 300$+ if you factor taxes call me at 801-866-2418 Thanks Colton

 

[Fortis]

Real curious question about the Swarovision users.....

What can you see through the SV, that you can't see through, say, a $1600 Zeiss FL, a $1100 Swaro SLC NEU, a Leica ultravid, a Zen ED2, etc?

 

[dryflyelk]

I'll answer your question with another question.

What can you shoot with a custom Jarrett hunting rifle that you can't shoot with a walmart Ruger?

Now, to answer your question.

What can you see that you can't see with the others? Probably nothing. Heck, throw some of the lower dollar glasses in there as well. If there's a deer on a hillside and you can't see it with a pair of binoculars, then that pair of binoculars ain't worth much.

It's called the law of diminishing returns.

The binos you listed are all excellent. You will see lots of "things". Could you be seeing those things better? Yes. You could. How much is that worth to you? That's a personal decision.

To me, it was worth it. I held the SVs up against all the others I could find. They were brighter and much more comfortable to look through, and sharp as a tack all the way to the edges. It is almost addicting looking through them. I love it. I didn't anticipate buying them. I really don't have a lot of money. I sold some stuff I had, and I did it. To me, it was a good investment.

Of course, all eyes are different, and many people will be happy as a clam with much less expensive binoculars, and that's great. Whatever floats your boat. But, if you're looking for "better", you won't find it.

 

[bigwop69]

i agree! a pinto will get you to the store just as well as a Bentley GT, but one is much more fun. i have had leupold wind river cascades then got vortex razors and now have the swarovision. they are worth the money to me. it's whatever floats your boat. i looked thru all the big "3" and swarovski was my favorite.

here is a story that really doesn't mean much as far as bino performance goes. went to the NRA show in charlotte nc a few weeks back. the people at the zeiss booth were nice and answered questions. Swarovski guys were great as well and answered my questions. The guys at the Leica booth didn't even know i was in the world. i stood there wanting to see the new range finder and look at the ultravid HD's. they just talked amongst themselves and paid no attention to me. I know they get a lot of tire kickers but i was in the market for high end optics.

went with swarovski because of name and service.

 

[Fortis]

Thanks fellas. I agree with you guys. Also, Swaro service is A numero uno.....none better anywhere. The SLC HD's have my attention a little bit, I'll have to admit.