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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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Hi Folks
Just interested to hear peoples thoughts on
these,im definately not thinking of buying any  ,but they do look great and have a nice swooping Eagle emblem (i think) so they must be good.
Again though are they worth the money and how do they
compare to the likes of Leica.
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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John F
sage
Reged: 02/16/04
Posts: 383
Loc: Washington State
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Brian,
The little bird is a hawk. Swarovksi makes two binocular series, the EL's and SL's. Optically, both are excellent. However, the EL's a lighter and are more ergonomically designed for comfortable hand holding.
Optically, the Swarovski EL series compares very favorably to the best roof prism binoculars make by Leica, Nikon & Zeiss. However, the binoculars from all of these manufacturers all have one or another feature that makes them especially appealing to certain buyers so there is no widely agreed upon consensus as to which is the best overall. However, it is widely agreed upon by most observers who have looked through several of the different models that they're all excellent and that most people would likely be happy with anyone of them.
I've had my pair of Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs for 9 years now and I'm still very satisfied with them. Also, during that time I've let many people look through them (either at star parties or during the daylight hours) and almost all will make a comment like "wow, these really great (or fine) binoculars".
Unfortunately, they're very expensive (and that's partially due to the fall in the value of the US dollar in relation to the Euro), but they're not too bad if you view them as a lifetime investment. They also retain a lot of their value if you decide to resell them.
John Finnan
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BINOCULARS
Nikon 7x50 Prostar
Swarovski 8.5x42 EL
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe
Zeiss 15x60 B/GAT
Takahashi 22x60 Astronomer
SCOPES
Questar 3.5-Inch
Tele Vue NP-127 with TV Bino Vue
EYEPIECES
Deep Sky: 31Nagler, 17-13-10-8-6 Ethos
Lunar & Planetary: 16-10-6-4 ZAO-II
Binoviewing: 24Pan,16Nagler, 10ZOA-II,7.5Taks
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BobinKy
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 1683
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John F...
You have a nice selection of binoculars!
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Bob
38°N
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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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Quote:
John F...
You have a nice selection of binoculars!
And Scopes and EPs.
I think you would concur with this Oscar Wilde Quote
"I have very simple tastes, I am always satisfied with the very best."
Thanks for the very fair review of your Swarovski,s,just what i was after,it would seem that they also have a Habicht "traditional" range that appear to be about half the price of the others,but not nearly as attractive 
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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Swedpat
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/18/05
Posts: 1120
Loc: Boden, Sweden, Scandinavia
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Hi Brian,
I just can confirm and agree with John F. I have SLCNew 7x42, which I got because of that this model long time has been my favorite. If I didn't chosed SLC 7x42 I had got SLCNew 8x50 or EL 8,5x42.
Regards, Patric
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*2,3x40 Constellation View Wide-Bino
*Leupold 6x30 Yosemite
*Leupold Katmai 6x32
*Nikon Sporter I 8x36
*Swarovski SLCNew 7x42B
*Bresser (Lidl) 10x50
*Oberwerk 11x70
*Meade 5000 26mm Plössl, Vixen LV 10/5mm
Psalm 19:2
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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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Tried a pair of 8.5x42EL today and what can i say but
stunning,it was this afternoon and i was able to
scan and pick out fine detail at will,perfectly.
If you get the chance to try a pair....Don,t 
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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edwincjones
Postmaster
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 5665
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I also have a pair of the SW ELs and think that they are the best/equal to the best/close to the best for Birding; but for astronomy for the same amount, you can get both the fuji 10x50 for hand held AND 16x70s with tripod and have a better view of the heavens.
edj
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n w arkansas
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5562
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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The Swarovski 8.5x42 EL is an outstanding dual purpose binocular. I've had one for several years. It's super for both birding and astronomy.
Rich
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MacRoberts
sage
Reged: 08/25/05
Posts: 421
Loc: Redlands, CA
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Rich, what is the AFOV of your 8.5x42EL's? I got a look through my mother-in-law's same-model ELs once a few years back and the AFOV seemed uber-wide, extremely well corrected and effortless to use.
She uses them for birding and I've just never had the chance to use them for Astronomy beyond that one look. And I'm smart . . . I'm not going to ask to borrow them for a night out.
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Jim
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?" Psalms 8:3-4
TV Refractors
Fuji Binoculars
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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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I was on a Birding forum and the question went something like...."if you could choose only one Bino which one"
and this very model was the first to get a mention.
For me they offered something like bionic vision,i was,nt even aware of holding them,because the views felt natural...scary or what
As stated if you get the chance don,t try them.
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5562
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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Swarovski lists the apparent field for the 8.5x42 EL as 62 degrees.
Rich
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DavidNealMinnick
member
Reged: 03/06/06
Posts: 22
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I have the 10x50SLC. Before buying, I compared them with the Leica. I found the German glasses offered a view that was ever-so-slighly brighter, but, the contrast in the Austrian glass was superior, making game-finding (or any other object) easier. On a subjective level, the shape and material of the Swaro felt better in my hands, as well.
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DM
Starmaster 18 Zambuto GoTo
Astrosky 12.5 Stevens
10" Coulter Odyssey
C Nine-two-five
AP 155EDFS
TEC MC150
Tak FS128
C5
Borg 101ED
Vixen ED100Sf
Meade(Mizar) 320
SV 80ED
Borg 76ED f/10
Borg 76ED f/6.6
TV Ranger
Meade(Towa) 291
Borg 60ED
Tasco 6TE-5
Borg 50ED
Borg 45ED
PST
Pocket Borg
G11
GM8
CG5
Meade(Mizar) GEM
Meade(Towa) GEM
Tak Sky Patrol
Tak Teegul Lapides
WO EZ Touch
EPs: (Don't get me started)
Kowa HighLander Prominar
Swarovski 10x50 SLC
and others...
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moynihan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1604
Loc: Wisconsin
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I do not own any Swarovskis, but have used them and viewed through them (daytime) and can also attest to their high quality, same level as Leica/Zeiss, etc.
Thought i would mention a particular model. This fall while at a major hawk migration/counting site, the official counters had quite an array of equipment out. One of the things was this 15x56 pair mounted on a tripod:
Swarovski 56mm
Had a chance to use it for a bit. Despite the heat distortion that day, the view was very nice, with a bit of CA, though. If one is interested in the larger sizes, you might want to look through one of these.
The other model I should mention that I have had the opportunity to try is the 8.5 x 42 EL. An exceptional piece of work.
The primary market for these "alpha" bins (Zeiss/Leica/Swarovski), is the birding/wildlife and hunting markets, and daytime use. For reasons better explained by an optics wonk (EDZ, you out there?  ) field flatness is often not the first design goal. But that should not put you off getting them for astro, given their very high quality levels.
Myself for astro use, i now use 2 binos;
The Nikon 12x50 SE, sometimes by hand, sometimes on the tripod. excellent glass for astro/nightime only.
Flat field.
An older "alpha" pair, Leica 10x42 BA. Also, exceptional. I also use it for dual use (day/night) when traveling.
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"Gosh, you've... really got some nice toys here"
Dual mount/ambient temperature Hominid Widefield Photon Collectors®
Pleistocene™ ½ watt Wetware Integration Unit.
entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
Edited by moynihan (10/30/09 09:00 AM)
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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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I live by the Sea (The Firth of Forth) and i had noticed a Gentleman pass by 4 or 5 times with Binos,Dog and green attire.There is a lot of Birding in my area,however i spoke to said Gentleman yesterday and he was packing a pair of 10x42 ELs,now i did give them a try,but i was less impressed with them as i had been with the 8.5s i tried the day before  perhaps this may only be due to the exit pupil,who knows.
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 12895
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Brian ,
I was also less impressed by the Swarovski 10 x 42 EL than I was by the 8.5 version .
I put my relatively underwhelmed impressions down to the increased difficulty in holding the image steady , the noticeably narrower true field of view , the duller image and what I perceived as being more noticeable CA / less quiet image .
Ditto for the ( HEAVY ) 15 x 56 SLC .
I almost bought a Swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL , but the original version had a very slow focus mechanism ( about 2.5 turns of the wheel from close to infinity ) and also , I've never liked diopter adjustment on CF binoculars to be anywhere other than in the old traditional right ocular position .
To serve the intended purpose ( steady , relaxed , hand - held , crystal clear , low power , wide field , daytime use ) I opted for the now discontinued Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT instead.
No regrets !
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Solar B
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/28/07
Posts: 911
Loc: By Edinburgh , Scotland
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Thanks Kenny
Looks like i wasn,t imagining it after all the 8.5x42s were the best bino views that i have had to date,a real jewel,better than the Taks (different i know) but im glad to hear about your Zeiss and im working on getting a similar size Zeiss pair myself 
Brian
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" Gentlemen only ever use Refractors "
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