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Every so often there is a rumor in the industry that a company has produced a new line of binoculars that is supposed to redifine the state-of the art in sports optics. To be state-of-the art, a binocular must have exceptional image clarity and resolution; superior brightness; a wide field of view, and true color accuracy, free of aberrations. |
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Let’s start with a prediction. When you look at these binoculars you will not be tempted to buy them. They are – well – plain looking. They need to go on a diet. But -- and here’s the “but” -- when you look through these binoculars you will want them. Don’t trust me on this. Go look through them! |
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The conventional wisdom among birders goes something like this: the best all around binoculars for birding is the full sized 8X40. The combination of good image size (8X magnification), excellent brightness and resolution (40mm objectives), and a reasonably wide field of view (350-425 feet depending on the eyepiece design), makes for binoculars that seldom let you down in the field. The image size and optical resolution give you the detail you need to make most identifications, and to enjoy all the amazing variety of design and execution inherent in birds. |
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The Bausch and Lomb Elites have always been among the two or three finest 7 to 8 power full sized birding binoculars. After phase coating was added, their only major short-coming was the lack of any kind of weatherproofing. (In fact, in my initial review of the phase coated model, I just assumed that any binoculars that obviously well designed and made would be waterproof, and listed it as a feature in the review. The people at B&L were quick to point out my mistake, and I had to print a retraction.) |
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The new Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs depart from tradition in several ways. The physical design is unique, with the two extra long barrels (lens tubes, see photo) separated by enough space so that you can wrap your fingers all the way around—no central hinge—just a bridge top and bottom with the focus knob floating on the upper bridge. Swarovski’s stated goal was to make the binoculars easy enough to grip so that they could be held up and focused with one hand (apparently a common birding stance in Europe). |
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The designers went back to the drawing board (or their computers) and started from scratch. The result is the Venturer LX line, so far an 8x42 and a 10x42. These are waterproof, nitrogen purged, phase coated, rubber armored, high-zoot (silver coated prisms), high-priced roofs, obviously intended to compete with the Leicas, Swarovskis, Elites, and Zeisses. |
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When Nikon introduced the Venturer LX in 1998, they set a new standard for brightness and resolution in birding binoculars. At that time it had been several years since the introduction a significant new birding binocular, and the Venturer was named as a“reference standard” by my colleague, Steve Ingraham, at Better View Desired. The Venturer should have captured a huge portion of the high end binocular market. |
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Until the Pentaxs, phase coating was the one thing (well, that and nitrogen purging) that separated the $1000 roof prism glasses from the new crop of fully-multicoated waterproof roofs from Bausch and Lomb, Canon, Celestron, Fujinon, Nikon, and Swift. Phase coating makes a difference. Phase coated roofs are slightly brighter and the image appears slightly sharper. |
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The conventional wisdom among birders goes something like this: the best all around binoculars for birding is the full sized 8X40. The combination of good image size (8X magnification), excellent brightness and resolution (40mm objectives), and a reasonably wide field of view (350-425 feet depending on the eyepiece design), makes for binoculars that seldom let you down in the field. The image size and optical resolution give you the detail you need to make most identifications, and to enjoy all the amazing variety of design and execution inherent in birds. |
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For years, Swift made the only 8.5 power binoculars: the Swift Audubons, arguably, in their day, the best optical value on the birding market. They offered optical performance equal to the best roof prism glasses at a fraction of the cost. One might even argue that they were the first binoculars ever designed specifically with birding in mind. They were big. They were bulky. |
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Until the introduction of the Swarovski 8.5x42 EL last year, Swift had the only 8.5x binocular on the market: the excellent 8.5x44 Audubon. There is much to be said for 8.5 power. It gives you just that bit of extra reach you sometimes need, a slightly larger image of the bird to add you your enjoyment, and without adding so much extra magnification (optical leverage) that the image becomes hard to hold still enough to see (go much over 9x and the image bounces around with every breath and muscle tremor). |