74 replies to this topic

[LoveWillSteerTheStars]

Count me in.

[revans]

I've used the same 7x35 Swift Saratoga pair of binoculars for most of my life.  They are optically very nice and they are very well built and very rugged.  I still use them quite often but as light pollution has increased in my sky over time, I'm more reliant on 15x70 binoculars for most targets I want to observe.

 

Rick

[semlin]

I've used the same 7x35 Swift Saratoga pair of binoculars for most of my life.  They are optically very nice and they are very well built and very rugged.  I still use them quite often but as light pollution has increased in my sky over time, I'm more reliant on 15x70 binoculars for most targets I want to observe.

 

Rick

love mine.  the best thing about swift saratogas is they are so compact you'll start to think they are 7x35 featherlights but they're actually 8x40.

[harbinjer]

I have a few, big fan. 

1 Multi-coated MkII Audubon 8.5x44

1 HR/5 Audubon 8.5x44

1 10° Commodore 7x50

1 7° Commodore 7x50

1 Admiral 10x50

1 Navigator that is out of alignment, 10° 7x50

 

For those that have them: how does the Osprey(or Derby) compare to the Audubon? Is it as sharp in the center and do the edges hold up? What about at night? There aren't many 7.5x porros out there. 

Edited by harbinjer, 11 March 2025 - 08:30 AM.

[PEterW]

Only one pair of Audubon, got the backlash focuser fixed up, now lovely and smooth. Really ought to give them more use in the field.

Peter

[Binojunky]

Swift Audubons for me, 8.5x44 with ED glass porro style, made in Japan, cost me a bit a few years back , shipped to Canada from Eagle Optics, still have them, still use them, Dave.

[Lemmon714]

I have a few sets myself.  Three (3) Audubon's- 8.5x44.  One (1) Saratoga- 8x40.  One (1) Navigator- 7x50.  All wide fields.

 

I cover both the binocular and monocular world of Swift optics.

 

Monoculars include: 831, 838, 839 and a couple others.

 

 

 

[David L]

I have a Swift Audubon 8.5 X 44 I bought in 1997 from Adorama, if I recall.  Still use them today.

[SiPEX]

often that loose ipd can be fixed easily by tightening the bottom hinge since most hinges of that era can be adusted with a wide flat head screwdriver.  happy to talk you through it if you want to try.  first step is to unscrew the cosmetic bottom hinge plate and post a photo of what lies beneath.

Semlin, if you're willing to help, lets give it a shot.  I'd appreciate it.  Not sure what the bottom hinge plate is though.  Here are some pics:

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Edited by SiPEX, 18 March 2025 - 11:58 PM.

[SiPEX]

One more:

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[semlin]

One more:

the round disc in the centre of the bottom of the bino (objective end) should unthread counter clockwise exposing  a brass hinge pin end similar to the one visible at the top.  please take a photo of that end on and if there are small holes like the one in top brass hinge pin, check inside them for a grub screw with a flathead screwdriver end.

[SiPEX]

the round disc in the centre of the bottom of the bino (objective end) should unthread counter clockwise exposing  a brass hinge pin end similar to the one visible at the top.  please take a photo of that end on and if there are small holes like the one in top brass hinge pin, check inside them for a grub screw with a flathead screwdriver end.

 

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[DPY]

 Guess I'm a Swifty? I do have a collection of early Swift binoculars that I'll try to post a couple pictures of. The first picture of the Audubon with the green lettering is what I believe to be the first year for the Audubon which I think was 1958. The next picture is what I think is the first year for the Holiday Mark II 1958?. It also has the press on eye cups made from metal like the first year Audubon. 

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[DPY]

Here are a few more pictures of some early Audubon's, and a early pre JB numbers Swift Neport Mark II 10x50.

[DPY]

Here are a few more pictures of some early Audubon's, and a early pre JB numbers Swift Neport Mark II 10x50.

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[semlin]

 Guess I'm a Swifty? I do have a collection of early Swift binoculars that I'll try to post a couple pictures of. The first picture of the Audubon with the green lettering is what I believe to be the first year for the Audubon which I think was 1958. The next picture is what I think is the first year for the Holiday Mark II 1958?. It also has the press on eye cups made from metal like the first year Audubon. 

those are pretty spiffy.  i agree with your date of 1958 for both.  i have a "holiday" by tamron that is not a mark 2, that i had tentatively dated to 1958.  now i must reconsider that.

[LoveWillSteerTheStars]

 Guess I'm a Swifty? I do have a collection of early Swift binoculars that I'll try to post a couple pictures of. The first picture of the Audubon with the green lettering is what I believe to be the first year for the Audubon which I think was 1958. The next picture is what I think is the first year for the Holiday Mark II 1958?. It also has the press on eye cups made from metal like the first year Audubon. 

Never heard of press-on metal eye cups.  Are you sure they are meant to be removable?  And green paint, very odd.  Wonder if Pyser, their British licensee, used odd color paint like that?  I wonder what year the twist-up eye cups appeared.
 

[DPY]

Yes, they are definitely meant to be removed they have built into them a spring type compression fit with slots incorporated around the rim of the eyecups to grip snugly to the eyepieces. When I acquired the earliest green lettered Audubon I thought something wasn't right with the eyepiece being so flat, as if it was designed for use with eye glasses. It wasn't until I acquired the earliest Swift Holiday Mark II that had the same eyepiece design, and still had the press on metal eyecups intact, did I realize they were missing on the Audubon, as they are interchangeable between the two models. There are three different styles of eyecups used on the earliest Tamron binoculars in the pictures, the earliest Tamron body design for the Audubon and Holiday Mark II can be identified by the 4 screws in the prism cover plates. The first eyecup design was the stamped metal push on type. The second type were removable twist lock plastic type eyecups. The third type was the earliest twist out type eyecups used on the 1962 Audubon that can be seen in the pictures.This third type Audubon with the twist out eyecups was marked JB-45 / JE-47. The earlier two models in the pictures including the green lettered Audubon and the earliest Holiday MarkII  are not marked as they are pre JB, unmarked models, meaning manufactured before 1960. I'm not exactly sure when the Swift/Physer binoculars with the bright colored racing stripes started, but a decent guess would be about 1970. 

[semlin]

 

i apologize that i missed this.  you have a tripod mount and one i am not familiar with.  i can't easily see how it is removed to access the bottom hinge.  you could examine it and try to see.  optionally, you could shift gears and try to work on the top hinge pin which is exposed.  take a look at the holes in the top hinge and see if either contains a grub screw.  if so, try loosening the grub screw and then tightning the whole pin by rotating it clockwise.  if that improves your ipd damping, tighten the grub screw to lock it in place.

[semlin]

Yes, they are definitely meant to be removed they have built into them a spring type compression fit with slots incorporated around the rim of the eyecups to grip snugly to the eyepieces. When I acquired the earliest green lettered Audubon I thought something wasn't right with the eyepiece being so flat, as if it was designed for use with eye glasses. It wasn't until I acquired the earliest Swift Holiday Mark II that had the same eyepiece design, and still had the press on metal eyecups intact, did I realize they were missing on the Audubon, as they are interchangeable between the two models. There are three different styles of eyecups used on the earliest Tamron binoculars in the pictures, the earliest Tamron body design for the Audubon and Holiday Mark II can be identified by the 4 screws in the prism cover plates. The first eyecup design was the stamped metal push on type. The second type were removable twist lock plastic type eyecups. The third type was the earliest twist out type eyecups used on the 1962 Audubon that can be seen in the pictures.This third type Audubon with the twist out eyecups was marked JB-45 / JE-47. The earlier two models in the pictures including the green lettered Audubon and the earliest Holiday MarkII  are not marked as they are pre JB, unmarked models, meaning manufactured before 1960. I'm not exactly sure when the Swift/Physer binoculars with the bright colored racing stripes started, but a decent guess would be about 1970. 

 

are these eyecups fixed or adjustable?  

 

i have seen it said somewhere that swift disliked the original audubon adjustable eyecups designed by the maker that they hastily designed their own retractable model and ended up using them on all their binoculars.

[DPY]

The first two removable type which were, the metal press on, and plastic twist lock were fixed.The third was a twist out design that I personally like the best. That version was on the earlier JB-45 JE-47 in 1962. In 1963 the Audubon was a redesigned JB-26 JE-45 Futaba Made model, it came out with the metal twist out eyecups that were well made, kind of bulbous, and lasted until I believe 1970. Then in 1971 went to the rubber eyecups you had to fold over for use with glasses. Much later on the last versions of the Audubon porro models had two different versions of twist out eyecups, one was much better than the other.

[kenny moses]

Just this older Swift Nighthawk 7X50. These were my Dad's and I think he bought them while we were stationed at Anderson AFB, Guam or Yokota AFB, Japan.  I sent them to the factory around 1990 for a tune-up and had the hard eyecups replaced with soft rubber. They are not used often now but are great all-around bin's.

 

Model No 788, serial No 4-159562.

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Edited by kenny moses, 24 March 2025 - 10:26 AM.

[semlin]

Just this older Swift Nighthawk 7X50. These were my Dad's and I think he bought them while we were stationed at Anderson AFB, Guam or Yokota AFB, Japan.  I sent them to the factory around 1990 for a tune-up and had the hard eyecups replaced with soft rubber. They are not used often now but are great all-around bin's.

 

Model No 788, serial No 4-159562.

that is very cool that you got them refurbished.  your nighthawks were made by futaba in 1959.

[kenny moses]

semlin: Thank you! That is very welcome information. I will make a note of the date and put it in their original leather case.

[jimhoward999]

My youngest daughter and her mother went to a TS concert in Wembley. I could have bought >10 pairs of the binoculars for the price.