Swarovski binoculars~I'm ruined...

jjohnwm said:
The horrible thing about optics is the cost of the absolute best stuff.

The nice thing is that for half the money, you can still get 95+% of the performance.
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That part is definitely true, but for binoculars, once you've looked through the best out there, the "almost as good" ones are tough to look through for extended periods.

I find it funny how guys will spend $2500 on a scope for their hunting rifle and own a $100 set of Tasco binocs. I spend 100x more time looking through my binoculars so the optics on those are far more important to me than my scope.
 
jjohnwm said:
The horrible thing about optics is the cost of the absolute best stuff.

The nice thing is that for half the money, you can still get 95+% of the performance.
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Without a doubt, but the question is: once you've experienced that extra 5%, can you make yourself forget it?
 
I went through this a few years ago and ended up with the Swaro 8x42 EL's.

I followed a similar process to what has been mentioned . I have friends with Zeiss, Swaro, and Leica as well as many of the others so I looked through many brands under a broad variety of conditions. FME it is critical to test them at first and last light and at distance - not 200 or 300 yards. This is because at the range or in a parking lot at 300 yards I found it difficult to discern a difference between midrange optics and top end optics.

The other important thing I got out of it was is that all of our eyes are a little different. That is, what looks better to one person may not best to another.

The most telling test for me was when I had the top end 10x40 Bushnel Fusions, the top end Vortex Razor 10x42's, and Swaro 8x42 EL's lined up at dusk on one side of a valley. I scanned around and found a yard at 1500 yards in the shadows on the other side of the valley. With the Bushnells I was able to accurately range the yard and thought I could make out a grey shape moving in the yard. With the Vortex I could make out that grey blob was moving and may be a dog. With the Swaros I could easily range it and clearly see that it was a grey Scotty dog pinching a loaf in the back yard by a tree. That is what you pay the extra money for.

For me this is important because one of my hunts is a northern rockies fly in which requires us to glass the slopes (500 to 2000 yards) around a high mountain lake at dusk to spot the game and then hike up into the alpine before dawn to take them. This type of spotting cannot be done with lesser binoculars.

If your application seldom requires more than 500 yards or low light conditions then the midrange binoculars are probably just fine.

For my eyes the Zeiss Victory and the Swaros were the best, the Leica Geovid were a level below the other two.

I can say that I have no regret or second thoughts on spending the money for the quality - especially since I am now good for the rest of my days.
 
westcoaster said:
I went through this a few years ago and ended up with the Swaro 8x42 EL's...The other important thing I got out of it was is that all of our eyes are a little different. That is, what looks better to one person may not best to another...I can say that I have no regret or second thoughts on spending the money for the quality - especially since I am now good for the rest of my days.
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Yeah, I got a set of Swaro SLC's a couple of decades ago and was good for the rest of my days too...until a few years later, when I looked through a Zeiss. I wound up owning those also, and knew I was fixed for life...except when I compare my old Zeiss to a new pair, the difference is slight but apparent. Do I get them? If I do, for sure I'll be done for the rest of my life...as long as I don't live any longer than a hamster! :)

Top-end optics are like performance motorcycles: NEVER say words like "the best", "the last I'll ever want or need", etc. By the time you have them nicely broken-in, the manufacturers will raise the damned bar again, leaving you clutching your wallet and moaning quietly to yourself! :)
 
jjohnwm said:
Yeah, I got a set of Swaro SLC's a couple of decades ago and was good for the rest of my days too...until a few years later, when I looked through a Zeiss. I wound up owning those also, and knew I was fixed for life...except when I compare my old Zeiss to a new pair, the difference is slight but apparent. Do I get them? If I do, for sure I'll be done for the rest of my life...as long as I don't live any longer than a hamster! :)

Top-end optics are like performance motorcycles: NEVER say words like "the best", "the last I'll ever want or need", etc. By the time you have them nicely broken-in, the manufacturers will raise the damned bar again, leaving you clutching your wallet and moaning quietly to yourself! :)
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Grins...

Heh, heh, you are likely right...
 
I used cheap optics for years, until I found a great deal on a pair of Minox HG 8x33 binoculars (usually sell for around $1500). I used them extensively on a trip to South Africa for hunting and birding, as well as game watching in Kruger Park. After that I was a convert to high end glass, my deer rifle now wears a Zeiss Victory HT scope, and once I can afford them a set of Victory HT binoculars will follow.
 
I hunted with a buddy who had Swarovskis...it'll take me about two years but every month I tuck what used to be lunch money into an ammo box in the gun safe then make my own lunches for the rest of the month.
 
wilbar said:
I hunted with a buddy who had Swarovskis...it'll take me about two years but every month I tuck what used to be lunch money into an ammo box in the gun safe then make my own lunches for the rest of the month.
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Great way to put the savings into perspective. I went through my shooting room gear and made a big pile of stuff I hadn't used in over a year. Months of selling it off and I came up with enough money for the binos I really wanted, a new pair of Zeiss Conquest HDs 10x42.
 
I wanted to get a pair of Swaro binos but had difficulty with the price. Having looked through good binoculars, I realized that quality glass was important.

I eventually got a pair of IOR binoculars which I still enjoy today. I am quite happy with them. Not Swaro, but pretty close in optical quality.

B.
 
I'm quite happy with my 8x32 sightrons but if I had to put more $ on bino's, I'd pick Fujinon, I found the lack of having to adjust focus really great, and about $800-900 is reasonable for this level of quality/clarity, really worth looking at and comparing to other choices anyhow. For $1500 you can get image stabilization, which lets face it, have the best glass quality you want, if you're shaky, you're shaky and whatever your looking at will look blurry and hard to tell exact colors unless you can lean or rest against something. Tripod helps.
 
gaetoune said:
There is somewhat cheaper options at slightly better price. The Cabelas Euro HD or the Meopta HD are extremely good choices at a fraction of the price. Google them, they have excellent reviews.
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steveo44 said:
Cabelas Euro HD are right up there in clarity for less money.
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wilbar said:
Euro HD are rebranded Meoptas
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I will concur that the Cabela's Euro HD binoculars are indeed spectacular optics. They're marked Meopta right on the unit so they're co-branded rather than rebranded.

After looking through countless binoculars at Cabelas (Vortex, Bushnell, Zeiss, Leica, Leupold, etc.) I had settled on a pair of Swarovski EL50s but was having difficulty digesting the cost. They were indeed the brightest, clearest, most beautiful set in the store and the price tag was not out of line. The salesman asked if I had checked out the Cabela's house brand binocs?

I was skeptical figuring "house brand" meant "cheap" but one look was all it took and I was thoroughly impressed. It was honestly difficult to tell the difference between the EL50s and the Meoptas. There was a difference where the Swaros were a touch better, but they weren't triple the cost better. I have no regrets about buying the Meoptas and I'm constantly impressed by their performance. Most people I hand them to are, quite simply, blown away. I have the 10x42s.
 
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There is nothing like clear Optics but look at the cost of the Swarovskis.I bought a pair of Steiner Merlins half the price and the Optics just as good.I would not hesitate to buy another pair of Steiners and a good warranty to boot.Just my view.
 
There are some wonderful tools in the optics world, but spending $2500-$4500 on binos isn't an option for most of us. We have no doubt of the performance of the high end stuff, it's just an absolute extravagance when other responsibilities empty the budget.
 
.22LRGUY said:
Better start checking under the couch cushions... :)
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Funny story, my father spent a full week thinking his Swarovski 8x42 ELs might have been stolen. Trying to figure out which backpack they'd been in last, if the car had been left unlocked, etc.

Found em under the damn couch cushions.

So take a look! You never know what might be hiding.
 
emerson said:
There are some wonderful tools in the optics world, but spending $2500-$4500 on binos isn't an option for most of us. We have no doubt of the performance of the high end stuff, it's just an absolute extravagance when other responsibilities empty the budget.
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Since none of us hunt to survive, everything related to hunting could be considered an extravagance.
Buying expensive optics just means making other sacrifices and saving. Rather than buying five mediocre pairs of binocs over the years, save up and buy one good set.
 
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