Pros:
Feel
Colors
Clarity
Balance
Contrast
Brightness
Sharpness
Resolving power
Clear edge-to-edge
No central hinge - cool one handed balance
Very precise focusing wheel with perfect feel
They feel one with you almost disappearing when in use
Cons:
Case could be better for the price
Cost and umm I'm thinking...
First comparisons:
I thought my Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 Team Realtree Binoculars where awesome, that is until I picked up a pair of Swarovski EL 8 x 32 binoculars. They both have a very similar heft and feel in the hand but the Swarovski's were noticeably brighter and sharper edge to edge (more on that later) and felt noticeably better in the hand what with the ability to wrap your hand around one barrel because there is no central hinge and the thumb cut out area underneath you could almost forget you are holding them and they truly become an extension of your body. Hey wait a minute aren't binoculars with an objective lens of 42mm supposed to be brighter then those with 32mm? Not in this case. The field of view is larger and the view was brighter with the Swarovksi's.
Dioptric Compensation:
I found the dioptric compensation to be a little strange at first since its located behind the focusing wheel but I quickly fell deeply in love with it. To adjust you look through with your left eye only with the right lens covered and adjust the focus wheel. Then you look through the right side while the left lens is covered and pull the focusing wheel out exposing the very cool hidden dioptric scale. Then simply adjust just the focus wheel again until you have a sharp view. Note your setting and push the wheel back in and you are in business. It all feels very natural and you have to wonder if lesser brands will copy this feature in the future.
Focus wheel:
I tried a lot of binoculars at the store including some high end Zeiss and of all of them the EL 8x32 had the most intuitive easy to use perfect weight, feel and gearing, perfect location. Fast super easy focus, I rate it as a 10! It makes my Nikon Monarch focus feel a little stiff.
Adjustable Eyecups:
The adjustable eyecups twist up - down for viewing with your glasses on or off. I am quickly getting spoiled to how nice this system is compared to the really cheap binoculars with the roll up eyecups. Yeah I know, why didn't I move up to a higher grade of binoculars before? Because I'm cheap Ok. But in this case you do get what you pay for. I'm of that school that sometimes likes to view with my glasses on and sometimes with them off so easily adjustable eyecups are nice to have and these work perfectly for me. But I am surprised that the Nikon Monarch twist eyecups seem just as good.
Case:
Well for binoculars costing well over a thousands dollars I expected better, it's much better then my Nikon Monarch's case of course but I think I'm still going to buy a nice Pelican Case and leave this case in the box.
Lens covers:
Again I would have thought they could think of something better.
Strap:
Nice, easy to adjust and easy to forget you have it on.
Focusing:
WOW, very smooth, precise, perfect feel, easy to quickly and accurately focus. Built in hidden Dioptric compensation is a plus.
Through the magic looking glass:
I find that words fail me when trying to describe the first time you look through a Swarovski El binocular, but I will try. You don't realize how your peripheral vision helps you locate movement around the edge of your view or how much sharper the view could be until you suddenly have it and then don't have it. Kind of like when I was a little kid with near sided vision and my mom bought my first pair of eyeglasses. She was crying on the way home when for the first time I was wearing glasses and said, "Wow mom I can see the leaves on the trees".
Bottom line is your lesser binoculars like the Nikon Monarchs that used to seem great now seem like you are looking through a light fog especially near the edges where the Swarovski binoculars are super clear and sharp.
Without feeling like I'm going on and on being a photographer its like when I moved up to a Canon 5D Mark II full framed sensor 21 Megapixel digital camera from my 40D 10 Megapixel cropped sensor. The difference is night and day.
My other binoculars compared:
Just for fun I gathered my current crop again and did a back-to-back comparison.
Swarovski EL Binoculars 8x32 vs Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 Team Realtree
The Nikon 8x42 Monarch Realtree felt the closest to my Swarovksi El 8x32 but there the race ended.
A lot like trying to compare a Camaro to a new Lamborghini. Both have there place and both are a lot of fun but I really shouldn't have tried comparing them just like I shouldn't have tried the Swarovski's in the first place as I am now in debt having purchased them.
The Nikon's are a heck of a bargain at their price range and are well balanced, sharp and work well against binoculars costing hundreds more. Then you try the Swarovksi and they become dull, unbalanced a little harder to focus and clearly a very distant second place. Still I am keeping them for occasions when I worry about the higher priced Swarovksi (example leave in car for that always there pair).
Swarovski EL Binoculars 8x32 vs Nikon 7508 Travelite 8 X 25mm
Still feeling small and good they put up a great fight especially for the price cut and I still carry them because of that very reason they fit easily in my pocket and I can hand to other people that want to borrow my binoculars. I don't use them myself any more.
Swarovski EL 8x32 Binoculars vs Nikon 7216 Action 8x40
I know the nerve comparing a pair of binoculars costing less then $70 to a pair well over $1000 actually closer to $2000. Well the Nikon Action 8x40 have a very similar view to the Monarch's which again seems good until you do a back to back camparo to the Swarovski and then they seem dull and dark and huge. I no longer use the Nikon Action 8x40 because they feel huge, heavy and unbalanced after using all my other pairs, but I will remember them fondly as my first pair of new birding binoculars and they are a great bargain for beginning birders and have a view every bit is good as the Monarchs. I have handed down to my daughters now.
Swarovski EL Binoculars 8x32 vs ZEN ED Binoculars
Last but not least the Zen-Ray ZEN ED 8x43 binoculars come the closest of any binocular I have tried so far to the Swarovski EL optically. BUT and this is a big BUT the focusing is far less precise and the accessories are not so great (neck strap too long, cheap covers etc). They are releasing a new version called the Zen ED2 which is supposed to have improved focusing and better accessories in August. I suggest you wait for these. Bottom line is for a less then a third of the price you get near Swarovski optics.
Other Swarovski Binoculars:
I tried most of the others they had including the EL 10x42, EL 8.5x42 and SLC 10x42 and SLC 10x50 I didn't like any of them as well as the EL 8x32. But as always with binoculars you should always try them yourself.
Conclusion:
If you love looking through your binoculars and particularly if you are an avid birder and are in the $200 to $1000 purchase range DO NOT even try the Swarovski EL 8x32 Binoculars! If you do you will fall in love with that transported towards what you are looking at feeling and do whatever it takes to have that feeling over and over even though the cost is closer to $2000 then $1000. For those in the hundreds of dollars price range and can not afford the perfection of a Swarovski I whole-heartedly recommend the Zen-Ray ZEN ED2 7x36 Binoculars or the ZEN ED2 8x43 Binoculars. The view through them is fantastic, no the focusing mechanism isn't as precise and the accessories are not as good but the Zen-Ray ED's are less then a third of the price.
On the other hand if you want the very: best optics, small, light and balanced pair of binoculars on the planet and cost is no object I have gone on long enough.
Go down to your local store and try a pair of Swarovski EL 8x32 Binoculars back to back with your favorite pair then come back on line and order them. Get more detail about Swarovski EL Binocular 8x32.
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