Athlon's New 15x56 Big Bino

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robby denning

robby denning

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Sorry I’ve been slow. Got these in the hills today. Put them against the Swaro’s SLC 15x56 in a side-by-side comparison. Remember this is a non-scientific subjective test by one person.

Athlons are sharp and clear but not quite with the Swaro’s.

Athlons edge-to-edge is a tad blurry at the fringe and noticeably not as defined as the Swaro BUT it’s not bad by any stretch

Athlons FOV is less by a small margin than the Swaro’s.

Athlons eye relief is slightly less than Swaro’s but for the most part I can glass without touching the optic, the whole point of tripod mounted binos. I just have to pay closer attention so I don’t bump them.

Athlons depth of field is the furthest from the Swaro’s than the above specs but as you get out to 1000 yards and beyond, it’s less of an issue

I did a light transmission test right at dark. Legal sunset is at 9:03.

I found a stripped log laying on the opposite shore at about 1 mile. It had lots of contrast with its background.

I started checking both optics at sunset. At 9:52, I could no longer discern the log from its background through the Athlons . I started the timer and stayed on the Swaro’s. 2 minutes and 56 seconds later, I could no longer discern the log through the Swaro’s.

The pics are labeled “A” for Athlon, “S” for Swaro. Camera was the iPhone 6s, adapter was the Novagrade single gripper.
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When reducing vignette,I set phone magnification the same on both optics.

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This was looking at my fishing pole at 200 yards. This is where depth of field is noticeably worse. Notice the green bushes in the Athlon pic above the pole are out of focus.

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This was looking at aspen trees (lots of contrast) at about a mile. Depth of field less of an issue here. FOV slightly better with the Swaro’s especially by the time you take in the minor loss of clarity at the edge in the Athlons.

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This is looking at approximately 3 miles at Big Elk Mountain. Swaro’s clearer and small details more easily resolved but if you were only looking through the Athlons, you probably wouldn’t know what you’re missing

Once again the lower glass keeps getting better. These Athlons are NOT Swaro’s but they’d leave about $1500-$1700 bucks in your wallet so you’d have to consider if the significant edge in performance the Swaro’s provide is really worth to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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mcseal2

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I'm probably ruined after owning the Swaros. I'd probably like the others if I'd looked through them first, but now I can't see myself deer hunting much without the Swaros along.
 

HookUp

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I'm impressed for the price point! If you get a chance Robbie to get some deer on the Athlon's please do. What always impressed me with Swaros is the color contrast making the animals significantly easier to see.
 
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robby denning

robby denning

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I'm impressed for the price point! If you get a chance Robbie to get some deer on the Athlon's please do. What always impressed me with Swaros is the color contrast making the animals significantly easier to see.

Will do! But I often don’t comment on color in optics because I’m red-green color blind. I see colors, but not like everyone else


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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robby denning

robby denning

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OK Roksliders, I got the twilight test done. For those new to this test, I just use a 1951 USAF Resolving Power Chart after sunset and score the optics by the last element resolved at the latest time. It’s the most objective way I know to test light transmission against other optics. But remember, I’m just a deer hunter, not an optical engineer!

I put the Athlons against the Kaibabs and the Swaro’ SLC. I will say you can get a lot of glass for less money than a few years ago:
 

koppertop

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Thanks, Robby for your in depth review. Did you (or anybody else) use them extensively in the field? Any thoughts after lots of field use? Any experience with the bushnell 15’s and how they might compare to these athlons?

Would I be wasting money at this price level?
 
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robby denning

robby denning

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Thanks, Robby for your in depth review. Did you (or anybody else) use them extensively in the field? Any thoughts after lots of field use? Any experience with the bushnell 15’s and how they might compare to these athlons?

Would I be wasting money at this price level?

Hi,
I only got to use them as shown on here. You're not wasting money, especially if this is the price level that allows you to get in the 15x game. So it's better to be in at this price than be out and not have 15x. Now if budget allows, then jump to the Vortex Kaibabs, SIG Zulu, or Gen 2 Mavens.

I haven't tried the Bushnells.
 
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