Binoculars: Swaro Vs Mid tier 10x42s

[StupidLightweight]

In addition, stay away from 12x on your chest, especially if you have a spotter.

8 or 10x.

He’s not wrong when it comes to magnification versus handheld stability. Depending on the person, they will likely see more detail through a handheld 6X, 7X, or 8X than a 10X, 12X, or 15X due to less image disturbance from shaking. Again, this is offhand. A tripod or image stabilization obviously changes things. Field of view and depth of field are also superior with low-power binos.

For use inside one mile, with most glassing under 500 yards, I think the OP would be better served by an alpha-level 8x32 than upgrading his 10X. They are marvelous instruments that are smaller, lighter, and better in many ways than 42mm class binos.

Having compared 8X versus 10X on a variety of hunts around the world, for a one-bino hunter, I believe 8 is superior mainly due to less image shake. Out to a mile or mile and a half, both 8 or 10 works fine.

When you get to distances where 8X fizzles, the answer isn’t to boost magnification 20% to 10X. The real gain comes from jumping to 12X or 15X and a tripod. This gives you optical horsepower.

My ultimate combo would be a Swaro 7x30 EL Range (doesn’t exist) for handheld use with a 13x50mm alpha-class big eyes for distance work.

 

[Blcktail56]

What I’ve noticed about Swarovski SLC vs others is they are better in low light, looking into the sun to a shadow they beat the glare better and all that lasts longer. All signs of a better coding on the glass.

 

[Dverbeek8]

I’ve never run swaros. Excited to try some someday. But maven is an excellent option for the price.

 

[UncleDim]

In the 10-12x category, I'm curious what the difference is between a Swarovski caliber pair of binoculars versus say the mid to top tier Vortex or Leupold Binos?

Currently upgrading my optics, I've had Leupold BX4 10x42s and 12x50s for Deer & Elk as well as a Leupold SX4 20-60 Spotter. I hunt some timber country as well as some open country. I get the quality difference in Spotters and that is why I justified selling my Leupold spotter and going to get a Swaro 65mm. But with binos, where I'm looking at things inside 1 mile, and usually inside 500 yards - is it really worth the extra $1000 on Swaro 10x42s?

I shot a video of midrange binoculars comparisons to the Swarovski EL's 8.5x42 in the Superstition Mountains episode 3 you can see pretty clearly how each preformed. My YouTube channel is BigJimsBinocularReviews

 

[dittoroad]

Having used both high and medium tier glass, I am saving my pennies for 8x NLs

 

[ThorM465]

I wanted to upgrade my Vortex UHDs 8x32s to NL Pure 10x32s. However, I came across a deal on the UHD 10x32s on the hide that I couldn't pass up. If someone wants to send me the Pures, I'd be happy to use them both side by side for a couple seasons and report back.

 

[waspocrew]

My 10x UHDs were great. I tried out the 12x NLs and what stood out was the FOV. They felt great in hand and were every bit as stable as my 10x free hand.

I really enjoy my NL pures, but if money was a consideration, the UHD line did not leave me disappointed.