Considering upgrading to Swarovski and have questions

[twall13]

With the current sales on the Swarovski EL binoculars I'm considering making the upgrade. If I get them I'd go through the Outdoorsmans and get the free stud installed as that's the bino mount I use anyway. I have some questions I'm hoping some fellow Roksliders can help discuss with me to help in my decisions.

1. Is the Medium Marsupial enclosed case too big? That's my current harness and I'm trying to decide if I need a new one. Not a deal killer either way, just gathering info. so I know what to expect.
2. 10x or 8.5x? I'm leaning towards 8.5 as I know I suck at hand holding binos steady and that's one reason I like my current Maven's in 9x. That said, I spend a lot more time with binos on a tripod than not so I'm second guessing myself. How much am I going to miss the increased field of view on my Maven's if I go 10x? What are your reasons for choosing 8.5 over 10 and vice versa?

For reference, most of my hunting is in Utah with an occasional trip to Wyoming, Idaho or Colorado for mule deer, elk, and black bear. I like spending time behind glass for both mule deer and black bear. I've never felt handicapped by the lack of magnification in the 9x Maven's. Do I need to go to a store and hand hold them to make sure? I've always avoided looking through Swaro Binos because I was afraid I'd feel the need to buy them if I did. I'm at a point where I can afford them now, which is why I'm considering the upgrade.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Mmacfive]

The medium Marsupial is not to big.

I currently run exclusively 12's so I would recommend 10's for western hunting. I would have any hesitation with 8.5's though if you need/want the extra FOV. But the vast majority of the time I'm on a tripod so there is that.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

Been using 10x ELs since 2009, just upgraded to the NL Pure 10x last year. I would say IMO that the 10x is the best all around bino if you only had one. But I personally Run 10x, 15x and BTXs for a variety of distances and scenarios.

 

[svivian]

The medium fits the 10x42 ELs perfect

10x would be my preference especially since you will be using a tripod

 

[Mmacfive]

Been using 10x ELs since 2009, just upgraded to the NL Pure 10x last year. I would say IMO that the 10x is the best all around bino if you only had one. But I personally Run 10x, 15x and BTXs for a variety of distances and scenarios.

My son ram 10 ELs and 15 SLCs. I let him use my 12NLs one day….

He sold the 10’s and 15’s and bought 12’s. Even Coues and sheep hunting

We do run a dual mount with a spotting scope though.

 

[twall13]

Thanks for the replies guys. So far it seems like everyone would go 10x. I may have to run in to a sporting goods store and see if I can hand hold them side by side.

This would be my main binocular. I have a couple of Kowa spotting scopes (553 and 883) to reach out further depending on the hunt but most of my glassing is done with binos.

I wish I could justify the NL's but there's no way that's happening in the near future.

 

[Mmacfive]

The medium fits the 10x42 ELs perfect

10x would be my preference especially since you will be using a tripod

Swarovski’s current discount on the ELs is hard to beat.

I wonder f they are dropping them.

 

[KenLee]

If you suck at handholding, go with 8x NL and be done

 

[twall13]

If you suck at handholding, go with 8x NL and be done

I do suck at handholding, at least to a point. I certainly can't handhold 12's, I might be okay with 10's, my current 9's are fine. I think I'll head to Cabela's tonight to test out handholding the 10's and see if it's in the cards.

The 8x NL's are an extra $1350 plus tax over the EL's right now. That's not gonna happen for me in the near future. I know the NL's are better, but I also know the EL's are better than my Maven's and I've been happily hunting with them since 2016. Point being, the NL's aren't in the cards right now and even if they were I'd for sure look at the 10x in the NL's as I've heard the ergonomics make them easier to handhold and I could always throw on the forehead rest if needed. That and the added field of view I think make the 10's a no brainer for me if I were to go that route, but I can't right now so it's between the 8.5 and 10 power EL's.

 

[feanor]

Where is this sale?

 

[twall13]

Where is this sale?

All over. Outdoorsmans, Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse, S&S Archery, GoHunt. They all have them at like $400 off. Outdoorsmans will install their stud for free as well.

 

[CorbLand]

If you can, I would highly suggest looking through them before you buy. The field flattener in the ELs does give some eyes trouble and you get a fish bowl effect.

I like 8s for the extra field of view and stability but I dont go anywhere without 15s or a spotter so I have the extra power if needed.

I have never compared the Mavens and ELs but you would be amazed at what the extra clarity does. I spent about 20 days sheep hunting this year and I was picking up sheep with my NL 8s that the tag holder couldnt find with Razor 10s.

 

[twall13]

If you can, I would highly suggest looking through them before you buy. The field flattener in the ELs does give some eyes trouble and you get a fish bowl effect.

I like 8s for the extra field of view and stability but I dont go anywhere without 15s or a spotter so I have the extra power if needed.

I have never compared the Mavens and ELs but you would be amazed at what the extra clarity does. I spent about 20 days sheep hunting this year and I was picking up sheep with my NL 8s that the tag holder couldnt find with Razor 10s.

That's a good point and I intend to look through them tonight. In store won't tell the whole story but it should be helpful regardless. I'm not too worried about the fish bowl effect but it can't hurt to check it out. From what I understand, the Maven B.2's also have field flattening and they've never given me a problem. That's not an apples to apples comparison so I'll look for it when I go.

I totally agree with optical clarity being more important than magnification. I went from 12x Nikons to the 9x Mavens and the clarity upgrade made a big difference in what I could see.

 

[CorbLand]

That's a good point and I intend to look through them tonight. In store won't tell the whole story but it should be helpful regardless. I'm not too worried about the fish bowl effect but it can't hurt to check it out. From what I understand, the Maven B.2's also have field flattening and they've never given me a problem. That's not an apples to apples comparison so I'll look for it when I go.

I totally agree with optical clarity being more important than magnification. I went from 12x Nikons to the 9x Mavens and the clarity upgrade made a big difference in what I could see.

Most places should allow you to go outside and look through them.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

If you don't like the field flattener, you'll probably really enjoy the zeiss victory sf 10x42s I have posted.

 

[KenLee]

I do suck at handholding, at least to a point. I certainly can't handhold 12's, I might be okay with 10's, my current 9's are fine. I think I'll head to Cabela's tonight to test out handholding the 10's and see if it's in the cards.

The 8x NL's are an extra $1350 plus tax over the EL's right now. That's not gonna happen for me in the near future. I know the NL's are better, but I also know the EL's are better than my Maven's and I've been happily hunting with them since 2016. Point being, the NL's aren't in the cards right now and even if they were I'd for sure look at the 10x in the NL's as I've heard the ergonomics make them easier to handhold and I could always throw on the forehead rest if needed. That and the added field of view I think make the 10's a no brainer for me if I were to go that route, but I can't right now so it's between the 8.5 and 10 power EL's.

The NLs normally go on sale in September...or they did the last 2 yrs.
The difference in stability and low light performance of the 8x vs 10x was very noticeable to me.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

They fit perfectly in the medium marsupial, the small is too tight IMO with the eye cups extended.

I had 8.5 EL’s but I’ve had 10x EL‘a as well (also have 10x EL Range TA’s), if I could only have one bino I’d still go with the 8.5’s in the EL line for the increased FOV and low light performance. That’s my personal preference though, there’s nothing wrong with the 10’s and either would make a perfectly fine pair of only binoculars.

 

[Mmacfive]

The 10 NLs have about the same FOV as you 8.5’s.

And they’ve improved the light performance so the difference is probably less then most think. I don’t know that I can tell the difference between me 12x50 ELs and my 10x42 NLs. At least it’s not enough matter to me.

 

[twall13]

I went in to Cabela's last night and looked through a few pairs of binoculars. Things do pop looking through the El's, I think I'm going to love them whatever I decide. I would love to spend more time with a few pairs on a tripod and off in various lighting conditions but it was still helpful to hold and look through a few pairs. They didn't have an 8.5 EL but did have the 10's. I'm still a bit on the fence, I feel like they handheld maybe slightly better than I expected, but I'm still not convinced I'm better off with the 10's. I've really grown to like the FOV on the Maven's and the 8.5's just match that better. I'm going to give the Outdoorsman's a call this morning and see how things go. I don't think there is a wrong choice here, but maybe a slightly better option for my needs.

Side note, the ergonomics on the NL's really are quite nice. The EL's feel good as well, but not quite as good to hand hold. I still can't justify the price difference personally, but there's no question the NL's great.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The 10 NLs have about the same FOV as you 8.5’s.

And they’ve improved the light performance so the difference is probably less then most think. I don’t know that I can tell the difference between me 12x50 ELs and my 10x42 NLs. At least it’s not enough matter to me.

The OP is asking about EL’s, not NL’s.

Your 12x50 EL’s have a 4.17mm exit pupil which is almost exactly the same as the 4.2mm exit pupil on the 10x42’s so no you’re not going to notice a difference there in low light performance.

Comparing the two binoculars that the OP is actually looking at the 10’s have a 4.2mm exit pupil and the 8.5’s have a 4.94mm exit pupil which is 20% larger and is a difference.

If you compare binos with the same glass the larger exit pupil is always going to be better in low light. I can see clear differences in my 8.5 EL’s, 10x EL Range TA’s, and 12x NL’s in low light.