Leica Geovid Pro vs Swaro EL Range TA

[gtriple]

I've read lots of reviews for both series, but I'm wondering if anybody that has used both has compared them. I'm going to upgrade from my Vortex's this year and probably won't get a chance to see them for myself locally.

 

[Matt Cashell]

If you are looking at the 32mm Geovid Pro @Josh Boyd looked at them last year:

Leica Geovid Pro 32 Review - Rokslide

Leica Geovid Pro 32 Review. Josh breaks down the pros and cons of the Leica Geovid Pro 32 and explains why they are a great choice.

www.rokslide.com

I recently reviewed the 42mm EL Range here:

Swarovski EL Range TA Binocular Review - Rokslide

EL Range TA Review. Matt discusses the Swarovski EL Range TA rangefinding binocular to help you decide if it's the right choice for you.

www.rokslide.com

The 42mm Geovid Pros aren’t out in the wild yet, but I expect a review sample this spring.

 

[gtriple]

If you are looking at the 32mm Geovid Pro @Josh Boyd looked at them last year:

Leica Geovid Pro 32 Review - Rokslide

Leica Geovid Pro 32 Review. Josh breaks down the pros and cons of the Leica Geovid Pro 32 and explains why they are a great choice.

www.rokslide.com

I recently reviewed the 42mm EL Range here:

Swarovski EL Range TA Binocular Review - Rokslide

EL Range TA Review. Matt discusses the Swarovski EL Range TA rangefinding binocular to help you decide if it's the right choice for you.

www.rokslide.com

The 42mm Geovid Pros aren’t out in the wild yet, but I expect a review sample this spring.

Both of those reviews are great, but I'd like to get input on how they compare to each other.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Both of those reviews are great, but I'd like to get input on how they compare to each other.

Coming soon…

 

[gtriple]

Coming soon…

Any update or sneak peek?

I'm considering picking up one soon.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Still waiting. No timeline.

 

[Verdugo60]

I have a season of use on the 10x32 Leica PRO’s.

I used them in several NRL Hunter field matches and hunting a few days this fall (didn’t draw most my tags).

For those not familiar, NRL Hunter matches have blind stages in which you find, range and engage targets with a precision rifle from 300-1000 yards. Sometimes part of the challenge is a skylined target, which makes ranging very difficult. The Leica’s did pretty well at this but I would prefer the SIG 10k laser performance (optically the Sigs are not on the same level). Leicas did as well as most other non-military rangefinders (which start at $7-10k).

Optically they are good. My dad has the older 10x42 Geovid 3200.coms. Side by side comparison at 2pm the 10x42’s were better optically than the 10x32’s. We were glassing up mule deer does on a brush and shadow covered hillside at 1200-1500 yards with the 10x42’s easier than the 10x32’s. Both were on tripods and multiple hunters agreed the older 10x42’s were better at picking out little white butts and flicking tails, etc.

The Leica PRO ballistic solutions are very good with the AB upgrade, usually within .1 mil of my Kestrel 5700. The App is much easier to use than the older 3200.com.

As for the SWARO EL TA’s I can’t directly compare, haven’t personally used them but I’m intrigued.

From what I have heard and read the SWARO display is better as it shows both the range and ballistic solution at the same time. The Leica has a two second cycle time between range THEN Elevation THEN wind. So 6 seconds to get all your data, which is a long time on the clock but not usually as big a deal hunting.

I think the Leica 10x42’s will be better than the 10x32’s, with a bigger field of view and likely better resolution and light transmission. Hoping to play with the upgraded TA SWARO’s soon at a comp or something.

 

[hoguer]

I have run both the Leica 8x32 pros and Swaro 10x42 EL Range in the feild.

No need to go over the pros, they are both very nice binos.

Negatives
Leica
-$150 upgrade to the full ballistic suite from ABS is silly on a nearly $3000 set of binos
-only 1 gun profile on the binos at a time. You have to reconnect to your phone to change the profile. This is STUPID.
-the front lens caps suck due to the small mounting surface forward of the laser/hinge on the objectives and fall off the

Swaros
-the ergonomic “bumps” on the bottom of the objective barrels make them fit to snuggly in most medium sized bino harnesses that clear all other 10x42s perfectly.
-no wind correction readout or input on the HUD (fatal error in my opinion)
-requires you to choose a Swaro scope when you are building up your rifles profile
-It’s Swaro software, not ABS.

My choice:
Sold the Leicas and gave my buddy back his Swaros.
Waiting for the Leica 8x42 pros to hit the shelves and crossing my fingers there is a firmware update that allows more than one gun profile to be stored on the binos at a time.

 

[gtriple]

I have run both the Leica 8x32 pros and Swaro 10x42 EL Range in the feild.

No need to go over the pros, they are both very nice binos.

Negatives
Leica
-$150 upgrade to the full ballistic suite from ABS is silly on a nearly $3000 set of binos
-only 1 gun profile on the binos at a time. You have to reconnect to your phone to change the profile. This is STUPID.
-the front lens caps suck due to the small mounting surface forward of the laser/hinge on the objectives and fall off the

Swaros
-the ergonomic “bumps” on the bottom of the objective barrels make them fit to snuggly in most medium sized bino harnesses that clear all other 10x42s perfectly.
-no wind correction readout or input on the HUD (fatal error in my opinion)
-requires you to choose a Swaro scope when you are building up your rifles profile
-It’s Swaro software, not ABS.

My choice:
Sold the Leicas and gave my buddy back his Swaros.
Waiting for the Leica 8x42 pros to hit the shelves and crossing my fingers there is a firmware update that allows more than one gun profile to be stored on the binos at a time.

I'm pretty sure the ABS Upgrade is because of European manufacturing limits. They limit any civilian rangefinding unit to 800M, so Leica had to do it that way. Same reason why the Swaro is limited to 800M.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

I have run both the Leica 8x32 pros and Swaro 10x42 EL Range in the feild.

No need to go over the pros, they are both very nice binos.

Negatives
Leica
-$150 upgrade to the full ballistic suite from ABS is silly on a nearly $3000 set of binos
-only 1 gun profile on the binos at a time. You have to reconnect to your phone to change the profile. This is STUPID.
-the front lens caps suck due to the small mounting surface forward of the laser/hinge on the objectives and fall off the

Swaros
-the ergonomic “bumps” on the bottom of the objective barrels make them fit to snuggly in most medium sized bino harnesses that clear all other 10x42s perfectly.
-no wind correction readout or input on the HUD (fatal error in my opinion)
-requires you to choose a Swaro scope when you are building up your rifles profile
-It’s Swaro software, not ABS.

My choice:
Sold the Leicas and gave my buddy back his Swaros.
Waiting for the Leica 8x42 pros to hit the shelves and crossing my fingers there is a firmware update that allows more than one gun profile to be stored on the binos at a time.

Choosing the scope has zero impact whatsoever, unless you want the unit to tell you how many clicks instead of MOA / MIL.

 

[gtriple]

I have run both the Leica 8x32 pros and Swaro 10x42 EL Range in the feild.

No need to go over the pros, they are both very nice binos.

Negatives
Leica
-$150 upgrade to the full ballistic suite from ABS is silly on a nearly $3000 set of binos
-only 1 gun profile on the binos at a time. You have to reconnect to your phone to change the profile. This is STUPID.
-the front lens caps suck due to the small mounting surface forward of the laser/hinge on the objectives and fall off the

Swaros
-the ergonomic “bumps” on the bottom of the objective barrels make them fit to snuggly in most medium sized bino harnesses that clear all other 10x42s perfectly.
-no wind correction readout or input on the HUD (fatal error in my opinion)
-requires you to choose a Swaro scope when you are building up your rifles profile
-It’s Swaro software, not ABS.

My choice:
Sold the Leicas and gave my buddy back his Swaros.
Waiting for the Leica 8x42 pros to hit the shelves and crossing my fingers there is a firmware update that allows more than one gun profile to be stored on the binos at a time.

I ran the Leica Geovid Pros 10x32 for my bear hunt this year and have a good bit of range time with them.

I highly agree with 2 of your negatives. The lack of multiple profiles is annoying. And it is not clear when a new profile has actually been synced. And the front lens caps are always in the way. I removed mine on day 2 of the hunt and left them in my pack.

Other than that, they were fantastic. Trying to decide what my 2nd set should be.

 

[cmeyer733]

Does anyone have any insight on when the Leica 10x42 PROs will be out and available?

 

[Footshooter]

They are available now, mine are in my possession now. Haven't had time to play with them yet

 

[Okie84]

They are available now, mine are in my possession now. Haven't had time to play with them yet

Following…

 

[Keener22]

Also following as I have the very same question. I have yet to see any 10x42 Geovid Pros available where I shop.

A coworker of mine has the 10x32 Geovid Pros and they are awesome. I’m a huge fan of the GPS location feature, something I’m not sure the Swaro’s do (they might, I actually just do not know). Not to mention the nearly $1,000 price difference.

 

[Bluesman1148]

Swaro has the tracking assistant which essentially helps you get to the area you were spotting the animal if you have signal.

 

[parshal]

So do the Geovid Pro.

 

[Keener22]

Swaro has the tracking assistant which essentially helps you get to the area you were spotting the animal if you have signal.

I’m not sure what you mean by “signal”, but the Leica’s have a Bluetooth function where it puts a waypoint directly on your phone mapping app to where you are lasing.

 

[Bluesman1148]

As I understand it, it talks to your cell phone via bluetooth which is only good if your cell phone is a place that it has service or what I referred to as ”signal”

 

[parshal]

No cell phone service required. Just bluetooth.