New swaro RF bino first impressions... VS Zeiss RF binos.

[WRO]

Yeah I’m talking about a brand new full battery. Never thought to switch it out for another brand new full battery to get another 600yards of ranging ability lol. Something isn’t right with that situation. Just thinking in manufacturing terms. This battery 1000 yards, OR this battery 1600 yards. What happens when the 1600 yard battery looses even the slightest charge?

If you’re used to the bellies already then I’m sure you’ll love them! The glass, readout, and focus are awesome. But for me it wasn’t enough to outweigh the negatives. If they would have consistently ranged 1500-2000 yards, I probably would have kept them and just cussed about the bellies every time I used them lol. But when they were brand new and would hardly range 1000 yards (I’m not exaggerating), I just couldn’t do it. I also TOTALLY agree with the negatives you pointed out on the Zeiss. But I still choose them over the swaros. My buddy just snagged some Leica 3200.com and I’m really looking forward to
Checking those out also.

It's hard to know how long a battery set in a factory before it was shipped out, I've seen it mess with sigs, leicas, and Swarovski pretty equally.

I buy a new battery for all my rf equipment and electronics when I get them.

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[huntnful]

It's hard to know how long a battery set in a factory before it was shipped out, I've seen it mess with sigs, leicas, and Swarovski pretty equally.

I buy a new battery for all my rf equipment and electronics when I get them.

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Yeah good point. It could read full, but possibly the shelf life was extremely extended.

you’ve had your swaros since Saturday? Have you been able to get consistent far ranges?

 

[WRO]

Yeah good point. It could read full, but possibly the shelf life was extremely extended.

you’ve had your swaros since Saturday? Have you been able to get consistent far ranges?

I haven't done much with them yet, had sick kids all weekend.

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[huntnful]

I haven't done much with them yet, had sick kids all weekend.

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Aw bummer. Hope they heal up soon! Let me know how the binos do also!

 

[Cameron.25]

For what its worth, i have the el range in 8x42 and it doesn't get iffy with ranging until past 1800 yards so far for me. I haven't changed the battery either but im going to to see what happens, i really like them but the zeiss look great too

 

[huntnful]

For what its worth, i have the el range in 8x42 and it doesn't get iffy with ranging until past 1800 yards so far for me. I haven't changed the battery either but im going to to see what happens, i really like them but the zeiss look great too

Nice!! The new model or the old one?

 

[Cameron.25]

Nice!! The new model or the old one?

New

 

[huntnful]

New

That’s awesome dude!

 

[mhammond86]

I'm interested to hear how you think the Leica's stack up against the other two. I'm in the market and trying to choose between the Zeiss and Leica's.

 

[huntnful]

I'm interested to hear how you think the Leica's stack up against the other two. I'm in the market and trying to choose between the Zeiss and Leica's.

My buddy just ordered the 3200.com's. I'm definitely looking forward to checking them out! I used a pair of their other RF binos that didn't have the ballistic calc in them. The glass and ranging ability was excellent. So the 3200.com now with ballistic calc out to 1100 yards, so that could be awesome!

 

[WRO]

My buddy just ordered the 3200.com's. I'm definitely looking forward to checking them out! I used a pair of their other RF binos that didn't have the ballistic calc in them. The glass and ranging ability was excellent. So the 3200.com now with ballistic calc out to 1100 yards, so that could be awesome!

I thought the CA control was atrocious in the couple pairs I've used, I actually prefer the older body style ones to the new crooked ones.

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[huntnful]

I thought the CA control was atrocious in the couple pairs I've used, I actually prefer the older body style ones to the new crooked ones.

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Not sure I follow what you're referring to? CA controls? Or crooked vs. straight?

 

[WRO]

Not sure I follow what you're referring to? CA controls? Or crooked vs. straight?

Chromatic Abberation control is sub par for a set of binoculars that cost that much.

I haven't ran the latest set to see if they've fixed it.

Keep in mind that I'm not a fan of rf binoculars in general and am going out on a limb trying the new ta's.

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[slim23]

after using my sigs for 4 days bear hunting i am deffinetly switching. awesome ranging but the glass is sub par. I wish i had the money for all 3 so i could see them side by side in the real world!

 

[Heymanwest]

This is very helpful, thanks for all the effort in getting this info out to us!

 

[Adventurfreak]

Anyone else have input on the range finding ability of these two? I’m looking to upgrade from my vortex fury’s and have had no issues ranging with them. Got a bear on Alaska at 1646 on the first attempt and many other animals at similar ranges. I want the better glass quality which I already know will be better but wasn’t even questioning the range ability till seeing this post!

 

[Wy_elk_hunter]

I've been running the 10x42 Zeiss RF's for the last two years. They were amazing and very user friendly. They had a few MINOR drawbacks, so I decided to sell them and test out the new Swaro 10x42 El Range TA to see how they compared.

Drawbacks of the Zeiss were:
- Great glass, but not super great glass haha. I realize they're an RF bino, so they don't come with the top tier glass also.
- Focus knob turned easily and I always had to refocus them after putting them in and pulling them out of my bino pouch.
- The range display/readout had a SLIGHT double vision to it, and I wish it was a little bit brighter for some scenarios.

First Impression on the Swaro's:
- The glass is a touch above the Zeiss. It's apparent, but not significant. I was hoping for an improvement, and it is.
- Firm focus knob and a large depth of focus (this was welcomed, and I didn't even know I was missing it). Probably 100 yards - infinite, the focus can stay the same and is crystal clear.
- The range display/readout is bold and clear in all conditions. Also bright, but you can still view through it easily. Hard to explain, but it's an amazing readout.
- I also like how the range stays displayed and the MOA adjustment flashes below it. So they are both visible at the same time. The zeiss flashes the range and then the MOA readout. They're not visible at the same time.

Drawbacks of the swaro:
- The swaro 100% does not range as far or as well as the Zeiss and is little finicky on what it ranges at far distances. It wouldn't pick up the shaded side of a tree at 1100 yards for example. But where the sun was hitting the hill below the tree, it ranged no problem. The Zeiss would have easily picked this range up in any scenario.
- They have large bellies or compartments underneath each eye tube, which I'm assuming is where they store the technology. I dislike this a lot. Not a total deal breaker, but definitely not a fan of it. It's still ergonomic to hold, but more of a pain to put into a bino pouch for sure. Zeiss's don't have this. They look like a straight bino.

Equals:
- They both give VERY fast and accurate yardage readouts and the necessary MOA/MIL adjustments for your ballistics. Maybe 1/2 second and your data is on the screen.
- The apps are super easy to use and link to the binos to input your ballistics. Swaro has a little edge on the app usability though.
- They both give the same corrections if the same data is input into either app/bino. Which is expected, but I'm just mentioning it.

I'm going to run the Swaros for the season, and really test if the positives outweigh the drawbacks. They both seem to be awesome RF binos and I wouldn't hesitate to buy either of them if you're thinking about getting an RF bino with built in ballistic corrections.

I didn't touch on the tracking assist of the Swaro because I'm probably not even going to mess it. I didn't buy them for that reason. I wish they would have left that technology out and possibly got rid of the bellies underneath the bino if that was possible.
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Great comparison…

 

[NE Herd Bull]

Reviving this thread to hear additional real-world experiences
btw...this is good of an honest and unbiased review on this subject as I have found in my relatively short time spent researching.
Thank You OP

I am contemplating an upgrade from the 1st gen Swaro 10x42el Range.
To the current Swaro EL Range TA or the Zeiss Victory RF

Reading biased(paid) reviews is not moving my needle.

I have asked 2 respected and qualified long range shooters who also hunt extensively for their suggestions.
One made a solid case for the Swaro the other told me Zeiss was the only way to go
Furthered my confusion

Also in the realm of consideration is the new Leica products. Though real world experiences are harder to come by for those. I sure this is because of the short time they have been available on the US market.

Would like to hear from Sliders who are using the ballistics functions of each, and any meaningful likes and dislikes that you have discovered.
Hunting (rifle and archery) and long range shooting opinions please

 

[FrankieP1988]

I’ve owned and used both. Stayed with the new EL Range

I personally prefer the glass of the swaros. The Zeiss have a very noticeable blueish tint to the glass which wasnt ideal in low light conditions. Also i noticed on both my victory sf and rf, the glass would fog up very easily in cold conditions going in and out of my bino harness. I dont have these issues with the el range.

As for ballistic software, i feel like they both did ok but ive had better luck/accuracy using apps on my phone or the sig rangefinders. The zeiss software was a bit more user friendly than the swaro stuff in my opinion.


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[huntnful]

I just started testing the new Revic Ranging binos now. So I’ve had the Zeiss RF’s, Swaro EL range TA’s and now the Revic’s. For ballistics and ranging, the Revic is better than the other two for sure. The TA’s easily have the best glass. The Zeiss range much better and are smaller feeling than the TA’s.

If I only ever wanted to carry one bino, it would probably be the Revic over the other two. Because it serves the ranging and ballistic function the best. It has the “worst” glass of the 3. Still pretty decent though.