New vs old Binos, what am I missing?

[Ynothunt41]

OK, a long time ago I got a pair Baush and Lomb 10x42 binos that were very good back in the day. I just got a pair of Swaro SLC 10x42 and to my surprise there's not a lot of difference between the two. Sure the Swaro is a little brighter and the field of view is a little better. I live in the woods and I am only looking a stuff around 100 yards or so but I thought I would see a big difference but there's not the much difference. At further distances will that make a difference? What am I missing?

 

[ZDR]

That’s a great question. I do think optical coatings have advanced quite a bit in the last 20 years or so, but when I look through my German made Leica trinovids from the 90s, I think they are on par optically w the SLC for example. B&L was a great company with high quality optics so I wouldnt be surprised if they were optically similar to alpha Binos of a few years ago.
A friend has Zeiss 7x42 Binos that look like they should be on a tank commanders chest. They are simply amazing optically and they must be 30 years old.
I’m sure someone with more knowledge will weigh in.

 

[Block]

Put them both on a tripod to compare and you should see a much bigger difference ... esp the edge to edge clarity... also the first and last 30 min of light should be where they are have a noticeable advantage.

Also glassing for a long period of time off a tripod you would probably eventually get a headache with the cheap stuff

 

[AGPank]

It would really depend on which B&Ls you had. As someone else mentioned they used to make high end optics.

1. One difference: send them in for warranty repair, adjustments (I’m pretty sure they don’t make binos any more, maybe they sold it to Bushnell.
2. Set them on tripods and compare in tough conditions: low light, edge clarity, chromatic aberration, glare, field of view
3. Newer coatings can be more durable, reduce fog, easier to clean
4. Field use: see which ones find game in challenging conditions.
5. Resale : look at eBay values of 20 yr old B&L to 20 yr old Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica

Many improvements are incremental we aren’t dealing with Moore’s Law and exponential increase of semiconductor speed.


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[Ynothunt41]

It would really depend on which B&Ls you had. As someone else mentioned they used to make high end optics.

1. One difference: send them in for warranty repair, adjustments (I’m pretty sure they don’t make binos any more, maybe they sold it to Bushnell.
2. Set them on tripods and compare in tough conditions: low light, edge clarity, chromatic aberration, glare, field of view
3. Newer coatings can be more durable, reduce fog, easier to clean
4. Field use: see which ones find game in challenging conditions.
5. Resale : look at eBay values of 20 yr old B&L to 20 yr old Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica

Many improvements are incremental we aren’t dealing with Moore’s Law and exponential increase of semiconductor speed.


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All very good points. I am looking through them for a short period of time and I wasn't using my tripod. When I go on my hunt to Wyoming in Oct I will be looking though them all day long. That was the reason I really wanted them.

The old B&L binos I have are the discover series. When I got them it was the best series they made. They were bought out by Bushnell.

Don't get me wrong the Swaro are very nice and they are better in every way but I guess I thought it would be a bigger jump.

Thanks for you input!!

 

[The Fish Box]

What did those old binoculars cost a long time ago? I wonder if with inflation the actual cost of alpha glass back in the day isn’t that to terrible compared to today’s glass. That’s all to say I bet if you plop them both on a tripod at last light like mentioned earlier the new glass will show the advancements in glass.

 

[amo16]

What did those old binoculars cost a long time ago? I wonder if with inflation the actual cost of alpha glass back in the day isn’t that to terrible compared to today’s glass. That’s all to say I bet if you plop them both on a tripod at last light like mentioned earlier the new glass will show the advancements in glass.

I had a pair of those Discoverers in 7x42 i bought new in the mid 90's and I'm pretty certain they were right at $350. They were actually pretty good glass for the money. I replaced those with B&L Elites which were a noticeable upgrade and compared pretty well with the high end European glass of the day.

 

[Ynothunt41]

What did those old binoculars cost a long time ago? I wonder if with inflation the actual cost of alpha glass back in the day isn’t that to terrible compared to today’s glass. That’s all to say I bet if you plop them both on a tripod at last light like mentioned earlier the new glass will show the advancements in glass.

I don't remember what I paid for them. I got them like 20 years ago when I worked at Gander Mt. They had a vendor program for the employees and I got them pretty cheap.

 

[CApighunter]

Maven B2 9x45. I have no complaints from mine and see no need for to upgrade from them. I’d be ok if they’re my “forever” binos.

 

[Ynothunt41]

Maven B2 9x45. I have no complaints from mine and see no need for to upgrade from them. I’d be ok if they’re my “forever” binos.

I was looking at them but I got the 20% off Black Ovis code and got the SLC for a couple hundred buck more. Like a lot of people said the Swaro resale is great.

 

[cbeard64]

Looking at a woods environment at short distances is not much of a comparison.
You will notice a night and day difference once you take them out west.

That said, I noticed a huge difference right away when I upgraded from my B&L Elites to Swaro ELs 20 years ago.

I’m about to make my second upgrade to the new NLs. FWIW, I will probably get more $$ for those ELs than what I paid for them.

 

[Q child]

The improvements from one generation to the next are incremental. If you had good glasses before, then they are still good now. I would expect that your new SLCs are better than your old B&Ls, but if you don't see it, then what's the point? Test em out if some tougher conditions - long distance, dying light, low sun with a lot of glare - if you still don't see it, then get rid of em. Trust your eyes first.
Also, I have had the experience that you are talking about. I got a new pair of 10x42 Conquests a few years ago to replace my 8x42 Monarch 7s, and I really had to look and nitpick to be able to determine that they were better at all. But after using the Conquests for a while, then picking up my Nikons again, I noticed that the Nikons were clearly worse in every way. Could just be that your eyes are used to what you have, and until they adjust a little bit you can't quite see it.

 

[Str8shooter]

off hand, short distances, in bright uniform light or in stores...most mid tier and alpha binos wont appear too different from each other. However, as was said above, on a tripod, at distance, in early or later light scenarios, and finding game near the edges of view...thats when the alpha glass shines.... In the store offhand even after spending a bunch of time behind alpha glass, I recently couldnt tell much of a difference between razors vs SLCs.... in the field....when the critter counting starts...thats when the ROI occurs.

 

[WestNE]

To me there is a difference between today's mid-tier and older alpha or slightly sub-alpha quality. Older higher end glass to my eye is much easier and less fatiguing to spend time with. You also don't have the sample variance that many new models seem to suffer from, and build quality is impressive.

It's obvious that new alphas are top of the heat but it seems to me that the older glass offers similar resolution but due to color/ contrast differences they do appear a bit softer. I'll likely never be able to afford new alpha glass but give me older high end over current mid-tier(im talking $350-$700) any day, they are just easier to look through, more comfortable. The samples in basing this off of are non-hd gold rings and nikon lx's.

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[Newtosavage]

If you have the B&L Elites, then not that much. If you have another model of B&L, then go see your eye doctor. Seriously.

 

[Ynothunt41]

So I finally got a chance to go to the range and really give the SLC a good test. They really are impressive! The color the brightness and the clarity are amazing and they are so easy on your eyes. I can see how you could use them all day and not have any issues. I am very happy with my purchase. I don't have to worry about buying another pair of bino's the rest of my life.

Thank you guys for all the info!!!