rolling Ball effect???

[HuntHarder]

When I got the newest EL's, I noticed the field flattening effect. It does not bother me so I am ok with it. The picture in the new EL's was the best for me when comparing to other brands. The Zeiss were a very close second tho. Like most have said, everyone's eyes are different, best thing to do is simply go down and compare or if your budget allows for it, buy both and return the ones you do not like after comparing.

 

[Spiral Horn]

My Swarovski Fan comments weren’t directed at you personally, but there is a big Swaro fanbase on Rokslide that often swallows discussion. But more importantly don’t think anyone should be dismissive concerning an issue that the EL is actually pretty well noted for, especially when someone is directly asking if they should be concerned about it.

As far as percentages. Don’t know of any objective study that conclusively shows percentages of humans impacted by roller-ball effect from flat-field binoculars. However, many optics aficionados, professional reviewers, etc., identify this issue as being associated with that particular binocular. It has a lot of ink.

BTW - good to see someone else enjoying the Victory SFs. They are a great glass, and I think superior to the ELs. Haven’t had the chance to compare them side-by-side with the NL pure, but look forward to it. What I’m currently enjoying across the field of hunting glass = competition is generating some great stuff these days.

 

[JGRaider]

They're pretty famous among people who actually notice rolling-ball. If you had to assign a percentage to that, what percent of people do you believe see rolling-ball? That's what I'm getting at, I believe it is a vocal minority otherwise Swarovski would be forced by the market to change their product to correct it. Keep in mind I have Zeiss Victory SF binos too. This isn't coming from being a brand fanboy as you implied.

IME, very few actually notice it, and even fewer still would even know about it if they hadn't read about this phenomena somewhere on the net. Swaro EL's probably outsell Zeiss and Leica combined 20:1, so quite obviously it's not that big of a deal. This was also evident to me when we were guiding antelope/mule deer/whitetail/aoudad hunts for 15 years. Swaro binos dominated what hunter's showed up with.

 

[Spiral Horn]

IME, very few actually notice it, and even fewer still would even know about it if they hadn't read about this phenomena somewhere on the net. Swaro EL's probably outsell Zeiss and Leica combined 20:1, so quite obviously it's not that big of a deal. This was also evident to me when we were guiding antelope/mule deer/whitetail/aoudad hunts for 15 years. Swaro binos dominated what hunter's showed up with.

Nobody is saying that Swarovski doesn’t make superb optics - they certainly do. However, the OP said that he was considering buying a set of ELs (considerable investment) but expressed concerns about “rolling ball” effect and did not want a glass that had it. Well, it’s been very well documented that the ELs are known for having that specific issue. Since he’s already expressed concerns, it’s a bit shocking that some here are suggesting that he should just go ahead and buy the ELs, sight unseen, because they believe “rolling ball” is unlikely to bother him. But this is pure speculation - like saying most people don’t get seasick so nobody should be concerned about it when booking their first open ocean fishing trip. Clearly, he should try them before buying them.

The OP already received great advice from many here to compare the ELs to other Alpha glass and some even suggested other binoculars to try before buying. That way all doubts will be settled. Absurd as it may sound to some (maybe even blasphemy), folks can actually prefer and choose brands other than Swarovski after doing direct side-by-side comparisons.