Swaro 10x42EL Range VS Leica Geovid 10x42HD-B

[Elkmasterwyo]

Anyone used either? Or both? I got a chance to try the swaros last week, absolutely amazing ranging capabilities! Curious about the new leicas, they are a little slimmer looking than the swaro's, plus have ballistic software capabilities. I'm thinking ill have a couple pairs of swaro binos and a leupold RF for sale very soon :-D

 

[RosinBag]

I had the Swaros for about a month. Impractical for Bowhunting due to no angle compensation under a 100 yards and 33 yard minimum. I also did not find it all the accurate under a 100 yards as it reads in meters then converts to the closest yards. Doesn't seem like much but some conversions could be two yards off and coupled with the other issues, I sold it off.

 

[todd kelly]

I have had the chance to look through both, and through my eye's I like the Swaro. glass and RF better. As Rosinbag pointed out, they are not bowhunter friendly, so if your looking to use them for that, I wouldn't pick the Swaros.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

Won't be doing much bowhuntung, but still have a Nikon RF if needed for that. I played with them for about a half hour, how do they feel in the hands for extended glassing sessions? Just curious if the protruding humps on the bottoms of the barrels get to be a PITA or not too bad? may be one reason to pick the Leica?

 

[Sagittarius]

I would not choose either one.
No way I would want to own a binocular with a built in rangefinder unless they had a lifetime warranty.
...and even then I would not be all that thrilled.
I can't stand the thought of owning half an instrument, should the built in rangefinder fail sometime in the future.
Like most electronics, failure is inevitable at some point.
No offense meant to those who own or like such optics, they just don't appeal to me.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

I would not choose either one.
No way I would want to own a binocular with a built in rangefinder unless they had a lifetime warranty.
...and even then I would not be all that thrilled.
I can't stand the thought of owning half an instrument, should the built in rangefinder failsometime in the future.
Like most electronics, failure is inevitable at some point.
No offense meant to those who own or like such optics, they just don't appeal to me.

Valid concerns Sagittarius, although a risk I'm willing to take in order to have one unit with multiple functions(invaluable on sheep or other high country hunts) any electronics CAN fail. Ill purchase from camera land for the piece of mind that if things do go south, they'll treat you fair. I've no first hand experience with Leica CS, but do with swaro's and know there is nothing to fear with them.

 

[Kotaman]

I've owned both and currently own the new Leicas. For what it is worth, supposedly Leica is coming with a Bowhunter friendly version in 2014. For me, both units worked flawlessly. My Leica work a little better in the cold weather. The big disadvantage of the Swaro's for bowhunters is the inability to read under 33 yards. The Swaros are actually a little smaller and more streamlined to me.

Sag...I don't understand your reasons for not liking these units, but that is fine. Both companies would fix the unit if you had a problem. I've dealt with both companies customer service and they are both first rate. You just might have to pay a little bit if out of the warranty period. If you chose to not fix the unit, the "half an instrument" you speak of is called "binoculars". The failure rate on these units cannot be any higher than a handheld unit. If it happens, you simply send them in for repair.

You can't go wrong with either of these, but my favorite combo units still have been the Zeiss. The big disadvantage to the Zeiss is no angle comp. Guessing that will change in future units. I've owned every top rangefinder/binocular unit made by the big three. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, none are perfect, but they are all good. Leica may have it perfected in 2014.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

Kotaman, how is the glass on the leicas vs the EL's? Do you feel the ballistic software capability of the Leica puts it a step ahead of the EL's or not so much? Haven't really looked into the zeiss, because I feel angle compensation is pretty important in the steep and deep

 

[Screamrider]

Impractical for Bowhunting due to no angle compensation under a 100 yards and 33 yard minimum. I also did not find it all the accurate under a 100 yards as it reads in meters then converts to the closest yards.

This is only partly true. The EL range 100% does angle compensation under 100 yards. I just went outside to confirm, and without a doubt it works flawlessly. It will actually even go below 33 yards when compensating for angle (for instance, 34 yards on a steep incline can return 30 yards). As for the 33 yard minimum, while admittedly not ideal, I don't see it as a big deal - and yes, I'm a bowhunter. If I don't get a reading then I'm pretty confident to make the call between 20 and 33 yards. Heck, a lot of guys go 30 for their top pin, so for them it wouldn't even be an issue.

Bottom line, I think having the combination has more pros than cons. The optics are superb and I find the RF capability noticeably faster than my Vortex Ranger 1000. Although it hasn't happened to me yet, there's something to be said for not needing to drop your binos and re-acquire an animal with a separate RF in the heat of the moment.

Swaro has top notch customer service and I honestly believe they'll take care of folks if the RF function bites the bullet during the life of the binos.

 

[Elkmasterwyo]

The 33 yard min is a non issue for me, bowhunts are fewer and farther between for me these days, and like I said if I felt I needed it ill still have the nikon. I'm leaning more and more towards the swaros, I had an issue with an older RF of theirs that ate a battery in 15 minutes, sent it back, no questions asked. They repaired, did a disassembly cleaning and inspection, and I had it back all within 2weeks, I was worried that I never did send in the warranty registration card, but like I said, no questions were ever asked.

 

[Kotaman]

Kotaman, how is the glass on the leicas vs the EL's? Do you feel the ballistic software capability of the Leica puts it a step ahead of the EL's or not so much? Haven't really looked into the zeiss, because I feel angle compensation is pretty important in the steep and deep

I would actually give the "slight" edge to the Leicas. BUT they are both fantastic.

Yes, the Swaro does angle comp under 100 but the Leica's do not. And I still feel the 33 yard minimum on the Swaros IS a big deal in the mountains at extreme angles for bowhunting. Shoot an 18 yard target at an angle for 30 yards and tell me how it turns out.

 

[Whisky]

I have had to use Leica customer service, twice, and it was great. They replaced a couple rangefinders for me with brand new ones, in a very timely manner (a lot quicker than Zeiss).

I'm very interested to see what Leica comes out with next year for the bow hunter. I also have a feeling one of these years Zeiss will be introducing a completely re-designed combo unit.

Us bow hunters have been shafted, until this year when Bushnell came out with their new 1 mile Fusions. Has everything I need as a bow hunter and LR shooter. And I would bet you the RF in the Bushnell outperforms the big 3. After spending quite a few days hunting with it so far this year I am a fan of the Bushnell and definitely a fan of the combo unit.

Elkmasterwyo, if you can get through this season without purchasing you might be wise to wait until SHOT show and see if some new models are introduced from Leica and Zeiss.

 

[dryflyguy]

I couldn't stand the way the humps on the underside of the Swarovski felt in my harness or when I was glassing. The button is on the wrong side for a right-handed bowhunter and the 33 yard limitation sucks. I also don't like the fact that you are getting their second best glass for that kind of money. When the Leica's and the Zeiss came out, top shelf glass.