Swaro 15 vs 12

[Shrek]

Off the tripod the 12x50 EL's I used were too bulky and hard to keep steady when hiking and freehanding them. I don't own the pair and don't have a bunch of time behind them but they are much better on a tripod. Much of the detail is lost to image shake freehand.

 

[WRO]

I carry 8x32elsv in my harness, no reason to pack 2 full size sets of binoculars.

That being said, I've hand held the 12s enough that they're just fine imho.

 

[justin davis]

12's as primary. If your gonna run 15's I think it's good to couple them with 8's or 10's.

 

[neverquit]

I carry the 12 only. I use them mostly off a Tripod but I use them free hand with out issue.

 

[bates]

Y'all then feel the 12's are a better buy than the 10x42 el's?

I'm looking to pick up 1 Swarovski set before the increase. I would love some 8x32 else to go along with 12's but can't swing both at this time.

I could swing something like a maven b3 to go along with some 12's if needed.

 

[justin davis]

Just the 12's will handle anything for you.

 

[bates]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I've been looking at bino(s) for a little while now, i did some testing with the 10x42 el and finally got my hands on the new 15x56 in Idaho this fall, i was fairly certain this was the route i was going to go but the 12x50 kept coming up as i really didn't want to buy and carry 2 sets.

Long story short I just jumped on a set of the 12x50 el's i haven't had a lot of time behind them but for me i think this is the pair especially if i guy only wants 1 high end pair of binos, i was super impressed with the 15's that i used, but they are big binos, really need to be on a tripod and compared to the 12's and the 15's have a smaller fov.

though not ideal my 12's are defiantly easier to handhold and glass than i expected, going to send them to outdoorsmans soon for the tripod install but spent most of the morning out with them. ive been running 8x42's for years and have been timid of more power bc of the decreased fov and harder time hand holding but having the 12's in hand i defiantly don't see it as big as a factor as i once thought

most of my glassing though is from a stable position and i will utilize a tripod a lot, it will be a few months till im out in big country with them but i will put them through their paces down here in deer season

 

[Ryan Avery]

Just get the el12s and an stx/atx series in an 85 or 95.

I did some extensive side by side testing of the el12s/15slchd and 80 sts the 85 stx. The stx is on a whole different level than the sts, we had them both available to use side by side for a week. The sts never left the truck after day 2, even with it bring 6 or 8 Oz lighter.

The 12s and 15s was a little more subjective, I preferred the 12s because they do detail better than the 15s and I preferred the wider fov. If you're chasing elk it doesn't matter, but with bedded mule deer, the 12s definitely had the edge.

This^^^^, the 12 are so much more versatile than the 15. I've been hunting over 50 days this fall with the 12s. From close to far, off hand or on a tripod they just kick ass.

The ATX is so much brighter than the STS IMO.

 

[aggieland]

How do you get the 12's to fit or mount on the outdoorsmans pistol grip pan head?

 

[bates]

They can install a stud then mount to the adapter that fits in the pan head

Need to send mine off


http://outdoorsmans.theshoppad.com/#/product/outdoorsmans-swarovski-el-stud-install

 

[aggieland]

Still have not made the trip to compare the 12 El's & 15 power HD swaros.. I use the 8x range finder from Swarovski as my primary optic now and love it. Found a great deal on some some 15's today but I guess I'm going to hold off until I can try both. To many guys pushing these 12x EL's to ignore... to high $ of an investment to screw it up, I really want the 15hd because of the extra power but until I see first hand the difference between them I can't.. If I bought the 15's and then saw the El version was obviously better I would have to kick my own ass.

 

[Fireguy]

I have the 15 SLC-HD's and they are amazing. The amount of game you find with them will blow you away. That said I would really like to try the 12EL's on a tripod side by side with the 15's. I initially bought them for coues deer hunting. Each bino has their strong points. I have had more than one experienced hunter tell me they feel like they find more game and see more detail with the 12's over the 15's.

Sounds like someone needs to get both pair mounted side by side and do a extensive review.

 

[WRO]

I have the 15 SLC-HD's and they are amazing. The amount of game you find with them will blow you away. That said I would really like to try the 12EL's on a tripod side by side with the 15's. I initially bought them for coues deer hunting. Each bino has their strong points. I have had more than one experienced hunter tell me they feel like they find more game and see more detail with the 12's over the 15's.

Sounds like someone needs to get both pair mounted side by side and do a extensive review.

I'll do one over the summer as one buddy has new slchd 15s and I have 12s..

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[aggieland]

Looking FWD to that review. Hoping to buy one or the other before September.. leaning towards the 12 EL now

 

[Jackson]

I have to take a contrarian view to the ones being written above - I don't believe the 12x are a winner, and most of the people I've spoken to about them agree. I spend a ton of time with birders, who know more about binos than we hunters ever will (and spend more time behind their glass than us for obvious reasons). While their criteria is a bit different than ours, they are usually spot on.

The 10x50 SV is considered the best glass out there. It gathers more light than most 10x can because of the huge objective lens. It is crazy crisp. Colors are beautiful. But...the rolling ball effect of the EL SV is there. I hate it, it ruins all SV / EL glass for me. I want a flat picture, not one that looks like a distorted, round scroll when I pan.

The 12x have the same issue. Some people can't see it, or aren't bothered. I can't believe that other people can possibly not notice it. Not that I'm right and they're wrong - it's like onions. They taste worst than vomit to me, and for the life of me I can't see why people like them. Onions are my dad's favorite food.

The 15x HD are ergonomically awesome, light and balanced. I like the image through them as much as I like the image through the 12x SV...until I move the bino even a fraction of an inch. Then, the 15x really shines. And the extra reach of the 15x pairs better between an 8 or 10 and a spotter.

Wider FOV is overrated for me. That isn't even an advantage, it's just an automatic benefit of less magnification. I don't want a narrow FOV, but I don't need a wide FOV either. I prefer a small scene, and searching it well, vs a large scene. It's easier to see a trace of a buck under one tree, when that is your entire picture, than one buck under one of fifty trees. And yes, I realize that glassing a smaller area means an increased likelihood of missing movement in the absent periphery. It's a trade I'll make for the increased magnification and a more focused search area.

As far as light transmission goes, it's nearly a wash, with the edge going to the 12x. But, that isn't because of better technology, it's because of physics. 12x50 has a better ratio than 15x56. But again, at a cost. Most feel, and I agree, that the 10x50 hits a sweet spot. The 15x56 is the next sweet spot. The 12x50 doesn't carry either advantage, but is trying to be the best of both worlds. For me, it isn't.

Oh, and the eye relief is generally ill-received on the 12x. But I can't weigh in, because I don't have ER issues.

Check this thread for more info. This site has a mind numbing amount of info. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=313764

 

[aggieland]

Thanks for the info. Going to check it out.

 

[Jimss]

I have never really figured out how 12 or 15x binos would be an advantage for open country hunting. They may work well for spotting cows deer in thick brush but where else do you guys use them? I can understand how they work great for locating game but what happens once you spot them? Do you drag out a spotting scope or hike closer to field judge them through your 15x binos? What happens when you want to field judge critters such as sheep, antelope, mtn goat where fraction of an inch antler or horn measurements can make or break a score? I can't imagine carrying 15x plus a spotting scope and tripod around?

With that said, my preference is 8 or 10x binos that are a lot less bulky and heavy plus a spotter on a tripod. I can easily hand hold them with a backpack on in wind. How the heck do you do that with 12x or 15x binos? Do you carry or break out a tripod and the large binos every time you want to glass? My spotter has saved me miles and miles of hiking trying to field judge game. I can spot the ear on a deer or elk at super long range. I spot game with my spotter and can field judge them right on the spot. I can also zoom in on critters at close range to tell whether a billy has 8 5/8" or 9" horns, a pronghorn has 6 or 6 1/2" prongs, a muley buck has 1 or 2" eye guards at 1/2 mile + away! I often find myself wishing I had even higher power to field judge game even with 20-60x spotter.

 

[ckleeves]

I don't drag out a spotting scope, it's laying next to me. I unclip my 15's from the tripod and clip the spotter on. If I'm glassing from near my truck I'll run the 15's and spotter on separate tripods so I pretty much just move my head over to look thru the spotter.

It all depends on the terrain your hunting. I don't bother with 15x for archery elk hunting,but rifle season when the Bulls are in thick oak brush the 15x is a game changer.

I just bought a set of Swaro 12's to see if they can do it all and replace the 15's.

 

[littlebrotherC]

Great thread. With 10x42's being the most common, I've often wondered if people run them because everyone else does. It seems that the 8x32 and 12x50 are over looked gems.

 

[WRO]

I have never really figured out how 12 or 15x binos would be an advantage for open country hunting. They may work well for spotting cows deer in thick brush but where else do you guys use them? I can understand how they work great for locating game but what happens once you spot them? Do you drag out a spotting scope or hike closer to field judge them through your 15x binos? What happens when you want to field judge critters such as sheep, antelope, mtn goat where fraction of an inch antler or horn measurements can make or break a score? I can't imagine carrying 15x plus a spotting scope and tripod around?

With that said, my preference is 8 or 10x binos that are a lot less bulky and heavy plus a spotter on a tripod. I can easily hand hold them with a backpack on in wind. How the heck do you do that with 12x or 15x binos? Do you carry or break out a tripod and the large binos every time you want to glass? My spotter has saved me miles and miles of hiking trying to field judge game. I can spot the ear on a deer or elk at super long range. I spot game with my spotter and can field judge them right on the spot. I can also zoom in on critters at close range to tell whether a billy has 8 5/8" or 9" horns, a pronghorn has 6 or 6 1/2" prongs, a muley buck has 1 or 2" eye guards at 1/2 mile + away! I often find myself wishing I had even higher power to field judge game even with 20-60x spotter.

I find more critters with the 12s on a tripod than anything else. I can get a basis of size on antlered game out to 2 miles or so (elk) and deer at a mile.

The 12s solved my issue of carrying 2 sets of binoculars. Prior to my 12s I almost always had 8s on my neck and 15s in my pack.

When we were sheep hunting it was almost exclusively using 15s off a tripod.

I almost exclusively hunt big open country.

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