Swaro NL pures or ELs

[Spiral Horn]

Had a fairly long side-by-side comparison of the 10x42 NL Pures and my Zeiss Victory SFs this past weekend (my subjective review). Personally think they are the top 2 hunting binoculars currently available. But they are quite challenging to compare because, while both exceptional, everything about them is very different. To sum up, the NLs are an engineering marvel with an amazing view - very explosive colors but they are a bit finicky with eye placement and diopter adjustment. The view is very rich in many ways but not at all easy. Would probably enjoy them more if willing to dedicate the time to get used to them. But I’m very satisfied with the easy and thoroughly immersive, high-resolution view from my SFs. Optically, they are very close and I’m not compelled to switch. In addition, although the shape and contours of the NLs are an engineering masterpiece, the SFs still handle better and feel lighter. After just a little while the NLs began to feel quite heavy (because they are). Interestingly, even though I panned a bit, didn’t really notice significant “rolling ball effect” with the NLs.

Just for the heck of it I also pulled in a set of SLC and EL 10x42s for a comparison. What stood out very quickly was the ease of handling with the SLCs. The focus is still like nails on a chalkboard, but the view was very satisfying = easy, bright, with vivid colors and good depth of field - they also resolved quite well, and the apparent FOV looks bigger than it actually is. The ELs - would advise reviewing these before the SFs and NLs, not after. A few things stood out - although updated throughout their lifetime the ELs are an aging body design and don’t have the handling characteristics or excellent focus of the newer Alphas. Similarly, the ELs view seemed overly tight and restrictive. The resolution looked sharp, colors were vivid and the image was bright, but after the NLs and SFs the FOV was distractingly restrictive. They were also a bit heavy. And yes, I clearly noticed “rolling ball effect” while panning with the ELs.

My Subjective Rankings:

1. NLs and SFs = both exceptional but very different in every way / preference
2. SLC = optics very close to the best, ease of view, superb handling
3. ELs = optical characteristics top shelf, narrow apparent FOV, handing, rolling ball effect

These were my actual hands-on experiences. Your actual mileage may vary.

 

[SammY STW]

I was in a store last weekend that had a pair of EL 12x50s and NL 12x42s. They let me take them both outside and look down the street to compare them. It was hard for me to describe the difference, I'm no expert, but the NLs had a noticeable different picture that was very nice. I couldn't tell much of a difference in the FOV just looking at which objects were in the corners of my view, but the NLs seemed to have a bigger picture to my eye, and a more realistic looking picture. If I was in the market for a new pair, it would be hard not to buy the NL after looking through both side by side.

 

[deadwolf]

I was in a store last weekend that had a pair of EL 12x50s and NL 12x42s. They let me take them both outside and look down the street to compare them. It was hard for me to describe the difference, I'm no expert, but the NLs had a noticeable different picture that was very nice. I couldn't tell much of a difference in the FOV just looking at which objects were in the corners of my view, but the NLs seemed to have a bigger picture to my eye, and a more realistic looking picture. If I was in the market for a new pair, it would be hard not to buy the NL after looking through both side by side.

Until you got to the cash register maybe

No doubt the NLs are likely amazing, I haven’t looked through a pair. But after all the video and print reviews I waded through, there wasn’t a big enough difference for me to pony up another $900-$1000. If I was a professional guide and used them 100 days of the year, maybe. But I get to go on 2 hunts a year and I’ll spend the savings on that instead.


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[SammY STW]

For sure, I would wait a while until I could find a deal on a pair of used or demos. But the ELs are still a lot of money, and I would have a hard time spending that much on a pair of ELs and then having regrets for not getting the better NLs

 

[bowhuntrben]

Until you got to the cash register maybe

No doubt the NLs are likely amazing, I haven’t looked through a pair. But after all the video and print reviews I waded through, there wasn’t a big enough difference for me to pony up another $900-$1000. If I was a professional guide and used them 100 days of the year, maybe. But I get to go on 2 hunts a year and I’ll spend the savings on that instead.


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In 12x the price is pretty similar if buying new