Swaro SLC vs EL glass

[GeauxBackcountry]

Looking for feedback from people with personal experience. I am looking to upgrade binos from my intial Vortex pair that I purchased few years ago. Sold on going with Swaro. Was curious ppl thoughts on the quality of glass betweent the SLC and EL? The price difference is so significant and I am pushing the budget that I was wondering if its really worth it. Was looking at 12's if that matters. Thanks!

 

[rlmmarine]

Im in the market now as well
You have alot more to consider than just that. I believe if your looking at 12 the is going to be a 50. In my openion is to big to carry all the time. 8,s and 10,s give you 32 and 42. A 10x42 seams about right to carry. If you looki g at used you have to take into account sv or not which adds another approx 300 dollars on the used price. And lets not forget about range.

From reading what im hearing here. The sv is definatly worth it over the older versions of the el. The el vs the slc depends on field flattening therefor making older els comparable to modern slc. The 10x42 seams to be the best all around. With possiblyadding 15,s later down the road. Although the range is nice and an overall weight saver as technology changes they will probably be obsolete in 10 years where regular binos wont.

Good luck in your decision but there is alot to think about and know before purchasing new or used.

Doug at cameland seems to be the best price on a set of new

 

[dreamingWest]

https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/swarovski-slc-vs-el-10x42-at-dark.135865/

 

[Hatchet Jack]

If you’re set on 12s theEL is your only option. Put them in a good harness and they’re not bad to carry

 

[alpinemule08]

I was just in your shoes and was wondering the same thing but ended up purchasing the new slcs...

It was always a dream to own swarovski binos until a month ago i spoke with a friend and he sold me on them.. I am very frugal when it comes to most things and I dont have a lot of money, but for what its worth, that purchase was the best investment of all of my gear and i wish i would have made the purchase long ago. i live behind the glass.

As for differences between the el and slc, I have done serious research along with phone calls to swarovski themself for an unbiased point of view. if you talk to someone with the els, they will say el. if you talk to someone with slc they will say slc.

Coming from the gentleman at swaro, he straight up told me the slc is more of a hunting binocular and the el is more of a bird watching bino. the field flattening view of the el is unreal from what people have said, but also tend to bug some people giving them dizziness and headaches from the "rolling ball effect". My guess would be that is pretty rare, but it is a thing. Other than the extra field flattening swarovision (crisp image edge to edge) in the el, it comes down to different builds and some minor differences. it is basically the same glass without crisp on the edges. slc gathers slightly more light due to not having the swarovision and the slc is a little lighter.

another thing with the els, if you want the outdoorsman stud and bino adapter (which you do) you have to send the binos in to outdoorsman and they install it. with the slc its all ready to go, just thread right on.

overall, i have personally not compared the two side by side, but after all the research I ended up with the slc 10x42. i was never able to justify the extra coin to go to the els. If you buy used, make sure they were made after 2015. I do know that was the year they made some changes. this is just my opinion and what i was able to come up with. ready for the nasty comments from el owners now.

 

[Blockcaver]

Alpine mule, They had SV technology prior to 2015. Mine are SV 2012 10x42ELs and are a great bino.

 

[alpinemule08]

Alpine mule, They had SV technology prior to 2015. Mine are SV 2012 10x42ELs and are a great bino.

Yea, im unsure of the el but I think the gentleman told me swarobright or some other swarostuff was added and maybe different build/design to both bodies. My guess would be it was some minor stuff. He said there isnt much for change in the near future glass wise (I dont know how they can get much better anyway) How do you like your els? I wanted to compare side by side but never had a chance. I know a lot of guys do end up going the EL route.

 

[Blockcaver]

I like the flat, clear to the edge view of the SV EL's. The open bridge design is ergonomically nice too. I have 2002 EL's (10x42) my wife "stole" from me and they are excellent but not as sharp to the edge and have a different barrel shape. They are also 3 or 4 ounces lighter. Still an excellent bino though. Never a problem with either pair, although the coatings are getting worn a bit on the '02s so they may go back one of these years.

 

[1shotgear]

Looking for feedback from people with personal experience. I am looking to upgrade binos from my intial Vortex pair that I purchased few years ago. Sold on going with Swaro. Was curious ppl thoughts on the quality of glass betweent the SLC and EL? The price difference is so significant and I am pushing the budget that I was wondering if its really worth it. Was looking at 12's if that matters. Thanks!

I would honestly look through both, and see what you like better. I know people that are dead set on getting the EL's then end up buying the SLC's because they can see through them better. There is a lot more work that goes into make the EL binos that is why they are more expensive. The coatings are different, the glass is different (Still Austrian glass). To be real honest everyone is going to have an opinion on them but look through them and see what you like.

 

[ljalberta]

Definitely look through both if you get a chance. I did and I ended up with the SLCs. That being said I actually thought the view through the ELs was the superior one. The edge to edge clarity is what truly popped for me on those ones. However the ergonomics, and weight of the SLC I preferred and the price increase for the slight optical upgrade wasn’t worth it to me personally. Both are phenomenal glass that you’ll enjoy.

 

[eltaco]

I just went through this process over the past couple of weeks. Tested the 10x42 SLC, 10x42 EL, 10x50 EL, and 12x50EL.

I thought the SLC were a pretty significant step down from the EL as for my enjoyment looking thru the binos. I truly didn’t think they were much of an upgrade over my Maven B2s, if one at all. That said, I know guys who prefer them over the EL.

For me, the EL absolutely took it to a whole new level. I was in between the 10x50 and 12x50 and in the end I went with 10x50 for a few reasons. The 12s concerned me a bit, wasn’t confident I’d be able to hold them steady and some questions to people who own them confirmed the concern. The 10x50s have a larger exit pupil than the 10x42s and I perceived them to be a fair bit brighter than the 42s. Whether that’s real or not, I can say that the 10x50s absolutely blew me away. The FOV is slightly larger, to boot, and a lot larger than the 12s.

Something else I found interesting, I was one of the unfortunate people who saw the “rolling ball” affect they ELs when I first viewed they them about 6-7yrs ago. It was terrible and I would have told you ELs were the worst binos for me. I no longer see that same thing, for some reason, and the view is absolutely better than any other glass I’ve looked thru.

But yeah, as stated above.. if you want 12s, the ELs are your only choice.


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[GeauxBackcountry]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give such great info and feedback. I was leaning towards the 12s because I, at the moment, am trying to get by without a spotting scope. The extra cost, weight and fact that I hate looking through them I just would rather not fool with one. I have read some stuff about guys getting 12 or 15x and a 2x multiplier add on for situations where they are really trying to examine an animal. I know the SLC comes in 15x. Anybody have any thoughts on going with 15x56 SLC over 12 ELs?
Is there much difference btw 10s and 12s?
I am plannibg to look through both. Guess I was little nervous about looking through them and then gettinng out in the field and an issue coming up I didnt forsee.


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[Colberjs]

I’m in the same boat as you. I’m looking to pull the trigger on a new pair soon and was really wanting 12x50 but wasn’t sure about stepping up to the EL’s. The reason being, I really don’t care much for searching with a spotter. I don’t mind taking a closer look once I’ve spotted an animal but the hunt with one eye bothers me. I like to glass with bunks off a tripod so I’m not too concerned about being able to home them steady. I still feel like 15’s would be overkill though.

 

[JGRaider]

I'm with eltaco.......IMO the 10x50 SV's are the finest binos on the planet. They just fit me, they still give me a "wow" factor every time I use them, and they're backed by Swaro's fantastic customer service. I also have the 10x42 SLC's and they are superb as well, but the SV view is a little sharper to me. Hard to go wrong with any Swaro product.

 

[BluMtn]

I have been using the 12x50 ELs for about 5 years now. Still have not figured out what the rolling ball is so I guess it doesn't really matter. I carry mine in an S4 harness about 300 miles a hunting season and many more miles hiking in the summer and have not noticed a weight problem. I use my trekking pole or shooting stick if I am going to do a lot of glassing but most of the time I can free hand it and not have the shakes. It is probably one of my best investments when it comes to optics.

 

[zog]

It was easier to decide to go high end with binos than almost any other gear except footwear. After all, using binos is what most of us spend most of our hunts doing. And I use them all year; home, vacations, drives, birding, etc. (But not creeping!). Once I decided to go high end, I might as well go the extra and get the EL's and I have not regretted it. But . . like everybody else has said, you have to look through them in different light to really know what your eyes like the most. After years with my 10's I would go for 12's if I could do it over. I agree 15's seem too much.