Swarovski AT Balance 18-45x65 Stabilized Spotting Scope Tested and Reviewed

[Sundodger]

Did read that right? 165ft FOV at 1000 yards at low mag?!?!

That's better than most 65mm spotters I can think of. It makes me quite curious as to how they are doing their IS. They must be doing something different than Kite/Sig...

 

[wind gypsy]

Damn. Check out the 7:45 mark where he is hand holding, then turns on IS at full mag + phone zoom. Pretty insane.

wow. These things seem incredible. Even if on a tripod, i wonder how much more forgiving they are of eye placement? I'm not sure I wouldn't be using as a digiscope most of the time anyway based on these videos..

Edit: but they need a gol darn 65mm straight model!

 

[chizelhead]

I may be the minority but I think image stabilizing in sport optics at least in the hunting context is one of the biggest gimmicks going right now.

You can make a case for it in a pair of bino's that you plan on using free hand way more than on a tripod but to me thats about it.

This is just going to make glass more expensive, heavier, and probably worse picture quality and light transmission wise.

ibis or ois, or whatever tech is utilized to create the stabilization was ground breaking in photography because you are capturing a moment of time, where either setting up a tripod wasn't convenient or feasible, or lack of light forced you to push your speeds down, thats not the goal in glassing and it generally doesn't suffer from the same limitations.

It also introduces even more complex mechanical parts, which will either need to be serviced or can malfunction or break. Ask any photographer you know thats been doing it a while and I can guarantee they have had a body or lens thats needed the stabilization serviced.

The straight eye piece would make more sense, to be used as a spotting monocle of sorts I guess, but a 14-35 zoom for 4k is a bit outrageous as well. I could see it being for guys wanting the absolute lightest possible setup and dropping the tripod, but it's literally 2 ounces off of being 3 pounds.


I am sure they will sell, and I am sure there are niche cases where they will see use, but I feel like the hype and practical use is far over blown, especially for the price of entry here.

I just experienced a use case that could justify this feature. Wind. Despite a stable mount, windy conditions were moving the spotter enough that it made it difficult to spot detail. I would have loved having this to make definitive calls on animal quality. That being said, we made due and just waited for gusts and the prevailing wind to slow down to see what we needed.

 

[Jlt1313]

I have the 12x sig zulu6....the glass is incredible compared the vortex Diamondbacks they replaced. Afraid to look through a pair of swaros...

I had the 10x42 NL’s but once I tried the 16x42 Zulu’s the IS system is solid. I ended up selling the NL’s but don’t get me wrong it’s good optics but the IS system is king. When swaro drops 14-15 binoculars with IS I’m definitely getting them.

 

[robby denning]

... That being said, we made due and just waited for gusts and the prevailing wind to slow down to see what we needed.

now even these first world problems have been solved, lol.

Seriously Matt, can't wait to hear more and see how they compare to the Oscar you just reviewed.

 

[Wapiti151]

I just experienced a use case that could justify this feature. Wind. Despite a stable mount, windy conditions were moving the spotter enough that it made it difficult to spot detail. I would have loved having this to make definitive calls on animal quality. That being said, we made due and just waited for gusts and the prevailing wind to slow down to see what we needed.

Had this same exact thing happen during muzzleloader this year. Had a group of deer about 1.5 miles off, was sitting on a knob with 30-40mph sustained and could not make out enough detail to ID. Wind didn’t die down, and over the ridge they went.

I definitely don’t think IS is a gimmick, we are seeing the future of optics unfold in front of us IMO. What concerns me is how rapid will the tech evolve, and how fast will a $4k scope be rendered obsolete. I can’t imagine it is going to retain the long term value we see in our current non-IS alpha glass. But, on the flip-side the big three euro manufactures do tend to launch something, and stick with it for a LONG time, with only minor improvements. Time will tell.

 

[Hnthrdr]

IS seems pretty cool, but like others have said, it seems to make more sense in a bino than a spotter, yes there are windy conditions for sure it would help, but not sure that it justifies 2k over my atc off a tripod with some weight hanging from the center post is pretty dang stable…

 

[robby denning]

IS seems pretty cool, but like others have said, it seems to make more sense in a bino than a spotter, yes there are windy conditions for sure it would help, but not sure that it justifies 2k over my atc off a tripod with some weight hanging from the center post is pretty dang stable…

not sure it's worth the $4k but i know a couple times a year, I grab a spotter and lean against a tree or over a pack to check something. It's doable but not great.

When I the ATS, it was possible to jam it against my chest and check something at distance as long as I was on the lower end of the power range

The IS should help both these situations. But again, $4k