Swarovski NL Pure 10X vs 12X

[Mule3006Elk]

Man, I must be a little slow on the uptake here but I can't visualize how you can hold binoculars without any support (thumbs?) on the underside.....where on top do your hands go and the thumbs are just on the sides of the barrels? A picture here would really be helpful!

Not a pic but put your left hand in front of you. Make a letter c, with 2nd-5th digits all touching, thumb is pointing at your face.

Very stable.

Eyecups are in contact with the orbit/eye, hands are in contact with end of the barrel near the objective lens. Elbows are pointing down resting on your chest or bino harness. 3 points of contact are key. IME.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

When I run the 10’s I use them with the forehead rest and they’re good to go. I think if you run the 10’s & 12’s at rest they’re both good but when I notice the differences is when I’m out hunting on the trails were my heart rate is higher than normal so that itself gives me the shakes/tremor when glassing and it’s more noticeable on the 12’s than the 10’s.

See I don’t even run the forehead rest, I found it annoying when using the tripod. If I blast up a mountain and I’m gasping for breath obviously my viewing is going to suffer tremendously, but it would with anything. We do a lot of steep hiking though and I’ve got no problem with off handing the NL12’s with an elevated heart rate. Most of the time I’m pulling them out one handed and holding them one handed because I’ve got two dogs leashes in the other hand.

I guess some people are just more or less stable than others. I have had 12x50 EL’s though that I could not offhand well and lived on a tripod, so I don’t know.

 

[jzeblaz]

When you ran the 12’s field hunting did you control them pretty easily? I felt like i couldn’t control them when I out stalking big game but then again I’m always on the move on my hunts.

Yeah, I felt like I could, if I wasn't out of breath. The ergos of the NLs are something else. Like, I may be spoiled for life they feel so comfortable. I wasn't uncomfortable with my last set which were 10s from Meopta, but the ergonomics are night and day. Even compared to the EL Range, it's a pretty big difference. I didn't anticipate liking them that much on that feature.

 

[Hoggetter]

The NL12’s are great for open country glassing by hand or off tripod.
The NL 8’s are great for heavy cover elk or heavy forest blacktail deer.

 

[nphunter]

My opinion on why they sell so many more 12s is because at 10x there are so many binos on the market that can do the same job for so much less. Pure's are absolutely awesome glass but at 10x what you will gain over any other top-tier 10x is negligible, even over something like a Meostar or Razor HD the difference you will see in real-world use is minimal for 99% of users.

The 12x42 in the smaller housing and a huge field of view is kind of unique, they pack on the chest well and are very comfortable to hold. With the large field of view, they can be handheld decently, and on a tripod, they absolutely blow a set of 10s out of the water.

 

[mrroughit]

My opinion on why they sell so many more 12s is because at 10x there are so many binos on the market that can do the same job for so much less. Pure's are absolutely awesome glass but at 10x what you will gain over any other top-tier 10x is negligible, even over something like a Meostar or Razor HD the difference you will see in real-world use is minimal for 99% of users.

The 12x42 in the smaller housing and a huge field of view is kind of unique, they pack on the chest well and are very comfortable to hold. With the large field of view, they can be handheld decently, and on a tripod, they absolutely blow a set of 10s out of the water.

This was exactly my rationale when I purchased the 12x42 NL's.

 

[IdahoHunter208]

I have the 10x NL pures. Love them. It would make sense for people to go up to the 12x because of the massive field of view. The 12x42 NL Pure field of view is 339 ft/1000 yds which is 3 ft better than the Swaro EL 10x42 which is 336 ft/1000 yds. I was originally deciding between 8x and 10x binos and went with the 10x because of the awesome field of view.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The 12x is certainly a game changer in the 12x options on the market, but the advantages are still there over other options with the 8's and 10's as well. You still get a massive FOV bigger than anything else available, the amazingly crisp edge to edge swarovski glass, and you still get all the other benefits like the focus design, the ergos, the eye cups, and the excellent accessory pack that swarovski sends you of usable stuff instead of some basic shitty bag and strap like most.

 

[Nate D]

LOL. I just went outside and put both on a tripod so I could give real time observations.

Handholding: up close 25 yards and long distance 8-10 miles. There is a slight difference yes. Significant no. I think it's linear. If you hold 10x really steady you will be fine with 12x. If you don't with 10x you know the answer on the 12x.

But honesty how much detail does one see when handholding while glassing out west? You're hiking up/down, adrenaline, elevated heart rate, none of which is ideal for steady glassing. Even if I have 8x I will put my nocs on a tripod as much as possible. Bottom line you will see so much more.

My ideal setup would be 8x in my harness and 12x or spotter in the pack.

I know this thread was from a year ago but I was curious if you ever went with 8x NL on chest and the 12’s on a tripod? I was also curious if you would run the new 14’s over the 12’s to pair with the 8’s.

 

[sololearn9]

he 12x shows a bit more false color and less color saturation and contrast compared to the 10x NL

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I know this thread was from a year ago but I was curious if you ever went with 8x NL on chest and the 12’s on a tripod? I was also curious if you would run the new 14’s over the 12’s to pair with the 8’s.

Never picked up the 8x.

Still really like the 12x. 10x FOV with a little extra magnification. 10x is fine but I always wanted a little more. I probably would not go 14x over my 12x. I have never used a 14x so keep that in mind. At some point handholding has to be an issue. FOV takes a hit as well.

I think out West 8x, 10x, 12x, 14x, can only go so far. If looking for a solid buck I think having a spotting scope is helpful especially when it's hard to get close in open country.

Also depends if I'm solo OR my son with me? Son and I, I take the 12x and he take the spotter. Worked great last season. Glassed up a dandy buck, couldn't see enough detail with 12x, spotter confirmed solid buck so we bailed out of the drainage, and he harvested the buck the next morning. So far it's his BOL.

If it's just me I might be able to make an argument for just the 14x. I don't know how much more detail I can pick up 12x vs 14x. >>> Same season I glassed up a nice buck, I was solo, closest I could get was 350 yards maybe a little more. I couldn't pick out enough detail. A spotter would have confirmed if this buck had what I was looking for. I ultimately passed. With the 12x I was really on the fence. I had my crosshair on this bedded buck for 30 minutes. Could not make out brow tines well enough (I love brow tines on a mature buck FYI), mass was questionable with a 12x, etc. I still think about that buck, with the data I had, I still think the decision to pass was good.

 

[Nate D]

Never picked up the 8x.

Still really like the 12x. 10x FOV with a little extra magnification. 10x is fine but I always wanted a little more. I probably would not go 14x over my 12x. I have never used a 14x so keep that in mind. At some point handholding has to be an issue. FOV takes a hit as well.

I think out West 8x, 10x, 12x, 14x, can only go so far. If looking for a solid buck I think having a spotting scope is helpful especially when it's hard to get close in open country.

Also depends if I'm solo OR my son with me? Son and I, I take the 12x and he take the spotter. Worked great last season. Glassed up a dandy buck, couldn't see enough detail with 12x, spotter confirmed solid buck so we bailed out of the drainage, and he harvested the buck the next morning. So far it's his BOL.

If it's just me I might be able to make an argument for just the 14x. I don't know how much more detail I can pick up 12x vs 14x. >>> Same season I glassed up a nice buck, I was solo, closest I could get was 350 yards maybe a little more. I couldn't pick out enough detail. A spotter would have confirmed if this buck had what I was looking for. I ultimately passed. With the 12x I was really on the fence. I had my crosshair on this bedded buck for 30 minutes. Could not make out brow tines well enough (I love brow tines on a mature buck FYI), mass was questionable with a 12x, etc. I still think about that buck, with the data I had, I still think the decision to pass was good.

Thanks for replying. I went with the 8x and 14x.

Never picked up the 8x.

Still really like the 12x. 10x FOV with a little extra magnification. 10x is fine but I always wanted a little more. I probably would not go 14x over my 12x. I have never used a 14x so keep that in mind. At some point handholding has to be an issue. FOV takes a hit as well.

I think out West 8x, 10x, 12x, 14x, can only go so far. If looking for a solid buck I think having a spotting scope is helpful especially when it's hard to get close in open country.

Also depends if I'm solo OR my son with me? Son and I, I take the 12x and he take the spotter. Worked great last season. Glassed up a dandy buck, couldn't see enough detail with 12x, spotter confirmed solid buck so we bailed out of the drainage, and he harvested the buck the next morning. So far it's his BOL.

If it's just me I might be able to make an argument for just the 14x. I don't know how much more detail I can pick up 12x vs 14x. >>> Same season I glassed up a nice buck, I was solo, closest I could get was 350 yards maybe a little more. I couldn't pick out enough detail. A spotter would have confirmed if this buck had what I was looking for. I ultimately passed. With the 12x I was really on the fence. I had my crosshair on this bedded buck for 30 minutes. Could not make out brow tines well enough (I love brow tines on a mature buck FYI), mass was questionable with a 12x, etc. I still think about that buck, with the data I had, I still think the decision to pass was good.

Thanks for the reply. I went with 8s and the 14s. I also picked up a compact spotter. It’s a bit to pack but I can shed some weight else where. I figure with the 8s I have the biggest FOV and easiest to hand hold and with the 14s the highest magnification. I don’t hold as steady as I used to so I enjoy the lower magnifications. I’ve been using the Kowa 6.5x32 on my chest and 10s on a tripod. The Kowa’s have huge FOV and are sharp at the center but fall off quickly. I’ve never used high mag binos so I’m excited to see how they fit with my hunting.
I’m guessing I will be in the market for a big spotter in the near future. I’ve never used a spotter much but if the compact I picked proves useful then I am sure I will have to upgrade.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Thanks for replying. I went with the 8x and 14x.

Thanks for the reply. I went with 8s and the 14s. I also picked up a compact spotter. It’s a bit to pack but I can shed some weight else where. I figure with the 8s I have the biggest FOV and easiest to hand hold and with the 14s the highest magnification. I don’t hold as steady as I used to so I enjoy the lower magnifications. I’ve been using the Kowa 6.5x32 on my chest and 10s on a tripod. The Kowa’s have huge FOV and are sharp at the center but fall off quickly. I’ve never used high mag binos so I’m excited to see how they fit with my hunting.
I’m guessing I will be in the market for a big spotter in the near future. I’ve never used a spotter much but if the compact I picked proves useful then I am sure I will have to upgrade.

Keep me posted. I run a 20-60x. I had a compact spotter but it didn't fill the gap I was looking for.

 

[hrhunter]

The 12x shows a bit more false color and less color saturation and contrast compared to the 10x NL.

 

[Nate D]

The 12x shows a bit more false color and less color saturation and contrast compared to the 10x NL.

Would you then say the 8’s would be better than the 10’s in this regard.

 

[hrhunter]

Would you then say the 8’s would be better than the 10’s in this regard.

Yes i would.