Swarovski NL Pure 12x42 Binocular Review, By Matt Cashell

[unclericco]

Is there an ETA on the 12x42's? It seems they are not in stock anywhere at the moment?

 

[Siggy111]

I’ve heard there are some out there at various outdoor shops in limited quantities. With that said, if you are in the market, I’d call and get a down payment on them. Cameraland is great to work with.

 

[otolith]

I've looked around and very hard to come by.

 

[Axlrod]

I talked to Swarovski last Friday. They said they are shipping 12NL's every week, but those are filling backorders. He said it could be up to 4-6 months if you order now. Have a friend that ordered mid Dec. from Cameraland and they shipped last week. I called Cameraland and placed an order- they take a $250 deposit then call you when they come in before they ship them. If you order from them online the full amount is charged.

 

[otolith]

The explanation makes sense to what I experienced. Good to know about Cameraland. I may just go that route.

 

[unclericco]

I don't really need them right now, but plan to buy a pair of 12's. I'll just wait until the back orders are filled

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

I don't really need them right now, but plan to buy a pair of 12's. I'll just wait until the back orders are filled

Should be sometime before the 2022 season, although I think the ELs have been on backorder since September?

 

[elkeaterco]

Got my NL 12x42 in the other day. Glass is insane and the size is fantastic. I’m taking them to NM next week on a ibex and aoudad hunt. I cannot wait to get some real testing in with them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Glassaholic]

First time posting on this forum (a first time for everything right). I'm more of a long range shooter than I am a hunter so topics here are a bit limited for me; however, I do love good glass and have been thinking about a set of binoculars. Normally I'd look at a set of LRF bino's like the Leica 3200.com's (I like to sync with my Kestrel); however, while I currently live in Colorado after almost 30 years we've decided to go someplace warmer and have decided on the Panhandle of Florida, in lieu of this I am not sure how much I would actually use something like a Leica 3200.com 10x42 since I already have a Leica 2800.com unit which is probably more than enough for the thick woods surrounding the Panhandle. I also love photography and watching wildlife so the NL Pure 12x42 intrigues me and I wonder if I would use that more than I would a set of 10x42 LRF's and the 12x may be slightly better for spotting birds and other critters in and around FL. Having lived out west all my life I am used to wide open spaces, but the east is not really known for "wide open spaces" unless it's a massive clear-cut area. Just curious other's thoughts, especially those who live in the thick forests near GA, AL and FL. Thanks in advance.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Having lived out west all my life I am used to wide open spaces, but the east is not really known for "wide open spaces" unless it's a massive clear-cut area. Just curious other's thoughts, especially those who live in the thick forests near GA, AL and FL. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum!

I’m following your logic on the RF issue. It seems most of the time, you won’t be needing much for in-the-field dope in your area with the limited ranges you will likely encounter. Your Leica 2800 should cover you on those rare occasions it might come up.

However, 12x is a lot of magnification for close distances in the Southeast. I think 8x or maybe 10x would be better suited. The NL series should have you covered with top performance at any mag you choose though.

JMO.

 

[Selous]

I’m in Louisiana, and I 100% would prefer an 8x NL Pure if all I was doing was hunting in the Southeastern US. I also go out West for hunts semi-regularly and plan to do more over the next flew years. So, 10x it is for me. I think you’ll find a 12x a bit much for most applications in the Southeastern US.

 

[cbeard64]

I live in the piney woods of east TX (pretty much identical to the FL panhandle) and my 12x NLs work fine here. Just as the 10x ELs did before them.
(I do a lot of hunting out west and up north too.)
I don’t think you can make a wrong move, but if you want the extra magnification for hunting out west I wouldn’t let you move back east stop you from getting the 12x.

 

[scott_co]

We are going on a tangent from the remarkable NL Pure from Swarovski, but just quickly:

The Zeiss RF ranges on release. You hold the button down which illuminates the reticle. You release when you are over the target. I find this more convenient and more accurate on small targets than the double press of the Leica. I also like the button placement, but both of these are just my opinions.

This thread was quite helpful!

I just placed my order for a set of the NL Pure 12x42 binos with 1Shot Gear since they are local to me in the Denver area.

 

[eltaco]

Just received my NL 10x42 yesterday... such unbelievable glass. I only had the opportunity to test NL 8x before my purchase, and while absolutely incredible, I’ve learned the 10x is my personal sweet spot.

Looking forward to getting these out in the field. As a side note, the fit in the Small Marsupial harness is fantastic!

 

[Buck6464]

I gotta go look at the Pure

 

[diablo2112]

Is it fair to say that the NL pure changes the decision matrix a bit? The NL 12x42 have the FOV of basically other 10x42s, while the NL 10x42 has the FOV of other 8x42s (or at least, the 8.5x42 EL)?

Other than the handholding/shake issues, it seems that the NLs allow something of the advantages of both. We're mainly birders, and I tested both the 10 and 12 NLs and still can't decide which is bettere for our use. We already have a nice 10x42 EL as well as Zeiss 8x32. Given this, I'm thinking the 12x will round things out nicely, especially for watching birds at the feeders around our place, though the incredible wide field of the 8x42 NLs is tempting. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Glassaholic]

My apologies for not replying sooner, for some reason I was not getting notifications of responses to my question above. I do appreciate everyone's response with regard to whether or not a 12x bino would be of benefit for Panhandle area. Similar to diablo above, the thought is that in the Panhandle we'll get a lot more opportunity to spot birds and other woodland creatures, but we'll also be minutes away from the beach where again we could spot wildlife with a bit more open space around us.

cbeard, I appreciate your thoughts on the woods of east Texas being similar to Panhandle and with the possibility of coming back west for some hunts and wildlife viewing.

When I do go shooting long range it'd be nice to have a bit more reach (than 8/10x) for spotting trace and splash at distance. I just bought a pair of Steiner HX 15x56 at a price I couldn't pass up, but as I had thought the glass has quite a bit of CA and DOF is just not what I was hoping, outside of that these are a great set of binos for under $1k, but now I will sell them and will look at the NL Pure again.

I have a set of Maven B.3 8x30 that I absolutely love, and think the NL Pure 12x42 would be an excellent complement (due to size and weight) so am leaning in that direction. In lieu of that, I think while I've been on the fence about the 12x42's I am starting to fall in that direction. CS Tactical, EuroOptic and CameralandNY are places that have served me well over the years for Swarovski, but if anyone knows of anyone else I should try let me know... (PS, I try to avoid EO and others who now have to charge sales tax for internet orders due to the supreme court decision a few years ago, so prefer to support the mom and pop shops who can still get away with not charging sales tax for out of state sales)

 

[diablo2112]

Natchez had a great deal on a demo NL Pure 8x42. $2300. May be worth keeping an eye on their clearance sales.

 

[Blueman]

Fingers crossed on them making an NL Range within the next year or two.

my lord I hope they do. GIVE US WHAT WE WANT!

 

[Jeverett]

Has anyone done a side by side comparison of the 12 NL Pure and Swaro SLC 15s? Trying to decide on which to go with for an all around glasser.