Swarovski EL 8.5x42 WB

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Swarovski EL 8.5x42 WB
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Designed for Birding, but an excellent allround bino in my opinion.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=163520

Swarovski EL 8.5x42 WB
When I saw the Swarovski EL 8,5x42 at Ebay I could'nt resist it and bought it instantly for 950€. I previously owned a Swarovski SLC 7x50 and I knew that I could'nt go wrong with the EL, particularly with this price, which is 500€ under list price.
The first disappointment came, when I tested it at night in the city. I saw "ray's" going away of every bright light source, ray's like those when you look into a headlight through a blurred windshield. All outside lens faces were completely clean. No stripes anywhere. I asked Swarovski about this problem on their website and ours later I was called back from the german distributer. He told me, that I schould send it to him with a proper description of the problem. After I received my binoculars back the problem nearly vanished. It decreased to a state where you only notice it when you particularly look for it.
The glass itself can be easily hold with one hand, which can not be said of the SLC 7x50. The focusing knob works very precise and can be used one handed. It truely is a little bit slow, as critisized on Better View Desired, but this does not affect the astronomical use. The eye relief in my opinion is a little bit short if you want to see the whole field wearing eye glasses, but sufficient. It could be a little more generous, like the SLC 7x50. Light transmission is significantly better than the SLC 7x50 (it was the older model without Swarobright coatings). Colour rendering is nearly neutral (it has a very very very light shift to yellow) and very billiant. When you look through the EL's you don't even have the impression that you are looking through something like glass. Observing is very relaxed and comfortably. Sharpness, contrast and brightness of the views are spectecular.
At night the EL's give the better views than the SLC 7x50, particularly at light polluted locations(both bioculars have the same twilight factor of 19), and the wider field pleases very much. I can hold the EL's as still as the heavier SLC's, even with the higher magnification. The Plejades are stunning and the Orion nebula is marvellous. Jupiter's moons can be seen easyly and Saturn is definitely oval. Stars are pinpoint over 3/4 of the field. The moon looks threedimensional, as if it floats in the sky, and shows no false color at the border. There are nearly no internal reflections.
Every acquaintance who looked through the EL's into the night sky said "whow".
At least the near focus of 8 foot is very funny. Now I can sit in my armchair and watch my ginea pig's through the EL's.

Jens Stolpmann

3.2.2003,
Essen,
Germany

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=187331

Swarovski EL 8.5x42 WB
I'm using the third pair of Sw 8.5x32, The first pair was returned due to flaking off of the black paint on the hinges. The second pair had very rough focusing knob. These were exchanged for another new bin but with about the same rough focus. I am hoping Sw will remedythe situation or replace with a current model which seems to be very smooth.
I understand that Sw has changed the focusing mechanism on current model EL's. The optics are as good as Leica but the mechanics of focusing very poor on my two yr.-old Sw's.
Basicly "no Leica". Rough focusing is characteristic of the EL.s of several several of my friends, one a prominent park naturalist. One should expect more for $1500. I have used Zeiss and Leica bins for over 40 years and they still are much better with respect to focusing than my EL's. I will report in the future what kind of service Sw will give with respect ot remedying the rough focusing.

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:9 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=409110

Swarovski EL 8.5x42 WB
extremely crisp view and flat field from edge to edge. comfortable and ergonomic and absolute quality.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=580008

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