Swarovski Optik El Swarovision Binoculars, 8.5x42mm

I recently upgraded from a pair of Nikon Monarchs. Let me start by saying that I was absolutely pleased with my Monarchs and the customer service I received from Nikon. I cracked the eye cups on my first pair and I had condensation inside the housing that I couldn't remove. Nikon replaced the Monarchs free of charge. Now, onto my review of these Swarovski Binoculars. Being a fairly recent college graduate, it took me some time to save up for these Swarovski binoculars. Once I purchased them, I immediately new it was worth the large sum of money spent on them. The first time I used these binoculars, my eyes hurt a little bit. I quickly realized that it was due to the large amount of light that was coming through that I wasn't quite used to from my old trusty monarchs. The pain quickly subsided and I was treated to the best clarity and brightness that I have ever experienced looking through binoculars. I instantly fell in love with these. Where these truly shine, no pun intended, is in the low light conditions of early morning and twilight. The brightness that these binoculars omit help make the difference from seeing a LBJ (little brown jobby) versus seeing all the details required for identification. Overall, look forward to using these for the rest of my life and hope to be able to pass them down onto my son someday.

meh. I've had a different, smaller pair of swarovski's for 15 years - which I LOVE!!!! I waNted to splurge on something to use only during migration when I'm willing to carry something a bit heavier for the slight improvement in light and field of view. But, I'm not too excited by these. The eye relief thing just falls off - frequently. I switch back and forth between wearing contacts or glasses or sunglasses constantly, so I'm always needing to adjust the eye relief - but on these, whenever I go to adjust this, it just screws off the whole eye piece. It can be quite difficult to get the eye relief to adjust and NOT screw off the piece. I even returned the first paiR, thinking I'd got a bad pair. Nope, second pair is the same. And, it's not just hard to adjust - I've just had the whole eye piece fall off several times. So far, only inside the case or once inside my car but one of these days it's going to fall off on the ground and I'm not going to notice until I've walked away. For this price, I really expect something made better - my 15 year old pair is more reliable. Because of swarovski's reputation, I wonder if the seller is selling an odd lot? Not sure it's worth the risk.

I read a lot about both of these binoculars online but could not decide until I looked through both of the binoculars. I believe people don’t want to try new products or want to stick with trusted products which have proven history. Here I my honest review on these two binoculars: Glass: Victory Ht wins hands down. Swarovski El is not nearly as bright. The colors are way better with Zeiss and that 3D pop gives you out of the world experience. People will tell you that there is very slight difference between the two as both are top notch products. But let me tell you compare these binoculars in the night the difference is very obvious!!! I read online that swarovski has better sharpness but with my 20/20 vision I could not verify that. Build quality: Both products have outstanding build quality but Swarovski is a bit higher. Diopter and eye pieces are better in Swarovski. Focus is easier to use with Zeiss and is faster than Swarovski. Accessories: Swarovski comes with way better accessories in the box. Zeiss case feels very cheap. Customer Service: I called both the companies and as usual the reps did not know what they were saying. They had no tech knowledge about their own products. I could never get straight answers. Zeiss have really rude customer reps. Swarovski customer service is little better. What did I end up with: I bought Swarovski just because it is a proven product and Zeiss victory is relatively new. But I am not completely happy with my choice. I like the glass on Zeiss way better than Swarovski. I will buy Zeiss victory in few years when the design is finally perfected and has proven track record.

I was unsure whether to get these or the Leica Ultravid or the Zeiss Victory counterparts. I was able to compare the Swarovski and Zeiss in a store, but the Leica was hard to find (only one desler in Boston area). It took Leica's 800 number a week to return my inquiry to their tech service person regarding what appeared to be their distinctive coatings, so I eliminated Leica based on poor distribution (at least in the Massachusetts market) and poor customer support. As between the Swarovski EL Swarovision versus the (less expensive) Zeiss Victory, I felt the two were a near optical tie. But, I subjectively preferred the Zeiss for their grey external body color versus the Swarovski green and I liked the Zeiss image color vividness and the snappy focus better than the Swarovski's seemingly more shallow depth of field. And, I disliked the Swarovski double-hinge "appearance". However, the tie-breaker, for me, was the excellent Swarovski field of view for their 8.5 versus the Zeiss 8 power's field of view (how does Swarovski do that?), and I preferred the Swarovski warranty over the Zeiss warranty. (I have trouble hand-holding a 10 power and I don't care for their smaller field of view.) Having used the Swarovsky EL Swarovision 8.5 x 42 for a couple of weeks, I'm glad I selected them. The ergonomics of being able to use only one hand to hold them is incredibly convenient. Difficult to assess until you use them. And the brightness in extremely dim light is also quite impressive. I believe I made the best choice. Not inexpensive, but truly excellent value.

Purchased these to solve low light & narrow field of view issues experienced with my Nikon Premier 8X32s. Solved those issues beyond all my expectations. The color, sharpness, brightness, and contrast are amazing. Optically they're superior to my Leica BN 10X42s with a very sharp image all the way to the edge of the lens. The ergonomics are also wonderful, especially the open hinge design which allows you to grasp the barrels firmly in your fingers for a steady hold and reduced fatigue. The focus wheel is smooth throughout its full range and fine in its adjustment to reduce focusing over-shoots. Eye relief is superb with multiple detents. If you're looking for the very best, these are certainly worthy of consideration.

There are only a few things in life that exceed your expectations, and this is one of them. When they say see the unseen, they mean it. Everything is ergonomic and practical. The focus is quick, from close to far, and the shape of the binoculars are comfortable in the hand. From the smallest object such as a dragonfly, to celestial bodies, the image is superb! Birding is a wonder, and seeing in low light easy. Colors are true and bright. Fine details are a whole new world! As much as I use them, which is every chance I get, the cost is worth it. Do yourself a favor and choose these binoculars for a lifetime of fun and amazement!

Swarovski Optik El Swarovison Binaoculars have worked out great in our recent travels. They are lightweight enough for hiking without too much bulkiness. Most important is the optiks. Even amateurs can visualize birds and wildlife without difficulty. The binoculars were difinitely worth the investment.

First, The price of these may make you choke, but 5 mins in the field and you won't look back. I own an earlier version 8x32EL that I thought were close to perfect until I tried these. Clear,crisp,bright,fast, and an outstanding close focus. Second, The service Swarovski provides is second to none. I sent an old pair of 10x42SLC's in for cleaning and they came back w/ new objective lenses, new focus mechanism, new eye cups, and they re-armoured them.I was totally blown away and it was FREE.