Posted by: packlite
New Swarovski CL 8x25 Pocket Binocular - 09/17/13 11:38 AM
Received my Swaro CL 8x25 Pocket Bin (from Honey Creek Bill and Beak) and have several comments after a day of handling it.
I really appreciate my eyes and eyesight, but after 67 years, they have become less forgiving and more demanding for optimal conditions in order to function properly. Pocket bins are not well received by said eyes, but that is the nature of pocket bins. It took a long while to get a proper balance between right/left eye.
But once that frustration was out of the way, I have good impressions.
The diopter adjustment wheel is stiff to move - I see this as positive because once it is set, chances are it won't move when inadvertantly brushed against by finger or otherwise. Secondly, related to the diopter adjust, when the bin is folded it completely encloses, conceals and protects the diopter adjustment wheel so that it is impossible to accidentally move it. Finally, the diopter ajustment wheel is positioned out-of-the-way. There is room for a little pinky finger on both sides of it if holding the bin in such a way. I was able to hold it as if it was a mid-size. All good stuff.
Very good resolution. I was able to get a good sharp image but had to work for it. Whereas my main bin - a Swaro SV 8x32 - seems to just snap into perfect focus everytime I look thru it, this little compact did not oblige so easily.
Focus wheel very nice (unlike most other Swaro bins I've tried - oh, if only Swaro would purchase the rights to the Nikon focus wheel). I didn't pay too much attention to the focus wheel nor its range - which is a good thing. I didn't have to give my finger a workout going from short to long range viewing, it was quite fluid. Sorry to folks who demand quantitative data - what's empirical to me is that it works good
I found the optics to be excellent. Probably the best of all the compacts I've tried this spring/summer - all the Swaro, Zeiss, Leica offerings. I was surprised to find a clear, bright view from edg to edg.
The added weight (over the previous version) is a non issue for me. The size is what matters. It is truly a pocket bin. Even while nested inside its relatively bulky case, it fit easily and comfortably into my field jacket.
When holding up the bin for viewing, it really feels more like a mid-size than a pocket bin. Less easy to get proper eye placement than a mid-size but easier than a smaller pocket bin.
Overall, optics very good, ergonomics excellent, the case is very nice.
One comment about the case is that it is long enough where you can easily store the bin with the eye pieces extended. For me, this makes the bin more at-the-ready because eye pieces extended is how I use it. Plus, with the eye pieces extended, there really isn't the need for ocular covers (which you won't get anyway with this bin). Not sure what the eye relief is but I'm not seeing any black spots!!
Oculars are same as other Swaro bins, in that the eye pieces screw out leaving the lens' very easy to clean.
That's my "data" dump on this subject. Thanks, Charles
Swarovski CL 8x25 Pocket Bin #1
Swarovski CL 8x25 Pocket Bin #2
I really appreciate my eyes and eyesight, but after 67 years, they have become less forgiving and more demanding for optimal conditions in order to function properly. Pocket bins are not well received by said eyes, but that is the nature of pocket bins. It took a long while to get a proper balance between right/left eye.
But once that frustration was out of the way, I have good impressions.
The diopter adjustment wheel is stiff to move - I see this as positive because once it is set, chances are it won't move when inadvertantly brushed against by finger or otherwise. Secondly, related to the diopter adjust, when the bin is folded it completely encloses, conceals and protects the diopter adjustment wheel so that it is impossible to accidentally move it. Finally, the diopter ajustment wheel is positioned out-of-the-way. There is room for a little pinky finger on both sides of it if holding the bin in such a way. I was able to hold it as if it was a mid-size. All good stuff.
Very good resolution. I was able to get a good sharp image but had to work for it. Whereas my main bin - a Swaro SV 8x32 - seems to just snap into perfect focus everytime I look thru it, this little compact did not oblige so easily.
Focus wheel very nice (unlike most other Swaro bins I've tried - oh, if only Swaro would purchase the rights to the Nikon focus wheel). I didn't pay too much attention to the focus wheel nor its range - which is a good thing. I didn't have to give my finger a workout going from short to long range viewing, it was quite fluid. Sorry to folks who demand quantitative data - what's empirical to me is that it works good
I found the optics to be excellent. Probably the best of all the compacts I've tried this spring/summer - all the Swaro, Zeiss, Leica offerings. I was surprised to find a clear, bright view from edg to edg.
The added weight (over the previous version) is a non issue for me. The size is what matters. It is truly a pocket bin. Even while nested inside its relatively bulky case, it fit easily and comfortably into my field jacket.
When holding up the bin for viewing, it really feels more like a mid-size than a pocket bin. Less easy to get proper eye placement than a mid-size but easier than a smaller pocket bin.
Overall, optics very good, ergonomics excellent, the case is very nice.
One comment about the case is that it is long enough where you can easily store the bin with the eye pieces extended. For me, this makes the bin more at-the-ready because eye pieces extended is how I use it. Plus, with the eye pieces extended, there really isn't the need for ocular covers (which you won't get anyway with this bin). Not sure what the eye relief is but I'm not seeing any black spots!!
Oculars are same as other Swaro bins, in that the eye pieces screw out leaving the lens' very easy to clean.
That's my "data" dump on this subject. Thanks, Charles
Swarovski CL 8x25 Pocket Bin #1
Swarovski CL 8x25 Pocket Bin #2