I'd been wanting a set of 15x56 binos for several years - naturally, wanted the Swaro SLCs. But reality bites, and I didn't want to have to sell a Bighorn rifle in order to get the Swaros...so, after reading several negative reviews on the Vortex Kaibabs, that narrowed it down to the Leupold BX-5 15x56. Kept watching for a deal on a pair, and then this fall, Leupold announced a MSRP drop of $250, so I dug out $200 worth of Cabela's gift cards I'd been saving & applied the $154 in Club points I had - that got me into a set for under $900, and I've been very pleased with them. Very clear & sharp, with excellent color rendition, but you'll quickly notice that binos in this power range have a rather shallow depth of field, so expect to need to focus often for sharpest image if you're panning & looking at objects at various distances. It would be educational to have a set of the Swaro SLC 15x56 binos on a tripod right beside my Leupolds out in the field or on the range - would like to find out if my 67yr old eyes can see a difference between the two.
I've set them up on a tripod using the cheap narrow velcro strap adapter that came in the box, which is better than nothing, but I'll be looking at various other, more substantial mounting systems this winter.
