Swarovski Swarovision 8.5 EL vs. Leica

[tschiemer]

I just ordered the following 8.5x42 Swarovski EL Swarovision Binoculars -- which will be here Wednesday from a Swaravoski dealer and am wondering: Have any of you an opinion about how the view is with these compared to the Leica Ultravid Hd?

It was a close decision but I chose the Swaravoskis, and I have never had a pair of these, though I have had several of the Leicas in the past.

Later, I will search all the back threads but until I have the time to do so, does anyone have a pair with an opinion between the two?

Robert

 

[HOGWILD]

Re: Swarovski Swarovision 8.5 EL vs. Leica

I have the 10x42 EL's but they are a few years old and they are great glass and have not owned them both so sorry i can't give you a side by side comparison, but you went the correct route no matter what! I also have their 8x30 range finder and recently i picked up a Z5 5-25x52 Rifle scope and it's got the ballistic turret that they copied from Kahel's but refined it i suppose. i need to go sight it in since it's on my primary meat weapon, 300 Weatherby Mag SMOA. It bore sighted in like 5 minutes and i did a low light test on it and it's amazing how much later you can get a shot off with it compared to my Leupold's! you will not be let down on the quality of the glass i can promise you that! i put mine on a tripod and glass for elk all day some days and they work nicely vs a spotter!

 

[Opticsspecialist]

Re: Swarovski Swarovision 8.5 EL vs. Leica

i have a pair i hunt with, i'll give you the basic run down. the field of view, color, and light transmission are unreal. the EL's are much easier to hold and use with gloves on, (or with one hand for that matter while trying to hold steady on an old ladder stand) the focus and diopter are easy to adjust. i use the 10x42 swarovision binoculars and at 5am saturday morning i could see perfectly, the field of view was great, the only problem is i think legal shooting hours start at 6 . the leica has a dual knob diopter and focus and it's a pita to get it focused at times, i also didn't find them as handy testing them. they have two very different designs, dual henge on the swarovski and single on the leica. it boils down to personal preference as far as ascetics and the way you use them, some people like the leica's. both work really well

give me a call and i'll go into more detail, but you really can't beat the new swarovision glass. wider field of view, better light transmission. it's hard to go wrong at the level we're talking but the swarovski's are my pick.

 

[tschiemer]

Re: Swarovski Swarovision 8.5 EL vs. Leica

As you guys wrote, it is not disappointing. It arrived today, and near dusk I took it to the second story of a room we are having contractors build onto our house, and looking at a field about 400 yards away, everything is sharp and clear all the way to the edges of the lenses, and you have a much greater field of view it seems due to the flatening of the lens as they describe it, with me wearing glasses. As one formerly owning pairs of Leicas and Zeiss', it is in the upper level and as noted, one cannot go wrong with any of them. The Swarovskis reputation is well deserved. I focused to about 6' on a tree branch as well. In normal daytime, they will be used to their fullest but from this one examination near dusk, the color reprouduction seems great as well as the clarity and light - gathering ability. Thanks for the recommendations here.