(Although this is an oldish thread, I bring it back to life in order to avoid opening a new one with the same title. My rationale is that any future forum member wanting to find information on this model can have it all in one place.)
After reading all the glowing reviews and praise, I just had to try the SvBony 8x32 ED SV202, and now I can honestly see what all the fuss was about.
I've only been playing with it for a few days, so this is by no means a long term review, simply a first hands on impressions. I saw the SvBony 8x32 ED were 129 € in Amazon (plus shipping, I see today it's at 103 € due to Black Friday), which I thought was a pretty sweet deal if all the praise was deserved... but then, just in case, I checked Aliexpress, and saw them at 88 € including shipping, and thought that even if it turned out to be a crappy unit, I could return it or do something about it. But I got lucky and in a few days I got a perfectly collimated and mechanically flawless unit.
Accessories are OK. I mean, the case is pretty small and has a belt loop, which is nice for this format. It has a usable strap and both rain guards and tethered objective covers (Canon could learn a thing or two from a sub 100 € bino).
First off, what really struck me was the "perceived/apparent" build quality, I guess the actual build quality can only be assessed after plenty of use on the field. Anyway, they feel substantial, not heavy but hefty: holding them is reassuring, like a much pricier unit. The eyecups work flawlessly, remember me a bit on the ones on a Vortex Diamondback HD. As a matter of fact, the feeling of the whole Svbony sv202 is similar to the DBHD, which I think it's quite a compliment, given that I found the Diamondback HD to be quite well made. The rubber armour feels good given the price (this sentence is actually a good overall summary). The way it's glued to the body is better than most things I've seen for 250-300 € (better than Celestron Granites or Bushnell Nitro/Engage), no squeaking, no areas were it felt loose. Quite remarkable.
A similar thing can be said about the focus wheel. A big complain with binoculars in the 200 - 300 € region that otherwise have very nice optics is that over and over I find the focus wheel is usually a weak point (like in the Celestron or Bushnell I mentioned above), they usually have a spongy feeling, a little vague, and it's not unusual to find "empty spots" or a little play, but this Svbony gives a perfectly tuned feedback, absolutely no play, no slack, just perfect (well, it's CCW to infinity, if that matters to you). I'm not 100 % sure, but it feels like the wheel is made of some sort of metal, maybe aluminium. Again, the focus wheel feels as good or better than the Vortex Diamondback HD (which I consider a pretty good focus wheel). It moves with little resistance, although it's on the slow side. Usually, on the kind of quick birding binos I prefer, I can go from infinity to close in a single pull of the wheel, but this needs two. Not terrible, just a preference. Overall, amazing for the price.
And now the view, this is were the 88 € SvBony keep surprising big time. The image is so nice, very contrasty, the black seems "very black", and the level of detail on tree barks and grass is amazingly, crisp, sharp... honestly again, on a 250 - 300 € bino level. What really strikes me is the sense of depth and space, the way the things seem to pop against the background. I've been comparing them to a "value king" that for years has been my preferred entry level option, the Kowa YF 8x30, and the Svobny surprises me by giving a more punchy image, but also but not loosing a lot on depth, especially considering the YF are Porro prism binoculars. Nothing short of extraordinary in terms of value.
Surprisingly, both the Svbony 8x32 and the Kowa YF II 8x30 weight exactly the same: 490 g - 17,28 oz (within 2 - 3 g of error margin). The Svbony feel heavier by a large margin, also better built and its focus wheel also works much better than the YF by a large margin.
However, there are a few areas where obviously the Svbony just can't keep up with other more expensive binoculars that the Svbony otherwise gives a run for their money. The first one is sweet spot. The "sweet" area where things are perfectly sharp is acceptable, not great, but the fall off as you move off centre is remarkable. As an example, throwing in the mix the Opticron Traveller 8x32 ED.
The same view through the 3 binoculars, not for quality check purposes, just FOV. I have aligned the far right edge with the end of the flat building of a supermarket, and have marked another building on the left side with a red dot as a reference to gauge the FOV. From top to botton: Opticron Traveller, Svbony, Kowa YF.
The Traveller has a wider FOV, and feels wider when in use. The Svbony has a slightly wider FOV than the Kowa, but for some reason I can't see the entire FOV (I don't use glasses, and I find this problem with very wide field binoculars, where I just can't see the field stop in binoculars like the Nikon EII 8x30 and other wide field binos, particularly Porros). So for me, the Kowa show actually a little more, but ever so slightly more that in use is not remarkable. I don't know if it's just me, but the Svbony appear to produce a bigger magnification than the Opticron and also the Kowa (the latter comes as no surprise, given that when comparing roofs and Porro from the same magnification the latter feels usually «smaller»). Anyway, the FOV feels perfectly OK and the view is very immersive, surprisingly immersive.
One interesting thing happens with the image quality along the FOV. If you look at the right edge on the pictures, the flat building is a supermarket and the name can be read in big green letters: MERCADONA. Although the Opticron are not flat field, I can read the name of the supermarket even at the edge of the FOV. With the Kowa I can't read it perfectly, but knowing the name, I can guess it. However, on the Svbony the name is nothing but a blur, and even knowing the name, there's no way I can read it.
The second weak point is CA. It's not terrible, and certainly cannot be a deal breaker on a 88 € (even 200 €) binocular, but it's higher than what I expected given the lovely, crispy and really sharp image these provide otherwise. The Kowa YF II 8x30, a classic "value kings" of the entry level range show less CA than the SvBony. On the Svbony, near the edge is pretty obvious, and you can also see it at times even on axis, under very bright and contrasty light conditions (I think I'm pretty sensitive to it, so YMMV). Again, it's not terrible, as a matter of fact I don't think it can be considered a "flaw" at this price. If I remember correctly, such a nice and expensive binocular as my Nikon Monarch 7 10x42 suffered from at least the same amount of CA, if not more than this SvBony 8x32.
If I wanted to nitpick, I'd say the Opticron Traveller is brighter (well, it better be, given their price difference), but the Svbony feels by no means dim. Compared to the Kowa YF, the Kowa also feels a little brighter, but this could also have to do with the contrast and colour cast. The Svbony feels more constrasty, however, while comparing them I feel the Svbony has a green/yellow hue to the image, while the Kowa feel cooler.
So, the view is remarkable, immersive... Where's the catch? Are sweet spot size and CA the catch? I really don't thing that saying so would be fair with a pair of binoculars at this price point. I would say these are "characteristics" of the model (and logical design/production compromises given their price), but I think calling them flaws would be going a bit too far, because they are not on a terrible level even it the SvBony were 250 €. It's impossible to compare by memory, but for example, my 8x32 Vortex Diamondback HD were also prone to CA, they showed more, and they are around 200 €. But then, the Svbony would not probably last 10 years of intensive use (I think neither would the Diamondback), but given the lifetime warranty on the Vortex, one could argue that the Vortex is a safer bet, because you could get a fresh unit if yours crumbles down in a few years down the line.
So, as a summary:
PROS:
- Image is simply amazing for a 88 € (even for a 130-150 €) binocular.
- Build quality is surprisingly good. The mechanical side is beyond reproach.
- Price is a joke at special offer/deals
CONS
- The sweet spot is just OK, and the edges are not the best
- CA is just OK.
When I bought my first Kowa YF (I think back in 2018) it was around 110-120 €, that was a sweet price. I have bought no less than 5 units since then. But nowadays, the new Kowa YF II (which is hardly different from the original, apart from a tripod socket) has a retail price of around 160 - 170 €. At this price, given that you can find the Svbony easily for around 130 €, and with a bit of luck for under 100 €, I think the Svbony is a really good option, and the one I would probably recommend. The only caveat being sample variation and quality control at this price point (something the Kowa seem almost inmune to). Anyway, my summary for this Svbony can only be «Amazing for the price». A true gem for someone looking for a first pair of binoculars to have a feeling of what quality optics is (and maybe fine tune later on their preference about magnification, objective size, etc.), or else someone looking for a beater/loaner/back up. Now I can't wait to try the 8x42, that according to most reviews is even better.
