Swarovski SV EL 8x32 and Nikon EII 8x30 (1 Viewer)

[Sancho]

With most roofs, particularly midsized roofs, the compressed view tends to blend birds into the background, and I sometimes can only spot them when there's movement. With the EII, birds "pop" into view.

<B>

Thanks Brock, your assessment squares with mine as regards advantages of EII. I also preferred the immersive view of the EII over the rather limited and fiddly SE. A bit like shotguns compared to carbines.
As regards distinguishing birds from their background, I think I've always had a problem with spotting birds in foliage until they move. I seem to be worse at this than fellow-birders, who'll point out the bird and say things like "Éanna, you blind fool, can't you see it?". And I genuinely can't until it moves. Someone suggsted it might be something to do with the number of cones compared to rods in my eyes, but I forget the Science Bits.

Hi,Sancho,finally I got a chance to visit a store when i went to Guangzhou city last week,I brought 8.542sv and tried many binos,Leica hd,Zeiss fl and other swarovisions,etc.
..............Another thing i got was about the degree of chromatic aberration,1050 and 1032 have a bit stronger aberration than 8542,I guess 832 would show less than 8.542.

Hi Jinxin! Congratulations on your comparison. I think you're right, the 8x32 has less CA than th 8.5x42, but it's minimal in both binoculars. Interesting that a store in Guangzhou has such an impressive range of binoculars! (I lived there in the early nineties, teaching at the South China University of Technology in the northeast of the city...I didn't even own binoculars then!). The amazing thing is that imported European binoculars cost so much in Chinese Yuan, especially as the quality of Chinese-made binoculars like Zen-Ray and Hawke has improved so much that they are almost identical in normal use!

Edit: Today I compared both binos again (SV and EII), this time looking south in very bright conditions with cloud cover occasionally broken, at a mixed deciduous/conifer copse about 300m away. The flare-control advantage of the EII's was very obvious. The sunlight dispersed through the bright clouds made the SV's seem a bit more washed-out than the EII's, which appeared far more 'contrasty' in the greens of the trees and heathland beyond. Looking north or east, the SV's appeared sharper and relaxing again across the FOV. What all this means is a mystery to me, except that it would appear we have to consider not only the specs of binos, and our own subjective preferences, but also lighting conditions and direction of view. I'd love to see a review of the SV's by an expert using boosters etc., and comparisons with other top binos.

 

[Sancho]

Another update (sorry, tried to add this as an edit but too late). Today I took both binos (SV and EII) out to the seaside, to look at birds, boats, etc. The 3D advantage of the EII's became irrelevant at distance, although it's great up close and personal with birds in foliage. The SV has quite a bit of 3D for a roof anyway. Looking out to sea (yachts, boats, terns, gannets, porpoises etc.) I could make out a tiny bit more detail with the SV's. The EII's showed minimal hints of CA on white boats at great distances. Looking inland over lagoons, farmland and woods, the SV's colours were far more neutral and natural, and again I could discern details of hirundines in flight and perched a little better with the SV's. Flare wasn't an issue with either bino, although swinging them dangerously close to the sun, the EII's control was a bit better. There is no real way of "ranking" these two binos optically that would be of any use to others, as they are both optically brilliant and each has its own strengths. (On the way back to the car-park, the heavens opened and I got soaked...the SV's stayed around my neck, the EII's had to go under my jacket).

 

[stereotruckdriver]

Another update (sorry, tried to add this as an edit but too late). Today I took both binos (SV and EII) out to the seaside, to look at birds, boats, etc. The 3D advantage of the EII's became irrelevant at distance, although it's great up close and personal with birds in foliage. The SV has quite a bit of 3D for a roof anyway. Looking out to sea (yachts, boats, terns, gannets, porpoises etc.) I could make out a tiny bit more detail with the SV's. The EII's showed minimal hints of CA on white boats at great distances. Looking inland over lagoons, farmland and woods, the SV's colours were far more neutral and natural, and again I could discern details of hirundines in flight and perched a little better with the SV's. Flare wasn't an issue with either bino, although swinging them dangerously close to the sun, the EII's control was a bit better. There is no real way of "ranking" these two binos optically that would be of any use to others, as they are both optically brilliant and each has its own strengths. (On the way back to the car-park, the heavens opened and I got soaked...the SV's stayed around my neck, the EII's had to go under my jacket).

Well when the Heavens opened up it must have been a revalation!!! Was he telling you something???? Bryce...

 

[Sancho]

Well when the Heavens opened up it must have been a revalation!!! Was he telling you something???? Bryce...

I think he was telling me that Irish Rain is not unlike Oregon Rain...B

 

[ronh]

Sancho,
I have enjoyed reading your comparisons. The detail in which you explain what you did is admirable. Even with the optical caveats, I still enjoy the folksy fearless naked eye review best. It may not be much of a "resolution" test, but it's the ONLY meaningful test of everything else!

As a rabid glare hater, it is especially interesting to me that the EII beat the SV in this regard. That is not one of the SV's best points.
Ron

 

[Sancho]

Thank you, Ron! Yes, I suppose after so much fooling about with optical charts, tripods and (in some cases) DVD boxes, the ultimate test is whether one likes it out in the field. I can't remember if my SV 8.5x42 produced a little flare in some conditions, and they're away at the Doctor's in Austria at the moment having arthritis in the focusser corrected.

 

[Sancho]

Another update from 'the field' - this morning watching a pair of sparrowhawks cavorting at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres, the sv 8x32 gave sharper and clearer images than the EII 8x30. At this kind of distance it's all a bit academic anyway for 8x binos, and the caveat 'to my eyes only' stands.