MikeRottier
Well-known member
The Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 (latest version)
There is a video on youtube from Camilla and I that states that the CL pocket is “as good as the 8.5x42 EL”. That is a bold statement, especially when considering that the EL is one of the pinacles in modern binoculars technology. But is it true ? Well,that's were it gets personal. In his view it's true. No doubt. In my view however it is a “Yes, it's true, but....”.
(As a sidenote, in the video he is comparing the 10x CL, I'll be discussing the 8x version. Maybe the 10x version indeed really is asgood as the EL)
There are two questions first. What is a good pair of binoculars, and the number two question: what is a nice pair of binoculars ? For some people they have to go tegether, for some not.
Personally I tend to put more emphasis on the importance of nice. So, what makes a nice pair of binoculars ?
The things that count for me:
Big view ! And what I mean is: big image circles. It's not the same as a big FOV or AFOV. I often see these terms used, and I have the impression that people use this to describe all sorts of things except the thing I find important. So, big image circles. And in practice that translates mostly in big eyepiece diameters.
Nice colours. This differs from brand to brand. You like it ornot.
3d feeling. I have an old Horizon de Luxe, and that thing is wonderful in that regard. I also like the looks from a Meopta B1. It is not so much 3d as wel that the B1 has a beautifull layering in the in-focus and out of focus parts of the image.
Yes sharpnes. It is important. But my old Horizon de Luxe is alsosharp enough.
Clarity. No haze, glare or dull looking images.
Handling. How does it feel in your hands, does it carry nice, how is the focusser working. That sort of things.
Alright. Back to the CL now. Let's check the boxes.
The big view. Well, not so much. It's not small, but it doesn't have the wide image circles of an EL or NL. But for a pair of pocket binoculars it's okay. Certainly better than similar Leica's I tried out.
Image quality, colours and clarity: no problems here. It is wickedly sharp everywhere in the field. Nice and bright, no haze, no glare. There is the slightest amount of imagined purple fringing in the area next to where you are looking at when viewing a naked tree at a white sky. Barely visible and when you look at it directly it is gone. It only happens in extreme conditions, in normal use you won't notice it. Colours are nice and good, although it has the typical Swarovski look, the same as its more expensive brethren. White birds against dark backgrounds don't wash out to white blobs with no detail. Shadow details are good. I didn't encounter glare problemswith them, which is nice. So yes: very, very good.
So, to make a long story short: yes. In this regard it is just as good as the EL.
3d feeling.
This one can be short: forget it with this CL. You will see a perfect image, but it lacks a bit of liveneness, of "being there". The image quality is impeccable, don't get me wrong, but the image doesn't come to life. The out of focus areas are nicely recognisable, which is handy when you are searching for things in a landscape, but you don'tget the subject to come loose from its surroundings like you get with big aperture photographic tele lenses, or some other binoculars. Of course it is a pocket bino. There is litle room between the tubes to create a 3d feeling.
Handling and construction.
It is very well made. If you like precise mechanics and a good feeling piece of equipment you will like the CL. It's an engineering masterpiece with a nice dense feeling to it. No play, no wiggle whatsoever. The focusser is very smooth and light (not too light !) with no grittiness and very direct. So far it is the nicest focusser I have ever encountered. A bit strange was that in the first week or so I felt some sort of little tic when moving the focusser past a certain point, like there was some sort of thin plastic sheet or so that was in the focusser mechanics. It cleared out after the first week and didn't come back. Maybe it just needed to be worn in.
The eyecups are okay. A litlle bit small (which is to be expected for a pocket binocular). Too bad they only have two positions: in or out. I was constantly readjusting them. Luckily they stayed relatively good in position when you put them halfway out.
It fits nicely in my hands, and it's nice to hold them whilst viewing.
The provided strap is nice, albeit a litle bit thin. And it has no logo ! How will people standing behind me be able to tell that I'm cool ?
The provided case is nice and well made, but you have to fold the bino's to use it, and it is a litle bit cramped when you have the eyecups on.
They come without front covers. I didn't found this a problem. The eyecup covers are nice and work as expected.
So. That's it. If you are searching for an exceptional pair of binoculars whith impeccable image quality that you can put in your jacket pocket (Yes, it fits) and have with you wherever you go: go for it. It's an exceptional tool to get the job done. But there is a bit of a problem for me. It's perfect, but it doesn't thrill me. The view is technicly one of the best you will get from a pair of binoculars, but I didn't get the wow-factor I got with the Swarovski Junior that I tested a while ago. For a pair of pocket binoculars this is as good as it gets. And it better be for the hefty price you have to pay for them.
There is a video on youtube from Camilla and I that states that the CL pocket is “as good as the 8.5x42 EL”. That is a bold statement, especially when considering that the EL is one of the pinacles in modern binoculars technology. But is it true ? Well,that's were it gets personal. In his view it's true. No doubt. In my view however it is a “Yes, it's true, but....”.
(As a sidenote, in the video he is comparing the 10x CL, I'll be discussing the 8x version. Maybe the 10x version indeed really is asgood as the EL)
There are two questions first. What is a good pair of binoculars, and the number two question: what is a nice pair of binoculars ? For some people they have to go tegether, for some not.
Personally I tend to put more emphasis on the importance of nice. So, what makes a nice pair of binoculars ?
The things that count for me:
Big view ! And what I mean is: big image circles. It's not the same as a big FOV or AFOV. I often see these terms used, and I have the impression that people use this to describe all sorts of things except the thing I find important. So, big image circles. And in practice that translates mostly in big eyepiece diameters.
Nice colours. This differs from brand to brand. You like it ornot.
3d feeling. I have an old Horizon de Luxe, and that thing is wonderful in that regard. I also like the looks from a Meopta B1. It is not so much 3d as wel that the B1 has a beautifull layering in the in-focus and out of focus parts of the image.
Yes sharpnes. It is important. But my old Horizon de Luxe is alsosharp enough.
Clarity. No haze, glare or dull looking images.
Handling. How does it feel in your hands, does it carry nice, how is the focusser working. That sort of things.
Alright. Back to the CL now. Let's check the boxes.
The big view. Well, not so much. It's not small, but it doesn't have the wide image circles of an EL or NL. But for a pair of pocket binoculars it's okay. Certainly better than similar Leica's I tried out.
Image quality, colours and clarity: no problems here. It is wickedly sharp everywhere in the field. Nice and bright, no haze, no glare. There is the slightest amount of imagined purple fringing in the area next to where you are looking at when viewing a naked tree at a white sky. Barely visible and when you look at it directly it is gone. It only happens in extreme conditions, in normal use you won't notice it. Colours are nice and good, although it has the typical Swarovski look, the same as its more expensive brethren. White birds against dark backgrounds don't wash out to white blobs with no detail. Shadow details are good. I didn't encounter glare problemswith them, which is nice. So yes: very, very good.
So, to make a long story short: yes. In this regard it is just as good as the EL.
3d feeling.
This one can be short: forget it with this CL. You will see a perfect image, but it lacks a bit of liveneness, of "being there". The image quality is impeccable, don't get me wrong, but the image doesn't come to life. The out of focus areas are nicely recognisable, which is handy when you are searching for things in a landscape, but you don'tget the subject to come loose from its surroundings like you get with big aperture photographic tele lenses, or some other binoculars. Of course it is a pocket bino. There is litle room between the tubes to create a 3d feeling.
Handling and construction.
It is very well made. If you like precise mechanics and a good feeling piece of equipment you will like the CL. It's an engineering masterpiece with a nice dense feeling to it. No play, no wiggle whatsoever. The focusser is very smooth and light (not too light !) with no grittiness and very direct. So far it is the nicest focusser I have ever encountered. A bit strange was that in the first week or so I felt some sort of little tic when moving the focusser past a certain point, like there was some sort of thin plastic sheet or so that was in the focusser mechanics. It cleared out after the first week and didn't come back. Maybe it just needed to be worn in.
The eyecups are okay. A litlle bit small (which is to be expected for a pocket binocular). Too bad they only have two positions: in or out. I was constantly readjusting them. Luckily they stayed relatively good in position when you put them halfway out.
It fits nicely in my hands, and it's nice to hold them whilst viewing.
The provided strap is nice, albeit a litle bit thin. And it has no logo ! How will people standing behind me be able to tell that I'm cool ?
The provided case is nice and well made, but you have to fold the bino's to use it, and it is a litle bit cramped when you have the eyecups on.
They come without front covers. I didn't found this a problem. The eyecup covers are nice and work as expected.
So. That's it. If you are searching for an exceptional pair of binoculars whith impeccable image quality that you can put in your jacket pocket (Yes, it fits) and have with you wherever you go: go for it. It's an exceptional tool to get the job done. But there is a bit of a problem for me. It's perfect, but it doesn't thrill me. The view is technicly one of the best you will get from a pair of binoculars, but I didn't get the wow-factor I got with the Swarovski Junior that I tested a while ago. For a pair of pocket binoculars this is as good as it gets. And it better be for the hefty price you have to pay for them.
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But that is not what I'm mentioning here. But, speaking of it: why is it that in movies you see this two circles that are merging partly when they want to give you the impression that the person in the movie is looking through a pair of binoculars ?
