Swarovski Optik El Swarovision Binoculars, 8.5x42mm

Swarovski Optik El Swarovision Binoculars, 8.5x42mm

Swarovski Optik El Swarovision Binoculars, 8.5x42mm

I was unsure whether to get these or the Leica Ultravid or the Zeiss Victory counterparts. I was able to compare the Swarovski and Zeiss in a store, but the Leica was hard to find (only one desler in Boston area).

It took Leica's 800 number a week to return my inquiry to their tech service person regarding what appeared to be their distinctive coatings, so I eliminated Leica based on poor distribution (at least in the Massachusetts market) and poor customer support.

As between the Swarovski EL Swarovision versus the (less expensive) Zeiss Victory, I felt the two were a near optical tie.

But, I subjectively preferred the Zeiss for their grey external body color versus the Swarovski green and I liked the Zeiss image color vividness and the snappy focus better than the Swarovski's seemingly more shallow depth of field. And, I disliked the Swarovski double-hinge "appearance". However, the tie-breaker, for me, was the excellent Swarovski field of view for their 8.5 versus the Zeiss 8 power's field of view (how does Swarovski do that?), and I preferred the Swarovski warranty over the Zeiss warranty. (I have trouble hand-holding a 10 power and I don't care for their smaller field of view.)

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