So many Swift Porros, so little time

[MacGee]

Is the Audubon 820ED 8.5x44 the best of the Swift Porros, and how does it compare with the Leupold Cascades Porro (http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=4585) (the Opticron HR WP (http://opticron.boson.posiweb.net/pages/page9HRWP.html) is apparently the same thing)?

Michael.

[bitterntwisted]

Good question and shame it was unanswered, as I am now weighing these two, and wonder what other contenders I shoudl be looking at. I have Budget c. £200 UK, want wide FOV, want waterproof and pretty rugged, and need much, much lighter weight than my current super heavy weight Audobon 804 8.5x44 MK IVs. My only other hang-up with these, apart from the colossal size and weight, is the reach to the focus wheel.

Any other ideas, or just try these two side by side? Looks like budget precludes me looking at e.g. Nikon equivalents.

Thanks,
Graham

[matt green]

Never tried the Swifts, but those Opticrons are fantastic!!

I owned the 8x42 model but couldn't get used to the slow focus (two full turns from near to infinity)

When I bought mine in Norwich I thought they were better than the BGA classic roofprisms at £429!! of course they have a restricted field of view but their optics are snapping at the heels of any Leica trinovid/ Swarovski SLC I reckon!!

Matt

[elkcub]

I missed the original question. Yes, I think the Swift 820ED is their best current Porro. Although I've not seen the Leupolds or Opticrons, the difference in FOV is sizeable. The ED glass in the 820 is not as effective as it was in the 804ED, in my opinion, which had a more sophisticated and expensive air-spaced objective, — but it still minimizes axial CA and enhances color contrast perception over the competition. I believe the 820s are still made in Japan by Hiyoshi Kogaku, Ltd, who made the earlier Audubons. They are great optics!

Blue skies,
Ed

[SteveF]

I thought that when the 820 and 820ED were introduced, they were advertised as having the same optics as their 804-type predecessors. Elkcub has shown many times that he has inside information, though, so I can't argue with that.

It is a bit disappointing to hear that the 820ED doesn't match the 804ED, but I think he implied that it wasn't that far behind. If it is even close, the 820ED should be a best value. My two 804ED's give the best views of all the binoculars I have. Their resolution and ability to show subtle color gradations aren't matched by any binocular, porro or roof, that I've looked through. I haven't looked at the Cascades, but its specifications don't include ED glass (makes a detectable difference between the 804 and 804ED), so I wouldn't expect the Cascades to surpass the 820ED. Opticrons don't appear to be commonly available in the U.S.

[elkcub]

I thought that when the 820 and 820ED were introduced, they were advertised as having the same optics as their 804-type predecessors. Elkcub has shown many times that he has inside information, though, so I can't argue with that.

It is a bit disappointing to hear that the 820ED doesn't match the 804ED, but I think he implied that it wasn't that far behind. If it is even close, the 820ED should be a best value. My two 804ED's give the best views of all the binoculars I have. Their resolution and ability to show subtle color gradations aren't matched by any binocular, porro or roof, that I've looked through. I haven't looked at the Cascades, but its specifications don't include ED glass (makes a detectable difference between the 804 and 804ED), so I wouldn't expect the Cascades to surpass the 820ED. Opticrons don't appear to be commonly available in the U.S.

Hi Steve,

They were advertised that way, but incorrectly with regard to air-spacing. My information comes from the head of Swift's old repair services in Boston, Nicolas Crista. Also, Renze de Vries has compared the 820 and 820ED with Wim de Boer, Technolyt, a master opticalman in The Netherlands.

This said, I'm cautious about saying too much about the 820ED vs 804ED. Renze and I own, or have owned, the standard 804 and 804ED, but neither has that much experience with the 820 or 820ED. Based on our brief exposures, I think you summarized it nicely.

Blue skies,
Ed

[bitterntwisted]

Thanks for the feedback, all. Tried out the Opticron HR WP today and whilst optically they were excellent I find they have a seriously compromised FoV against my current model. Being used to a wide field of view I felt like I was looking down a tube. The dealer didn't have the Swifts, which I'd still like to try, but of those he had around £200 a pair of Nikon E series 8x30s were excellent. Small, light, massive FoV. I had expected the smaller exit pupil to give a less bright image, but these were superb. Only problem is the waterproof issue, but I reckon that might be something I'm stuck with on my budget looking at porros?

Thanks,
Graham

(BTW, I'm not surprised that you preferred the HR WP to the BGAs, Matt. Pound for pound you get a better optical experience with porros than roofs, and for my budget I have to get porros to get a really quality image.)