I don't know if the new CL 8x30 is really an alpha even though it is a Swarovski. I agree 30mm is about as small as I like to go considering low light performance and EP comfort although the older CL was really bright for a 30mm but it had 1% higher transmission. We will see how this one performs. I think this well be a good seller for Swarovski because the older model was and this one looks much improved. I think the fact that you can choose your color and case and strap combination will aid in selling them because people can't complain about the case and strap so much because they can pick and choose plus the $1000.00 price tag is attractive for a Swarovski and they are small and compact. A compact 30mm that would perform well enough for birding is a dream for a birder and if anybody can do it probably Swarovski can.Hmm.................looks like the Alpha may have a better prognosis than was predicted in earlier threads.
Look forward to your thoughts Dennis, I`m rather excited about the new CL myself, I really don`t like anything smaller than 30mm.
In my experience if you buy a Swarovski from a dealer not in the USA Swarovski will still honor their warranty. They did on my Habicht 8x30W and it was purchased in Spain so no worry there. They are a great company especially when it comes to customer service and warranties.
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The Leupold Mojave BK3, Nikon MHG 8x42, Euro HD 8x32 and the Bushnell M 8x42 were sold and returned because although they were good for the money they didn't compare optically to my Nikon 8x30 EII. I compare everything to my Nikon 8x30 EII.
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The Tract Toric was excellent but the narrow FOV for me was a little restrictive for birding although it would be fine for hunting and I decided I wanted something a little smaller and more compact with a little bigger FOV and sharper edges. I think the new Swarovski CL 8x30 with a 396 foot FOV and sharper edges will suit my birding needs a little better.
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You have to really go up the food chain in a roof to get one that compares with a porro like Nikon 8x30 EII ........I will try the new Swarovski 8x30 CL's a try.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... The Leupold Mojave BK3, Nikon MHG 8x42, Euro HD 8x32 and the Bushnell M 8x42 were sold and returned because although they were good for the money they didn't compare optically to my Nikon 8x30 EII. I compare everything to my Nikon 8x30 EII. ................................................................................................ You have to really go up the food chain in a roof to get one that compares with a porro like Nikon 8x30 EII although the better roofs start having better contrast than the EII which I really like.
The MHG does have more eye relief than the EII. In my case with my shallow eye sockets it had too much and I had to hold the binocular away from my eyes to avoid blackouts. So it didn't work good for me. Roof prisms do have larger images and I like that also. The contrast in the MHG is better than the EII and I liked that better too. The Euro HD had better contrast than the EII or the MHG. It is impossible to beat the big FOV in EII but what I am looking for in a higher end roof is better contrast the EII and a bigger than average FOV. Trouble is you have to spend about $1K on a roof to get both better contrast and a larger FOV. The EII is a good reference standard to judge other binoculars by.I have both the Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 and the Nikon 8x30 EII and I prefer using the HG over the EII because I like the eye relief better.
I also prefer the view through the Monarch HG over the EII; perhaps because the object viewed appears larger to me in the Roof Prism. Also its contrast seems to me to be better but that may be because my EII is older.
All that said, I am still keeping my 8x30 EII.
Bob
Yes, I have had a couple of Swarovski's sent in for warranty work that were not purchased in the USA over the years. Swarovski always covered them under warranty. Regarding the Tract Toric 8x42. It is an excellent binocular but based on what people have been saying about the new CL and my experience with the older CL I think the new one will have a little wider FOV and a little bigger sweetspot with sharper edges than the Tract. But that is speculation until I try the CL. The CL will give me a more compact, lighter binocular for travel and hiking. I would be happy if it performed close to the Tract. What I am looking for also with the new CL is a little better contrast than the EII. It seems you really have to move up the food chain in roofs to get that nice contrast. The Euro HD's had really nice contrast so they obviously had high end glass and coatings. Too bad mechanically they had some issues. When you compare them side by side you really get hooked on that nice contrast. The Euro HD's had better contrast than the Bushnell M's or the Nikon MHG's or the Nikon EII's. They were essentially alpha level in regards to contrast. Here is a nice review on both the Tract Toric 8x42 and the older Swarovski 8x30 CL. As far as international shipping I have did it many times without any problems. You can return the binoculars to the seller or send them to Swarovski under warranty if there is something wrong with them. If you just don't like them you might be better off just selling them on Ebay because Swarovski's sell very quick especially a new model like the CL that isn't available yet in the US.Are you sure about that? I know I read some posts indicating that a Swarovski binocular had to be a North America import in order to have warranty work covered by Swaro of N. America (SNOA). Here is what one member said in response to a dealer comment saying the warranty is active in the country where purchased .......
"I think your right on the warranty Proud Papa. The Swarovski binoculars have to bought in North America for the warranty to be good but how often do you have trouble with Swarovski's?"
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3363871&postcount=7
Maybe SNOA worked on you Habicht because it is not a model they normally stock. It can be sent back to Austria but that can be expensive.
Sounds like you are returning to your previous affinity for the "apha" view. As you once said, "Once you have Alpha you can never Backa?".
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=202997&highlight=backa
That was a lively thread!
I am not sure if the new CL will provide the sharper edges and the bigger FOV that you want in comparison to your experiences with the 8X42 Toric.
I have the Toric in the 10X42 and the large center view along with the mild drop off is one of the outstanding qualities about it. From what I have read, the 8X42 has the same qualities. Here is what you had to say about that .....
"The Toric is as good as any binocular I have ever looked through on-axis and it has a big sweet spot with a very gradual fall off at the edge. The edges are actually pretty sharp and you don't notice the difference in sharpness between the SV in normal viewing unless you look at the edges on purpose."
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3459164&postcount=119
It would most likely take a flat field binocular to beat the Toric in this regard. Since the new CL is a classic design like the Toric, it will have to be exceptional to have better edges than what you were used to in the Torric.
FOV: Keep in mind that even though Tract spec'd the 8X42 Toric with a FOV of 377 ft, Steve C. measured it at approximately 404 ft which is greater than the 396 ft FOV spec for the new CL.
It does not look like the new CL will have a bigger FOV or center than your baseline Toric but it should meet your desire for lighter and smaller and that may be enough to work for you.
It will be interesting to read if the new CL goes far enough up the food chain for your requirements. How long does it take to get a binocular shipped over from Europe and what happens if you find it does not meet your needs?
I have never purchased a binocular from overseas but would do it if it were a model I could not get here. I did purchase what was advertised on eBay as a new old stock SLC WB HD from Canada but it turned out to be a bad listing and was the new version. It was expensive to send it back and required confusing paper work. Lucky for me the seller had to pay the return shipping because of their error in the ad.
Tried a 10x30 today, no 8 available, build quality and feel in the hand is head and shoulders above the old CL, in fact it felt every inch an Alpha 30mm to me. Optically it delivered on every level for me, with the caveat I would`nt personally go for the 10x.
Did `nt like the diopter mechanism, I reckon these will fly off the shelves.
Yes, I have had a couple of Swarovski's sent in for warranty work that were not purchased in the USA over the years. Swarovski always covered them under warranty. Regarding the Tract Toric 8x42. It is an excellent binocular but based on what people have been saying about the new CL and my experience with the older CL I think the new one will have a little wider FOV and a little bigger sweetspot with sharper edges than the Tract. But that is speculation until I try the CL. The CL will give me a more compact, lighter binocular for travel and hiking. I would be happy if it performed close to the Tract. What I am looking for also with the new CL is a little better contrast than the EII. It seems you really have to move up the food chain in roofs to get that nice contrast. The Euro HD's had really nice contrast so they obviously had high end glass and coatings. Too bad mechanically they had some issues. When you compare them side by side you really get hooked on that nice contrast. The Euro HD's had better contrast than the Bushnell M's or the Nikon MHG's or the Nikon EII's. They were essentially alpha level in regards to contrast. Here is a nice review on both the Tract Toric 8x42 and the older Swarovski 8x30 CL. As far as international shipping I have did it many times without any problems. You can return the binoculars to the seller or send them to Swarovski under warranty if there is something wrong with them. If you just don't like them you might be better off just selling them on Ebay because Swarovski's sell very quick especially a new model like the CL that isn't available yet in the US.
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/TractToric8x42BinocularsReview-181.htm
https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Swarovski-CL-Companion-8x30-109.htm
Tried a 10x30 today, no 8 available, build quality and feel in the hand is head and shoulders above the old CL, in fact it felt every inch an Alpha 30mm to me. Optically it delivered on every level for me, with the caveat I would`nt personally go for the 10x.
Did `nt like the diopter mechanism, I reckon these will fly off the shelves.
Hi Barry, to elaborate I mean I would`nt personally go for a 10x30, I find that exit pupil too small.
I`v been using that avatar for less than a year I think.
John.
Thanks, Kimmo. Have to see a 10x in person to be convinced, but thanks!
I had wondered about the case/strap options. Swaro seems to over-engineer these things. And since the "Field pro" connection is mostly proprietary it matters.
Almost everybody complained about the bags, so Swarovski offers them now in three different configurations.
Now the customer complaints about the over enginering of the cases and straps
I had wondered about the case/strap options. Swaro seems to over-engineer these things. And since the "Field pro" connection is mostly proprietary it matters.
Proprietary being the key word. I want to see how it works and how adaptable other straps are to the attachment. I'm pretty fussy about how I carry bins and I need to be able to customize if necessary.
Any idea of when these might arrive in the US?
Proprietary being the key word. I want to see how it works and how adaptable other straps are to the attachment. I'm pretty fussy about how I carry bins and I need to be able to customize if necessary.
Any idea of when these might arrive in the US?
Added:
I just looked at a couple of vids showing this attachment system on the Els. Geez, I don't know. It looks as though one advantage is quick attach. It also looks like a disadvantage is quick detach. From the vids, at least, it doesn't give me a warm cozy feeling that this is infallible.
With the stock arrangement, having those cord "tails" dangling looks like it would get annoying fast. I would need to hybrid a different strap that goes around the neck to this cord arrangement as well. I don't like wide or neoprene straps and prefer narrower, breathable leather or webbing.
To those who have Els with this attachment system, do you completely trust it? And, have you modified the strap to suit you?
To those who have ELs with this attachment system, do you completely trust it? And, have you modified the strap to suit you?