As i have posted earlier, i was a bit disappointed by my 10x42 noctivid. I bought a early EL 10x42 and was astonished to see that in my eyes, the contrast was better than in my leicas. To get the ultimate binoculars for my taste i decided to order the last generation of EL's the field pro version (3rd. gen). I have now received the last EL and I made some field comparison between these 3 binoculars. here is my personal feedback
first contrast, the subject of my first post :
i noticed that the Swarovski's delivers brighter whites than my leica, making everything white "pop up" more efficiently than in the noctivids. This observation was particularly obvious when spotting seagulls on a lake. I also noticed the same "white effect" with the swaros when spotting white letters of a sign on a dark blue background. As both swaros delivers the same "white popup effect" and both have the swarobright coating, I think that the swarobright coating is bringing this amazing contrast with light (whites).
so to conclude, contrast is, in my eyes, better on both swaros.
Chromatic aberration
This is the real weak point of my leicas, and after a lot of testing, i think this is also jeopardizing the whole contrast. In fact, when looking at a bright object in the leicas, it is noticeable that some color fringing is appearing at the edge of the object, in particular if the object is not centered in the field of view. the result is that the edge is not as bright as expected, and therefore is giving a less contrast-full impression. I have also compared the leicas vs the swaros on a raptor flighing high in the sky (i love raptors). The drawback in the leicas is that you might be fooled on the actual colors of the bird, linked to the color-fringing at the edges of the bird. In this field, i have to say that for me, the swaros are much better, as there is no noticeable CA, even if the bird is not centered in the field of view.
Sharpness
Well, the three binoculars are extremely sharp, and in this matter, i can say the leicas do not demerit. Using a tripod and looking at planets (Saturn), the best sharpness was obtained on the swaro field pro. The first EL and the Leica are equal to me, but very slghtly less sharper than the field pro.
Field of view
these are comparable for the three models, but the flat field and the sharpness towards the extreme edge of the field of the swarovision is a plus to my eyes. I have not noticed an annoying rolling ball effect in the last swaros, but i understand this is more personal feeling than an objective observation. For me the flat field opens more the view than in the two others, giving less a kind of "tunnel effect", but here it's my personal taste.
color rendition
well, in this area the leica shines, it is maybe the most neutral color rendition of the three models. The swaros seems maybe a little bit colder ("white effect" described before?) but in all cases, these three models are near perfection in that area
flare
well, this is where Leica beats Swarovski. the worst flare is on the first generation of EL, even if it is acceptable, the flare shows up easily in this model. The EL field pro has a better flare control than the first generation, but it is to say that flare is still present. The best here is the leica, where the flare appears only in extreme conditions.
comfort
for me (i don't wear glasses) the best is the last fied pro, confort is simply amazing, the eye relief is just perfect and i get the whole FOV immediately after putting the glass on my eyes, without having to adjust interpupillar distance very accurately. Second here for me is the leica, i noticed somehow that i have to adjust very accurately the interpupillar distance to get the best out of it, and sometimes i have a disturbing black shadow appearing in the field of view. pretty equal to the noctivid is the first El where i also have to adjust the binocular accurately. On this last bin, i think the shorter eye relief is the explanation.
In the hand, again the field pro is for me the best, perfectly balanced giving a lot a comfort while watching. The old EL is the lightest of the three, and therefore i will put it as second best. The leica is comfortable also, but a little step backward compared to the swaros.
well that's pretty much it and don't hesitate to ask me if you want some more details about these three alpha's.
my conclusion, which is of course very personal, is that in my eyes, Swarovski has achieved an almost perfect 10x42 with the EL Swarovision, better tahn the Noctivid in my eyes. The EL swarovision has no real weak point for me, whereas the Noctivid suffers too much chromatic aberration, lacks a little contrast and does not have this perfectly sharp field of view of the swarovision. Therefore, whatever you are using it for, if you are looking for a premium 10x42 and you hesitate between leica and Swaro, i can only suggest to get the Swaro for the money. But of course, try yourself and build your own opinion.
regards
Thomas