sbpbirder
Well-known member
Well did you wonder?
Last September I was looking for lightweight compacts and was confused as to what to get.
Expensive compacts
Whether to get a cheap additional pair of bins or to swap out our main (heavier) old pairs. Finally we managed to get to a decent shop to try out lots of brands.
We tried out:
Swaro CL 8x25
Swaro CL 10x25
Leica Ultras 10x25
Nikon HG 8x20
Nikon Monarch 7's 8x30
Zeiss Victory 8x20
Hawke Sapphire ED 8x25
...and we ended up with... *drum roll*
a green pair and a sand pair of the 10x25 Swaro's - fab binoculars, very pleased with them. A close call for me between them and the Swaro 8x25's but went for the extra magnification in the end. No problem with them being dual-hinged and very easy to use. :t:
Leicas - were nice, lighter than the Swaros, but not as good optically for me.
Nikons - couldn't get on with the focus wheel position, but also not comparable optically with the Swaros. Tried the lightish M7s to see if we missed (nearly) full-size bins. No.
Zeiss - ditto as per the Nikons optically. Not as happy with the single hinge as I thought I'd be either.
Hawke's - if I'd had a limited budget then these would have been my choice although the hinges were very loose and so the bins felt 'floppy'.
So two more Swaro fans and a very big up to Clifton Cameras. Thanks Martin you are a very helpful and knowledgeable star!
Last September I was looking for lightweight compacts and was confused as to what to get.
Expensive compacts
Whether to get a cheap additional pair of bins or to swap out our main (heavier) old pairs. Finally we managed to get to a decent shop to try out lots of brands.
We tried out:
Swaro CL 8x25
Swaro CL 10x25
Leica Ultras 10x25
Nikon HG 8x20
Nikon Monarch 7's 8x30
Zeiss Victory 8x20
Hawke Sapphire ED 8x25
...and we ended up with... *drum roll*
a green pair and a sand pair of the 10x25 Swaro's - fab binoculars, very pleased with them. A close call for me between them and the Swaro 8x25's but went for the extra magnification in the end. No problem with them being dual-hinged and very easy to use. :t:
Leicas - were nice, lighter than the Swaros, but not as good optically for me.
Nikons - couldn't get on with the focus wheel position, but also not comparable optically with the Swaros. Tried the lightish M7s to see if we missed (nearly) full-size bins. No.
Zeiss - ditto as per the Nikons optically. Not as happy with the single hinge as I thought I'd be either.
Hawke's - if I'd had a limited budget then these would have been my choice although the hinges were very loose and so the bins felt 'floppy'.
So two more Swaro fans and a very big up to Clifton Cameras. Thanks Martin you are a very helpful and knowledgeable star!