Swarovski EL 10x42 SV focusing problem! (1 Viewer)

Jonno52 · Nov 8, 2016

Edit re below: have found serial number after all, I think. K plus a six digit number. I was probably panicking about this problem. Still, will interested in anyone's experiences, and eg how long it takes to get them back from Absam

Hi all. I bought my Swaros in June last year. As of today (after a cold night, but the heating kicks in if the temp goes down to 18.5°) there's suddenly a major problem with them. The focusing wheel grates against the barrels and close focus and focus at infinity are impossible. Instead of the full travel of 2½ turns, it's now only half a turn. The bins are entirely useless (unlike my Zeiss 8x32 HD Conquests - glad I have one working pair!)

I can't find the guarantee card, though I imagine the serial number would do. But if I'm right and the number is situated at the far end of the focus wheel, it's obscured because the wheel doesn't turn far enough to reveal it. Anyway, Swarovski have a very good reputation for accepting bins for repair. It's just a hassle to pack them up, and as I'm almost entirely flatbound, only my brother can get them to a post office (he's done a massive amount to help me get to medical appointments, and it's very unfortunate I'll have to lay this on him as well).

It may be telling that the problem occurred after possibly the coldest night since I bought them. But hardly outside the temperature range for these bins...

I've e-mailed Swaro but no reply yet. In this situation, have people found e-mail the best way to contact them, or should I phone? It would also be interesting to hear any observations from people who've had similar issues. I'm now thinking that Brock was right when criticising Swaro focusing.

Right now I have some trouble with very sore eyes and have to limit computer use, so will only check back here every 3 hours or so. Still, at one point I feared a detached retina and thankfully the optician ruled that out yesterday.

Thanks in advance!

jan van daalen · Nov 8, 2016

Jonno52 said:
Edit re below: have found serial number after all, I think. K plus a six digit number. I was probably panicking about this problem. Still, will interested in anyone's experiences, and eg how long it takes to get them back from Absam

Hi all. I bought my Swaros in June last year. As of today (after a cold night, but the heating kicks in if the temp goes down to 18.5°) there's suddenly a major problem with them. The focusing wheel grates against the barrels and close focus and focus at infinity are impossible. Instead of the full travel of 2½ turns, it's now only half a turn. The bins are entirely useless (unlike my Zeiss 8x32 HD Conquests - glad I have one working pair!)

I can't find the guarantee card, though I imagine the serial number would do. But if I'm right and the number is situated at the far end of the focus wheel, it's obscured because the wheel doesn't turn far enough to reveal it. Anyway, Swarovski have a very good reputation for accepting bins for repair. It's just a hassle to pack them up, and as I'm almost entirely flatbound, only my brother can get them to a post office (he's done a massive amount to help me get to medical appointments, and it's very unfortunate I'll have to lay this on him as well).

It may be telling that the problem occurred after possibly the coldest night since I bought them. But hardly outside the temperature range for these bins...

I've e-mailed Swaro but no reply yet. In this situation, have people found e-mail the best way to contact them, or should I phone? It would also be interesting to hear any observations from people who've had similar issues. I'm now thinking that Brock was right when criticising Swaro focusing.

Right now I have some trouble with very sore eyes and have to limit computer use, so will only check back here every 3 hours or so. Still, at one point I feared a detached retina and thankfully the optician ruled that out yesterday.

Thanks in advance!

John,

Not to worry, you are in Swarovski hands (BTW, Brock, who is Brock??

)

Easiest thing to do is to bring the SV to your local dealer who will take of it and even may have a spare one for you as long as your SV is in repair, which will take around 4 weeks.
Otherwise, indeed e-mail them and see how they respond.
Keep us in the loop, will you.

Jan.

Troubador · Nov 8, 2016

Jonno

Bad luck.

Just check and make sure that the dioptre adjuster has not somehow been rotated right around to one end of it's travel. If it has, return it to the Zero setting and then try them.

Lee

Theo98 · Nov 8, 2016

Jonno52 said:
...As of today (after a cold night, but the heating kicks in if the temp goes down to 18.5°) there's suddenly a major problem with them. The focusing wheel grates against the barrels and close focus and focus at infinity are impossible. Instead of the full travel of 2½ turns, it's now only half a turn. The bins are entirely useless...

Jonno,

Certainly an unfortunate and unusual situation. Not sure what the colder temps could have done, but grinding of the focus wheel on the scope barrels could be limiting full close\far focus wheel rotations. As Jan suggested, if possible call your dealer for assistance in getting these back to Absam...they Will make it Right!

Keep us informed...take care,

Ted

Jonno52 · Nov 8, 2016

Thank you all very much. I suspect the problem may be partly my fault. Perhaps I shouldn't have persisted in turning the focusing wheel several times, with the grinding noise, when the problem first arose. Lee seems to have been right on the money in suggesting the dioptre adjustment was the key thing. I have reset it (though I forgot to turn it to zero first) it by getting the left view sharp, then pulling the focus wheel out to get the right view sharp, and pushing it back in. The bin now has full travel between closest subject and infinity. What worries me is that after pulling the wheel out, focusing the right side does grate or grind a bit, though not as badly as before. This can't be OK and I think they'll still have to go back to Absam.

I had been noticing more resistance and "stiction" when turning the wheel clockwise recently. I decided that that was just the way these Swaro bins work, using a greaseless spring, and is acceptable up to a point. Now, I'm less sure about that. I can detect virtually no stiction now! Hmm!

I didn't get them through a local dealer but via Amazon - they were sent through the mail by anderssehen.eu, which from memory is located in Germany. As mentioned, I e-mailed Austria and they've sent me a form to fill out. The bins do work normally, except for that grating sound after pulling the wheel out and focusing the right side - not a good sign.

It's getting very dark here, so with the lack of clear targets to use I'll wait until tomorrow and go through the procedure again, resetting the dioptre adjuster to zero first as Lee suggested. Right now my eyes are getting very sore and it'll be easier to deal with all this in daylight. Jan, Lee and Theo, I'm most grateful (though looking back, the bins have been "grate full") (I meant to put a sad face after that, but in preview it's been put at the start of this post and seems impossible to remove. Doh. Good night all!

Troubador · Nov 8, 2016

HI Jonno

Good luck tomorrow.

You didn't say whether you had found that the dioptre adjuster had been turned to one extreme or the other. If this happens on some bins it stops the focuser from achieving the full range of movement and this is what I suspected might have happened.

Lee

Theo98 · Nov 8, 2016

Troubador said:
HI Jonno

Good luck tomorrow.

You didn't say whether you had found that the dioptre adjuster had been turned to one extreme or the other. If this happens on some bins it stops the focuser from achieving the full range of movement and this is what I suspected might have happened.

Lee

Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel! Jonno, if this is the case and no harm was done to the mechanism, you may be good to go!?

Ted

Jonno52 · Nov 9, 2016

Hi guys

Everything you've said makes sense, The bins are much better this morning and focus smoothly on both close and distant targets (with no stiction, which is a big change from before) - but I'm not sure I'm out of the woods yet. The following is just basic procedure of course but I'll spell it out step by step.

So, first made sure the interpupillary distance was correct. Then closed my right eye and got the picture through the left eye sharp. Next, closed my left eye, pulled the focus wheel out, and turned it until the picture through the right eye was sharp. Here's where I'm uncertain if things are quite as they should be: when turning the focus wheel with it pulled out, it didn't turn smoothly but with a series of clicks. I've forgotten if that's normal. If it is, I do indeed seem good to go.

One noticeable thing is that my dioptre setting is now midway between -3 and -4 (call it -3.5). This is different from how I had it set just a couple of years ago: then it was more like -2.5. However, the optician I saw on Monday found that indeed my spectacles prescription has changed significantly since my last sight test in May 2013 (new specs are being made) so that will doubtless be relevant. The odd thing is that only 2 or 3 months ago, on checking the sharpness through each barrel, it seemed just fine at -2.5.

I've an idea how things went wrong in the first place. I packed the bins away in their case (which is a pretty tight fit, so I was repeatedly trying to get them in the case until they fitted inside properly) and a few days later got them out again. That's when this problem - if it is one - arose, so the focus wheel may have got fully or partially pulled out.

If you can confirm that when the wheel is pulled out, it is meant to move in a series of clicks when turned, then I'll be a happy bunny indeed (or at least, as happy as is still possible in the light of today's momentous news, though this isn't the time or place).

Here's hoping you can reassure me. If it sounds to you that there is something wrong, I'll send them back.

jan van daalen · Nov 9, 2016

Theo98 said:
Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel! Jonno, if this is the case and no harm was done to the mechanism, you may be good to go!?

Ted

Adding the possibility that the grating sound is caused by the clicks of the diopter, when pulled out.

Jan

Pileatus · Nov 9, 2016

Jonno52 said:
Hi guys

Everything you've said makes sense, The bins are much better this morning and focus smoothly on both close and distant targets (with no stiction, which is a big change from before) - but I'm not sure I'm out of the woods yet. The following is just basic procedure of course but I'll spell it out step by step.

So, first made sure the interpupillary distance was correct. Then closed my right eye and got the picture through the left eye sharp. Next, closed my left eye, pulled the focus wheel out, and turned it until the picture through the right eye was sharp. Here's where I'm uncertain if things are quite as they should be: when turning the focus wheel with it pulled out, it didn't turn smoothly but with a series of clicks. I've forgotten if that's normal. If it is, I do indeed seem good to go.

One noticeable thing is that my dioptre setting is now midway between -3 and -4 (call it -3.5). This is different from how I had it set just a couple of years ago: then it was more like -2.5. However, the optician I saw on Monday found that indeed my spectacles prescription has changed significantly since my last sight test in May 2013 (new specs are being made) so that will doubtless be relevant. The odd thing is that only 2 or 3 months ago, on checking the sharpness through each barrel, it seemed just fine at -2.5.

I've an idea how things went wrong in the first place. I packed the bins away in their case (which is a pretty tight fit, so I was repeatedly trying to get them in the case until they fitted inside properly) and a few days later got them out again. That's when this problem - if it is one - arose, so the focus wheel may have got fully or partially pulled out.

If you can confirm that when the wheel is pulled out, it is meant to move in a series of clicks when turned, then I'll be a happy bunny indeed (or at least, as happy as is still possible in the light of today's momentous news, though this isn't the time or place).

Here's hoping you can reassure me. If it sounds to you that there is something wrong, I'll send them back.

Pull the focus knob out, set the diopter to 0, push the knob back down and then simply operate the mechanism without looking through the bin to see how it operates. You set the diopter to your preference in the same manner.
Yes, the diopter setting clicks when the knob is pulled out and turned.
In normal use, the focus knob must be all the way down.

Jonno52 · Nov 9, 2016

Pileatus said:
Pull the focus knob out, set the diopter to 0, push the knob back down and then simply operate the mechanism without looking through the bin to see how it operates. You set the diopter to your preference in the same manner.
Yes, the diopter setting clicks when the knob is pulled out and turned.
In normal use, the focus knob must be all the way down.

Thanks Pileatus, got it (I think I always did understand this but panicked, when a little quiet reflection was needed). Very grateful to one and all. I just drafted a fuller reply but it seems to have got lost, so I'll just say all this has saved them going back to Absam and they're stiction free now. Quite a few "senior moments" on my part - any excuse!

Thanks a million to all who've replied so helpfully..

Troubador · Nov 9, 2016

Jonno52 said:
Thanks Pileatus, got it (I think I always did understand this but panicked, when a little quiet reflection was needed). Very grateful to one and all. I just drafted a fuller reply but it seems to have got lost, so I'll just say all this has saved them going back to Absam and they're stiction free now. Quite a few "senior moments" on my part - any excuse!

Thanks a million to all who've replied so helpfully..

John

So glad you got sorted out.

This sort of anxiety is always made so much worse if you only have one pair of binoculars. Its amazing how much more logical and calm your thought processes become when you know that whatever happens you have another pair of bins available even if they aren't quite up to the same standard as your main instrument.

And Christmas is coming so maybe you might treat yourself to a pair of less expensive 32mm bins which should be regarded as mandatory pre-emptive medication to treat unplanned future bins anxiety.

Lee

Theo98 · Nov 9, 2016

Troubador said:
John

So glad you got sorted out.

This sort of anxiety is always made so much worse if you only have one pair of binoculars. Its amazing how much more logical and calm your thought processes become when you know that whatever happens you have another pair of bins available even if they aren't quite up to the same standard as your main instrument.

And Christmas is coming so maybe you might treat yourself to a pair of less expensive 32mm bins which should be regarded as mandatory pre-emptive medication to treat unplanned future bins anxiety.

Lee

Yes, during SV diopter adjustment, positions CLICK (or grind, snap, pop...make noise). Glad your EL's are still good-as-new! :t:

Great antidote Dr. Lee! :eek!:

John, Lee's been into optics for a long time and knows what he's talking about. I've taken his advice and looking to add my 4th 8x30\32 bino to my collection...feel Much Better Already!! :-O :king:

Ted

Jonno52 · Nov 10, 2016

Troubador said:
John

So glad you got sorted out.

This sort of anxiety is always made so much worse if you only have one pair of binoculars. Its amazing how much more logical and calm your thought processes become when you know that whatever happens you have another pair of bins available even if they aren't quite up to the same standard as your main instrument.

And Christmas is coming so maybe you might treat yourself to a pair of less expensive 32mm bins which should be regarded as mandatory pre-emptive medication to treat unplanned future bins anxiety.

Lee

Thanks very much Lee. I did mention in my original post that I do have a pair of Conquest 8x32 HDs, but with attention on the Swaros, a passing remark about having a second bin may be overlooked as the discussion progresses. Both these bins are investments I'm very glad I made, with the Conquests extremely good value. All the very best to you.

Jonno52 · Nov 10, 2016

Theo98 said:
Yes, during SV diopter adjustment, positions CLICK (or grind, snap, pop...make noise). Glad your EL's are still good-as-new! :t:

Great antidote Dr. Lee! :eek!:

John, Lee's been into optics for a long time and knows what he's talking about. I've taken his advice and looking to add my 4th 8x30\32 bino to my collection...feel Much Better Already!! :-O :king:

Ted

Thanks for confirming that "clicks" are normal in adjustment of the SV, Ted. Think I really knew this perfectly well, but doubts crept in during this burst of "optics anxiety"...

I do know that Lee is a mine of reliable information on optics. We're lucky to have so many good knowledgeable people on BF - and, dare I say it, there's a sense of being "among friends". Now and again, things can get a bit heated, but it never seems to last too long. I sometimes post at the Guardian too, and that's an entirely different matter!

Jonno52 · Nov 10, 2016

Theo98 said:
Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel! Jonno, if this is the case and no harm was done to the mechanism, you may be good to go!?

Ted

Without wanting to draw this out much further Ted, you seem to have got to the crux of it. I'm much more than "good to go" now: the bins are a joy to use. There's still fractionally more resistance when turning the wheel clockwise than anticlockwise of course, but I doubt many people would notice it if handling them for the first time. While it had been a tad irritating before, there is no detectable stiction at all now. Focusing is smooth, easy and precise. I can honestly say that the well-attested Conquest 8x32 HD "buttery" focusing is only marginally more pleasing.

In the hope the present state of affairs will continue, and without fully understanding how the improvement came about, it may be worth going through the dioptre adjustment procedure from scratch every couple of months, whether or not the picture through each ocular is already perfectly sharp. I might also, after pulling the wheel out, exert just a little pressure against the resistance at the end of travel (I think you were right with "..travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel" but while it might confirm what you've suggested, I'm not inclined to test that at the moment).

I'll leave it there without further speculation!

Troubador · Nov 10, 2016

Theo98 said:
Yes, during SV diopter adjustment, positions CLICK (or grind, snap, pop...make noise). Glad your EL's are still good-as-new! :t:

Great antidote Dr. Lee! :eek!:

John, Lee's been into optics for a long time and knows what he's talking about. I've taken his advice and looking to add my 4th 8x30\32 bino to my collection...feel Much Better Already!! :-O :king:

Ted

Might take some of my own medicine too: Kowa's Genesis 8x33 is looking interesting...... but then Zeiss's SF 32mm might appear next year........

Lee

Troubador · Nov 10, 2016

Jonno52 said:
Without wanting to draw this out much further Ted, you seem to have got to the crux of it. I'm much more than "good to go" now: the bins are a joy to use. There's still fractionally more resistance when turning the wheel clockwise than anticlockwise of course, but I doubt many people would notice it if handling them for the first time. While it had been a tad irritating before, there is no detectable stiction at all now. Focusing is smooth, easy and precise. I can honestly say that the well-attested Conquest 8x32 HD "buttery" focusing is only marginally more pleasing.

In the hope the present state of affairs will continue, and without fully understanding how the improvement came about, it may be worth going through the dioptre adjustment procedure from scratch every couple of months, whether or not the picture through each ocular is already perfectly sharp. I might also, after pulling the wheel out, exert just a little pressure against the resistance at the end of travel (I think you were right with "..travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel" but while it might confirm what you've suggested, I'm not inclined to test that at the moment).

I'll leave it there without further speculation!

John

I believe there is a spring in the EL SV focusing mechanism that helps reduce the possibility of free play in the system and mechanical springs being what they are, they oppose your finger pressure when focusing in one direction and augment it when focusing the other way. Its just a characteristic not a fault.

When setting the dioptre its a good idea to use a high contrast subject at a distance that is average for your usual observing.

Good luck.

Lee

Theo98 · Nov 10, 2016

Troubador said:
Might take some of my own medicine too: Kowa's Genesis 8x33 is looking interesting...... but then Zeiss's SF 32mm might appear next year........

Lee

Get the Kowa Lee...then "guaranteed" a Zeiss SF 8x32 will magically appear on the market, probably the Next Day!:eek!: :-O

Ted

Theo98 · Nov 10, 2016

Jonno52 said:
Without wanting to draw this out much further Ted, you seem to have got to the crux of it. I'm much more than "good to go" now: the bins are a joy to use. There's still fractionally more resistance when turning the wheel clockwise than anticlockwise of course, but I doubt many people would notice it if handling them for the first time. While it had been a tad irritating before, there is no detectable stiction at all now. Focusing is smooth, easy and precise. I can honestly say that the well-attested Conquest 8x32 HD "buttery" focusing is only marginally more pleasing.

John, both my 8x32 and 10x50 EL's are exactly as you describe, with overall smoothness increasing with every use.

In the hope the present state of affairs will continue, and without fully understanding how the improvement came about, it may be worth going through the dioptre adjustment procedure from scratch every couple of months, whether or not the picture through each ocular is already perfectly sharp. I might also, after pulling the wheel out, exert just a little pressure against the resistance at the end of travel (I think you were right with "..travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel" but while it might confirm what you've suggested, I'm not inclined to test that at the moment).

I'll leave it there without further speculation!

After checking the SONA website specs, your EL 10x42 SV's have actually +-5 diopter of adjustment, plenty if you ever need it! :t:

Take Care,

Ted

Swarovski EL 10x42 SV focusing problem! (1 Viewer)

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