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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

8x56 SLC? (1 Viewer)

I cannot speak to low light situations with this particular model...but I can say that I was very impressed with it optically on the one occasion I had to try it. I was at the local Cabelas a week or so ago and they had a demo unit in the Bargain Cave for $1070. It was in perfect condition. The optics were superb.....bright, sharp image with excellent edge sharpness.

I have a hard time believing it would perform poorly in low light conditions considering its objective size.

On a related note I had the opportunity to compare the Meopta 8x56 (very similar optically to the Swaro SLC) to the 8x42 Meostar. The images were very similar except that the 8x56 was noticeably brighter with even better edge performance than the 42 mm model. I would think that much the same could be said of the 8x56 SLC.
 
01Foreman400 -

I must concur with FrankD. Optically, the Swarovski 8x56 SLCNew is one of the very finest large-aperture binoculars available, an excellent choice for birding at dawn and dusk due to their outstanding light-gathering ability. This binocular would also be a SUPERB candidate for viewing the upcoming Perseid Meteor showers! The overall quality of construction of this binocular is first-rate.

In my opinion, you will indeed notice a substantial increase in the quality of the image during dim or overcast viewing conditions in direct comparison to any 8x42 binocular. This configuration does suffer from VERY poor close focus in comparison to birding binoculars equipped with seven to eight-power magnification and the more popular 32, 42 and 50mm objective lens diameters. Close focusing distances for these models often hover somewhere between twelve to seven feet. Swarovski’s technical literature lists a close-focusing figure of 26.5 feet, making them of somewhat limited use for everyday birding. This is quite typical for a binocular manufactured primarily for hunters and astronomers. A noteworthy exception to this caveat may be North American or Mexican hawk watching, where observation often consists of canvassing roiling clouds of migrating raptors against a gray sky a half-mile or more above assembled observers.

FrankD –

The Meopta MeoStar 8x56 is indeed of very high quality. You had the good fortune of viewing through a prime sample that was superior to the one I handled at a Massachusetts trade show some eighteen months ago. My specimen suffered from an EXTREMELY stiff focus mechanism, which I found quite frustrating. Once it was properly focused, however, I found the MeoStar to be a screaming optical bargain compared to the Swarovski!

CE
 
Yes, the Meostar unit I examined was actually a demo so it was worked in quite nicely. I have the 8x42 and 8x32 Meostars...the 8x56 is the only 8x Meopta I have yet to acquire. If I can find a deal on one somewhere you can bet I will grab it. The sweet spot and brightness level were too addicting.

;)

Hmm, I notice the Massachusetts location and the reference to hawkwatching...any chance you are a fellow hawkwatcher?
 
Guilty as charged☺ Very soon, I’ll be combing the skies over Mt. Watatic in Ashburnham, MA and Blueberry Hill in Granville, MA for Broad-winged Hawks and the several other raptor species that typically present themselves during September.

Link of the Day…

http://massbird.org/emhw/

Nota bene…

The 8x56 Meoptas have spectacular eye-relief, a delightful benefit when forced to wear sunglasses during brighter cloud-sweeping conditions.

Do you know if Meopta manufactures a worthwhile adapter for tripod use? Glassing migrating whales off of the California coast with a 7x50 or 10x50 MeoStar configured in this fashion is quite tempting…

CE
 
Chris,

They most certainly do. I had the opportunity to use it in conjunction with the 8x56 and their doubler last spring. That was a potent combination!

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. That location and those pics are absolutely beautiful! I like the fact that the lookout is on such a relatively flat, wide, unobstructed spot on the mountain.

I hit two of our local hawkwatches as well...the well-known "Hawk Mountain" and the slightly closer Bake Oven Knob....

http://www.lehigh.edu/~bcm0/lvas/bakeoven.htm

The pictures aren't anywhere near as impressive as what I saw on the site you listed but it gives you a basic handle of the location. It is run by this group.....

http://lgnc.org/research/bok-hawk-watch

Both of the local counts started this past Saturday with decent "opening week" numbers registered. I plan on heading up to Hawk Mountain later today or tomorrow with the boys and probably BOK on Sunday.

...and, yes, those Broadwing kettles are surely a wonderful sight to see!
 
Is the adapter machined out of metal, or is it a plastic material?

I’ve enjoyed birding Hawk Mountain many times! I can vividly recollect being twelve years old, teeth chattering on a bitter November afternoon in 1978, as I viewed my first Golden Eagle on my first visit!

Such a pleasant trip down Memory Lane…My father graduated from Lehigh on the GI Bill soon after the close of World War Two.

CE
 
Chris,

The adapter is all metal. Very nicely machined.

I live about 15 minutes from Hawk Mountain and have been to Lehigh University many times. The most recent was a trip to the Eagles training camp a week and a half ago.

;)

Small world.
 
The images were very similar except that the 8x56 was noticeably brighter with even better edge performance than the 42 mm model.

Frank,

Perhaps the edge performance of the 8x56 is better because the FOV is so much smaller. If it had prisms large enough to give it the 134m FOV of the 8x42 it would weigh a great deal more.
BTW, the weights of the 50mm and 56mm Meoptas are very low compared to their competitors. Maybe they are now using magnesium alloy housings. I certainly hope they are not cheating ;-) ! One of the top 3 is still quoting weights on their website, which are 10% under the true values.

John
 
John,

Certainly true. The 333 foot field of view on the Meopta and the Swarovski at 345 are both a bit narrower than the Zeiss FL at the 390 foot-something I read the other day. Surprisingly though I do not feel cramped by the image in the least....most likely because of the superb edge performance.

I can check the weight if you like as I am likely to pick up a pair shortly. I don't remember them being excessively heavy though.
 
Hi,
IMHO the ergonomy of the 8X56 is awful. The focusing wheel, next to your face, doesn't allow to hold them for their center of mass. They feel heavier than the Zeiss 8X56 Classics with difference. I keep the rule about binoculars that you neck can become tired but no your hands.
By the way, compared with the 8.5X42, their 10 minutes more at sundown are assured.

Fernando
 
Thanks for the replies. I just ordered a pair. If I don't like them I can always send them back. 10 extra minutes does sound great though.
 
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