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

Super-bins Shoot-out: Zeiss SF8x42 meets Swarovski 8.5x42 (1 Viewer)

Swaro green is an engineering Triple Hi-Tech Environmental\Security Solution design...It's a GREEN environ-friendly product, has Built-In Theft Protection (ugly):bounce:, but is loved by All Birds, Fauna and Wildlife!!! :-O

Ted

Ted,

Thanks for filling in for Chosun Jaunita while she's gone WALKABOUT. B :)o:Do:):smoke::gh:
 
Lee,

How are the colors in Zeiss SF. I have found color and contrast excellent in Swaro EL. Also is there any perceptual difference in brightness between SF and EL SV.

Sanjay
 
Lee,

How are the colors in Zeiss SF. I have found color and contrast excellent in Swaro EL. Also is there any perceptual difference in brightness between SF and EL SV.

Sanjay

Hello Sanjay and welcome.

I didn't find any difference in colour between SF and EL SV when looking at nature observation targets like birds and countryside views, so to check it out in a more extreme way I looked at strongly coloured towels on a washing line and also a line of parked motor cars. I found the colour reproduction to be the same.

Brightness is a bit trickier. I actually thought SF was a little brighter but I wasn't confident enough to include this in my test report. So you can think of it as either the same or perhaps a little in SF's favour, but certainly not so much as a reason for preferring SF over EL. There are other, stronger, reasons for doing this.

Lee
 
I'm guessing here, but from the sales numbers I suspect there are more people it means nothing to than there are people who notice it. Hell I dont even remember what focuser issue swaro had.

Just remember…sales figures MUST have declined for both the Zeiss HT as WELL as the SVs…or there would be no rebate OR 10% off….
 
I have a gut feeling that Swarovski will introduce a new binocular later this year.
Eagle Optics is offering a sizable discount through November which is quite a long time.
Can't help but wonder if a new Big Green flagship is on the way. |8)|
What do you think, Lee ? |=)|
 
I have a gut feeling that Swarovski will introduce a new binocular later this year.
Eagle Optics is offering a sizable discount through November which is quite a long time.
Can't help but wonder if a new Big Green flagship is on the way. |8)|
What do you think, Lee ? |=)|

I will offer my opinion, Swarovski has updated the entire line in
the last 5 years. I would not look for many changes very soon.

What would be nice from Swaro. is a new 42mm. CL model, that
would compete in the midrange with Zeiss.

As far as a 10% discount, this simply offsets the 10% they increased
the price a few months ago.

Jerry
 
Chill,

Can't you think of any other reason why the SV is offered with 10% off.......

Jan

Hi!

Only reason I can think of is the supply of EL Swarovisions is greater than the demand. No reason for any company to drop their price for any other reason. It could be done ONCE a new/improved product has hit the market….but that's really just supply/demand as well.

Chuck
 
If Swaro were preparing to introduce a major innovation such as image stabilization, it would be logical for them to clear the decks this way.

That said, apart from some snippets here on BF, there have been no rumors to that effect.

I'll stay tuned.
 
Exchange rates: the dollar has gone up a lot on the euro recently, so the exporters can rebate their products easily. Giving 10 % discount, their margin is still 10 % better than last year ;)
 
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I have a gut feeling that Swarovski will introduce a new binocular later this year.
Eagle Optics is offering a sizable discount through November which is quite a long time.
Can't help but wonder if a new Big Green flagship is on the way. |8)|
What do you think, Lee ? |=)|

Hi Sagi

Business in the States isn't booming just now. Its not disastrous by any means but it's not brilliant either. Its not uncommon for manufacturers to boost sales from time to time by offering discounts. It stimulates interest, gets folks talking about the models and can result in increased sales even after the discount has finished.

I don't stay in touch with hunting products but didn't the EL Range models get a 'refresh' earliler this year? Maybe the ELs will get a similar makeover.

A price incentive and a face-lift, could be Swaro doing what they can to keep interest on EL to combat the impact SF is having, whilst working in the background on something new.

Lee
 
I agree that Swarovski will have to do something to maintain interest in EL , considering the fact that SF is out and seems better in ergonomics and field of view. I am assuming that rest all being equal.

May be some improvement over EL should be around the corner.

Sanjay
 
Chill,

Can't you think of any other reason why the SV is offered with 10% off.......

Jan

Given the fact that the USA is/has been run by white collar thug,liberal retard politicians the past several years, I think it's still an affordability factor. The US has national debt we can't pay, the average US consumer has credit card debt they can't pay, the cost of living increases every year despite what the bottom feeding politicians say, we have a real unemployment rate of at least 18%, those that do work make wages that barely, if ever, keep up with inflation. Let's face it....high end binoculars are a luxury item for those with some disposable income. The vast, vast majority of US consumers don't have any disposable income.
 
Given the fact that the USA is/has been run by white collar thug,liberal retard politicians the past several years, I think it's still an affordability factor. The US has national debt we can't pay, the average US consumer has credit card debt they can't pay, the cost of living increases every year despite what the bottom feeding politicians say, we have a real unemployment rate of at least 18%, those that do work make wages that barely, if ever, keep up with inflation. Let's face it....high end binoculars are a luxury item for those with some disposable income. The vast, vast majority of US consumers don't have any disposable income.

So the Greek integrated well in the US.
 
Hi Sagi

Business in the States isn't booming just now. Its not disastrous by any means but it's not brilliant either. Its not uncommon for manufacturers to boost sales from time to time by offering discounts. It stimulates interest, gets folks talking about the models and can result in increased sales even after the discount has finished.

I don't stay in touch with hunting products but didn't the EL Range models get a 'refresh' earliler this year? Maybe the ELs will get a similar makeover.

A price incentive and a face-lift, could be Swaro doing what they can to keep interest on EL to combat the impact SF is having, whilst working in the background on something new.

Lee

The Economist disagrees with your marketing analysis.

At last, a proper recovery -All sorts of Americans except Brock are feeling more prosperous

So do the CEOs and presidents of companies and heads of economic development groups I interview each week for the business paper (some have had more than 45 years in business!).

Of course, there are still pockets where the recovery has been slower than average, not my town, which never dipped below 5.5% unemployment during the recession -- the second lowest in the state.

But in my town where the average age is 25, it's hard to get a good paying job if you are middle aged, because 25-year-olds will work cheap for the experience. My new editor is 24.

Not sure which insider you got your info from, but he must have mixed up the U.S. with Greece.

As Adrian used to say: Here's what happened. Just like any "hot" new product, the SV EL was "selling like hotcakes" (to quote one member) when it first came out. Those being the 8.5x42 and 10x42 and later the 8x and 10x32s. Then the 50mm line launch in Extremadura caused a second wave of buying. This was during the recession, but deep pocketed birders and hunters didn't seem worried by the fact that 8 million Americans got laid off from their jobs. Apparently, their jobs and money was secure.

Then came the reintroduction of the SLC with HD glass at a slightly lower price. Then the 56mm SLCs followed. Swaro had one launch after the other to keep the momentum (and the sales) flowing.

So like any sales cycle, you get a peak at the launch of a product, another bump if the product turns out to get rave reviews, and then a gradual leveling off in sales, with seasonal peaks and troughs.

Summer is a trough for binocular sales since birders are not preparing for the spring return of songbirds nor are hunters preparing for deer/elk/moose season. So discounts help bring in sales when they seasonally dip.

I think that's what's going on, just as it did last year at this time. I don't think it has to do with the SF. Or if it does, that's on top of the normal seasonal sales cycle.

Brock
 
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