winwinbino
Well-known member
Money is an issue, than decision is simple. Go for CL Pocket 8x25.
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Top choices in 8x20 or 8x25-ish ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ZDHart
- Start date
The Swaros arrived today from B&H and I spent a few hours using them in the Arizona desert from mid afternoon into dusk. I am as pleased with this choice as I had hoped I would be... perhaps more so, in fact. I'm very glad that I didn't go with 8x20's. (I have had a pair of 8x20 Trinovids for some time now and am eager to retire them.)
Having Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 & Conquest HD 8x32 already, I really wanted great quality bins that are small and light enough to replace my 8x20 Trinis, to throw in my daily "man bag" which also carries a micro 4/3 camera or two, wallet, checkbook, cell phone, iPad, flashlight, knife, pistol & spare mag. I live in Arizona and live to be prepared!
I take this stuff with me wherever I go and there was no way either of my Zeiss bins would be welcome in the bag. The Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, however, are small enough, light weight enough, and most wonderfully bright and sharp enough to tag along in my bag wherever I go. So, with the Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, mission accomplished!
From my use today I found the Swaros to be on par sharpness-wise with the stellar Conquest HD's, possibly even a hair sharper. With no CA to be found. DOF is deeper than with the Conquests. Eye relief is excellent and the bins are easy to use one-handed if necessary. I'm really happy with these Swaros!
For sitting on the back porch watching the desert critters, my first choice is still the Conquest HD 10x42. Fantastic bins!!!
My Conquest HD 8x32 are a close second.
But when it comes to being out and about, traveling relatively lightly, the Swaro 8x25CL Pockets are #1 and the Zeiss will stay at home.
Thanks for all of your input. I'm really glad I ponyed up the extra bucks and went with the Swaros... they are pleasing me greatly!
Some images of the Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32, and Conquest HD 10x42:
Of my three bins... these two are the closest in competition with each other.
In their most compact configurations.. much as I love these Conquest HD 8x32's, they are just not a great choice when you want to travel lightly.
There is no contest when it comes to wanting a compact, high-quality pair of bins... the Swaros easily win this. However, the large, deep eyecups and overall feel in the hand make the two Zeiss models my favorites when size and weight don't matter. It's awesome to have such a wonderful trio of bins to choose from, depending on the application.
But there are many times when size and weight does matter and during those times, the Swaros do a superb job of filling the Zeiss's shoes.
Having Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 & Conquest HD 8x32 already, I really wanted great quality bins that are small and light enough to replace my 8x20 Trinis, to throw in my daily "man bag" which also carries a micro 4/3 camera or two, wallet, checkbook, cell phone, iPad, flashlight, knife, pistol & spare mag. I live in Arizona and live to be prepared!
I take this stuff with me wherever I go and there was no way either of my Zeiss bins would be welcome in the bag. The Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, however, are small enough, light weight enough, and most wonderfully bright and sharp enough to tag along in my bag wherever I go. So, with the Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, mission accomplished!
From my use today I found the Swaros to be on par sharpness-wise with the stellar Conquest HD's, possibly even a hair sharper. With no CA to be found. DOF is deeper than with the Conquests. Eye relief is excellent and the bins are easy to use one-handed if necessary. I'm really happy with these Swaros!
For sitting on the back porch watching the desert critters, my first choice is still the Conquest HD 10x42. Fantastic bins!!!
My Conquest HD 8x32 are a close second.
But when it comes to being out and about, traveling relatively lightly, the Swaro 8x25CL Pockets are #1 and the Zeiss will stay at home.
Thanks for all of your input. I'm really glad I ponyed up the extra bucks and went with the Swaros... they are pleasing me greatly!
Some images of the Swaro 8x25 CL Pockets, Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32, and Conquest HD 10x42:
Of my three bins... these two are the closest in competition with each other.
In their most compact configurations.. much as I love these Conquest HD 8x32's, they are just not a great choice when you want to travel lightly.
There is no contest when it comes to wanting a compact, high-quality pair of bins... the Swaros easily win this. However, the large, deep eyecups and overall feel in the hand make the two Zeiss models my favorites when size and weight don't matter. It's awesome to have such a wonderful trio of bins to choose from, depending on the application.
But there are many times when size and weight does matter and during those times, the Swaros do a superb job of filling the Zeiss's shoes.
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Some images snapped into the desert from my back porch...
The feeders and water stations are incredibly popular... we're definitely doing our part as stewards for local wildlife!
My wife and I sit here hours a day giving our bins a real workout watching the wildlife eat, drink, bathe, hang out... I think we've officially become "birders", though we get so many jack rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally snakes, tarantulas, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, lizards, etc. The Sonoran desert is so rich in beautiful wildlife.
The feeders and water stations are incredibly popular... we're definitely doing our part as stewards for local wildlife!
My wife and I sit here hours a day giving our bins a real workout watching the wildlife eat, drink, bathe, hang out... I think we've officially become "birders", though we get so many jack rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally snakes, tarantulas, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, lizards, etc. The Sonoran desert is so rich in beautiful wildlife.
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Congrats on a really nice pair of binos! I have one too, and have really come to appreciate it's level of performance. It has become my go-to bino for when we are hiking in the state parks. If I didn't already have a 10x25 Ultravid HD, I would get one in 10x too.......
thank you. Yes, the Swaro 8x25 CL P is amazing.
Oooo... 10x25 CL Pocket... that's a temptation, isn't it! :eek!: Perhaps I can convince my wife that the 8x25 CL P is for her and I need a 10x25 CL P for myself! :eek!: :eek!:
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It's foolish of me to think that I can ask others opinions of which to get (8x25 or 10x25) and come to the kind of solid conclusion that is really only possible by having both pair at the same time to compare and contrast. So... that's the route I'm taking.
I just ordered a pair of 10x25 CL Pockets, as well. This way I can evaluate them side by side to determine which I prefer for my applications and return the other... or, keep them both.
I just ordered a pair of 10x25 CL Pockets, as well. This way I can evaluate them side by side to determine which I prefer for my applications and return the other... or, keep them both.
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Our back acreage (Sonoran Desert) is a virtual wildlife observatory from dawn to dusk (aided by the presence of several feeders and water features.) Being retired, we spend a lot of time on the back porch observing it all with our bins.
After living with:
-Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42
-Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
-Swaro CL Pocket 8x25
-Swaro CL Pocket 10x25 (arrived a week ago)
-Alpen Wings ED 10x42 (my wife's dedicated pair)
and using them all for several hours each day, I have come to the conclusion that magnified viewing of the natural world around me, with these bins, is quite a treat. I'm very content with the imaging capability of these bins.
When comparing the two Swaro CL-Ps, I change my mind as to which I prefer quite often.
The 8x25's are, as expected, a tiny bit brighter and perhaps as a result of that... seemingly just a bit crisper/sharper. And, as expected, give a bit wider FOV.
The 10x25's are quite twin-like to the 8x25's, give a bit more magnified view and, thus, greater detail... especially with more distant objects.
If I had to keep just one, it would probably be the 8x25's, but that's a fairly difficult choice to make. For me, there are about as many distant-viewing opportunities in bright light as close-viewing opportunities in dimmer light.
I prefer the 8x25's for closer viewing, under dimmer light, and when wider FOV is desired.
And I prefer the 10x25's when light is bright and distances are farther.
Nothing earth shattering at all, as this is to be expected. But experiencing the differences in person is more illustrative than reading in words. Neither of these two wonderful bins is a perfect replacement for the other.
When I use one pair of the CL-P's or the other, on its own, and not engaging in a lot of constant A-B-ing, I'm quite content with either and could be satisfied using either.
Since my wife and I travel a fair bit, I'm justifying keeping both Swaros as travel bins, so that we can each use a pair, simultaneously, when we travel, thus reducing the need to carry the Zeiss Conquest HD's and Alpen Wings ED when traveling.
The Swaro CL-Pockets are dramatically smaller, lighter, and more convenient than the Conquest HD's and, thus, are a great choice when wanting to minimize form factor and weight.
Thus... I've decided to keep all four, in addition to the Alpen Wings ED 10x42 that my wife has. These Alpen Wings ED's, BTW, are a really great pair of bins for a very good price. My only quibble is that their focus wheel turns the opposite direction than the Zeiss and Swaros do.
After living with:
-Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42
-Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
-Swaro CL Pocket 8x25
-Swaro CL Pocket 10x25 (arrived a week ago)
-Alpen Wings ED 10x42 (my wife's dedicated pair)
and using them all for several hours each day, I have come to the conclusion that magnified viewing of the natural world around me, with these bins, is quite a treat. I'm very content with the imaging capability of these bins.
When comparing the two Swaro CL-Ps, I change my mind as to which I prefer quite often.
The 8x25's are, as expected, a tiny bit brighter and perhaps as a result of that... seemingly just a bit crisper/sharper. And, as expected, give a bit wider FOV.
The 10x25's are quite twin-like to the 8x25's, give a bit more magnified view and, thus, greater detail... especially with more distant objects.
If I had to keep just one, it would probably be the 8x25's, but that's a fairly difficult choice to make. For me, there are about as many distant-viewing opportunities in bright light as close-viewing opportunities in dimmer light.
I prefer the 8x25's for closer viewing, under dimmer light, and when wider FOV is desired.
And I prefer the 10x25's when light is bright and distances are farther.
Nothing earth shattering at all, as this is to be expected. But experiencing the differences in person is more illustrative than reading in words. Neither of these two wonderful bins is a perfect replacement for the other.
When I use one pair of the CL-P's or the other, on its own, and not engaging in a lot of constant A-B-ing, I'm quite content with either and could be satisfied using either.
Since my wife and I travel a fair bit, I'm justifying keeping both Swaros as travel bins, so that we can each use a pair, simultaneously, when we travel, thus reducing the need to carry the Zeiss Conquest HD's and Alpen Wings ED when traveling.
The Swaro CL-Pockets are dramatically smaller, lighter, and more convenient than the Conquest HD's and, thus, are a great choice when wanting to minimize form factor and weight.
Thus... I've decided to keep all four, in addition to the Alpen Wings ED 10x42 that my wife has. These Alpen Wings ED's, BTW, are a really great pair of bins for a very good price. My only quibble is that their focus wheel turns the opposite direction than the Zeiss and Swaros do.
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Bought the Nikon LX 8x20 for the wife a couple years ago. She (and I) love them, hard to find a downside to them.
ZDHart,
I have recently bought Conquest HD 8x42 and I love them. So much I am tempted to get 8x32 model as well. But I have a bit hard to justify that because the difference it's pretty small compared to 42mm and I already have a Vortex Viper HD 6x32, great binocular. But I am also really tempted to get Swarovski 8x25.
I use eyeglasses and I think there is a chance this new model provides a full FOV with eyeglasses on.
But I wonder: even while Conquest HDs are really high quality optics it may be a risk to complement them with a small Swarovski: Conquest HD still belong to the "budget" series by Zeiss. Do you perceive the Swarovski 8x25 optically superior to Conquest HD? My thought is if I would do it I could start to think that the full sized model has to be in the same class as the small and not continue to be satisfied with Conquest HD. Maybe stupid question but...
Patric
I have recently bought Conquest HD 8x42 and I love them. So much I am tempted to get 8x32 model as well. But I have a bit hard to justify that because the difference it's pretty small compared to 42mm and I already have a Vortex Viper HD 6x32, great binocular. But I am also really tempted to get Swarovski 8x25.
I use eyeglasses and I think there is a chance this new model provides a full FOV with eyeglasses on.
But I wonder: even while Conquest HDs are really high quality optics it may be a risk to complement them with a small Swarovski: Conquest HD still belong to the "budget" series by Zeiss. Do you perceive the Swarovski 8x25 optically superior to Conquest HD? My thought is if I would do it I could start to think that the full sized model has to be in the same class as the small and not continue to be satisfied with Conquest HD. Maybe stupid question but...
Patric
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Patric... I totally enjoy using my Conquest HD 10x42, 8x32 and Swaro 10x25 and 8x25. My preference, now that I've been using them all for some time, is for the 8x versions (as many people seem to prefer), but I do appreciate the extra reach with the 10x as well. Whatever difference there may be in optical quality, it is not readily noticeable to my eyes. I use them mixing and mingling all the time and find no dissonance in going back and forth between the Conquests and the Swaros.
If I had to scale back to two bins, I'd keep the Conquest HD 8x32 and the Swaro 8x25 Pocket. Neither one makes the other look inferior at all.
If I had to scale back to two bins, I'd keep the Conquest HD 8x32 and the Swaro 8x25 Pocket. Neither one makes the other look inferior at all.
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Thanks for your reply!
Many years I have sought for a pocket binocular with adequate eye relief for eyeglasses and the predecessor 8x20 have so small eye lenses and eyecups and use with eyeglasses on is just not to think about. But these new 8x25 are claimed to have 4mm longer eye relief and I read that they fill up the hand better but still qualify as compact. The new Swaro 8x25 may be the perfect complement to Conquest HD 8x42s. I will give them a try!
Patric
Patric... the Conquest HD is not "budget" glass. To anyone but a binocular aficianado I'd say they would be considered to be "premium"... and even so to most on this forum. They are almost uniformly praised for being of great quality. My only quibble is that the movement of the eyecups is stiff and not smooth, but I turn them out and leave them out anyway, so that doesn't matter to me.
I don't see the "view" through the Conquest HD as being the least bit inferior to the Swaro Pockets. I think you'll really enjoy the small form factor and light weight of the Swaro Pockets... they are definitely more convenient to carry around and offer a good viewing experience as well.
I don't see the "view" through the Conquest HD as being the least bit inferior to the Swaro Pockets. I think you'll really enjoy the small form factor and light weight of the Swaro Pockets... they are definitely more convenient to carry around and offer a good viewing experience as well.
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I confess that the expression "budget" isn't fair. Probably nothing made by Zeiss is mediocre, and Conquest HD is a very high class binocular. I understand that everything from Conquest and above when it comes to optical quality is to consider high grade.
And from this quality level every improvement of performance costs a lot. For every percent of noticable improvement it costs many percent in price.
Therefore I believe not even the highest grade SF series can be a revolutionary better binocular than Conquest HD. Compared to SF one may say that Conquest HD is "budget" when it comes to the price tag. But surely not based on optical quality, because "budget" usually is related to something mediocre. And that's not a correct description of Conquest HD! |=)|
PeterPS
Well-Known Member
I was wondering if any of you had a chance to compare a good compact, such as the Swaro 8x25, with a good monoc such as ZenRay ZRS 8x42. The monoc is lighter (and even more compact), which is what you want when you look for compact optics, it has a much bigger 42mm lens, and it's even easier to use (no fiddling with the IPD etc); but it has poor DoF and no spectroscopic view, which at least for me makes it a bit hard to locate objects/birds. Any comments that might help such a choice?
Peter.
Peter.
e_kjellgren
Member
Some images snapped into the desert from my back porch...
The feeders and water stations are incredibly popular... we're definitely doing our part as stewards for local wildlife!
My wife and I sit here hours a day giving our bins a real workout watching the wildlife eat, drink, bathe, hang out... I think we've officially become "birders", though we get so many jack rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally snakes, tarantulas, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, lizards, etc. The Sonoran desert is so rich in beautiful wildlife.
Nice images! What gear did you use to take them?
I found your comments searching for my first bins, and thinking of the following:
Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32
Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 B
Minox BL 8x33 HD
Swarovski CL Companion 8x30
Minox HG 8x33
/Evert
I am thinking about choosing one of the following three. Can anyone give me some advice?
Swaro CL 8x25
Leica Ultravid 10x25
Nikon HG 10x25
Is the CL more bulky than the Ultravid? Is 8x25 significantly sharper than 10x25? Is the colour for Leica and Nikon more vivid than the Swaro?
Can anyone measure the dimension, especially thickness, of the CL when folded?
Many thanks.
Swaro CL 8x25
Leica Ultravid 10x25
Nikon HG 10x25
Is the CL more bulky than the Ultravid? Is 8x25 significantly sharper than 10x25? Is the colour for Leica and Nikon more vivid than the Swaro?
Can anyone measure the dimension, especially thickness, of the CL when folded?
Many thanks.
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