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

Swarovski SV 8x32 Traveler FieldPro (1 Viewer)

SivaL

Well-known member
United States
A lot has been written about the Swarovision 8x32. When I briefly compared the SV 8x32, SV 8.5x42 and SF 8x42 more than a year back, the SV’s appeared the sharpest. Of the two SV’s I preferred the 8x32 as it had the bigger FOV and narrower barrels to let my fingers wrap around them. That memory stayed with me and I jumped at a great deal on the SV 8x32 Traveler as I liked the sandy brown color better than the usual Swaro green. This was an extravagant purchase for me and I was ready to find any excuse to return it.

The SV Traveler bins look amazing even next to the handsome Leica UV. The sand brown armor is smooth and soft. The integrated objective lens covers are very nice. The eyepiece covers close down so well over the eyepieces it is amazing how much thought Swarovski has put into the design. Attaching the Comfort carrying strap to the bins proved easy and everything felt secure.

As I already knew the SV 8x32 is light and a delight to hold and use. The eyecups rotate out smoothly with one stop in the middle and doesn’t have many click stops like the Leica. The view through these are obviously spectacular. I have been comparing it with the Nikon EII and UVHD for four weeks. For a 8x32 medium sized bin the SV is almost the same length as the UV 10x42. Even though the UV 10x42 is compact for a full sized bin seeing the SV equaling that size might give some pause, but the SV is lighter and the width shorter. If the SV 8x32 was sized smaller like the UV 8x32 it would be too small to handle. For me this size is perfect in every way.

Optically the SV produces a bright, sharp and a flat image. It is slightly sharper and more vivid than the EII. The image is flat to the very edges. Compared to the UVHD I’d rate the center field sharpness to be the same, but the flat crisp image of the SV adds a sense of clarity that is missing in the Leica. You don’t need to move your eyes around to get a sense of the flat field. You just perceive all nearby objects in the peripheral vision very clearly and it makes the view so relaxing. The SV also appears a bit brighter than the UV. The SV also has good depth of field. A few days back I saw Jupiter and the four moons lined up perfectly through the SV and it was stunning. The stars stay sharp till around 80% from the center. My opinions are based hand holding the bins without using a tripod.

The SV focusing is smoother than the UV. It turns faster clockwise and there is slightly more friction anti clockwise. I like this because I can turn clockwise fast trying to focus on a moving bird and may overshoot it and then adjust it anti clockwise just so slightly and the extra friction makes it work well. I thought the UV had precise and smooth focusing and it was nice to see that the SV was even better. It goes from 20ft to infinity in half turn and close focus is under 6.5ft. The great thing about SV's close focus is that it has a wide FOV with a sizable overlap of the view through both barrels. This makes it easy on the eyes to look at objects closer without any eye strain or needing to bring the barrels closer. What Swarovski has done here is just amazing.

CA is almost non existent in the SV. I see CA in the UV whenever I try hard. I compared watching hawks and eagles circling way up and quite a few red winged black birds and I didn’t notice any CA in the SV. These rwbb’s can elicit CA in bins without trying too hard. The Nikon EII also shows very little CA. The Leica UV is poor in this regard.

Now to the rolling ball. This has been a bone of contention here. A barf bag was with me when I tested for this. After using the SV for four weeks almost daily I don’t see any funny edge distortion. And I saw no rolling ball when panning. I even stood in the middle of the soccer field and spun around like a top. I got very dizzy from the spinning, but not from any rolling ball. The kids playing soccer thought I was acting very strange ;)

About glare - This is what I spent the most time looking for. Comparing the SV, UV and EII extensively I can say this. The SV and EII have similar characteristics. I do see a hint of glare during dawn and dusk, but adjusting the eye placement makes it go away. This morning it was cloudy and bright and looking into the thick undergrowth I saw a slightly washed up image in the Leica UV. On the SV I did see some glare appear and disappear, but the image stayed clear. Same with the EII. I was surprised that the Leica UV which is supposed to have better baffling showed a milky image. I also have a B&L Discoverer 7x42 which showed the same veiling glare as the Leica. On the SV I see some light artifacts appearing and disappearing at the top when the light conditions are bad, but the image the center is always clear. I never could get a washed up image in the SV however I tried in bright light or during overcast days.

Handling is where SV 8x32 beats every other bin I have tried. The narrow barrels let the fingers grip them tightly. The 20oz weight is easy to carry around your neck and I felt no strain using these for hours at a stretch. The view through this is devoid of any tremors due to the weight and balance that it feels like an IS bin. The Leica 10x42 is only 8oz more, but that extra weight is felt within 10 minutes of using it. Kudos to Swaro designers for getting this perfect. This is one bin where I can forget about the different characteristics of the bin and just use it for birding. There is nothing that bothers me even a little when using the SV.

When discussing handling I have to say something about the Field Pro. The new adapter is easy to mount and the adjustable strap is useful to increase or decrease the length. Going from wearing it messenger bag style to wearing it close to the chest takes 10 seconds. This new strap doesn’t get tangled like the older flat strap.

Low light - I thought that going down to a 32 will make it harder to use when the light falls, but no, the SV 32 hangs with the UV 10x42 and the B&L 7x42 till very late in the evening. Looking into shadows and undergrowth I don’t see the SV 8x32 struggling to keep with the UV 10x42. The Nikon EII is noticeably less bright compared to the SV 32 in low light.

All in all I’d say that pound for pound this is the best birding glass I have looked through. Sure, the bigger SV’s and HT’s might work better in some lowlight situations. Taking into consideration the low weight, right size, great handling and amazing image this could be my only pair if I have to choose one. There are only a few times when action matches words and the SV 8x32 is just that. Very impressed. I am keeping it and have registered with Swarovski Optik.
 

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Wonderful write up SZ!

I wholeheartedly agree with your SV 8x32 assessment, wonderful glass in a great ergonomic package. Love Mine, so does the Boss! ;)

Ted
 
sVs

I have both the 8x32 and 10x32s and cannot fault either. I previously owned an earlier production pair of 8x32s and had issues with veiling glare. But that was about 4 years ago and it is not an issue in either of my current bins. My opinion - for me the best birding bins ever.
 
Great write up. I agree that these are just about perfection in size and weight. I love the tan colour too. Outstanding in every way.

Enjoy,
Rathaus
 
I agree with Lee et al, nicely done, I loved mine (non field pro) apart from the appalling veiling glare, although I have a pet theory this may be affected by the latitude of the user.

Amazing how compact that UV looks next to the SV.
 
All in all I’d say that pound for pound this is the best birding glass I have looked through. Sure, the bigger SV’s and HT’s might work better in some lowlight situations. Taking into consideration the low weight, right size, great handling and amazing image this could be my only pair if I have to choose one. There are only a few times when action matches words and the SV 8x32 is just that.

^^^^^^^^^^
This!

Great report! i enjoyed reading it...

I agree with you 8X32mm vs. 8X42mm in low light. Very, VERY little difference, if at all. A few years ago I never would have believed it. Now...on board with this 100%.
 
I enjoyed reading your review SZ. Very well done and easy to understand. I've been wanting an 8x32 SV for a while now, and really want one now.
 
I enjoyed reading your review SZ. Very well done and easy to understand. I've been wanting an 8x32 SV for a while now, and really want one now.

Just in case you will be purchasing soon -- Eurooptic has the pre-Fieldpro (non-Fieldpro?) 8x32 EL SV in the Traveler version for $1699 shipped. That's the lowest price for new that I have seen in a long time.

If I could only have just one binocular, my Traveler is the one I would keep, for all the reasons already mentioned.
 
Thanks for all the nice comments. The write up is no way close to the other excellent reviews we have in BF.

After seeing what Henry and others have done to photograph the view through the eye pieces, I also tried my hand at it. The way I took the pictures is probably the exact opposite of what Henry might do in his fancy dark room. I opened the garage door, placed a 40 gallon trash can inside the door, placed the binoculars on that fancy mount facing outside, put a toilet roll cardboard tube over eyepiece as shade and snapped away with my phone. So, please excuse the quality of the output. But, still the pictures show the reflections for the three bins I compared - Swarovski SV 8x32, Leica UVHD 10x42 and Nion EII 8x30. The SV seems to show a lot of light reflecting, but I don't see them showing up when viewing. I found it hard to focus on the SV eyepiece and I am not sure why. The SV eyepiece lens is concave and shows a lot of light all around even when generally holding up and looking at it.

PS - I have a typo on the Nikon picture. It should be Nikon EII 8x30 instead of 8x32. If the left and right barrels are tilted at different angles it is because I used the binocular cases as support and they weren't particularly flat :smoke: In the Leica UV picture the right barrel is at the correct angle.
 

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I agree with Lee et al, nicely done, I loved mine (non field pro) apart from the appalling veiling glare, although I have a pet theory this may be affected by the latitude of the user.

Hi Torview, Can you please write up a scenario where you can see veiling glare in your SV, like the time of day, angle of the sun, what you are looking at and such? I will try to reproduce it as best I can. I ive close to dense woods, water bodies and open landscape. In the past four weeks it was only during Twilight I could get a hint of some glare in the SV. I never saw veiling glare afflicting the whole image.

Scenario 1 from last week - A few minutes before sunset the Sun had gone behind the tree line and was casting a faint red glow on the tree tops behind me. Looking into the trees (75 - 100 mts away) towards the Sun I sees some light artifacts appear and disappear occasionally at the top of the view. When I change my eye placement ever so slightly the artifacts go away. I never see a veiling glare where the whole image gets pale or foggy. The picture is always clear. The bark the pine trees appear with the perfect dark brown color. I saw a couple black bellied whistling ducks flying way over the tree line and I saw their patterns and beaks clearly.

After reading about veiling glare in the SV I was ready to send it back if I was bothered by it even a little. I just haven't noticed it much after trying hard.
 
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Hi Sub,

I`m afraid I no longer have the SV. For me it suffered from flare when viewing facing towards the Sun, but veiling glare was often prominent on bright but overcast days.

I don`t want to give the impression I`m knocking the 32mm SV as it is a truly remarkable achievement, Swarovski really excelled with this one, in every other respect I loved it, but the flaring/glaring in my unit meant I was missing ID`s altogether, and I was unwilling to accept that in my prime Birding glass.

I have`nt tried the new Field Pro models, but I have found my binocular soul mate in my 7x42 now anyway.

Hope yours brings many hours of pleasure.

John.
 
Hi Sub,

I`m afraid I no longer have the SV. For me it suffered from flare when viewing facing towards the Sun, but veiling glare was often prominent on bright but overcast days.

I don`t want to give the impression I`m knocking the 32mm SV as it is a truly remarkable achievement, Swarovski really excelled with this one, in every other respect I loved it, but the flaring/glaring in my unit meant I was missing ID`s altogether, and I was unwilling to accept that in my prime Birding glass.

I have`nt tried the new Field Pro models, but I have found my binocular soul mate in my 7x42 now anyway.

Hope yours brings many hours of pleasure.

John.

"Binocular soul mate".... ahhhh.... I like that.

Still searching,

CG
 
I have the SV 8x32, SV 10x50 and the Habicht 8x30 W. I think the SV 8x32 is the best 8x, the SV 10x50 the best 10x and Habicht 8x30 W the best porro you can buy. Veiling glare is not a problem with any of them and is not any more excessive than any top alpha binocular I have tried and I have tried them all. I just had the 8x32 SV and the 10x50 SV up in Rocky Mountain National Park and I was searching for Big Horn Sheep in the craggy distant mountain tops and the bigger 10x50 SV definitely outperformed the smaller 8x32 SV under those conditions. It really surprised me how steady I could hold the 10x also. It will show more detail than the 8x every time and it just has more reach. I could spot Elk and Deer grazing off in a distant meadow easier with the bigger glass. If I had to get rid of one it would be an extremely hard decision. The big boy 10x50 SV might just be the one I would keep along with the Habicht 8x30 W porro. There is NOTHING that will give you the beautiful 3D view with just that high transmission sparkle that no other binocular has.
 
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The SV is a remarkable set of binoculars, but I was more impressed with the Zeiss HT due to better control of glare and chromatic aberration. In terms of 8x32s, I preferred the FL (again due to glare and CA control), but the colors of the SV were superior. Both were preferred to the Leica UV HD (pre-plus) that I tried alongside them.

Of course everyone's eyes are different and the most important thing is that you are happy with your choice.
 
The SV is a remarkable set of binoculars, but I was more impressed with the Zeiss HT due to better control of glare and chromatic aberration. In terms of 8x32s, I preferred the FL (again due to glare and CA control), but the colors of the SV were superior. Both were preferred to the Leica UV HD (pre-plus) that I tried alongside them.

Of course everyone's eyes are different and the most important thing is that you are happy with your choice.
I had three 8x32's at once and I had to decide which one to keep. I had the Zeiss 8x32 FL, Nikon 8x32 EDG II and the Swarovski 8x32 SV. I compared them for many days under different conditions and they are all excellent binoculars. At the end of my subjective testing I ranked them Zeiss FL(Third), Nikon EDG II(Second) and the Swarovski SV(First). I kept the Swarovski SV and sold the other two. The EDG and the Swarovski beat the Zeiss FL because of their larger sweet spot and sharper edges. There is just more of the FOV that you can see sharply and clearer. I also preferred the slimmer barrels and the ergonomics of the EDG and the Swarovski over the thicker, shorter Zeiss. If you have bigger hands you might prefer the Zeiss FL. What caused me to choose the Swarovski over the EDG was that it is noticeably brighter. The EDG just has lower light transmission and you can really notice it. It doesn't have the punch or the sparkle or the contrast of the Swarovski. Another thing that caused me to choose the Swarovski was the easy eye placement and easy view. Swarovski doesn't use a lot of baffling because it truncates the exit pupils hence it has a little more glare under certain conditions than the other two but to me it is worth the trade off. Also, the final thing that caused me to keep the Swarovski was like Subzero 666 said the little SV just has wonderful handling and ergonomics. It is just hard to beat the design and comfort you experience when using them. The Zeiss FL to me feels blocky and "bricklike". I tried the Zeiss HT and I didn't like the ergonomics of it as well either plus it does not have sharp edges that I like. I preferred the Zeiss 8x42 SF.
 
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The EDG 8x32 is quite possibly my favorite pair of binoculars I've handled. Exceptional CA and glare control, great colors, and quite bright. The 8x32 SV was very slightly brighter, had similarly great colors, but had worse CA/Glare control - it also was lighter. It all just depends what you want and value in a pair of binoculars. There's something for everyone in every price range if you spend enough time looking.
 
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