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Swarovski Absam Excursion ! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Theo98
- Start date
Theo98
Eurasian Goldfinch
Got back late last night...many photos to process, notes to compile and thoughts to align for articulate details (coming in the next week, after visiting w\kids and grands), but can quickly state a simple two word expression that represents this overall experience...
AWESOME TRIP !!!!!!!!!! :t:
Auf Wiedersehen,
Ted
Last edited:
David in NC
Well-known member
Okay Ted...it's like THIS...
I'm 49. I'm morbidly obese and I have high blood pressure. I don't know how many good years I've got left... B
LETS HAVE IT! :king:
I'm 49. I'm morbidly obese and I have high blood pressure. I don't know how many good years I've got left... B
LETS HAVE IT! :king:
Theo98
Eurasian Goldfinch
Been There...Done That!
Apologies for this delayed trip report but with family out-of state visits, life activities and health issues now aside, I'll be brief and do my best to keep it real, but interesting.
What a wonderful excursion for my bride and me! In every way, it became more than what we were expecting. Between the knowledgeable and experienced tour guides Ben Lizdas (Eagle Optics), Clay Taylor (Swarovski Optik North America) and Dale Forbes (Swarovski Optik Absam) and the wonderful fellow birders (Christine, Lydia, Michael & Jeanne-Marie, Terry & Annette) who accompanied us, overall we had a marvelous 10 days in beautiful Austria. From spectacular scenic venues, to wonderful cuisine, to excellent accommodations, to stunning architectural heritages, a personal guided tour of the Swarovski Optik world headquarters in Absam and of course exquisite birding, it was a non stop whirlwind experience of excitement and intrigue.
Swarovski Optik in Absam, Austria is scenically set among the gorgeous Alpine mountain range valley. Our tour started with an informative presentation (sorry, No Photos Allowed on the tour), followed by visiting the apprentice training school, the mechanical production buildings and then the optical lens production areas. Any clean room operations (repairs-assembly-R&D, testing, etc.) were locked down for employee access only, but we were able to use glass observation areas (just like the baby ward) and watch as binoculars and scopes were given life! I did ask questions about IS, LLT, lighter weight units, etc. and was assured that all the questions (including all comments you\we make here on BF) of new product features\development\improvements has been addressed for the past few years and are ongoing daily discussions with engineering, QC and marketing...Nice to know! Overall, we were very impressed with this traditional long standing family operation of extreme precision, care and excellence in producing world class optics and can better understand that the details and commitment to producing the best justifies the final product investment for us, the customer!
I was able to use, abuse and put through it's field trials the newest EL 8.5 x 42 SV's ! The newest "Field-Pro" iteration of the Swarovski EL is a very interesting instrument. Singularly, the ergonomic upgrades from the EL-SV's I own (pre-July 2015 in 8x32 & 10x50) are very nice, but not enticing on each of their own merits to have pushed me to upgarde to the field pros. However, the all-inclusive package of the wider pivotal & ergonomic adjustable field strap, the tactical touch focus wheel "smooth" adjustment, the lockable diopter face plate, the improved tactical touch armored exterior, the semi-permanent objective covers and the wonderful compact protective case all combine to give a complimentary increased feel and function of the Swarovski EL SV Field Pros, garnering a full thumbs up by me! Optically, I saw no differences in the 8x32 glass quality (spouse used) during all lighting and challenging conditions. With the 8.5x42 SV's I used, I really enjoyed the 10 days of glassing experience and can easily understand their well deserved appeal among birders. Compared to my EL 8x32's (or the other 6 used by fellow birders), they offer excellent FOV, a brighter, higher resolving image and find color fidelity, DOF, eye placement, eye relief and the wider exit pupil a "clear" step up! If I had to own just one EL, I could easily see the 8.5x42's being a great all around pair of optics that combine the best of what I already own (as most of you know, I Really Love the EL 10x50 SV's)!!
Throughout the well planned hiking and birding excursions in the rocky gorge W of Innsbruck, the Hoke Tauren National Park SE of Innsbruck (Swarovski observation tower), the Neusiedler See National Park SW of Vienna, and all of the unplanned sudden stops to catch glimpses of a spied feathered friends along the traveled routes of the country side, the birding activity was alive and well. I'm somewhat ignorant at birding activities and really appreciated the guidance, patience and knowledge shown to us by the guides and the other participants. As we packed and traveled very light (left SLR and big lenses home), the few captures I'm able to share of Austria and our birding sightings display what I traveled with, a compact Powershot SX10IS. The guides snapped some fantastic pics using digiscoping and all the right gear, but we just kept it simple. My new avatar is the fleeting Eurasian Goldfinch who afforded me just a couple of seconds of posing. My spouse was able to see her childhood dream of the nesting White Storks (above the hotel room) and the finality views of the European Bee-Eaters just S of Vienna was really spectacular!
Additionally, Swarovski Optik Absam provided the group with a professional cultural guide who handled all of the historical agenda, itinerary and education throughout our travels from Innsbruck to Salzburg, culminating in Vienna. We saw and learned a great deal about the wonderful people and history of this beautiful and majestic country.
There was so much more to this trip, but I've attempted to mention just the highlights. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions as I'm sure I left out a lot of "inquiring details"! :t:
Ted
Apologies for this delayed trip report but with family out-of state visits, life activities and health issues now aside, I'll be brief and do my best to keep it real, but interesting.
What a wonderful excursion for my bride and me! In every way, it became more than what we were expecting. Between the knowledgeable and experienced tour guides Ben Lizdas (Eagle Optics), Clay Taylor (Swarovski Optik North America) and Dale Forbes (Swarovski Optik Absam) and the wonderful fellow birders (Christine, Lydia, Michael & Jeanne-Marie, Terry & Annette) who accompanied us, overall we had a marvelous 10 days in beautiful Austria. From spectacular scenic venues, to wonderful cuisine, to excellent accommodations, to stunning architectural heritages, a personal guided tour of the Swarovski Optik world headquarters in Absam and of course exquisite birding, it was a non stop whirlwind experience of excitement and intrigue.
Swarovski Optik in Absam, Austria is scenically set among the gorgeous Alpine mountain range valley. Our tour started with an informative presentation (sorry, No Photos Allowed on the tour), followed by visiting the apprentice training school, the mechanical production buildings and then the optical lens production areas. Any clean room operations (repairs-assembly-R&D, testing, etc.) were locked down for employee access only, but we were able to use glass observation areas (just like the baby ward) and watch as binoculars and scopes were given life! I did ask questions about IS, LLT, lighter weight units, etc. and was assured that all the questions (including all comments you\we make here on BF) of new product features\development\improvements has been addressed for the past few years and are ongoing daily discussions with engineering, QC and marketing...Nice to know! Overall, we were very impressed with this traditional long standing family operation of extreme precision, care and excellence in producing world class optics and can better understand that the details and commitment to producing the best justifies the final product investment for us, the customer!
I was able to use, abuse and put through it's field trials the newest EL 8.5 x 42 SV's ! The newest "Field-Pro" iteration of the Swarovski EL is a very interesting instrument. Singularly, the ergonomic upgrades from the EL-SV's I own (pre-July 2015 in 8x32 & 10x50) are very nice, but not enticing on each of their own merits to have pushed me to upgarde to the field pros. However, the all-inclusive package of the wider pivotal & ergonomic adjustable field strap, the tactical touch focus wheel "smooth" adjustment, the lockable diopter face plate, the improved tactical touch armored exterior, the semi-permanent objective covers and the wonderful compact protective case all combine to give a complimentary increased feel and function of the Swarovski EL SV Field Pros, garnering a full thumbs up by me! Optically, I saw no differences in the 8x32 glass quality (spouse used) during all lighting and challenging conditions. With the 8.5x42 SV's I used, I really enjoyed the 10 days of glassing experience and can easily understand their well deserved appeal among birders. Compared to my EL 8x32's (or the other 6 used by fellow birders), they offer excellent FOV, a brighter, higher resolving image and find color fidelity, DOF, eye placement, eye relief and the wider exit pupil a "clear" step up! If I had to own just one EL, I could easily see the 8.5x42's being a great all around pair of optics that combine the best of what I already own (as most of you know, I Really Love the EL 10x50 SV's)!!
Throughout the well planned hiking and birding excursions in the rocky gorge W of Innsbruck, the Hoke Tauren National Park SE of Innsbruck (Swarovski observation tower), the Neusiedler See National Park SW of Vienna, and all of the unplanned sudden stops to catch glimpses of a spied feathered friends along the traveled routes of the country side, the birding activity was alive and well. I'm somewhat ignorant at birding activities and really appreciated the guidance, patience and knowledge shown to us by the guides and the other participants. As we packed and traveled very light (left SLR and big lenses home), the few captures I'm able to share of Austria and our birding sightings display what I traveled with, a compact Powershot SX10IS. The guides snapped some fantastic pics using digiscoping and all the right gear, but we just kept it simple. My new avatar is the fleeting Eurasian Goldfinch who afforded me just a couple of seconds of posing. My spouse was able to see her childhood dream of the nesting White Storks (above the hotel room) and the finality views of the European Bee-Eaters just S of Vienna was really spectacular!
Additionally, Swarovski Optik Absam provided the group with a professional cultural guide who handled all of the historical agenda, itinerary and education throughout our travels from Innsbruck to Salzburg, culminating in Vienna. We saw and learned a great deal about the wonderful people and history of this beautiful and majestic country.
There was so much more to this trip, but I've attempted to mention just the highlights. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions as I'm sure I left out a lot of "inquiring details"! :t:
Ted
Attachments
Last edited:
The-Wanderer
Well-known member
Quote
Any clean room operations (repairs-assembly-R&D, testing, etc.) were locked down for employee access only, but we were able to use glass observation areas (just like the baby ward) and watch as binoculars and scopes were given life!
Unquote
This is what I had hoped to learn. I seem to recall a video of the Zeiss assembly facilities at Wetzlar but wasn't sure that their dust free environment was up to scratch when reports of the Victory Ht models, and other concerns, surfaced. I cannot find that video now and would like to see it again.
Any clean room operations (repairs-assembly-R&D, testing, etc.) were locked down for employee access only, but we were able to use glass observation areas (just like the baby ward) and watch as binoculars and scopes were given life!
Unquote
This is what I had hoped to learn. I seem to recall a video of the Zeiss assembly facilities at Wetzlar but wasn't sure that their dust free environment was up to scratch when reports of the Victory Ht models, and other concerns, surfaced. I cannot find that video now and would like to see it again.
Last edited:
Theo98
Eurasian Goldfinch
Thanks Robert! I have a few other good captures, but my P&S (no RAW capability) had a difficult time with high contrast, birds in flight action and LL (low light), only so much you can do in post processing. However, it carried and stored very easily for the long haul!
It certainly was Chuck! What we didn't realize was that SONA picked up about 1\3 cost of the trip. For All we saw, experienced and with superb daily dining\accommodations, this offered excursion by Swarovski was truly a great deal for us! YOU need to go in 2018!! :king:
BTW, I really liked the EL 8.5x42 SV FP's. As you stated, great overall performance and package feature set...they'll be my next purchase, but will hold out for awhile letting funds build back up!
Danke Schön,
Ted
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Theo98
Eurasian Goldfinch
Nope...but maybe Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and Quebec before years end! :eek!:
How about You Chuck?
Ted
I don't know...THINKING about it. Of course with this excursion I would have to use a ZEISS!
