Zolarcon said:
Eagle Optics supposedly has them in stock. I wonder what Bushnell will do with these bins. The B&L Elite if I can remember were very nice. Leif might have a point 43 objective sounds like "No name brand company" might have a hand in this. B&L is out business. If anyone buys the new Elite- Please post a short review. Or one the E.O. reps. could make a few comments on BF about the New Elite. They did look a little squat. Don' think most people will be able to fit hands through- always suprising when companies do that. Do they not let "human hands" touch them before putting it out in the world for consumers. The Leica Trin. very uncomfotable.
Carlos
Quite by accident I found myself "evaluating" the 10x43 Elite yesterday. This was in the context of looking at current Swaro EL and SLC models as well as Kahles. It was my first exposure to the new Elites. Having recently been very impressed by the B&L 8x42 Elites, I anticipated Bushnell really giving Swaro a run for their money, since the new model uses a similar hinge design. Certainly the Swaro comparison is appropriate given the MSRP is $1500, vs. the EL ~$1600.
My reactions were so potent they stopped me in my tracks; so I didn't wind up spending much time with the Elites, knowing they would never be in my collection.
Others need to make their own evaluations, but here's my (hopefully objective) assessment:
• It has a relatively narrow FOV (314 ft.) which results in a discernable tunnel effect. Admittedly, this may have been exaggerated by my comparison with wider field 10x42 SLCs and ELs, but it lacks presence.
• Focus control is rather slow (2+ turns), clockwise (for near), rough, and asymmetric. (On the sample, more force was needed in one direction than the other.) Believe me, this ain't the smooth Swarovski product it tries to emulate.
• The binocular is very light (23.3 oz), but accordingly doesn't have sufficient mass to damp high frequency tremmor. (My theory is that mass is needed for high power binocs. Some may not agree, but I had to fight this one to a stand still.)
• The view is very bright and contrasty, although harsh to my eyes. I don't know how to explain harshness, but assume it's in the transmission and color balance. Whatever it is, this ain't a mellow Swaro for sure. Maybe it's what you get used to, so folks without a Swaro background might like it. I had no opportunity to evaluate CA, but my skill at that is limited anyway.
• Eye relief was generous (17mm) and twist-down eyecups very nice. I could easily see the full field with eyeglasses.
• The armoring had a nice feel, and if I recall correctly there were thumb grooves. The two-color design is not to my taste, but then I didn't care for two-tone cars either.
• I didn't take the time to figure out how the inset stap attachment works since the strap wasn't on the demo. But, it seemed different enough to check out before purchasing.
By and large, I'd be hard put to recommend this binocular even at $1000 (which was its discounted price the first day in the store) when there are so many world-class products already at or below this price point. In fact, I think they've done Swarovski a huge favor by providing a comparison. Anyone who asks whether a $400-600 difference is worth buying an EL, or even hesitates over buying an SLC at the same price, probably should get the Elite.
Well, this was a very limited evaluation, and perhaps others will have a different take on it. Overall, it seemed to fit into the same quality category as the Kahles, which is clearly a level below the EL and SLCs.
Elkcub :scribe:
