NL Pure eyepiece covers (1 Viewer)

[Wimpy]

Hi folks, just purchase a lovely pair of 10x32 NL pure binoculars, what a silly price, ah well you can't take it with you.
I'm finding the new style eye covers awkward to fit and remove when out and about, my SLC's were easier.

So the question is has any tried the Swarovski Bino Guard covers?

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Wimpy,
I do not use the NL eyepiece covers, but a more convenient one instead. The Bino Guard covers seem allright to me: good protection and quick to take of for observation.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[Aquaplas]

After a pair Weeks of much use the Original Covers on my NL 8x42 becomes to get on and off very Smooth. Now my new NL 10x32 the first days are very stiff, and they were smoother every day.
Ive bought the Bino Guard for the NL 8x42, But i dont like it so much. Because the protection lip in front always stand up and on one side the quick releas from the Bino moves harder, so it is always a problem to open close. I find the Bino Guard Pro is better designet for the EL Glasses than for the NL.

 

[matt green]

Why is it so difficult to design the simplest of accessories that function without issue, without owners having to spend yet more money on aftermarket alternatives...

Swarovski seem to be struggling more than most of late with certain aspects of binocular design, optically flawless yes but often over designed for the sake of form over function.

Matt

 

[Conndomat]

Why is it so difficult to design the simplest of accessories that function without issue, without owners having to spend yet more money on aftermarket alternatives...

Hi Matt,

I do not understand it either?

Caps are invented that you have to fiddle with, that fall off by themselves, that simply don't fit or, in case of doubt, smear the optics!
Incidentally, this is not just a pure Swarovski problem, the alpha manufacturers outdo each other with useless covers.

The old FL lids are still the best, just put them on and it fits, but the manufacturers want to be particularly innovative, especially with the few cent items, this botch annoys me every time, but why make it simple when you can make it complicated?
Binoculars could be so nice if only these stupid accessories worked.

Andreas

 

[matt green]

Hi Matt,

I do not understand it either?

Caps are invented that you have to fiddle with, that fall off by themselves, that simply don't fit or, in case of doubt, smear the optics!
Incidentally, this is not just a pure Swarovski problem, the alpha manufacturers outdo each other with useless covers.

The old FL lids are still the best, just put them on and it fits, but the manufacturers want to be particularly innovative, especially with the few cent items, this botch annoys me every time, but why make it simple when you can make it complicated?
Binoculars could be so nice if only these stupid accessories worked.

Andreas

From my limited experience the eyepiece covers supplied with the old Leica trinovids were the best, they simply placed themselves over the eyepiece covers without having to look down..those supplied with the 8x32 ba/bn models were even better as the guard had a small cut out section that lined up with the strap and laid flat against the chest when not placed on the eyepieces..

All the field pros rain guard needs is to lose the indents that fasten the cover over the eyepieces, to be slightly deeper and for a more tapered profile for better ‘on...off’ action without having to look down, line up each side of the cover and either wedge it on with just enough friction to keep them in place or fully lock them on..and then having to prise them off when you need to glass!

Matt

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Matt green, post 6,
In the course of time quite a few excellent eypiece covers were made by different companies and some could be bought seperately. Examples: Zeiss raincap, older Swarovski rain caps. Actually we have collected quite a lot, so we can always choose the one we like and which is optimally suited to our needs.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[Wimpy]

Just an update.
I contacted Swarovski and mentioned the issue. Lorena was very helpful and sent out a new set of rain covers, she said there may be some tolerance in the fit.
Yes, there was. The new one fit easily no struggle to remove.
Here is an image, look carefully and you can see a subtle difference in the internal "grip" strips. Same item number.
Old on the left, new on the right.
Thank you, Swarovski.

 

[Sinocs]

Just an update.
I contacted Swarovski and mentioned the issue. Lorena was very helpful and sent out a new set of rain covers, she said there may be some tolerance in the fit.
Yes, there was. The new one fit easily no struggle to remove.
Here is an image, look carefully and you can see a subtle difference in the internal "grip" strips. Same item number.
Old on the left, new on the right.
Thank you, Swarovski.

I ever you decide you would like a BGP I have one unused for sale.

 

[Brummie]

I have the 12x42 NL and 15x56 SLC. On both, I use the Swarovski winged eyecup set, which I much prefer to the standard rain guard. It drops over the eyecups rather than gripping them, and is probably lighter as well. Won’t work for glasses wearers, though.

 

[Eranou]

This is the response i’ve just received, for a similar issue with my NL 10x42 - whole new, smaller, eyecups for some reason.

“thank you for your request!
We will send you new eye cups free of charge directly.
They are a little smaller, then it should work better with the eyepiece cover.

Best regards

Lorena
Customer Service

SWAROVSKI OPTIK Vertriebs GmbH
Daniel-Swarovski-Straße 70
6067 Absam
Austria
Tel. 00800 3242 5056”

 

[Sequoia Kid]

What an interesting way to solve the problem.

 

[pbjosh]

I have to agree with the sentiment here. The FP strap attachment system is over engineered and causes minor hassle twisting harness more than standard lugs would but it’s not the end of the world. The NL ocular covers are so tight a year later they still twist up/down the eye cups many times per day, quite annoying. I will contact Swarovski and ask for some of the newer ones. I do appreciate Zeiss and Leica keeping things a bit simpler in this way. The NL is optically fabulous though, so…

 

[PeterPS]

This is the response i’ve just received, for a similar issue with my NL 10x42 - whole new, smaller, eyecups for some reason.

“thank you for your request!
We will send you new eye cups free of charge directly.
They are a little smaller, then it should work better with the eyepiece cover.

Best regards

Lorena
Customer Service

SWAROVSKI OPTIK Vertriebs GmbH
Daniel-Swarovski-Straße 70
6067 Absam
Austria
Tel. 00800 3242 5056”

That's quite interesting: smaller eyecups for the NL 42mm will work better with the old rainguard; but of course Swaro did not make them to solve the problem of the rainguard being too tight, that was just a bonus. The main reason for new eyecups with smaller diameter must be easier eye placement for users who do not wear spectacles. I welcome this solution as it has the potential of making the view thru the NL less affected by glare, among others. I was about to suggest this idea to Swaro engineers but they beat me to it.

 

[Bentley03]

Fascinating 'solution' to the overly tight fitting Nl rainguard, which begs many questions, in terms of what motivated this redesign, the aims and the results. Also, how do owners know (apart from a better fitting rainguard) which version of eyepiece their binoculars have. As a x32 owner with an annoyingly tight rainguard which drags the rubber eyecups up every time you take it off, I'd be interested to know if this 'evo' version of the eyecup extends to the x32's in the range as well.

Eranou, thank you for sharing this! 🍻

 

[PeterPS]

Fascinating 'solution' to the overly tight fitting Nl rainguard, which begs many questions, in terms of what motivated this redesign, the aims and the results. Also, how do owners know (apart from a better fitting rainguard) which version of eyepiece their binoculars have. As a x32 owner with an annoyingly tight rainguard which drags the rubber eyecups up every time you take it off, I'd be interested to know if this 'evo' version of the eyecup extends to the x32's in the range as well.

Eranou, thank you for sharing this! 🍻

The NL 32mm binos already have comparatively small eyecups, so they did not get new eyecups but new raiguards that are easier to fit and remove.

 

[Bentley03]

The NL 32mm binos already have comparatively small eyecups, so they did not get new eyecups but new raiguards that are easier to fit and remove.

Thanks Peter!

Request for better fitting rainguard outgoing...

 

[Eranou]

Part of me wishes they’d sent out a set of looser fitting rainguards, as per Wimpy’s post #8, but i’ll see how i get on with slightly smaller eyecups. I’m guessing it must already be a well recognised issue on the 32’s for them to have replacement rainguards in place. I’ve not experienced any glare so far, but if smaller diameter eyecups negate this, then this can only be a bonus for those it affects also. I have to say, Swaro’s customer service is second to none, they appear to act extremely quickly to customer feedback/requests. I’ll keep you all posted when they arrive.

 

[Sequoia Kid]

I had not thought about the smaller eye cups having another purpose, but that sort of makes sense.

I cut down the little tabs on the covers for my NL's and that solved the tight fit right away. Still snug, and if I press them all the way on they are not going anywhere at all, but they are loose enough for easy use now.

 

[Eranou]

That was going to be my next step too Sequoia Kid, taking a nail file to the tabs. I have a pair of Leica Ultravid 8x32, and the rainguard on those is perfect, just tight enough.