Swaro EL: Better rainguard (ocular cover)? (1 Viewer)

Greetings,

The stock 'ratchet' rainguard that comes with 8.5x42 EL is basically garbage, with sharp plastic edges. I would like to replace it with a nice rubber one, a la Leica Trinovid. Does Swaro make such a thing or do I have to resort to after market?

Mainly I want a good fit so it doesn't fall off. I tried Leica's ocular cover it it's too loose.

I agree, the standard item is horrible. I replaced it for my SLCs with the old-style rubber one, which is still available and also fits the ELs. It fits tightly but I think that some of the after market oval rain guards are robuster and that a loose fit does not impair the function.

John

What's the product number, and where do I get it?

Me too

I disliked the standard EL-issue rainguard too (found it knocked uncomfortably off my left hand or wrist when I was looking through the bins). I replaced it with a perfect-fitting version from a pair of Bressers, that cost about 10 euro. I also switched the bags, the Bresser bag was a lot better.

Please be more spefic. Pics/links are really helpful also.

etc said:

Greetings,

I would like to replace it with a nice rubber one, a la Leica Trinovid. Does Swaro make such a thing or do I have to resort to after market?

Mainly I want a good fit so it doesn't fall off. I tried Leica's ocular cover it it's too loose.

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I use a Trinovid rainguard on my EL 8.5's and it fits perfectly ?

The first thing I did was try Leica Trinovid 8x42 rainguard. It does not fit at all when the eyecups are down (for max relief with eyeglasses), it falls off.

With the eyecups up, it stays put but is a bit awkward to put on.
There has to be something better. Not to mention the color difference, Leica rainguard is black, Swaro EL is dark green.

The rubber rain guard can be found on the Swarovski web site under "Product Accessories." Mine is black but that does not impair the function .

John

You may remember a thread a while back about some supposedly great roof prisms for about 20 quid from 7 day shop. They were RUBBISH, but the case is a great fit for the 10x42 ELs and the neoprene strap wasn't bad either, so still quite cheap at the price, even after I threw the bins out...

John Russell said:

The rubber rain guard can be found on the Swarovski web site under "Product Accessories." Mine is black but that does not impair the function .

John

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It's called "Eyepiece cover" on the web site...



http://www.opticsplanet.net/swarovski-el-binoculars-rainguard-ocular-cover.html

What's pictured doesn't match the description, the product number of " 44043" is apparently wrong, that's the plastic ratchety piece of junk.

44043: EL Binocular Rainguard/Ocular Cover 42mm

Here is the right one. Apparently it's one size fits all. i.e. it will fit 8.5x42 as well as 8x32 EL

http://store.birdwatching.net/store/-strse-1033/Swarovski--EL-/Detail.bok?sfs=461efcb5

I had one of the rubber eycovers pictured above split in the center after about a years use. it was promptly replaced by Swarovski.

When was that - have they upgraded the design any to prevent this in the future?

Whatever it is, it cannot be any worse than the stock plastic device that comes with EL...

Abut 1 month ago. Appears to be the same as the old one.

Thanks for the info. I should get mine shortly, and will give an update.

FWIW, I love Leica Trinovid eyecup, it works great on the Trinovid. Fast to take off and put back on. Very well designed product. I hope this Swarovski eyecup is the same way.

The plastic thing that comes with it is deficient in that a sharp plastic edge can theoretically damage a lense if you misalign it at just the right angle. E.g. in the dark, or when tired and not paying attention.

OK, the rubber eyecup for the EL is not impressive at all - marginally better than the stock plastic garbage but the tolerances are terrible, it's too loose and keeps falling off. The rubber arm on it that the strap goes through is in the wrong place and is too long. It feels like it could tear and fall apart any minute.

The Leica design is so much better and durable.

I put some tape inside the ocular cover to get a tighter fit. It still feels like a poor aftermarket product, not something made by Swarovski.

Are there any other alternatives or anything else with a better fit?

Update -- to reiterate some of the above, I decided I could not live with the new rubber ocular cap after all, the tolerances are terrible and it kept falling off. The eyelet is in the wrong place versus the eyelet on the binocular itself, they are misaligned (See pic) and the strap keeps yanking it off. I put some electric tape on the inside of the eyecup to get a tighter fit but it hasn't worked. It's also garbage plain and simple.

I decided to work with the original plastic ratchety device, which I still have reservations about, but I got it to work somewhat better by re-routing the strap in a different way (see pic) That has helped a lot.

Its tolerances are poor also it comes off very easily also but with the strap pulling it towards the binos instead of out and off, it seems to stay on. Especially when carrying it, then there is tension. The strap diagram that comes in the manual is totally way off and just wrong in my experience. Plus, it's very hard to put the eyecup back on the binocular when it's hanging way low as would happen per its instructions. The way pictured is a much better way and the eyecup does not slide all the way down.

Once again the old electric tape came in handy again and I taped the part that ratchets, in effect fixing it in one position so its' now much easier to put it on without it changing its dimensions and possibly scratching the lenses. I don't have anybody else using the optics so no worry about changing IPD. But if that ever becomes an issue, I will just take the olde electric tape with me to the field and retape it to the new setting. Yeah, that's rather fitting on an expensive optic such as this one. Maybe I should glue it one position (I do not foresee *my* IPD changing any time soon)

Both of these leave much to be desired and do not appear to be products made by Swarovski even despite bearing the Swarovski logo. Let's face it, outsourcing is the economic model du jour like it or not. I cannot believe I paid $25 for the rubber thing, it's worth 99 cents if that. For an example of what an ocular cover should be, take a look at Trinovid's ocular cap. It fits well, closes fast, durable, won't fall apart into plastic residue and is just perfect.

Maybe Swarovski should hire a Leica consultant to come in and design a better eyecover for the EL which is a fine optic otherwise.

etc said:

For an example of what an ocular cover should be, take a look at Trinovid's ocular cap. It fits well, closes fast, durable, won't fall apart into plastic residue and is just perfect.

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I heartily agree--I use the smaller size Trinovid ocular guard on my 8x32 Trinovids and 8x32 EL, and have the larger size for my 8x42 Ultravid (don't usually use it though). Unfortunately, as you found, the larger size is a bit loose on the 8.5x42 EL).

etc said:

Maybe Swarovski should hire a Leica consultant to come in and design a better eyecover for the EL which is a fine optic otherwise.

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Ah, but unfortunately Leica went astray itself--the Ultravid ocular guard is a ridiculous floppy mess. Why didn't they keep the Trinovid design?

--AP

The Trinovid eyecup fits somewhat OK onto EL if the eyecups are extended.

If you wear glasses and keep the EL eyecups down for max eye relief, the Trinovid eyecup won't work at all.

etc said:

The Trinovid eyecup fits somewhat OK onto EL if the eyecups are extended. If you wear glasses and keep the EL eyecups down for max eye relief, the Trinovid eyecup won't work at all.

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Just to clarify, and for future reference, this statement is true only for the full-sized series. The ocular guard for the 32 mm Trinovid fits beautifully on the eyecups of the 8x32 EL, whether up or down.

--AP