Hermann
Well-known member
Over the years the Swarovski Habicht has received quite a lot of attention on this forum, even though it is in several ways one of the most old-fashioned binoculars on the market nowadays: It is one of the few remaining porros made by one of the major manufacturers now that Nikon has finally decided to stop production of the Nikon SE and Zeiss the production of the 7x50 BGAT*, and its basic design hasn’t changed for some 60 years. It does not have most of the features many people take for granted nowadays like internal focusing and close focus, it only has simple fold-down eyecups and is not really suitable for eyeglass wearers.
Of the different Habicht models still in production the 8x30 has received by far the most attention here. There are several threads about this model, including some detailed reviews:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=222503 (Giorgio, 8x30)
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=278276 (Tobias Mennle, 8x30)
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=251846 (stephen b, 8x30)
These threads are all well worth reading for anyone who is interested in the basic properties of the Habicht series, including some high quality photos of the Habicht 8x30 in Stephen B's review.
By comparison, the Habicht 10x40 and the 7x42 have received far less attention here. There are several posts on the performance of the 10x40, especially those by PHA, and the 7x42, mainly those by Mallot, and a review by mikeymo:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=278225
There are also a few reviews on the web, for instance by Allbinos (10x40), Binomania (7x42), Kikkertspesialisten (7x42, 10x40) and Holger Merlitz (7x42) as well as a detailed review of the 7x42 on the German forum.
I have been interested in the Habicht series for well over 25 years now, as I generally prefer porros over roofs. In the 1980s I came close to buying a Habicht 10x40, but I could not cope with the yellowish tinge of the image. So, after reading some of the reviews here, especially Stephen B's, and the astonishing transmission figures Gijs van Ginkel found for the Habicht porros, I finally decided to get a Habicht myself to see what it is like in the field. After some thoughts I settled for the 7x42 rather than 8x30 or the 10x40, despite its small AFOV.
Why the 7x42? Mainly because I do not own a lightweight binocular with large exit pupils, so the Habicht actually fills a gap. In addition, the focusing of the Habicht porros is quite stiff due to them being sealed, so the 7x42 with its greater depth of field is somewhat easier to handle than the 8x30 and especially the 10x40. And while the 10x40 and especially the 8x30 have some problems when viewing against the light and/or with veiling glare, the 7x42 does not (cf. eg Holger Merlitz review: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/swaro7x42.html). Ghosting and veiling glare are among my pet peeves and I have a very strong dislike of veiling glare in particular, so the 7x42 seemed more suitable to my requirements than either the 8x30 and the 10x40. It also has slightly more eye relief, a point I will come back to later.
My 7x42 is from November 2012, so it is quite recent and has (probably) up-to-date coatings. So far I have used it for some 80 hours in the field in different weather conditions, both during the day and in low light. I have also done some comparisons with a Nikon 8x32 SE (serial number 550xxx) I will refer to when looking at the optical quality. Even though the binoculars are not strictly comparable because of the smaller objectives and the higher magnification of the Nikon, it is a binocular many people here will know, so it can serve as a reference point.
Optical quality
The Habicht has got excellent image quality. The resolution on axis is about as good as it gets. To my eyes I would say it is even better than the Nikon SE, with even more fine detail, for instance in the plumage of Reed Buntings viewed at a range of about 20-30m. That is no mean feat, considering the optical quality of the Nikon SE. The Nikon is sharp and the Habicht is tack sharp. Even when used with the Zeiss 3x12 tripler the image looks pretty good, although I did not do any formal resolution tests. The sweetspot is sufficiently large; I estimate about 75-80% of the image is sharp, with a soft transition towards the edge. The Nikon is of course better here, as the the Habicht does not have field flatteners. CA is no problem at all, at least I couldn’t see any, but I am perhaps not the best person to judge this as I am not very susceptible to CA at all. The 3D effect is of course pronounced and one of the nice features of this binocular.
Transmission and contrast are also excellent, with no colour cast whatsoever. In fact, when I first compared the Habicht to the Nikon SE, I was almost disappointed with the view because the image looked almost flat compared to the Nikon with its reddish colour cast. Once I got used to the Habicht, however, I found I could perceive small differences in plumage coloration more easily through the Habicht. Of course the higher transmission of the Habicht that is obvious even in bright daylight also helps. The image is extremely bright with very high contrast and no colour cast whatsoever; it looks absolutely neutral. In fact, the difference compared to the Nikon SE is so obvious the Nikon SE’s image looks almost “mushy” in a direct comparison. That is something I never thought I would have to say about the Nikon SE. In low light and at night the Habicht also obviously works very well with its high transmission.
Ghosting, stray light and veiling glare: The Nikon SE is already very good as many here will know from personal experience, especially compared to most roofs, but the Habicht is even better. I could not see any veiling glare, not even on bright, overcast days, and bright lights at night did not cause any ghosts. There are obviously also no spikes caused by the prisms, something I find highly distracting with many roof prism binoculars. The only stray light I found was when viewing against the sun at sunset, with the light coming from the side.
The field of view is at 114m/1000m small, very small in fact, especially if you compare it to, for instance, the well-known Zeiss 7x42 BGAT*P with its field of view of 150m/1000m. An apparent field of view of ~46 degrees is not really a lot, and as a result the view “feels” tunnel-like. There is no denying that, the view through the Nikon SE feels better, even though it is not a “real” wide-angle binocular. Even a standard 7x50 with a field of 130m/1000m does not feel as claustrophobic as the Habicht. However, 114m/1000m is still about the same as a standard 10x42 binocular and wider than most compacts. I will come back to that later in the conclusion.
Ergonomics and handling
The Habicht basically handles just like any medium-sized porro. I have got fairly small hands for a man, and the Habicht just feels right in my hands. One of its great advantages is its weight, at 620gr (!) it is quite a lot lighter than virtually all the other 42mm binoculars on the market.
The Habicht has got some peculiarities though: The focusing is, like others have said before, pretty stiff (but in my opinion not too bad). It is very precise with no play at all, as might be expected from a simple focuser. The Nikon with its smooth focuser is, however, better. That is presumably the price one has to pay for the waterproofing. Still, I find I can focus the Habicht quite easily, even though the focusing may be a problem in winter. I may have to use two fingers then (right index finger and left thumb work quite well for me). The focus wheel has markings, a nice feature in my opinion because it is easy to set the binocular to infinity.
The eyecups are small and perhaps a bit too short, I would prefer them to be about 2mm longer. In an ideal world Swarovski would offer three different sets of eyecups for the 7x42: One for spectacle wearers, one like the current eyecups, and one that is slightly longer. The slightly greater eye-relief compared to the 8x30 and the 10x40 (14mm vs. 12mm) surprisingly makes a difference – with the 8x30 I find I soil the lenses with my eyelashes quite easily, with the 7x42 that is much less of a problem.
Conclusion
The Habicht is an interesting binocular with excellent optical quality and several quirks. It is certainly not a binocular for everyone, and there are definitely quite a few binoculars that are better for birding overall for most people. I was initially mainly worried about the AFOV, and in the field I still often wish it were wider, but the small AFOV is probably the price one has to pay for the low weight and maybe also the optical quality of Habicht. However, after a few hours in the field I found the small field of view was something I can live with. Yes, it does feel narrow, but because I am used to 10x42s with a field of view of 110m/1000m I do not lose any field of view.
To me it looks as though Swarovski originally designed this binocular to have a very high optical quality in all sorts of lighting conditions by keeping the construction as simple as possible (the eyepieces are reversed Kellners with just three elements) and minimizing problems with stray light by limiting the field of view. They certainly succeeded in doing so.
So, if you cannot cope with a smallish, almost tunnel-like AFOV, a binocular without close focusing or a somewhat stiff focuser, if you wear glasses or just do not like the handling of porros, the Habicht is definitely not for you.
If, however, you want excellent optical performance in a lightweight package and at a price well below that of top roofs, the Habicht 7x42 is a binocular you might want to have a look at.
Hermann
Of the different Habicht models still in production the 8x30 has received by far the most attention here. There are several threads about this model, including some detailed reviews:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=222503 (Giorgio, 8x30)
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=278276 (Tobias Mennle, 8x30)
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=251846 (stephen b, 8x30)
These threads are all well worth reading for anyone who is interested in the basic properties of the Habicht series, including some high quality photos of the Habicht 8x30 in Stephen B's review.
By comparison, the Habicht 10x40 and the 7x42 have received far less attention here. There are several posts on the performance of the 10x40, especially those by PHA, and the 7x42, mainly those by Mallot, and a review by mikeymo:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=278225
There are also a few reviews on the web, for instance by Allbinos (10x40), Binomania (7x42), Kikkertspesialisten (7x42, 10x40) and Holger Merlitz (7x42) as well as a detailed review of the 7x42 on the German forum.
I have been interested in the Habicht series for well over 25 years now, as I generally prefer porros over roofs. In the 1980s I came close to buying a Habicht 10x40, but I could not cope with the yellowish tinge of the image. So, after reading some of the reviews here, especially Stephen B's, and the astonishing transmission figures Gijs van Ginkel found for the Habicht porros, I finally decided to get a Habicht myself to see what it is like in the field. After some thoughts I settled for the 7x42 rather than 8x30 or the 10x40, despite its small AFOV.
Why the 7x42? Mainly because I do not own a lightweight binocular with large exit pupils, so the Habicht actually fills a gap. In addition, the focusing of the Habicht porros is quite stiff due to them being sealed, so the 7x42 with its greater depth of field is somewhat easier to handle than the 8x30 and especially the 10x40. And while the 10x40 and especially the 8x30 have some problems when viewing against the light and/or with veiling glare, the 7x42 does not (cf. eg Holger Merlitz review: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/swaro7x42.html). Ghosting and veiling glare are among my pet peeves and I have a very strong dislike of veiling glare in particular, so the 7x42 seemed more suitable to my requirements than either the 8x30 and the 10x40. It also has slightly more eye relief, a point I will come back to later.
My 7x42 is from November 2012, so it is quite recent and has (probably) up-to-date coatings. So far I have used it for some 80 hours in the field in different weather conditions, both during the day and in low light. I have also done some comparisons with a Nikon 8x32 SE (serial number 550xxx) I will refer to when looking at the optical quality. Even though the binoculars are not strictly comparable because of the smaller objectives and the higher magnification of the Nikon, it is a binocular many people here will know, so it can serve as a reference point.
Optical quality
The Habicht has got excellent image quality. The resolution on axis is about as good as it gets. To my eyes I would say it is even better than the Nikon SE, with even more fine detail, for instance in the plumage of Reed Buntings viewed at a range of about 20-30m. That is no mean feat, considering the optical quality of the Nikon SE. The Nikon is sharp and the Habicht is tack sharp. Even when used with the Zeiss 3x12 tripler the image looks pretty good, although I did not do any formal resolution tests. The sweetspot is sufficiently large; I estimate about 75-80% of the image is sharp, with a soft transition towards the edge. The Nikon is of course better here, as the the Habicht does not have field flatteners. CA is no problem at all, at least I couldn’t see any, but I am perhaps not the best person to judge this as I am not very susceptible to CA at all. The 3D effect is of course pronounced and one of the nice features of this binocular.
Transmission and contrast are also excellent, with no colour cast whatsoever. In fact, when I first compared the Habicht to the Nikon SE, I was almost disappointed with the view because the image looked almost flat compared to the Nikon with its reddish colour cast. Once I got used to the Habicht, however, I found I could perceive small differences in plumage coloration more easily through the Habicht. Of course the higher transmission of the Habicht that is obvious even in bright daylight also helps. The image is extremely bright with very high contrast and no colour cast whatsoever; it looks absolutely neutral. In fact, the difference compared to the Nikon SE is so obvious the Nikon SE’s image looks almost “mushy” in a direct comparison. That is something I never thought I would have to say about the Nikon SE. In low light and at night the Habicht also obviously works very well with its high transmission.
Ghosting, stray light and veiling glare: The Nikon SE is already very good as many here will know from personal experience, especially compared to most roofs, but the Habicht is even better. I could not see any veiling glare, not even on bright, overcast days, and bright lights at night did not cause any ghosts. There are obviously also no spikes caused by the prisms, something I find highly distracting with many roof prism binoculars. The only stray light I found was when viewing against the sun at sunset, with the light coming from the side.
The field of view is at 114m/1000m small, very small in fact, especially if you compare it to, for instance, the well-known Zeiss 7x42 BGAT*P with its field of view of 150m/1000m. An apparent field of view of ~46 degrees is not really a lot, and as a result the view “feels” tunnel-like. There is no denying that, the view through the Nikon SE feels better, even though it is not a “real” wide-angle binocular. Even a standard 7x50 with a field of 130m/1000m does not feel as claustrophobic as the Habicht. However, 114m/1000m is still about the same as a standard 10x42 binocular and wider than most compacts. I will come back to that later in the conclusion.
Ergonomics and handling
The Habicht basically handles just like any medium-sized porro. I have got fairly small hands for a man, and the Habicht just feels right in my hands. One of its great advantages is its weight, at 620gr (!) it is quite a lot lighter than virtually all the other 42mm binoculars on the market.
The Habicht has got some peculiarities though: The focusing is, like others have said before, pretty stiff (but in my opinion not too bad). It is very precise with no play at all, as might be expected from a simple focuser. The Nikon with its smooth focuser is, however, better. That is presumably the price one has to pay for the waterproofing. Still, I find I can focus the Habicht quite easily, even though the focusing may be a problem in winter. I may have to use two fingers then (right index finger and left thumb work quite well for me). The focus wheel has markings, a nice feature in my opinion because it is easy to set the binocular to infinity.
The eyecups are small and perhaps a bit too short, I would prefer them to be about 2mm longer. In an ideal world Swarovski would offer three different sets of eyecups for the 7x42: One for spectacle wearers, one like the current eyecups, and one that is slightly longer. The slightly greater eye-relief compared to the 8x30 and the 10x40 (14mm vs. 12mm) surprisingly makes a difference – with the 8x30 I find I soil the lenses with my eyelashes quite easily, with the 7x42 that is much less of a problem.
Conclusion
The Habicht is an interesting binocular with excellent optical quality and several quirks. It is certainly not a binocular for everyone, and there are definitely quite a few binoculars that are better for birding overall for most people. I was initially mainly worried about the AFOV, and in the field I still often wish it were wider, but the small AFOV is probably the price one has to pay for the low weight and maybe also the optical quality of Habicht. However, after a few hours in the field I found the small field of view was something I can live with. Yes, it does feel narrow, but because I am used to 10x42s with a field of view of 110m/1000m I do not lose any field of view.
To me it looks as though Swarovski originally designed this binocular to have a very high optical quality in all sorts of lighting conditions by keeping the construction as simple as possible (the eyepieces are reversed Kellners with just three elements) and minimizing problems with stray light by limiting the field of view. They certainly succeeded in doing so.
So, if you cannot cope with a smallish, almost tunnel-like AFOV, a binocular without close focusing or a somewhat stiff focuser, if you wear glasses or just do not like the handling of porros, the Habicht is definitely not for you.
If, however, you want excellent optical performance in a lightweight package and at a price well below that of top roofs, the Habicht 7x42 is a binocular you might want to have a look at.
Hermann
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