NL Pure 'problems'. (2 Viewers)

[Brummie]

It sure does, doesn't it: this is the well known scaling effect of porros, the objects viewed thru them look smaller than when viewed thru roof binos having the same magnification. Interesting that you have noticed this illusion/effect w/o knowing anything about it, and indeed it is caused by the visual cortex.

Thanks (and to Andy W.). Live and learn. This was the first time I'd noticed it, although I've also compared Nikon 8x30 roofs and porros in the past.

 

[Aquaplas]

Read here so much about relatability about Binos. I had a Habicht and can say it is awesome.
but what about the EL’s of the third generation? Bulletproof or not?

 

[Mariolive]

Last week I bought my NL Pure 10x42; it is about a week I’m actually using it (here in Milan we’ve had some strong snowing in the latest days, so I’ve tested it with very low temperature and a lot of white color in sight!).

You all know how amazing the view is with this binoculars, so I will just focus on the Cons that I experienced:

Firstly, I noticed the condensation of the left eyepiece.
I don’t know if this has something to do with my left eye, but I’ve mitigated it by adjusting the position of the eyepiece (the “shorter“ it is, the less condensation I see). But I have to say that this issue occurred with every binocular I owned, so it is probably a matter of physics!

Secondly, I also notice the glare issue, but it only occurs when the eyepiece is set to the 6th position. You will need some time at the beginning to get comfortable with the bino, I found the 4th position to be perfect for me (but it is very subjective).

Thirdly, I’ve spent almost one hour to understand how to install the strap and lastly to adjust its length to my chest; man that was upsetting!

And finally, I’m not a big fan of the quite visible ”seams” that my Bino has (I will try to upload a picture), but it’s nothing tragic.

Again, none of those “issues” represent a deal breaker for me, the sensation you have when you put your eyes in it is hard to descrive. And, among all, what really strikes me is the pure White color of the snow. Man, whites are really, really white!

I live in Italy and here the Bino costs EUR 2.650, so maybe you expect everything to be just perfect. But it’s a subjective matter, I‘m simply happy like a little kid with this thing around my neck.

Cheers and happy 2021 to all of you!
Mario

EDIT: i find the focus wheel to be amazing, surely the best focusing system I’ve ever used!

 

[Loud Green Man]

A good a thread as any to observe (see what I did there!) that the Habict 7X42GA is some way short of the ideal birding bin and for one primary reason:

Close-range target acquisition can be both a challenge and frustrating due to the restricted field of view. I say this as a proud owner of a pair and having experienced this when suddenly confronted with whatever the collective noun is for a group of delightful goldcrests as they restlessly moved through a young silver birch plantation. The experience did however result in establishing the Habict has an exceptionaly good close focus capability.

Also be aware correct eye positioning is critical and frankly unforgiving as is the need for spot-on interpupillary setting. One of the same I guess.

Therefore a comparison with the NL that has sought to push the limits of what is achievable in improving field of view strikes me as a pointless exercise.

LGM

 

[[email protected]]

Nice picture! The strap looks nice.

 

[Sagittarius]

This thread has cautioned me about buying a pair of NL 12X42s.
Was thinking about getting the NL or another Mako fly reel.
Might have to go with the Mako.

 

[Mac308]

I spent about 10 minutes with the 10x42 NL’s the other day. Apart from the excellent ergonomics I was completely underwhelmed. The view had an odd, almost “parallax effect” to it. I found it unnatural and bothersome. Once again, I think Swarovski is resorting to optical gimmicks for marketing sake. Just as the overly flat field of the EL renders them unusable for my eyes, the NL also is troublesome for my eyes.

 

[Maljunulo]

Porros are great, until they get rained on.

 

[dries1]

Loud Green man, enjoy the 7X42, more time with it will only enhance the viewing experience with that classy, custom? strap. Your photo by the way is, awesome.

Andy W.

 

[Patudo]

A good a thread as any to observe (see what I did there!) that the Habict 7X42GA is some way short of the ideal birding bin and for one primary reason:

Close-range target acquisition can be both a challenge and frustrating due to the restricted field of view. I say this as a proud owner of a pair and having experienced this when suddenly confronted with whatever the collective noun is for a group of delightful goldcrests as they restlessly moved through a young silver birch plantation. The experience did however result in establishing the Habict has an exceptionaly good close focus capability.

Also be aware correct eye positioning is critical and frankly unforgiving as is the need for spot-on interpupillary setting. One of the same I guess.

Therefore a comparison with the NL that has sought to push the limits of what is achievable in improving field of view strikes me as a pointless exercise.

LGM

I agree - but then, back when the old Habicht was designed, I'm not sure it was ever intended to track fast-moving tiny passerines through tree branches! Some past comments have indicated its raison d'etre was for Alpine hunting, which presents almost the opposite set of demands - trying to pick out animals at long range. The slow focuser isn't a handicap in that situation - one could say it's actually an advantage in being able to carefully dial in the sharpest image - and the limited field of view from the small prisms an acceptable sacrifice for light weight, given that folks saw their toothbrushes in half to save weight when lugging their kit up the mountain.

I have to admit the sort of situation you describe is where the compact, fast-focusing modern birding bino (ie. 8x32 FL) really shines. Mine normally gets the nod for that kind of job ahead of the 7x42 Dialyt, which although it has an even wider field of view, does not feel as quick and responsive, even though 7x depth of field helps make up for the slower focuser to some extent.

 

[[email protected]]

Porros are great, until they get rained on.

Not the Habicht or the Fujinon! They love the rain and being submerged under the ocean for three days. Read this review by this Fujinon owner!

"Yes they are waterproof!​

by Marc, Verified Owner from NC, United States Written on November 8, 2016

I first bought my Fujinon Polaris Binoculars over 30 years ago. Yes they are the same as today. While boating near Charlotte Harbor, trying to help a sail boat that had run aground. My 22' Aquasport was submerged after being dragged by the very large sailboat. My Fujinons were under salt water for three days before I was able to get my boat recovered. Since these were the finest binoculars I had ever had I sent them back to Fujinon for repair. I received them back with new rubber exterior within 10 days with a letter that said that there was nothing wrong with them except the covering which had been scarred during the accident, so they put on new rubber and sent them back, and I used them another few years till I left them at a ball game watching my grandson. I tried MANY others, but none would give the visual picture offered by my FMTR-SX 7x50's. So I bought a new pair from OpticsPlanet which are the same fantastic binocular gas-filled rubber coated binoculars I lost and missed so much. There price was the best I could find and the service was excellent. I am in the NC mountains now and the mountains views are wonderful with my new ones.
Marc Sharp at Boca Grande, FL, now Franklin NC. These are a Must-Have!!"

 

[[email protected]]

I spent about 10 minutes with the 10x42 NL’s the other day. Apart from the excellent ergonomics I was completely underwhelmed. The view had an odd, almost “parallax effect” to it. I found it unnatural and bothersome. Once again, I think Swarovski is resorting to optical gimmicks for marketing sake. Just as the overly flat field of the EL renders them unusable for my eyes, the NL also is troublesome for my eyes.

I agree with you in a lot of ways and I notice this when I compare my NL 8x42 to my two porros the Habicht 8x40 GA and the Fujinon 10x50 FMTR-SX. Swarovski resorts to optical gimmicks to get the huge FOV and sharp edges. I notice the "parallax effect" you are talking about when I look around in the big FOV of the NL, and it is unnatural. I also notice it when I pan with the binoculars. You get an unnatural feeling compared to the porros I have which pan more naturally. I also notice how flat the FOV is in the NL compared to the porros. It has no depth compared to a porro. A superb porro like the Habicht or the Fujinon gives you a smaller but more natural view. I better quit or I will have my NL on eBay.

 

[Hermann]

Porros are great, until they get rained on.

The Habicht is waterproof. No problem there. And even the old Zeiss West porros were sufficiently wasterproof to survive even heavy rain.

Hermann

 

[PYRTLE]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with you NL 10x42. Please let us know what Swarovski says about your problems and how they rectify it. I am sure they will stand behind their product. They usually do. I hope we are not going to experience teething problems with the NL like we did with the SF and EDG when they were introduced. Sometimes a new product like this can take a while to get the bugs out of it. My NL 8x42 has been fine mechanically so far and optically brilliant. It could be yours is just an isolated case and you got a lemon. Time will tell.

I think I will put my NL on eBay before it starts self-destructing and people get wind of it...

I bought my Swarovski NL 8x42 on discount for $2700, so I only lost about $200. Actually pretty good resale because they were a Swarovski. They sold in 3 days.

So you've sold your fantastic NL Pure 8 x 42s for a loss of $200 and are back on to the death of alpha roof prisms ? I owned the Nikon SE x 8 and EII × 8 but couldn't get on with them. However I kept a Nikon Action 7 x 35 which I'm very fond of.

 

[[email protected]]

So you've sold your fantastic NL Pure 8 x 42s for a loss of $200 and are back on to the death of alpha roof prisms ? I owned the Nikon SE x 8 and EII × 8 but couldn't get on with them. However I kept a Nikon Action 7 x 35 which I'm very fond of.

No, I still think the NL is the best roof prism you can buy but when I compared it to my porro prism binoculars the Habicht 10x40 GA, Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50 and the Fujinon FMTR-SX 7x50 I decided I liked the 3D view of the porros better than the flat view of the roof. The alphas aren't dead I just prefer an alpha porro. The porros give me a more natural real view than the NL, and they pan much better. The Fujinons with their bigger aperture and wider objective spacing are even better than the Habicht with way more 3D. I think the Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50 is one of the best binoculars I have ever looked through. I had a Nikon Action 7x35 years ago, and it was a very good binocular for the money even though the edges were a little soft.

 

[PYRTLE]

No, I still think the NL is the best roof prism you can buy but when I compared it to my porro prism binoculars the Habicht 10x40 GA, Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50 and the Fujinon FMTR-SX 7x50 I decided I liked the 3D view of the porros better than the flat view of the roof. The alphas aren't dead I just prefer an alpha porro. The porros give me a more natural real view than the NL, and they pan much better. The Fujinons with their bigger aperture and wider objective spacing are even better than the Habicht with way more 3D. I think the Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50 is one of the best binoculars I have ever looked through. I had a Nikon Action 7x35 years ago, and it was a very good binocular for the money even though the edges were a little soft.

Thanks for the reply. I am still puzzled as to why I could not get on with the Nikon SEs. I really wanted to keep and use them regularly; some of it was the ergonomics of the older style thin focus wheel. Crazy really. I would definitely want to look at an alpha 7 x 35 porro but that isn't likely.
ATB

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the reply. I am still puzzled as to why I could not get on with the Nikon SEs. I really wanted to keep and use them regularly; some of it was the ergonomics of the older style thin focus wheel. Crazy really. I would definitely want to look at an alpha 7 x 35 porro but that isn't likely.
ATB

Although the Nikon SE and E2 are good porros I like the Habicht, APM and Fujinon better because they are a little brighter and have better contrast. I like the Fujinon FMTR-SX 10x50 a little more than the Habicht 10x40 GA because of the bigger aperture and the greater objective spacing which gives you a greater 3D effect. The big porros are hard to beat.

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Pyrtle, post 137,
If you define alfa as excellent/very good quality regardless of brand, a hunt for the following 7x35 porros could bring you surprises and it keeps you busy in an agreeable manner. The following 7x35 porros are worth the hunt (some acceptable, or good, some reasonable and some excellent, none of them is newly made anymore, but they can be fun to hunt and some are amazingly good):

• Bushnell Extra wide 7x32
• Ensign 7x35 (British, not coated)
• Hans Hensoldt 7x35 (can be combined with an objective tube making it 12x60)
• Hartmann Compact 7x35, top quality
• Konica 7x35 in Bausch and Lomb body construction, nice instrument
• Nikon 7x35
• Tasco basic and another one wide-angle 7x35
• Tento (russian) 7x35

Gijs van Ginkel

 

[PYRTLE]

Thank you Gils; probably the Konica / B&L out of those you mentioned.

 

[[email protected]]

Pyrtle, post 137,
If you define alfa as excellent/very good quality regardless of brand, a hunt for the following 7x35 porros could bring you surprises and it keeps you busy in an agreeable manner. The following 7x35 porros are worth the hunt (some acceptable, or good, some reasonable and some excellent, none of them is newly made anymore, but they can be fun to hunt and some are amazingly good):

• Bushnell Extra wide 7x32
• Ensign 7x35 (British, not coated)
• Hans Hensoldt 7x35 (can be combined with an objective tube making it 12x60)
• Hartmann Compact 7x35, top quality
• Konica 7x35 in Bausch and Lomb body construction, nice instrument
• Nikon 7x35
• Tasco basic and another one wide-angle 7x35
• Tento (russian) 7x35

Gijs van Ginkel

For me a 35 mm aperture isn't big enough. I like the 50 mm porros. I just bought a $350 APM APO 7x50 porro and I swear it has a better view than my NL 8x42. That is about 1/10 the price.