Not to bore you guys with a long story so I will cut it short: after being unlucky with my Leica 7x42 UVHD+ purchase (poor Leica service, did not fix the problem) I ended up going home with a Swaro NL 8x32 Pure in burnt Orange instead.
I was considering the Zeiss SF 8x32 but I got me some kidney beans when viewing with glasses and when adjusting the oculars I found them a bit less engaging than the Leica 7x42 and the Swarovskis just felt so much better than the SF for me and my glasses. Especially for close up viewing the Swaros are superb for me.
Binos are fantastic for my eyes, I do wear glasses and I am picky with binos in this regard. Not 100% sold on the oval grip, but I am getting used to it and the overall ergonomics are pretty sweet. Focuser, sharpness across the range and image is all I need and wish for.
That glare though. It is very much an issue, for me. When people claim "there is none" I can't help but shake my head. It does not help the discussion. I am very happy to see some well experienced members share their view on cause, effect and possible remedies. The Swaro glare issue is not a binary yes/no question. In my case the glare is present and as real as can be.
Compared to quite a few other top tier 8x32's, in the same spot, same type of light the Swaro NL 8x32 are the worst and unfortunately for me: it is a place from where I do most of my everyday viewing: my deck.
I don't blame Swarovski for this, entirely. My personal conclusion is that my combination of glasses, eye placement and general poor neck posture all help contribute to excessive glare with the NL.
I can do a little better by raising the back of my head a few degrees and looking at a, perhaps, straighter line through the binos. Since I live on a hill side/slope there is only so much I can do about the "everyday" situation and straightening up my posture is not always working and is more fatiguing than using other binoculars which do better enough to allow me to keep my five-decades-in-development-posture.
If I press my glasses closer to my face it does a little better still, but at the cost of being more uncomfortable in use. Raising/lowering the binos sometimes help out with the glare but at the cost of general viewing comfort: going from "fantastic" to "slightly strained".
Without glasses, things are much improved and the Swaros are much more resilient to washing out and by shielding the binos with a free hand I can often eliminate glare entirely though it does require more effort with the NL's compared to several other binos I have and have used, in the same spot. Without glasses I would place my NL in the middle of the pack, and it is a great pack. Certainly good enough!
With glasses three or four of the contenders easily beat the Swarovski for stray light handling and glare. None of them beat the Swarovski in overall viewing comfort, except for perhaps the Leica 7x42 which is different, not better, but equally comfortable for my eyes.
Eye relief is almost "excessive" in the Swaros for me and my best setting is two and a fraction stops out on the back oculars - and I am usually bottomed out with all my other binoculars.
Since my glasses work great for me but are progressive I am very reluctant to taking them off since I need a little adjustment period going on/off at times, especially with binoculars. However with the Swarovski NL I can take my glasses off and immediately feel "at home" with viewing comfort, which was a surprise for me. There are not that many other pairs I have tried that does so well with and without glasses for me.
Previous NL's I have tried at home have been glare monsters in my book and considering how much better other binos have worked for me in a side by side comparison I am surprised that I ended up with a pair of NL 8x32's and that they work so "well", after all.
They are not really a "compact pair" but it is like an amalgamation of all that was great with my previous pairs, optically, ergonomically, mechanically and with one of the best focusers I have ever felt; works great with gloves, with and without glasses - but - at the expense of being glare prone, sometimes to the point of rendering a useless image. At that point I do have to say that there are perhaps only one or two binoculars I have ever had that will perform much better: the Leica Trinovid/Retrovid 7x35 and the Meopta Meostar 8x32. My old all-time favourites the Zeiss FL 8x32 perform just as bad as the Swarovski NL - which is a shocker considering the FL has always been my benchmark binocular for overall performance in all conditions... ...goes to prove that the "best" will vary over time and with different eye glass.
To end on a positive note: I like the burnt orange color: I never liked the Swarovski green hue. With the exception of the Leica 7x42 which is still fresh in memory I don't pine for any of my previous binos when I have the Swaro. It works great as my only low magnification binocular, to the point I almost never use the 10x anymore.
For my general viewing of the bird feeders the Swarovski NL 8x32 are truly amazing and not beaten by any other pair I have tried.
I was considering the Zeiss SF 8x32 but I got me some kidney beans when viewing with glasses and when adjusting the oculars I found them a bit less engaging than the Leica 7x42 and the Swarovskis just felt so much better than the SF for me and my glasses. Especially for close up viewing the Swaros are superb for me.
Binos are fantastic for my eyes, I do wear glasses and I am picky with binos in this regard. Not 100% sold on the oval grip, but I am getting used to it and the overall ergonomics are pretty sweet. Focuser, sharpness across the range and image is all I need and wish for.
That glare though. It is very much an issue, for me. When people claim "there is none" I can't help but shake my head. It does not help the discussion. I am very happy to see some well experienced members share their view on cause, effect and possible remedies. The Swaro glare issue is not a binary yes/no question. In my case the glare is present and as real as can be.
Compared to quite a few other top tier 8x32's, in the same spot, same type of light the Swaro NL 8x32 are the worst and unfortunately for me: it is a place from where I do most of my everyday viewing: my deck.
I don't blame Swarovski for this, entirely. My personal conclusion is that my combination of glasses, eye placement and general poor neck posture all help contribute to excessive glare with the NL.
I can do a little better by raising the back of my head a few degrees and looking at a, perhaps, straighter line through the binos. Since I live on a hill side/slope there is only so much I can do about the "everyday" situation and straightening up my posture is not always working and is more fatiguing than using other binoculars which do better enough to allow me to keep my five-decades-in-development-posture.
If I press my glasses closer to my face it does a little better still, but at the cost of being more uncomfortable in use. Raising/lowering the binos sometimes help out with the glare but at the cost of general viewing comfort: going from "fantastic" to "slightly strained".
Without glasses, things are much improved and the Swaros are much more resilient to washing out and by shielding the binos with a free hand I can often eliminate glare entirely though it does require more effort with the NL's compared to several other binos I have and have used, in the same spot. Without glasses I would place my NL in the middle of the pack, and it is a great pack. Certainly good enough!
With glasses three or four of the contenders easily beat the Swarovski for stray light handling and glare. None of them beat the Swarovski in overall viewing comfort, except for perhaps the Leica 7x42 which is different, not better, but equally comfortable for my eyes.
Eye relief is almost "excessive" in the Swaros for me and my best setting is two and a fraction stops out on the back oculars - and I am usually bottomed out with all my other binoculars.
Since my glasses work great for me but are progressive I am very reluctant to taking them off since I need a little adjustment period going on/off at times, especially with binoculars. However with the Swarovski NL I can take my glasses off and immediately feel "at home" with viewing comfort, which was a surprise for me. There are not that many other pairs I have tried that does so well with and without glasses for me.
Previous NL's I have tried at home have been glare monsters in my book and considering how much better other binos have worked for me in a side by side comparison I am surprised that I ended up with a pair of NL 8x32's and that they work so "well", after all.
They are not really a "compact pair" but it is like an amalgamation of all that was great with my previous pairs, optically, ergonomically, mechanically and with one of the best focusers I have ever felt; works great with gloves, with and without glasses - but - at the expense of being glare prone, sometimes to the point of rendering a useless image. At that point I do have to say that there are perhaps only one or two binoculars I have ever had that will perform much better: the Leica Trinovid/Retrovid 7x35 and the Meopta Meostar 8x32. My old all-time favourites the Zeiss FL 8x32 perform just as bad as the Swarovski NL - which is a shocker considering the FL has always been my benchmark binocular for overall performance in all conditions... ...goes to prove that the "best" will vary over time and with different eye glass.
To end on a positive note: I like the burnt orange color: I never liked the Swarovski green hue. With the exception of the Leica 7x42 which is still fresh in memory I don't pine for any of my previous binos when I have the Swaro. It works great as my only low magnification binocular, to the point I almost never use the 10x anymore.
For my general viewing of the bird feeders the Swarovski NL 8x32 are truly amazing and not beaten by any other pair I have tried.
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