Pretty sure only the 56mm SLCs use AK, with the old SLC 42s (Now Helia S) using standard Schmidt–Pechan. Both are excellent binoculars.
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Why are those dang Habicht's so BRIGHT! (46 Viewers)
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Binocollector
Well-known member
I guess you're right. The "bow-legged" shape seems to be an optical illusion because of those orange stripes.
Thotmosis
Well-known member
I respectfully disagree. E.g. military units and hikers like me still order Habicht’s GA with individual focus for their optical quality, reliability, proven design and toughness.
Thotmosis
Well-known member
I really hope it works out for you, keep us updated👍
@Thotmosis Do you use a one with individual eye focus? I wonder what is the benefit of using such binoculars. Are they still in production?
Yesterday evening I received it and had a quick check in the morning. For me, it has closely related optical properties to the NL in terms of color rendition, brightness, and contrast. However, I couldn't do a side-by-side comparison. Surprisingly, the focuser of Habicht is not as tight as I thought. I think it can use as a fair birding binoculars by using a few strategies to acquire focus within relatively less time. However, it is no match to the smooth focuser of NL. Ergonomics are the same. NL feels much more comfortable in hands. But they two are very different animals. Now I wonder how Habicht compared to EL in terms of optical properties (except flat field) because the price gap between them became reduced with the introduction of NL.
The view through the recent model of Habicht is entirely different from the old models produced before the 1980s. The old model has a 'fairly-tale' view because of its contrasty yellow tint, just like using a cinematic filter for photography. Still, I am tempted to buy an NL 10x32 just because of the x10 mag. As @yarrellii discussed in another thread, this temptation for x10 over x8 mag could be because of a physiological phenomenon. However, binoculars are addictive 😀😀
Thotmosis
Well-known member
I use a 10x40 GA with central focus and a 8x30 GA with individual focus.
See post #10 in this tread by the always well informed John A Roberts. There is a link to a catalogue for government agencies in this post. After reading this I contacted Swarovski and I could order one through my dealer in The Netherlands (Jan van Daalen, Maarssen).
I ordered one because I like the armor for toughness and never had an IF binocular before. First impressions are very, very impressive but I need more time for testing in different (weather) conditions. Came with a recticle and I have it removed for better viewing comfort.
henry link
Well-known member
Viraj,
I don't want to spoil the party, but please note that Birdforum is one of the last redoubts for the cult of the Habicht Porro. Of course, Porro prisms can be part of a superb binocular design, but when they're combined with a 100 year old Kaspereit eyepiece design and a fast crown and flint cemented doublet some well understood performance limitations will inevitably follow. Anybody interested in buying a Habicht after reading praise on this forum should be certain that it can be returned with no questions asked, because compared to state of the art modern binoculars virtually every performance characteristic of the Habichts is compromised, except for the very high light transmission and color accuracy provided by Swarovski's current AR coatings.
The measured off-axis astigmatism of the 8x30/10x40 Habicht Kaspereit eyepiece is a whopping 9 diopters near the edge of a 60º field, compared to a fraction of a diopter near the edge of a 69º field in the current NLs. The measured full aperture resolution of my two 8x30 Habichts is mediocre due to high longitudinal CA and spherical aberration, exactly as expected from the objective design. Eye relief is too short for eyeglasses, the prisms are so undersized that one prism edge intrudes into the exit pupil, an obvious vignetting shadow is visible at the field edge in subdued light and there is strong veiling glare from insufficient baffling in the 8x30. None of this seems to matter to the fans when a binocular is one of the last survivors from a Golden Age.
Henry
I don't want to spoil the party, but please note that Birdforum is one of the last redoubts for the cult of the Habicht Porro. Of course, Porro prisms can be part of a superb binocular design, but when they're combined with a 100 year old Kaspereit eyepiece design and a fast crown and flint cemented doublet some well understood performance limitations will inevitably follow. Anybody interested in buying a Habicht after reading praise on this forum should be certain that it can be returned with no questions asked, because compared to state of the art modern binoculars virtually every performance characteristic of the Habichts is compromised, except for the very high light transmission and color accuracy provided by Swarovski's current AR coatings.
The measured off-axis astigmatism of the 8x30/10x40 Habicht Kaspereit eyepiece is a whopping 9 diopters near the edge of a 60º field, compared to a fraction of a diopter near the edge of a 69º field in the current NLs. The measured full aperture resolution of my two 8x30 Habichts is mediocre due to high longitudinal CA and spherical aberration, exactly as expected from the objective design. Eye relief is too short for eyeglasses, the prisms are so undersized that one prism edge intrudes into the exit pupil, an obvious vignetting shadow is visible at the field edge in subdued light and there is strong veiling glare from insufficient baffling in the 8x30. None of this seems to matter to the fans when a binocular is one of the last survivors from a Golden Age.
Henry
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henry link
Well-known member
The surest sign of brainwashing!
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Henry,
Cult member here, I don’t think you’re spoiling the party at all. It usually takes more than one or two people to spoil a whole party, besides the bouncers or security usually will handle that 😆. Can’t high light transmission and color accuracy be enough for a lot of people? Does lack of eye relief for eyeglass wearers make a bino obsolete, I would think then a lot of roofs may fall in to that category.
I would think based on what I just read in your post, could it be said that for a non eye glass wearer, the Habicht would be a better choice than one of the most famous birding binoculars, the EL, because of the globe effect that makes some people sick.
Do we completely ignore the three dimensional image, as well as the feel and nostalgia of a piece of optical equipment because of an old design, that still produces a very nice image on axis? Do you know of any high priced roof prism binoculars that have glare issues 🤔.
I see a lot of people choose a pair of binoculars just for their transmission and/or color neutrality (Swaro) and/or there color cast (Leica, Nikon, Zeiss).
I’ll tell you this, that my Swarovski Habicht in 7x42 is far superior in low light conditions than my brand new Leica 7x42 UVHD+ with all its modern glass and ocular design. Oh yeah, there’s that light transmission thing on the old porros taking a little away from the modern roofs.
Paul
Nikon 8X32 SE solves all those problems and it is not a cult. It's a religion!
Too bad, the SE doesn't have the 95% transmission of the Habicht. Dang, those Habicht's are bright!
henry link
Well-known member
I agree, it very nearly does. It's secret to success is unusually low axial aberrations leading to unusually high resolution and very well corrected off-axis astigmatism, qualities the 8x30 Habicht demonstrably doesn't have. My only real complaints about it are the small exit pupil and, of course, too much stereopsis.
@henry link a 7x42 SE would be something to behold. 💘 #daydreaming
They may be an old design, but porro's are still a simpler, more efficient design than the so-called modern roofs. The "old" Habichts will beat your huge FL's for transmission, 3D and color accuracy every time. I personally don't like green in my binoculars either!
Howdy! New guy here, first post. This site, as well as a few others, has been very helpful in my decision to order a 7x42 Habicht. Last binocular I bought was the 8x32 Trinovid BN when they were being closed out, also without an opportunity to view in advance. I am not a birder (but do watch birds with my binocular?), mostly hiking, general wildlife observation, travel & hunting, but the discussion of strengths and weaknesses on this forum is helpful when considering these other uses. The talk of 3d view is one of the big reasons I went for it. I spent some time outside a local shop with some EL's and they were impressive, but the flat view seemed a little unnatural to me (and I realize this is totally subjective). So, thanks to all, and maybe I'll do a novice review after they arrive
@BJC Welcome to Birdforum! I hope you have a great time interacting with the community, learning from other forum members and sharing your views and experiences
As for the 7x42 Habicht, they're a very special device (as you can see if you've been following the threads about it and other Porro binoculars). However, I think that by comparing the EL to the Habicht you really went to two extremely (and distinctively) different approaches to binoculars. The EL Swarovision are famous for they use of field flatteners and the choice of the designers of eliminating some of the distortion that "classic" binoculars usually have, and this is the reason some people find the view through the EL SV unnatural (some people even get dizzy due to the so called "rolling ball effect" when panning). However, you can also think that there are Porro prism binoculars that have field flatteners, if I'm not mistaken the above mentioned Nikon SE did have them. So what I mean is that there are Porro binoculars with field flatteners and roof binoculars renowned by offering a more "classic" curvature, some people praise the recently discontinued Swarovski SLC 8/10x42 for this reason, for offering a more "immersive" and less "artificial" views. So your comparison is really of two points of the spectrum: a die-hard Porro with narrow field of view and impressive coatings, and a roof with wide FOV but flat (as can be) image, funny if you come to think about it.
Do let us know your impressions regarding the 7x42 Habicht, and don't forget to compare it to the BN, a much loved classic well known by many forum members. Enjoy!
As for the 7x42 Habicht, they're a very special device (as you can see if you've been following the threads about it and other Porro binoculars). However, I think that by comparing the EL to the Habicht you really went to two extremely (and distinctively) different approaches to binoculars. The EL Swarovision are famous for they use of field flatteners and the choice of the designers of eliminating some of the distortion that "classic" binoculars usually have, and this is the reason some people find the view through the EL SV unnatural (some people even get dizzy due to the so called "rolling ball effect" when panning). However, you can also think that there are Porro prism binoculars that have field flatteners, if I'm not mistaken the above mentioned Nikon SE did have them. So what I mean is that there are Porro binoculars with field flatteners and roof binoculars renowned by offering a more "classic" curvature, some people praise the recently discontinued Swarovski SLC 8/10x42 for this reason, for offering a more "immersive" and less "artificial" views. So your comparison is really of two points of the spectrum: a die-hard Porro with narrow field of view and impressive coatings, and a roof with wide FOV but flat (as can be) image, funny if you come to think about it.
Do let us know your impressions regarding the 7x42 Habicht, and don't forget to compare it to the BN, a much loved classic well known by many forum members. Enjoy!
henry link
Well-known member
I agree, everything else about it ranges from mediocre to poor.
