CL Pocket 10x25 B

The Swarovski CL Pocket 10x25 is an excellent pocket bin. It is one of the best, if not the best, out there.

First off, the ease of use is excellent. Eye relief to eye cup extension is spot on. The image is not nearly as difficult to acquire as all of the other pocket bins that I have tested. (Including the Leica Trinovid and Zeiss Terra). The eyecups and double hinges have a quality feel to them. Not too tight and not too loose. The focus wheel is also great - it's very easy to use with on finger, and the speed is just about what I expected.

The image quality is excellent and what one would expect from Swarovski. Keep in mind that this is a pair of pocket bins and not full sized (or even compact for that matter). These don't compare well with the Swarovski EL series, but they are somewhere in the area of the image quality of a Zeiss Conquest HD (perhaps even slightly better due to CA control).

However, there are downsides to these bins.

First off is the cost. The MSRP on these are $1100 CAD. That is a lot to swallow for a pair of pocket binoculars. You can get the Zeiss Terra 10x25 for $450 CAD and it is about 80% as good. Or the Pentax AD 10x25 WP for $120 and it's 50% as good. It's understood that you have to pay for quality, but this is on the far end of the diminishing returns scale, if not the very end.

These bins also do not come with any sort of covers for the objective or ocular lenses. I haven't found any pair of pockets that do come with any decent covers. I really don't understand this. The case that these comes with, although high quality, is much too big to fit in a jacket pocket (or any pocket). The case can be worn over the shoulder or attached to your belt. I was hoping that my pocket binoculars could actually go into my jacket pocket , without risking damage to the lenses, but alas, this is not the case.

I expect more for $1100. Tethered rubber covers should be of minimal cost and really should be included with these.