Luck and Timing (1 Viewer)

We all view and look at/through/for glass and sometimes we are not looking for anything in particular, sometimes we are looking for a specific item, to see if it pops up available somewhere.
I was looking for a Noctivid used in either 8 or 10X42 for a while and if I liked either the 8/10 I would also get the other. Well as luck would have it and the perfect timing I was able to obtain the EL 10X50 then later an EL 8.5X42 which became available, so I procured them.

After using both for a short while, and getting used to the feel, focus and handling, I will not need to look for the Noctivids any more. Both of these glass are truly amazing.

The EDG 8X42 has been with me for a while, and the FL 10X42 was a surprise, it truly is still up there with the best 10X42s IMHO.

Sometimes it is a bit of luck and timing.

Andy W.

I like your nice setup of very nice binos, Andy.
These are for sure among the best you can get.
And they all seem to get along just fine, judging from the way they stand next to each other.
The Noctivid wouldn‘t perhaps not even be happy among their ranks ...

I am very pleased with these, I find my self using 10X more these days. The only other glass I really want to spend time with is the SLC 10X56, but like the FL 10X56, more than a 1/2 pound more than the EL and UV 10X50, and an opportunity to use one for a week fell through. Weight is the only drawback, however the SLC 15X56 is well balanced and I have learned to use it hand held for astro, but not much during the day. The ELs are very nice glass, and the eyecups fit my sockets perfectly. I now see why they could be your only glass.

Andy W.

Very nice - are these Swarovision models? My brother's 8.5 is almost ridiculously good. It's products like this that have enabled Swarovski to usurp the crown from Zeiss as the binocular of choice for many birders here.

Canip,

The one left out that I favor is the 10X50 UVHD+, I seem to have forgotten about the Noctivid.

Patudo,

Yes they are Swarovision models, I see why some say the the 8.5X42 is the glass if you are to have one, very versatile.

Andy W.

dries1 said:

,....

The one left out that I favor is the 10X50 UVHD+ .....

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You got that one too?? Nice !! How could you leave that one out?

But seriously: how do you rate it against the „other super 10x50“, the EL SV? Is there one of them that you clearly prefer over the other (they are so different in the image characteristics)?

Canip

Patudo said:

Very nice - are these Swarovision models? My brother's 8.5 is almost ridiculously good. It's products like this that have enabled Swarovski to usurp the crown from Zeiss as the binocular of choice for many birders here.

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This is true and the original EL (pre-Swarovision) was developed by a team led by Gerold Dobler who recently led the team who developed the Zeiss SF.

Lee

Uvhd+ Elsv

Canip said:

You got that one too?? Nice !! How could you leave that one out?

But seriously: how do you rate it against the „other super 10x50“, the EL SV? Is there one of them that you clearly prefer over the other (they are so different in the image characteristics)?

Canip

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Canip,

I have had the UVHD+ for a while the ELSV is new to me, but my general impressions are.
Leaves and objects with small features like evergreen appear larger in the Leica and I give the edge in contrast to the UVHD, esp on axis during daytime viewing. Both handle glare fairly well during the day, but the FL 10X56 beats both. I get more of a wow feeling with the UVHD+, but likely since it is not a pure flat field.
At night The flat view of the ELSV is better for astro, but to me the UVHD+ is slightly brighter. A bit more glare off axis in the ELSV at night but not a big deal to me.
Ergonomics I like the handling of the UVHD+, better focus. The downside is ER, is at the limit for me at 15, any less I would have blackouts and I do not wear glasses. The ELSV has more ER, plenty for me.

They are quite different as you say, but both are excellent glass, and relatively light at say a bit over 1000 grams.

The views compare like the FL and EDG in 8X42, the FL shows better contrast/detail on axis, perhaps to me glass with field flatteners take away some contrast.
If I am viewing in wooded areas, and looking for objects, I can spot them much quicker with a conventional roof or porro than a glass with field flatteners.

It is nice to have a choice with these two glass, to me the best 10X50s no doubt, with the widest FOVs 6.6 - 6.7 degrees.

Andy W.

In your pictures you can see that the 8x42 EDG is a lot chunkier than the 8x42 EL. In fact the 8x42 EDG looks as big as the 10x50 SV. That is one thing I never liked about the EDG's. They are kind of big and bulky compared to the Swarovski's for their aperture.

Dennis,

Yes it is a bit wider, but the pic is somewhat misleading (foreground/background), the FL 10X42 looks portly too, but it is not.
I am using the 10X format more these days and the FL 10X42 is a nice bright, light and easy handling glass. A great glass to go hiking with, and to me better than many 10X42s offered today, love those AK prisms.

Andy W.

|Andy (post # 8),

Thank you for your impressions! I share them in part, in part I would rate slightly differently (everybody‘s eyes are different, that‘s the fun with visual observation). At any rate, wonderful glasses both of them in my view (as are the others you presented).

Canip

dries1 said:

The downside is ER, is at the limit for me at 15, any less I would have blackouts and I do not wear glasses.

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Blackouts occur when you get too close to the eye lens, i.e. if you can't extend the eyecups far enough. They might also be caused by spherical aberration of the exit pupil.
Inadequate eye relief is a problem that mostly afflicts glasses wearers, who are unable to see the field stop and lose some of the FOV.

John