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Swarovski Habicht 8x30 W (built in 2009) (1 Viewer)

bluespiderweb said:
And it will keep those lenses cleaner too without all the eyelash oil. That's probably a good thing too! ; )
Click to expand...

And after a few hours using them yesterday, I'm happy to report that the lenses are still perfectly clean. If I achieved nothing else, I'm absolutely thrilled about this part. Hah.

Ok. Enough of my hijacking this thread about eyecups. Hopefully we see a post from black crow here in a week or so with a new pair of habichts.
 
black crow said:
Done for me at least. Too many unknowns and hassles. I just bought a 10x32 Leica Ultravid HD-plus a few hours ago. :t:
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Well that's a whole different story. The Habicht is a real outlier, and its aesthetics are pure love/hate. Now you have my own everyday bino for 17 years (counting a previous BN). How did you come to choose the Leica over a FL or SV? I hope you get accustomed to the 10x with a little practice, and enjoy it as much as I have.
 
Hello,
Could we say that optically the Habicht 8X30 would be at the same level as the EL 8X32 SV or the Conquest 8X32 HD model?
Thanks
Wachi
 
wachipilotes said:
Hello,
Could we say that optically the Habicht 8X30 would be at the same level as the EL 8X32 SV or the Conquest 8X32 HD model?
Thanks
Wachi
Click to expand...
I have had all three of those binoculars. IMO the Habicht 8x32 HD is about equal to the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 in most respects like FOV, on-axis sharpness and edge sharpness but the Conquest HD is way superior in glare control to the Habicht and has a much easier more birder friendly focuser and of course it is waterproof and dustproof. The Swarovski SV 8x32 is IMO superior to the Habicht in many ways. It has a larger FOV and tack sharp edges with better contrast and better glare control also. The better focuser, adjustable eye cups and the fact that it is waterproof make it a much more versatile birding binocular than the Habicht. IMO the SV 8x32 is one of the best birding binoculars you can buy.
 
How many of you go out in the rain to bird, how many enjoy birding in the rain, just curious. If anything it is going from near freezing into 70 degrees quickly that one should be concerned about with certain glass. You would be surprised on how many glass out there are claimed to be water proof, they are not. When I have my porros out in certain inclement weather I always have a place to put it to keep it away from water. Common sense.

Andy W.
 
dries1 said:
How many of you go out in the rain to bird, how many enjoy birding in the rain, just curious...
Click to expand...

I agree with your overall point, and I'm not overly concerned with perfect waterproofing of binoculars. Nevertheless, I must point out that birding in the rain is far from unusual for serious birders. Rain is common in some tropical situations, and in the temperate zone it often accompanies very productive conditions (including those associated with fallouts) during spring migration.

--AP
 
Alexis,

Good point, if one lived in a tropical humid climate and is a serious birder they will opt for one that is weatherproof. Many have used the Nikon SE in those conditions with no problems, a dry box also helps.
I think the waterproof bit is a marketing thing.

Andy W.
 
I have a question about when Swarovski started changing lens coatings on the Habicht binoculars.

Was it a steady progression as they are know for ? How would one from 1999 be.

I am looking for a nice clean newer 8x30 Habicht porro, if someone has one for sale or trade.

Jerry
 
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NDhunter said:
I have a question about when Swarovski started changing lens coatings on the Habicht binoculars.

Was it a steady progression as they are know for ? How would one from 1999 be.

I am looking for a nice clean newer 8x30 Habicht, if someone has one for sale or trade.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Hi Jerry,

My current 1999 Habicht 8X30 W GA porro appears equal in all optical aspects (sharpness, color fidelity, clarity, resolution) to the 2014 Habicht 8X30 W leatherette porros that I had (for a brief 6 months prior to the W GA purchase). When I obtained the W GA, I was expecting they might display lower sharpness and have a color cast to their view, as compared to the newer 8X30 W I had owned and used. But surprisingly from what I recall (didn't have together for direct comparison), believe their optics to be the same! ;)

If its a roof SLC 8X30 you are looking for, I've not followed those coating changes and upgrades in that Swarovski Habicht line up...but hopefully others in the know will offer their advice and experiences. :t:

Ted
 
Theo98 said:
Hi Jerry,

My current 1999 Habicht 8X30 W GA porro appears equal in all optical aspects (sharpness, color fidelity, clarity, resolution) to the 2014 Habicht 8X30 W leatherette porros that I had (for a brief 6 months prior to the W GA purchase). When I obtained the W GA, I was expecting they might display lower sharpness and have a color cast to their view, as compared to the newer 8X30 W I had owned and used. But surprisingly from what I recall (didn't have together for direct comparison), believe their optics to be the same! ;)

If its a roof SLC 8X30 you are looking for, I've not followed those coating changes and upgrades in that Swarovski Habicht line up...but hopefully others in the know will offer their advice and experiences. :t:

Ted
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Ted:

Thanks for that info. it is appreciated. I am looking at the Habicht porro. I refer to the SLC when discussing that model.

Jerry
 
I’ve got newer Habichts which are superb, but one of my favourite Habichts is an older but minty 8x30 with the yellow/green tint to the view. I’ve spoken to a swarovski tech about it and he claimed it as being an intentional tint for hunting in the Austrian alps. Anyway, I’ve found the yellow tint Habicht to be outstanding for the often overly harsh light conditions often experienced in this part of the world. It’s something not spoken about much, but various artists were (historically) gobsmacked when they first saw and painted the Australian light. Could be an ozone or non visual UV thing too, because the light in Southern Spain for example (held in high esteem by light-starved Europeans) is fairly tepid and lacking in punch by comparison. I was wondering about light in the Andes? Could be similar.
 
Hi Rathaus!

I have had only two 8x30 Habicht, both of the older yellow tint "TANSMAX" T.M. coatings versions. And I kept them for a short time.
But I have had 4 10x40 of that old versions. All not GA. The 2 oldest of that 4 were THE BEST in regards of the sharpness of its optics. Period!!! These 2 Habicht 10x40 W were PERFECTLY COLLIMATED and INCREDIBLE SHARP, right along my newest and present one W GA, and rivaling in sharpness my FL Zeiss 10x42, owned at that time. I liked that Transmax coatings, anyway.

Best!

PHA
 
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PHA said:
Hi Rathaus!

I have had only two 8x30 Habicht, both of the older yellow tint "TANSMAX" T.M. coatings versions. And I kept them for a short time.
But I have had 4 10x40 of that old versions. All not GA. The 2 oldest of that 4 were THE BEST in regards of the sharpness of its optics. Period!!! These 2 Habicht 10x40 W were PERFECTLY COLLIMATED and INCREDIBLE SHARP, right along my newest and present one W GA, and rivaling in sharpness my FL Zeiss 10x42, owned at that time. I liked that Transmax coatings, anyway.

Best!

PHA
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PHA,

Long time no see/hear!

Recently I took to the mountains a collection of current alpha Binoculars for some viewing. My daughter has pristine eyesight and after testing the various Binoculars she quickly and casually proclaimed the old yellow tint Habicht as the sharpest binocular on test. When I asked “are you sure?”, she responded with: “it’s pretty obvious daddy”. I had to agree with her. I’ve utilised her expertise before in these matters...it can be quite amusing! The Noctivid was not tested at the time.

Rathaus
 
The old narrow band Transmax two-layer coating from the 80s and 90s might have enhanced sharpness a little compared to the same binocular with broadband multi-coating, provided the binocular has relatively high longitudinal chromatic aberration like the 8x30 Habicht. However, that effect comes at the price of everything appearing quite unnaturally yellow and somewhat dim.

The photo in the link below shows just how very yellow the tint of those old Habichts was. When I complained to Swarovski about the yellow I was told this was what hunters wanted for the singular task of spotting prey under hazy conditions, something like yellow shooting glasses I guess.

https://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1370001&postcount=14
 
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