I used to have the 12x50 SV and it is an excellent binocular. The only issue I had is I wear glasses and never felt the eye relief was really what Swarovski stated. I had to press my glasses against the eyepiece to get the full view. Also 12 was just a little too high a magnification to hand hold but seemed a bit on the low side for mounting on a tripod. I decided to get the 15x56 SLC HD and just received them last week. Although hand holdable for a short while they really shine on a tripod. The eye relief is good and a sharp view the entire fov.
Although I could not compare them side by side I feel that for my main use, scanning lakes and ponds for birds, I prefer the 15x56. Also the 15x puts it near spotting scope magnification but with the benefit of binocular vision with 2 eyes.
just to clarify, the way we measure eye relief is exactly as it is stated in the norm and we basically just copy-paste that number in to our technical specifications lists (but product management will obviously go through the list to make sure that the number of significant figures makes sense within that context).
on a purely personal note, I love the extra detail the 12x50 gives me, especially because it comes in a relatively small and portable format, and there is nothing like it for distant raptors or birds out on the steppes/desert/prairies/savannas. Nevertheless, I can also see how the 15x56 would really shine in the situations like m31m45 mentioned where they are used for scanning from a tripod.
My 8.5x42 Swaros are fine at an ER of 20 so the 12x50 at an ER of 19 should be OK but they feel a lot less.
I agree with M31M45 about the ER of the SV 12x50:
I intended to purchase one but after trying it outside the shop I decided against it because I had to press hard against my spectacles to get the full FOV which surprised me considering the stated 19mm...I believe from my experience that the actual ER of the 12x50 is closer to 15mm, there is a big gap between the 12x50 and the 10x50 (I tested both), more than 1mm for sure.
Also I saw more CA than expected and the binocular did not feel so well balanced. To be honest I felt a bit disappointed and I did not buy it.
Is the 10X50SV better at controlling CA than the 12X50 ?
Thanks Robert
Is the 10X50SV better at controlling CA than the 12X50 ?
Thanks Robert
Yes it is, I did not see any CA in the 10x50, when I tried the 10x50 the view was so much easier and comfortable, I did not expect that at all just by the slight decrease in magnification. Optically I had the sensation of observing through different instruments. The 10x50 is "direct" whereas the 12x50 is more "hard work".
Thank you all of us for this detailed information! I know that 10x50 is the best swarovision and is in different league of 12x50 and 15x56, but I wonder which of 12x50 sv and 15x56 hd will give memore pleasing, brighter, clearer and detailed view. And is it true that 12x50 sv is sharper than 15x56 hd?
Since the unfavorable lighting and environment glassing didn't challenge potential CA, I didn't see any issues...if they exist at all.
Ted
I personally think the HD is a new marketing scheme. My guess is there are possibly some new coating on the glass, but the glass should be the same