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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Swaro 8.5 ELs now with improved focus? (1 Viewer)

Blincodave

Well-known member
Just been looking through some brand new 8.5 x 42 ELs. I think Swaro have finally addressed that slow focus issue because they seemed very much better than some I sold a few months back. Still not completely smooth as in Nikon HGs but now only 1.25 full turns from closest focus to infinity and .25 from 10 metres to infinity. If I'm right, interesting to see this just as the new Zeiss FLs are coming out.
 
This is fascinating. I was under the impression it wasnt possible for Swaro to change the gearing. Can you give us a serial number for a 'changed' pair, please? The focus gearing was one of my very few complaints with the Swaro, and if thats improved, I believe they will remain as tough competition for both Zeiss FL and Leica Ultravid. I am hoping to compare these 3 when they all become available before I take the plunge.
 
I think the focus thing with the EL's is a tad pedantic, though I guess people spending that kind of dosh are entiltled to their views.

I love my EL 8.5's ( bought 3 months ago ) and I for one will not be upgrading to the "new" version if they do exist. I even find the I am leaving the scope at home more and more :)

Best wishes,

Linz
 
Bill A said:
Lindsay--

I love mine too, can't imagine how I ever got along without 'em. What did you upgrade from?

Bill

Hi Bill,

From Bushnell 8x42 H2O's which are actually okay given they cost less than £100. Is the £800 RRP difference justified - probably not, however brightness, clarity and field of view are significantly better. And, when you can see the yellow eye of a Sparrowhawk clear as day at over 200 yards from your back garden, that £789 seems like great value ! Didn't even consider Leica - I own one of their scopes !!!


Linz
 
Bill A said:
Gosh, I LIKE the "slow" (I prefer to think of it as "fine") focus of the EL's just as it is!

Bill A

Bought my 8.5x EL in 2001, having tried someone else's on Shetland on a typically dark, damp northern day in October 1999. At the time I had an eight year old Swaro 8x30 SLC. I was totally blown away with the sharpness and brightness of these new bins.

Seventeen long months later, having been in a queue for months, I managed to get them. What an anti-climax! Though still bright and sharp I found the focus to be horrendously and impractically slow. There followed a long electronic argument with Swarovski that, needless to say, they won. A bad big'un will always beat a good little'un.

Three years down the line I have grown accustomed to the snail's pace focus.

I use a porro with a wide FOV and fast focus when bush bashing, and save the EL's for wide open spaces.

If they have speeded up the focus, then the good little'un has been proven right. Up yours, Swarovski!

Clive
 
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Blincodave said:
Just been looking through some brand new 8.5 x 42 ELs. I think Swaro have finally addressed that slow focus issue because they seemed very much better than some I sold a few months back. Still not completely smooth as in Nikon HGs but now only 1.25 full turns from closest focus to infinity and .25 from 10 metres to infinity. If I'm right, interesting to see this just as the new Zeiss FLs are coming out.

Is there still a strong consumer interest in the EL's?
Also, has Swarovski improved the coatings on the EL's over the years?

John
 
william j clive said:
Bought my 8.5x EL in 2001, having tried someone else's on Shetland on a typically dark, damp northern day in October 1999. At the time I had an eight year old Swaro 8x30 SLC. I was totally blown away with the sharpness and brightness of these new bins.


Clive

BTW the Swaro 8x30 SLC got Swarobright coatings just last year. The difference of SLCs with and without Swarobright is quite distinctly.

Steve
 
At Rutland birdfair, I tried the EL 8.5x42 to check this focus speed issue, and, indeed, they focused much faster than before. From a roughly estimated 10 meters to about a mile away, it took about 110-120 degrees turn of the wheel. There was no mention about any changes anywhere, and I did not ask the Swarovski folks about it.

Kimmo
 
kabsetz said:
At Rutland birdfair, I tried the EL 8.5x42 to check this focus speed issue, and, indeed, they focused much faster than before. From a roughly estimated 10 meters to about a mile away, it took about 110-120 degrees turn of the wheel. There was no mention about any changes anywhere, and I did not ask the Swarovski folks about it.

Kimmo

Kimmo,

I hope they're not too fast. People I see with them tell me they like the slow, precise focus.

Also, yesterday we were comparing a new 8.5 to some older ones and the newer model seemed a touch brighter. Did Swarovski modify coatings on the EL series?

John
 
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Blincodave said:
The ELs were upgraded to Swarobright coatings a year or two ago.

Are you sure of that?
I spoke with Swarovski customer service a while and was told that SLC's with serial number starting with D6908 had the new Swarobright coating. He also said that all EL's had this latest coating.
 
moman said:
Are you sure of that?
I spoke with Swarovski customer service a while and was told that SLC's with serial number starting with D6908 had the new Swarobright coating. He also said that all EL's had this latest coating.

I was told this by a leading UK dealer a few months back. Perhaps only ELs with Swarobright coatings were ever imported into the USA unless I was misinformed, of course!
 
Blincodave said:
Just been looking through some brand new 8.5 x 42 ELs. I think Swaro have finally addressed that slow focus issue because they seemed very much better than some I sold a few months back. Still not completely smooth as in Nikon HGs but now only 1.25 full turns from closest focus to infinity and .25 from 10 metres to infinity. If I'm right, interesting to see this just as the new Zeiss FLs are coming out.

Hi. I spoke with Swarovski UK today and posed the question, "Had they changed the focusing speed of the 8.5x42 EL?" They had to contact Austria for an answer, but the reply was that the 8.5x42 ELs HAVE had the slow focusing revised. Any 8.5xEL with a serial number after: L741995971 is the revised version.

So, there you have it from the horse's mouth!

Chris
 
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Thanks Chris. Glad to know that I was correct about the revision of the focus. Amazing that Swaro UK had to phone HQ for confirmation. You think that they would have used this as a marketing tool with new Zeiss & Nikon models coming on stream. Perhaps they wish to avoid a flood of EL owners asking for their ELs to be updated! I think it is also an admission that these superb binos did come with a serious design flaw although I know not everybody would agree with this judgement.
 
zurtfox said:
Hi. I spoke with Swarovski UK today and posed the question, "Had they changed the focusing speed of the 8.5x42 EL?" They had to contact Austria for an answer, but the reply was that the 8.5x42 ELs HAVE had the slow focusing revised. Any 8.5xEL with a serial number after: L741995971 is the revised version.

So, there you have it from the horse's mouth!

Chris


Just ordered a new pair of 8.5x42 ELs from Diane at Birdwatching.com, and when I informed her of the new focus (beginning with serial #L741995971) she said they had not been informed by Swarovski about it. I was assured though, that my order was coming directly from Swarovski and that I should be getting one with the higher serial nuber and , hence the newer focus. When it arrived today imagine my dismay to find that it still had the slow focus and a serial # of L7342xxxxx. I'm wondering if anyone here has an 8.5x42 with a higher serial number that what Zurtfox quoted? Is Swarovski just shipping the older stock unless the customer specifically requests a newer one with the higher geared focus?

Rob
 
william j clive said:
Bought my 8.5x EL in 2001, having tried someone else's on Shetland on a typically dark, damp northern day in October 1999. At the time I had an eight year old Swaro 8x30 SLC. I was totally blown away with the sharpness and brightness of these new bins.

Seventeen long months later, having been in a queue for months, I managed to get them. What an anti-climax! Though still bright and sharp I found the focus to be horrendously and impractically slow. There followed a long electronic argument with Swarovski that, needless to say, they won. A bad big'un will always beat a good little'un.

Three years down the line I have grown accustomed to the snail's pace focus.

I use a porro with a wide FOV and fast focus when bush bashing, and save the EL's for wide open spaces.

If they have speeded up the focus, then the good little'un has been proven right. Up yours, Swarovski!

Clive
I believe I posted a similar message to this a few weeks ago. A phone call to Swarovski in the US elicited a response that an upgrade to the new focus system for the EL 8.5 x 42 might be available eventually, that I should phone every month or so for any further information. This response as well as other parts of the conversation made me hopeful about an upgrade.
 
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