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

New released Swaro CL Companion 8x30 B (1 Viewer)

A bit more info.
I think the new companion is ugly. With "those big knobs" on both sides. Ugly but optically nearly perfect. But I don't care how a binocular "looks". I have to look through it, not to look at it...
As I posted earlier, I can compare the companion with the SLC 10 x 42 (latest version), which I also have in possession.
Less distortion and the same sharpness in the center and edge as the SLC. The companion has no ghosting and flare at all. Not at day and not at night (bright moon, street lighting, etc). The SLC has a bit. So, the companion new is really an optical monster in the "mid price range". A complete test wil follow. Oh, Yes I changed the eye cups. The Swarovski cups are to tight.
 

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Kees, post 162,
The way you phrase it, it can be read that the new Companion "is ugly" that sounds as if it is a fact, but it is your opinion and it does not coincide with mine, since I like the body design better than that of the "old"CL Companion, since the binocular tubes have a smaller diameter and they are longer, so the handling of the new companions feels better in my hands as that of the old ones and that was already allright for me.
The focuswheel is easy to handle and turns smooth and the position is just right. I have two minutes ago a Swarovski raincap (the one that is not in use anymore) attached and that fits perfectly and is also very easy to use, since it can put on and off in a split second.
Changing the diopter setting is in the new one not so simple and easy as it was in the old one, but if you are the only user it is not a problem.
I will investigate the new ones in the coming weeks further, both the 8x and the 10x.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Kees,

It looks like you changed the eyepiece rain guard, not the eyecups. Anyway, I agree with you that the supplied rain guard is too tight. I just checked, and when the binocular is hanging on my chest by its strap, it takes both hands and about 15 seconds to put the rain guard on. It takes one hand and 3-5 seconds to pry it off prior to viewing. Gijs' solution would work, or replacing the original rain guard with a suitably sized aftermarket one. I'm currently using a rain guard made for Leica 8x32 original Trinovid, which is just a tad loose but almost perfect.

The diopter adjustment has almost invisible markings and simply cannot be adjusted while viewing with the binoculars. This means that you need to adjust, check, and adjust again until satisfied. This would be more of a problem for me if the optics were less excellent, since I find that lower optical quality necessitates more frequent diopter tweaking, even with only me using the binocular.

I'm not quite so sure there would be no flare or ghosting, since this is usually highly dependent on how one positions the binoculars to one's eyes. Suffice to say that I have seen some when viewing treetops just under a winter sun.

Kimmo
 
Gijs, in my post, I write "I think it's ugly ', so by that I mean it's my personal opinion. But my reaction just goes on the "looks" of the companion and not about the ergonomics. Those are very good. And yes, the diopter setting is a bit strange. I prefer the one on the "old companion". I look forward to your reviews.

Kimmo, You are right. I meant rain guard. I have tried the companion and the SLC the same time in all sort of situations. At day, at night, with and without sun, moon, street lighting, on the beach (I live on a very small island in the northern of Holland, called Schiermonnikoog), but I couldn't see any flare or ghosting in the companion. I could see it in the SLC in exactly the same conditions. So that are my experiences.

Kees.
 
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Kees,

I don't doubt your experience with flare and the CL. I'm sure you report it just as you see it, and I'm happy that you don't see any in the CL. It's just that flare seems to be perceived and evaluated very differently by different people. In fact, when we were briefly comparing flare properties in the instance I was referring to in post #164, we had an EL SV 10x32 and the CL Companion 10x30, and I saw less flare in the CL and my friend saw less flare in the EL SV. We switched back and forth a couple of times, and neither one of us changed our opinion. I could change the amount of flare visible to me by adjusting the tilt of the binocular relative to my face as well as by slightly changing the distance between the eyepieces and my pupil.

The point is that although we can accurately report how much flare we see under certain circumstances, it does not necessarily translate to how much flare someone else will see with the same binoculars at another time. I have therefore become rather cautious about saying anything very definitive about flare suppression even as it is one of the more important areas of binocular performance.

Kimmo
 
Kees, post 166,
I was a little too hard on you, but we do not share the opinion about the appreciation of the shape of the new Companion. Well as we say in Dutch: "over smaak valt niet te twisten"en dat zullen we ook niet doen.
I hope to write my impressions soon, you will be able to find them on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor, you know well probably.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Yes, I have had a couple of Swarovski's sent in for warranty work that were not purchased in the USA over the years. Swarovski always covered them under warranty.
................

I called Swarovski of North America (SONA) to find out how they handle warranty repairs on binoculars not imported by them.

They will accept these units for repair. In most cases it will be sent by SONA to Austria for the repair work but under some circumstances they will do the repair in the US. My assumption is that it may depend on the extent of the repair. It makes sense to me to repair something simple here as opposed to going to the work of sending it off to Austria, tracking it, then receiving it back. Also in play is having the parts, tools and knowledge to do repair on models they do not carry.

The warranty coverage is determined by the warranty in the country were the binocular was originally sold. If the warranty for country A is 30 years and the binocular is 12 years old, then Austria will repair it under warranty. If the warranty is 10 years from country B, then Austria will not repair it under warranty. The lesson here is if everything else is equal on an anticipated overseas purchase, buy from the country with the longer warranty.

Both SONA and Austria will check their records to see if the item is reported stolen. If so, both will turn the unit over to law officials and not return it to the customer. SONA recommends the if purchasing a new or used unit from an unknown source, call in the serial number and they can tell the caller if it is a SONA unit and if it is a clean serial number for one of their imports. Also cautioned was that not all new units being sold in the US or on US web sites are from authorized dealers and they could be stolen items. Be sure and do a serial number check to be safe.

SONA can not do a serial number check on a binocular that was not imported by them because they do not have those records. The rep did not know if that information could be obtained by contacting Swaro Austria, but he had doubts.

I would assume if a SONA unit were stolen, it could then be reported and the owner would have a better chance of recovering it since SONA has the ability to track SONA imports.

Shipping costs to SONA are paid by the owner. Swarovski will pay for the shipping to Austria and for the return of the repaired binocular back to SONA and then back to the owner. The binoculars are sent to Austria in bulk shipments on a frequent basis at a much lower price than what an individual would pay. The rep did not know the shipping method used.

If it is a SONA unit and the repair will have some delay, then they can send the owner a loaner. That is unlikely if it is a non SONA unit.

Here are what I see as the down sides of purchasing a non SONA imported binocular:
- Longer repair turnaround.
- Most likely no lifetime warranty
- Possibly less goodwill on some issues
- Possible loss of the unit if sent in for repair and it was reported as stolen
- No loaner
- Assume it is less likely to be recovered if it gets stolen since it is not tracked by SONA

Upsides:
- Will be repaired by either Austria or possibly SONA
- No additional overseas shipping expense and hassle

Edit: Be sure and call SONA first if you are planning to purchase a non SONA imported model to confirm any warranty questions you may have and to confirm the policies have not changed. The above is all based on a verbal conversation and should be confirmed if relevant to a purchase.

......... As far as international shipping I have did it many times without any problems. You can return the binoculars to the seller or send them to Swarovski under warranty if there is something wrong with them. If you just don't like them you might be better off just selling them on Ebay because Swarovski's sell very quick especially a new model like the CL that isn't available yet in the US.

Dennis ..... When are you expecting your new CL to arrive?
 
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Bruce:

I also like your research and explanation on the warranty policy with Swarovski. Well explained.

This is just as I would expect. A year or so back, there was a German seller putting lots of Swarovski
binoculars on the famous auction site. He could sell them cheaper due to the value of the US $dollar.

He and others are not there any more.

That means for those buying, get one from your local sellers.

Jerry
 
I called Swarovski of North America (SONA) to find out how they handle warranty repairs on binoculars not imported by them.

They will accept these units for repair. In most cases it will be sent by SONA to Austria for the repair work but under some circumstances they will do the repair in the US. My assumption is that it may depend on the extent of the repair. It makes sense to me to repair something simple here as opposed to going to the work of sending it off to Austria, tracking it, then receiving it back. Also in play is having the parts, tools and knowledge to do repair on models they do not carry.

The warranty coverage is determined by the warranty in the country were the binocular was originally sold. If the warranty for country A is 30 years and the binocular is 12 years old, then Austria will repair it under warranty. If the warranty is 10 years from country B, then Austria will not repair it under warranty. The lesson here is if everything else is equal on an anticipated overseas purchase, buy from the country with the longer warranty.

Both SONA and Austria will check their records to see if the item is reported stolen. If so, both will turn the unit over to law officials and not return it to the customer. SONA recommends the if purchasing a new or used unit from an unknown source, call in the serial number and they can tell the caller if it is a SONA unit and if it is a clean serial number for one of their imports. Also cautioned was that not all new units being sold in the US or on US web sites are from authorized dealers and they could be stolen items. Be sure and do a serial number check to be safe.

SONA can not do a serial number check on a binocular that was not imported by them because they do not have those records. The rep did not know if that information could be obtained by contacting Swaro Austria, but he had doubts.

I would assume if a SONA unit were stolen, it could then be reported and the owner would have a better chance of recovering it since SONA has the ability to track SONA imports.

Shipping costs to SONA are paid by the owner. Swarovski will pay for the shipping to Austria and for the return of the repaired binocular back to SONA and then back to the owner. The binoculars are sent to Austria in bulk shipments on a frequent basis at a much lower price than what an individual would pay. The rep did not know the shipping method used.

If it is a SONA unit and the repair will have some delay, then they can send the owner a loaner. That is unlikely if it is a non SONA unit.

Here are what I see as the down sides of purchasing a non SONA imported binocular:
- Longer repair turnaround.
- Most likely no lifetime warranty
- Possibly less goodwill on some issues
- Possible loss of the unit if sent in for repair and it was reported as stolen
- No loaner
- Assume it is less likely to be recovered if it gets stolen since it is not tracked by SONA

Upsides:
- Will be repaired by either Austria or possibly SONA
- No additional overseas shipping expense and hassle


YIKES!!! Bet this rep felt he was under some intense lights and a relentless and thorough investigation!!!

Good work Bruce!

CG
 
Kimmo, post 167. You are completely right. Flare is indeed mainly personal. In 2012 I tested the Fujinon 10 x 50 fmtr-SX. I couldn't deal with this binocular. I saw a lot of flare, during almost every seeing condition. Another person, who looked through the Fujinon, didn't see any flare at all.

Gijs, post 168. You weren't too hard on me, I like distinctness and I can "defend" myself. As I said before, I am very interested in your review, on the website of Jan van Daalen.

This morning it was, afters five weeks with rain, sunny on the island. So I went to the beach with the companion. And now I am even more excited about the companion. It's razor sharp, almost no distortion and the edge sharpness is very good. And I saw no flare.
 
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Darn, you are making me curious, Kees!

A pity I can't get my (little) sail boat ready, otherwise I would have paid you a visit |=)|
(I live 3km from the Waddenzee as well)
 
I called Swarovski of North America (SONA) to find out how they handle warranty repairs on binoculars not imported by them.

They will accept these units for repair. In most cases it will be sent by SONA to Austria for the repair work but under some circumstances they will do the repair in the US. My assumption is that it may depend on the extent of the repair. It makes sense to me to repair something simple here as opposed to going to the work of sending it off to Austria, tracking it, then receiving it back. Also in play is having the parts, tools and knowledge to do repair on models they do not carry.

The warranty coverage is determined by the warranty in the country were the binocular was originally sold. If the warranty for country A is 30 years and the binocular is 12 years old, then Austria will repair it under warranty. If the warranty is 10 years from country B, then Austria will not repair it under warranty. The lesson here is if everything else is equal on an anticipated overseas purchase, buy from the country with the longer warranty.

Both SONA and Austria will check their records to see if the item is reported stolen. If so, both will turn the unit over to law officials and not return it to the customer. SONA recommends the if purchasing a new or used unit from an unknown source, call in the serial number and they can tell the caller if it is a SONA unit and if it is a clean serial number for one of their imports. Also cautioned was that not all new units being sold in the US or on US web sites are from authorized dealers and they could be stolen items. Be sure and do a serial number check to be safe.

SONA can not do a serial number check on a binocular that was not imported by them because they do not have those records. The rep did not know if that information could be obtained by contacting Swaro Austria, but he had doubts.

I would assume if a SONA unit were stolen, it could then be reported and the owner would have a better chance of recovering it since SONA has the ability to track SONA imports.

Shipping costs to SONA are paid by the owner. Swarovski will pay for the shipping to Austria and for the return of the repaired binocular back to SONA and then back to the owner. The binoculars are sent to Austria in bulk shipments on a frequent basis at a much lower price than what an individual would pay. The rep did not know the shipping method used.

If it is a SONA unit and the repair will have some delay, then they can send the owner a loaner. That is unlikely if it is a non SONA unit.

Here are what I see as the down sides of purchasing a non SONA imported binocular:
- Longer repair turnaround.
- Most likely no lifetime warranty
- Possibly less goodwill on some issues
- Possible loss of the unit if sent in for repair and it was reported as stolen
- No loaner
- Assume it is less likely to be recovered if it gets stolen since it is not tracked by SONA

Upsides:
- Will be repaired by either Austria or possibly SONA
- No additional overseas shipping expense and hassle

Edit: Be sure and call SONA first if you are planning to purchase a non SONA imported model to confirm any warranty questions you may have and to confirm the policies have not changed. The above is all based on a verbal conversation and should be confirmed if relevant to a purchase.



Dennis ..... When are you expecting your new CL to arrive?
I told you Swarovski covered binoculars not purchased in the US. The 8X30 CL' s should be here any day. They were in NY city yesterday but I am in the Yucatan Pennisula birding and I won't get back into the states until Dec.11 so I will give a full report after that.
 
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Hi Kevin, its brilliant, total trust from me, the strap is mounted via a bayonet pin which locks in place and needs quite some pressure to disengage and then a counter clockwise turn to detach, also the pin itself snaps into the strap end and won`t unsnap without some considerable pressure so it won`t fall out on its own.

The cord end does`nt dangle loosely as a plastic keeper keeps the two cords together. Honestly I would`nt want to go back to a conventional strap lug.

Swarovski sell a conventional strap lug which fits on the FP system so you can use any strap you like.

I use the conventional strap lugs and have a standard fitting strap which, for me, overcomes what I see as a fussy and inconvenient cord system. I've had no problems with the bayonet pins whatsoever :t:
 
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