Monarch HG rated #1 by Field and Stream. (2 Viewers)

I've seen so many Swaros in the past few weeks someone must be giving them away. Alpha bins will disappear shortly after Mercedes and BMW close their factories.

jgraider said:

Only the strong survive. I have no problem with that.

Click to expand...

It ends up being only the cheap survive - cheap Chinese labour, materials and a penchant for copying rather than innovation.

james holdsworth said:

It ends up being only the cheap survive - cheap Chinese labour, materials and a penchant for copying rather than innovation.

Click to expand...

When did this happen in the world of binoculars James?

It didn't happen in the world of electric guitars although some feared it might when Japanese copies of the Stratocaster came out that were of such a high quality and so much cheaper than CBS-owned Fender was making in the USA at the time. Then when Fender began sourcing some Strats from Japan it seemed like the end was nigh. Since then, they have sourced Strats from Mexico and India as well as Japan so on paper Fender USA must have been destroyed by now, right? Well, no. They are going strong and their models made in the USA are doing better than ever. There are still thousands of folks who want the made in America cachet and specifications.

I personally see no reason why brands like Zeiss and Leica can't do the same.

And brands who don't make their own binos aren't always lacking in innovation. Look at Swift's use of 8.5x magnification, later taken up by Swarovski and currently featuring on the most popular alpha binos in the world, the EL, as well as some notable other brands too. You could argue that choosing a magnification isn't as earth-shattering as the invention of anti-reflection or phase coatings but inventions of this importance have been in short supply in recent years. Leica's Perger porro seems to have been a dead end and Zeiss's re-balancing of SF by reducing the objective lenses from 3 to 2 while still well controlling CA is dismissed by some as merely benefiting handling and not as exciting as some new optics innovation. I have heard Noctivid described by an industry insider as being as advanced as the original Swaro EL which launched nearly 20 years ago. In the meantime who's to say that GPO's search for a better focus feel by exploring different materials, suface finishes and greases might result in them finding a solution that even the alpha's might adopt?

Maybe I am being optimistic but I still think there will be Jameses and Troubadors buying alpha brands in 20 and 30 years time and in the meantime, those who want to spend less money on binos that guys like us are getting a better deal than ever before.

Lee