MandoBear
Well-known member
I was musing on this as I was out birding this afternoon.
When I started out birdwatching in the late 1970s, Zeiss and Leitz (now Leica) were the top brands with their Dialyt and Trinovid binoculars, and I wasn't particularly aware of Swarovski being a premium contender (though I recall their telescopes were well regarded). By the time I bought my Leica Trinovid BNs in about 2002, Swarovski were much more recognised and certainly snapping at Zeiss and Leica's heels. Now they're shoulder to shoulder with them - and perhaps even ahead in some respects.
Just out of curiosity, when would you say they made it into the "alpha" league, and with which model of binoculars? Was it with the EL, or was it earlier?
Not trying to stir up a hornet's nest, but in my birding lifetime, at least, I feel they've transitioned into a more prominent manufacturer.
When I started out birdwatching in the late 1970s, Zeiss and Leitz (now Leica) were the top brands with their Dialyt and Trinovid binoculars, and I wasn't particularly aware of Swarovski being a premium contender (though I recall their telescopes were well regarded). By the time I bought my Leica Trinovid BNs in about 2002, Swarovski were much more recognised and certainly snapping at Zeiss and Leica's heels. Now they're shoulder to shoulder with them - and perhaps even ahead in some respects.
Just out of curiosity, when would you say they made it into the "alpha" league, and with which model of binoculars? Was it with the EL, or was it earlier?
Not trying to stir up a hornet's nest, but in my birding lifetime, at least, I feel they've transitioned into a more prominent manufacturer.