ULTRALITE 8x32 (1 Viewer)

Hello all Swift Fans....
I want to make a couple of comments in a binocular that I have always wanted to have but never had a chance to get or even see...
I finally got ,a couple months of ago a unit ,brand new-old stock,of the Swift 763#,Ultra Lite 8x 32..
I have owned a pair of the 8x 42 in the past,and It didnt impressed me as much as the 32mm has
..I owned at the time a 820 non ED and the difference in FOV and sharpness was evident when putting the 8x 42 Ultra lite and the Audubons side by side, making the ultra lite feel an inferior bino,at least to my liking,and only having some advantage in being much more lighter..
The 8x32 is a different story,What an amazing binocular this is!..I knew that different configurations of the same model were not all the same in optical performance,and differences in image quality went beyond magnification,DOF and FOW..
The 8x 32 ultra lite is definitely one of my favorite binoculars ever,and compares in Sharpness ,and other optical qualities,with the best binos out there.They are sharp,neutral natural color rendering, and dont suffer from excessive CA..They Show an amazing wide FOV,436' ,8.5 degrees,with GREAT edge performance.(better than any other binocular I have tried with that wide a FOV,except perhaps swaros,and I dont think the swaros were that wide before the swarovisions).The specified Eye relief is 15 mm,and that seems right for usable eye relief,since I can see the entire FOV with my glasses on(they DO have better eye relief than the Audubon´s ,for sure)
The binoculars gave me the impression,at first light,to have a smaller AFOV than the massive 436 feet would grant,..intuition and informal measurement of the exit pupil makes me think that the binocular can have somehow a bit less than 8X..perhaps beetwen 7.5X and 8X.

The specifications for close focus are about 15 feet,but my pair focusses sharp at 10 feet,and that is good..at least I can focus way past infinity without using my eyeglasses ..I prefer this range than a binocular that can focus at 5 feet but doesnt gives enough override to accomodate 3 dioptes past infinity.

Exceptional coatings also make the binos very resistent to internal flares(there are reflections at the edge of the exit pupil,but once properly aligned and at the right eye relief distance,these reflections dissappear entirely) .The diopter settings are achieved by twisting the entire right eyepiece up and down in a helicoil ,typical design for porros I guess..and is very easy to change..,this can be bad,or good. I need to change my settings from close to far focus for + to - ,so I dont mind to constantly adjusting this,as a part of the proper binocular operation,but maybe some users can find such a movility in the diopter setting a flaw.
They are super,or ULTRA,Lite..at 18.5 oz..And You can feel a sense of Quality in the way they look..(plus dont forget the reassuring golden shinny Japan Telescope Institute QC sticker.."PASSED"!!)...great finish in all casted parts..entirely aluminum construction,not a single plastic part,rubber light armor and classy paint work in a unique neutral grey...).They also have a very ample IPD setting range ,going from 51 to 75 mm..That makes it usable for small kids (my 5 years old have something really close to 51mm IPD)

Despite being,as I said ,very well make,I would have some concerns about durability under extreme use conditions,not being waterproof and having such light weight chasis.
Anyway..I think Swift (or JB56,Hiyoshi Kogaku,the manufacturer)competed directly with their EII series,at the time,and I really would like to compare the Ultra 32mm with the 8x EII..

I know the review comes more than 20 years late,but since Swift JUST revived the Audubon 820 to a new body design I though that the Ultra Lite 8x 32 was worth to mention again,since is one of those designs ,that are SO good ,that would very well deserve to get last generation coatings,and a slightly more robust body with some sort of weatherproofing...I know there are some good options for a similar product already out there,but these optics I am talking about are STELLAR..

And while mentioning how late the review comes..does anyone knows years of production and serial numbers correlation for this Model?....

Congrats! on finally finding an 8x32 Ultralite. I've always wanted to try one myself. John Cota, who has owned more binoculars than Dennis, liked this bin and held on to it more than two weeks, which if you knew John's buying and selling habits, speaks volumes.

I read somewhere that the Carton Adlerblick 8x32 was the same bin re-badged. However, the Carton is Überlite, at 16.8 oz. From the posted resolution numbers (not sure how those were arrived at, but I'm sure we will find out soon enough), relative to the 8x42 model, the 8x32 has almost 2 SOA less resolution. You seem to suggest that the 8x32 Ultralite has higher resolution than the 8x42 model? If so, the Ultralite and Carton are two different animals

Carton 8x32 specs:
http://www.carton.ca/binoculars1.html

I had the Celestron 8x32 Ultima, another Japanese made 8x32. The centerfield was among the sharpest I've seen, but the edges were, to quote reviewer/weatherman Todd Gross, "crummy".

It was my first exposure to significant field curvature. Small, very sharp sweet spot, but the sharpness fell off quickly although most of the wide "edge" could be refocused, but of course, not at the same time as the centerfield.

I bought it because Steve Ingraham had the bin listed as the "Best Buy" in midsized birding bins on Better View Desired. I sold the Ultima to Cota, who flipped it in 60 seconds (he uses his bins primarily for stargazing, so he likes sharp edges).

I then bought a Swift 8x42 Ultralite, which was on Ingraham's reference list as "Best Buy" in the full sized category.

I liked the 8x42 Ultralites, smaller FOV but much better edges. Though not as razor sharp on axis, it was still quite good. I bought it new from Adorama, one of the few bins I've bought new. I traded that to Cota for another bin... 10x35 EII or 820 Audubon. For some reason I still have a fondness for the 8x42 Ultralite, but I was on the Quest.... for the best.

So I moved up the food chain (and Ingraham's list) to his "top of the pops" 8x32 SE. For years it was the top bin in my (now scant) binocular collection. Now I would rank the 8x30 EII a rung higher because it offers the same sharpness in almost the same size sweet spot as the 8x32 SE, but with a larger FOV (8.8*). Colors look a bit more vibrant too.

Sounds from your description of the 8x32 Ultralite that you'd also like the 8x30 EII. I'd be interested in reading comparative review of the two bins.

But wait at least two weeks before buying one.

Brock

Hi Brock..Have You been known as Mr Horseradish in the past or is Me starting to Go Off track?..anyway,..your face reads familiar...
I havent look at the Carton(spanish for cardboard)"olderbrick"but in its nomenclature we find a wonderful mix of light and heavy weight materials..The Specifications are similar but eye relief at 10mm for the Adlerblick woud be a bit too Short to use with glasses,or without,for that matter.The Ultra lite has 15mm of eye relief,and I found the spec. to be right..
So maybe they(Carton and Swift)are not the same binos..
The other model You mentioned, The Ultima 8x32,both in the Celestron and Vixen brands, should be exactly the same bin as the Ultra Lite,for all i have read...However ,I would not consider the edge performance of this binocular to be crummy..But maybe I have more tolerance than others for that caracteristic,in the same way that other people tolerate CA or Glare...
In the center of the view ,Image is as sharp ,or sharper perhaps ,than the Zeiss FL 8x32,and has a very similar FOV as well,but edge performance is a little better than the FL..also there is something else in the optical formula(as the FL)that doesnt allow for complete focussing of the edges..but transition is very gradual,and only the outer 10 % is affected by distorssion,so the effect to my eyes is of an almost entirely sweet spot inside a panoramic view..

So You found the Ultima edge performance to be Crummy but not theedge performance of the E II?..interesting... Some people complain about that in the EII...

In the mean time, politicians get away with enything they want, and they tell Us otherwise in our face,.....They change reality ,twist perspectives ,smooth rough edges, alter hues and defy all the laws of optics .. And all under the close scrutiny of our sharpest instruments...

mayoayo said:

Hello all Swift Fans....
I want to make a couple of comments in a binocular that I have always wanted to have but never had a chance to get or even see...
I finally got ,a couple months of ago a unit ,brand new-old stock,of the Swift 763#,Ultra Lite 8x 32..
I have owned a pair of the 8x 42 in the past,and It didnt impressed me as much as the 32mm has
..I owned at the time a 820 non ED and the difference in FOV and sharpness was evident when putting the 8x 42 Ultra lite and the Audubons side by side, making the ultra lite feel an inferior bino,at least to my liking,and only having some advantage in being much more lighter..
The 8x32 is a different story,What an amazing binocular this is!..I knew that different configurations of the same model were not all the same in optical performance,and differences in image quality went beyond magnification,DOF and FOW..
The 8x 32 ultra lite is definitely one of my favorite binoculars ever,and compares in Sharpness ,and other optical qualities,with the best binos out there.They are sharp,neutral natural color rendering, and dont suffer from excessive CA..They Show an amazing wide FOV,436' ,8.5 degrees,with GREAT edge performance.(better than any other binocular I have tried with that wide a FOV,except perhaps swaros,and I dont think the swaros were that wide before the swarovisions).The specified Eye relief is 15 mm,and that seems right for usable eye relief,since I can see the entire FOV with my glasses on(they DO have better eye relief than the Audubon´s ,for sure)
The binoculars gave me the impression,at first light,to have a smaller AFOV than the massive 436 feet would grant,..intuition and informal measurement of the exit pupil makes me think that the binocular can have somehow a bit less than 8X..perhaps beetwen 7.5X and 8X.

The specifications for close focus are about 15 feet,but my pair focusses sharp at 10 feet,and that is good..at least I can focus way past infinity without using my eyeglasses ..I prefer this range than a binocular that can focus at 5 feet but doesnt gives enough override to accomodate 3 dioptes past infinity.

Exceptional coatings also make the binos very resistent to internal flares(there are reflections at the edge of the exit pupil,but once properly aligned and at the right eye relief distance,these reflections dissappear entirely) .The diopter settings are achieved by twisting the entire right eyepiece up and down in a helicoil ,typical design for porros I guess..and is very easy to change..,this can be bad,or good. I need to change my settings from close to far focus for + to - ,so I dont mind to constantly adjusting this,as a part of the proper binocular operation,but maybe some users can find such a movility in the diopter setting a flaw.
They are super,or ULTRA,Lite..at 18.5 oz,and quality construction..great finish in all casted parts..entirely aluminum construction,not a single plastic part,rubber light armor and classy paint work in a unique neutral grey...).They also have a very ample IPD setting range ,going from 51 to 75 mm..That makes it usable for small kids (my 5 years old have something really close to 51mm IPD)

Despite being,as I said ,very well make,I would have some concerns about durability under extreme use conditions,not being waterproof and having such light weight chasis.
Anyway..I think Swift (or JB56,Hiyoshi Kogaku,the manufacturer)competed directly with their EII series,at the time,and I really would like to compare the Ultra 32mm with the 8x EII..

I know the review comes more than 20 years late,but since Swift JUST revived the Audubon 820 to a new body design I though that the Ultra Lite 8x 32 was worth to mention again,since is one of those designs ,that are SO good ,that would very well deserve to get last generation coatings,and a slightly more robust body with some sort of weatherproofing...I know there are some good options for a similar product already out there,but these optics I am talking about are STELLAR..

And while mentioning how late the review comes..does anyone knows years of production and serial numbers correlation for this Model?....

Click to expand...

Very nice review, Mayoayo. Could you post a picture or two of the Swift 763#,Ultra Lite 8x 32? Since Hiyoshi Kogaku made it, I'd expect the serial no. to tell us the year of manufacture.

Ed

Ultra Lite pictures

Sure elkclub,... and thanks , I am glad You enjoyed the review..
Here are some pictures, showing also the nice small case,box and accessories..You can see the beautiful coatings in the ocular lenses,a mix of Red,violet,orange ,green and blue hues can be noticed in the reflections..almost like the current Pentax ED coatings!..(well, the Pentax has at least 7 colors in the objectives ,pretty much the whole spectrum,but close).
The Objectives also have beautiful green AR coatings,. At least two shades of Green can be seen,one a bit yellowish or lemony and another deeper emerald.An undershade of very light orange pink is also noticeable..These are complex AR and remind me of the Nikon SE coatings more than the flatter ,shinnier ,emerald coating used in the 820.
Serial number in etched in the tripod adapter mount,also spring covered,like the 804 and 820 models. Serial # for my pair is 202277

Nice thread, mayomayo. Thanks for the photos too.

Hi Mayoayo

Nice find i've looked around for one of these from time to time and they are pretty rare

I bought a mint 10 x 42 version for a song about a year ago and the coatings are of similar hues
The 10 x is a 6.5 degree fov and very nice indeed imho an underrated binocular that is often overlooked in the shadow of Swift's more famous and excellent Audubon

Guess the 8 x 32 can still be found ....... just need to look harder and longer

Enjoy

Regards
RichT

richt said:

Hi Mayoayo

Nice find i've looked around for one of these from time to time and they are pretty rare

I bought a mint 10 x 42 version for a song about a year ago and the coatings are of similar hues
The 10 x is a 6.5 degree fov and very nice indeed imho an underrated binocular that is often overlooked in the shadow of Swift's more famous and excellent Audubon

Guess the 8 x 32 can still be found ....... just need to look harder and longer

Enjoy

Regards
RichT

Click to expand...

Mayoayo,

Thanks for posting those photos. I always liked the look and feel of the original Ultra Lite's gray rubber armoring.

Rich,

The 10x42 Ultra Lite was listed as "Best Buy" on Stephen Ingraham's reference list for 10x bins.

So I tried the 10x42 version but found it had too much pincushion. <edit> I just looked these up on BVD and Ingraham also noticed the pincushion. He said:

"These binocs' excellent weight and very compact, holdable, body make them simply wonderful in the field. Their optics leave nothing to be desired either, with excellent center field resolution, and only slight distortion at the edge of field. They do have a noticeable curved field of focus."

http://betterviewdesired.com/The-Allure-of-Power.php

His wording is awkward but it's clear from the sentence before the last ("only slight distortion at the edge of field.") that he's not talking about field curvature but pincushion. Though for him, it apparently wasn't bothersome. Like "rolling ball" some people apparently don't see excessive pincushion or learn to ignore it.

Looking at something square or rectangular like the outside trash bin or my flat computer screen, straight lines curve inwardly, as they do with the 8x30 EII and more so with the 7x36 ED2.

The 8x44 ED version also had a fair amount of pincushion, but less than the 10x42. The 8x42 model was better balanced in terms of distortion, not too much, not too little. I liked it best.

I probably could have lived with the level of distortion in the 8x44 ED model since it provided bright views on dismal days, but the close focus of 18 ft. was too much since I did a lot of close-in birding at the time.

These days I'm "out and about" more often than in my wooded backyard "wildlife habitat" or in the nearby woods because of never ending local construction, which is keeping our local officials' pockets lined with gold but is a blight upon the quality of life in the area for human, fowl, and animal.

A quality 10x42 would be useful to me now, particularly on overcast days, which we get a lot of in the spring.

Brock

Kevin..Thanks,I am glad You stopped by..

richt..I agree...the Ultra lite series had a strong contender ,right there at home, with the Audubon..
.You are also right about the 8x32 being a bit more scarce than other configurations..This was a nice find,I agree.The seller had posted the wrong picture for the auction,..and If you didnt look in detail,It seemed to be an auction for a 8x42, that is definitely less exciting at 99 dollars starting bid.... I bet that the photo of the short 8x32 body would have called more attention to that auction!....And With a No reserve 1 cent start bid,YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!( I sold a Custom 9x36 on astromart for 175 dollars ,I think,and I though it was a good price..the guy that bought them sold them on EBAY a week after and they fetched 375$!!..I couldnt believe It..Next pair of the 9x36 sold for 125!!! )..I think 99 dollars for my New-Old-Stock ultra 8x32 was a good deal..Im happy about it,You cant buy a better view for 99 dollars,even if its waterproof..

Brock...I wonder...The 8x32 has very little pincushion ,or noticeable Field Curvature..but maybe I am inmune to these two characteristics of the image...straight lines seems pretty straight to me,and I have almost to imagine it,if i wanna see the slight upwards bending of the lines in the very edge of the image...and same goes for field curvature..most of the view is in focus at the same time.

Well, you talked me into it. I bought one last night. The pair I bought are a 70th Anniversary Special Model. Does anyone know when the 70th Anniversary models were produced? Was there any difference between them and the normal line except for the printing on the prism?

I hope this pair is as good as yours, Mayoayo!

Here are pictures:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=370505298498&si=xAhbTXMLsUn3N94xNN1hdV2uZS4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Model 763 ZWCF (A) Ultra Lite is listed in Swift Instrument's 2000 catalog. However, since Swift was founded in 1926 (as Swift & Anderson), the 70th Anniversary would be 1996. The suggested retail price in 2000 was $425. It's fully muli-coated, has a 4-element eyepiece, and a rather wide field of 436 ft. Perhaps you guys can tell us if there are Japanese maker's marks on it. Also look at the first two digits of the serial #, which may indicate the date of manufacture.

Nice buy,
Ed

Thanks for the info! I'll be out of town next week, so I'll have to wait til the 15th to try them out. I'll let you know you good they are.

BinoBoy said:

Thanks for the info! I'll be out of town next week, so I'll have to wait til the 15th to try them out. I'll let you know you good they are.

Click to expand...

Take them with you! They are small!:t:

Bob

BinoBoy said:

Well, you talked me into it. I bought one last night. The pair I bought are a 70th Anniversary Special Model. Does anyone know when the 70th Anniversary models were produced? Was there any difference between them and the normal line except for the printing on the prism?

I hope this pair is as good as yours, Mayoayo!

Here are pictures:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=370505298498&si=xAhbTXMLsUn3N94xNN1hdV2uZS4%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Click to expand...

BinoBoy,,,Congrats,I was going to post the link to that auction,with pictures ,because I thought the 70 anniversary model was an interesting one to show in the thread,but decided to wait until the auction was over(not really know why!).
I was curious about if that bino,the 70 anniversary,was a special design,or if is just a commemorative printing,..it is marked as "high resolution"..If is higher resolution than mine ,is going to hurt!
The japanese marking is J-b56,like the Audubon´s ,and has the same block housing the tripod mount,with its classic spring loaded plug. Mine is SN#202277. I cant really think of a year of production that makes sense based in the two first digits of this seria number

Hmmmm. Nothing like a good mystery. The binoculars were manufactured in 2000 as the serial# indicates, but a mistake was made on the cover plate marking, because 2001 was considered Swift's 75th Anniversary.

How do I know this? Good question. Attached find H.H. Swift's statement, printed on the inside front cover of the 2000 Catalog. The watermark says "Swift Instruments, Inc., 1926-2001." The last sentence refers to the 75th Anniversary year (not the 70th).

It must have been embarrassing. :-C

Ed

ED:

I am thinking that may be typical for many mfrs. in the timing of products that are
offered. We will see that by August 2011, you will be able to buy a 2012 car or light truck.

So they promote the Anniversary year, 2001-1926 = 75 years.
That was a big milestone for the company so they were just planning ahead.

Nothing out of the ordinary in my mind.

Jerry

Jerry,

Have you noted that they labeled the binoculars as "70th Anniversary," not 75th, in the year 2000? That looks like planning behind to me.

Ed

Ed...
The only serial number mentioned here is from my pair..#202277.......Is that year 2000? (..I cant see the logic..what is 2001 then? 21XXXX?)
..In any case the 70 anniversary model ,bought by BinoBoy,has a serial number that we dont know yet..I tried to make it up from the pictures,and looks like it also starts by 20XXXX,...but 25XXXX or 26XXXX are also possible..As a matter of fact it does look like 2X22XX,which would share 3 digits with my unit
We need the serial number of BinoBoy´s unit to find out if the 70 anniversary model was indeed made in 1996,and thus accurate with Swift´s chronology.

mayoayo said:

We need the serial number of BinoBoy´s unit to find out if the 70 anniversary model was indeed made in 1996,and thus accurate with Swift´s chronology.

Click to expand...

1996 seems more likely to be right to me. That was the heyday of the original Ultralite porro models. I remember them well, and I still sometimes use the 8x42 model. One nice spec of these bins is their very tight minimum IPD setting, and because the oculars are so small (even with good eye relief), they still leave room for one's nose when set so close.

--AP

mayoayo said:

... Mine is SN#202277. I cant really think of a year of production that makes sense based in the two first digits of this seria number

Click to expand...

Oops, my mistake. The s/n doesn't translate to anything I can make sense of either. For some reason I was thinking "00xxxx."

Ed