New released Swaro CL Companion 8x30 B (7 Viewers)

I just got the new CL 8x30 and first impression, the view is amazing and really hold well against my 8x32 EL. I can say, from my needs as a bird guide, this 30mm CL is good enough for a walk in the rainforest. I will report more after my next birding tours

Thanks to John, Phil and Kimmo for their comments on the diopter. In fact, it's the way you have to set the diopter that has so far kept me from getting the new CL. I need to make fine adjustments quite regularly, and any system that makes making such fine adjustments more difficult isn't ideal for my purposes. I actually prefer the good old adjustment at the right eyeppiece nowadays myself, it's simple, fast an efficient IMO.

Hermann

PhilR. said:

If you would care to read another’s opinion about the diopter mechanism — we find it very easy to use, which means that even though we don’t change the setting frequently, it would nonetheless be easy to live with if we did have need to change it frequently.

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I don't have any problems with the diopter either. Once it is set it doesn't move like sometimes eyepiece diopters do if they are too loose and I have no problem reading it. All there is is a little + and - on each side of the center line. You really don't have to move it very far to make an adjustment. Also, once you try the Field Pro straps I don't think you will want to go back to the old strap attachments. I wouldn't let the diopter stop you from buying IMO the best 8x30 compact I have used and the only one I think you could use as a full time birding binocular. The big advantage of the new CL is the easy eye placement for a 30mm and lack of flare. Much easier eye placement and less flare than a Nikon M7 8x30 or Maven B.3 8x30 or even the SV 8x32. Eye placement comfort is comparable to a 32mm or even bigger binocular. I had the Leupold Mojave 8x32 and the new CL is definitely superior optically but of course there is a huge price difference so it should be. In fact most agree that the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 is a great binocular for the price but I have compared the new CL 8x30 to the Conquest and I have a hard time deciding which is better. The Conquest HD 8x32 has a slightly larger FOV but the CL has sharper edges. Both the CL and the Conquest are equally as sharp on-axis and flare control is about equal. So if you like the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 or even the SV 8x32 you will like the new CL.

Hermann said:

Thanks to John, Phil and Kimmo for their comments on the diopter. In fact, it's the way you have to set the diopter that has so far kept me from getting the new CL. I need to make fine adjustments quite regularly, and any system that makes making such fine adjustments more difficult isn't ideal for my purposes. I actually prefer the good old adjustment at the right eyeppiece nowadays myself, it's simple, fast an efficient IMO.

Hermann

Click to expand...

To adjust the CL2, I push the center of the focus wheel with my left 2nd fingertip, while turning the wheel with my right thumb and 2nd finger (I am right-handed). A slight adjustment in grip is all that is necessary.

Quick and simple, although I too prefer the even simpler method of adjusting a ring at the right eyepiece, as long as the ring isn’t too loose of course.

[email protected] said:

IMO the best 8x30 compact I have used and the only one I think you could use as a full time birding binocular.

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I find myself agreeing with Dennis here, in fact given the performance on offer at between £400-600 cheaper than an 8x32 UV.FL or SV the CL looks quite a bargain.

PhilR. said:

To adjust the CL2, I push the center of the focus wheel with my left 2nd fingertip, while turning the wheel with my right thumb and 2nd finger (I am right-handed). A slight adjustment in grip is all that is necessary.

Quick and simple, although I too prefer the even simpler method of adjusting a ring at the right eyepiece, as long as the ring isn’t too loose of course.

Click to expand...

I went out an looked at the diopter on the new CL and revisited it. You know what it is quite a feat of engineering. On a binocular this small and compact you don't want the diopter on the right eyepiece because it would make the eyepiece to big and bulky. The eyepiece and mechanisms on the new CL are fantastic and they contribute to it's sleek appearance. The diopter is also superb engineering. It is small and out of the way and you are not going to move it. You simply depress it and it depresses easily and turn it maybe an 1/8 to a 1/4 of an inch either way to adjust it and it turns easily. It has a center mark and a + and a - on each side. You just release it and your done. How easy is that? Once set it won't move. The whole binocular is superb quality and the finish is flawless. The focus is smooth as you can get and perfect tension and the eye cups slide in and out like a precision instrument and the rubber that touches your eye sockets are perfectly comfortable. It is a perfect example of the saying "You get what you pay for." It is a benchmark for 8x30's IMO. If I could only have one binocular for all purposes the new CL would be it.

Here is a video from SONA that came out about a month ago showing more detail than the original announcement video. I do not think it has been posted yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3WL8OGqe50

Here is the original announcement video posted previously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHMintsw7HM

I stopped by the local Cabela's just before closing yesterday to see if they received any of the new CL models and it turns out they just recently got some so I checked out the 8X30.

The optics looked to be fantastic in my short store viewing and the mechanics were excellent. I really liked the size of the center view. The focus mechanism puts the EL and SLC to shame.

Now the puzzling parts. First, the eye cups have no intermediate positions, they are either full up or full down. That is unexpected for a binocular that is over $1,100. I found the extended eye cups on the short side and the sales rep found them to be a little to long. We were both viewing without glasses. It probably would not have been an issue for the sales rep had there been an intermediate position.

Looks like styling won over function and Swaro wanted to keep a clean look. Markings were almost impossible to read inside the darkness of the store where I was standing. I could see what looked like diopter markers but I could not make them out in the dim light. The model designation is on the side in a different shade of gray than the back color causing the sales rep difficulty in confirming what model he had in hand. Neither of these are fatal issues but they are not user friendly.

The big issue, as previously mentioned by other members, is the diopter adjustment design. I tried adjusting without eye glasses but I do not know if that is better or worse than with glasses. You have to push in on a rotating plate located on the end of the focus knob. There just is not much room to get your finger in between the bridge of your nose and the focus knob without things being very awkward. I do not know if they are this way, but the plate was hard to rotate and it did not offer a good grip. With all the pushing around and the stiff turning, it was easy to hit the primary focus knob and change the adjustment on it in the process of setting the diopter side. All the pushing also made it hard to keep the right barrel centered over the pupil. My left hand was not of much help in controlling things since it was being used to cover the left objective while trying to focus the right side with the diopter setting. Things may have been easier if I had an objective cap to cover the left objective and thus freeing up my left hand to help with the diopter.

I spent several minutes messing with it and never did get to the point where I felt that I had a good diopter setting. I find it astonishing that this design ever made it past the prototype stage. Interestingly, I think the diopter mechanism design of the EL and SLC is about the best I have ever used and the design of the new CL is about the worst. What were they thinking?

I will continue to try it out over time and will read suggestions here on the Forum on techniques for coping with the new diopter mechanism. I decided to take a pass on it for now considering the issues I had primarily with the diopter. A binocular at this level should not have what I consider a noticeable issue. If enough other potential customers feel the same, maybe Swaro will respond and come up with something more functional.

Being a 30mm model means the eye cup diameter is a little smaller than full size models and so the eye cup will fit in closer to the eye. That may explain why I found the eye cups a little short and had to hold it higher up from where I would naturally place it. I find it surprising Dennis does not have a similar experience considering the experience he had with too short of an eye cup on the Nikon Monarch HG. In my case, the shortness of the eye cup was minor and I think I could easily adjust.

Bruce
Thanks for a practical assessment of this bino's mechanics. I take it the eye cups did not have a tight enough action to stay put at intermediate settings?

Lee

I think Bruce has summed up setting the diopter very well, its a right royal pain in the preverbials, but for me its the only complaint, view, build, all top drawer.

I don't really get this debate. Although I've attempted to adjust the diopter while looking through the binos many times, it seems like way more trouble than it's worth. All types of diopters by the way, some of which entirely disconnect the focus from the diopter to adjust so what's the point?

I make small adjustments to the diopter, then, with both eyes open, roll the focus back and forth through the point of best focus. If you're like me you will know when it's right. And then, massively, you won't need to bother with it.

Mark

Bruce,

I have 2 SLCs albeit old ones: The SLC New 7x42 B and the SLC New 8x30 W B and their eye cups do not have intermediate positions. I don't know if the EL series has them.

I purchased an 8x30 CL Companion B about 10 days ago and I think it is great! I can't wait until we get decent weather to really use it.

On the matter of no intermediate positions for the eye cups, I wonder if this is deliberate because intermediate positions may not be needed with this binocular.

Jan has discussed the "Optical Box" the eye pieces are rumored to have in the new CL Companions which allows one to place the eye cups at various points around one's eyes without experiencing black outs.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3629332&postcount=23

and

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3633097&postcount=49

Well, I can tell you that this is a fact -- for myself at least.

I can brace the eye cups up against my brow ridge under my eye brows like I have to do normally and I can also push them back into my eye sockets and I won't get blackouts. The only other binocular I can do that with is the Pentax 9x32 DCF BC which is not nearly as bright as the new 8x30 CL Companion B.

Bob

Troubador said:

Bruce
Thanks for a practical assessment of this bino's mechanics. I take it the eye cups did not have a tight enough action to stay put at intermediate settings?

Lee

Click to expand...

Lee .... The eye cups do have some resistance when rotating them in an out so it may be possible for them to hold an intermediate position without a click stop. I did not try that so maybe an owner can offer more information. I suspect they will change position in normal use. I have that happen with models that have click stops. The other issue is how easily and quickly it would be to get both sides even when there are no click stops. It does not take much for me to pick up a problem when the eye cups are not at the same length. I have doubts on how practical it would be to obtain an intermediate position without click stops.

Torview said:

I think Bruce has summed up setting the diopter very well, its a right royal pain in the preverbials, but for me its the only complaint, view, build, all top drawer.

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If an owner can get a precise diopter setting and does not fiddle with the setting, then I can see the diopter design not being as much of an issue for them. You are right on saying everything else is top drawer. I will continue to check it out to see if I can adjust.

Kammerdiner said:

I don't really get this debate. Although I've attempted to adjust the diopter while looking through the binos many times, it seems like way more trouble than it's worth. All types of diopters by the way, some of which entirely disconnect the focus from the diopter to adjust so what's the point?

I make small adjustments to the diopter, then, with both eyes open, roll the focus back and forth through the point of best focus. If you're like me you will know when it's right. And then, massively, you won't need to bother with it.

Mark

Click to expand...

Mark ..... I view the diopter comments as more of an observation than a debate. I can see where the diopter setting process is not much of an issue for some since it can be a set it once and forget about it experience. I think any issues with the diopter design need to be pointed out so anyone thinking of buying the CL can decide if that is an issue in how they intend to use the CL.

I use the traditional method of setting the diopter of covering the right objective and focusing the left barrel with the main focus, then covering the left objective and focus the right objective on the same spot using the diopter adjustment. The two eye method discussed by some has not worked for me. I started a thread several years ago with a question on properly setting the diopter and I was surprised on the number of ways people did it. Some did not make sense to me but it worked for them!

ceasar said:

Bruce,

I have 2 SLCs albeit old ones: The SLC New 7x42 B and the SLC New 8x30 W B and their eye cups do not have intermediate positions. I don't know if the EL series has them.

.....................

On the matter of no intermediate positions for the eye cups, I wonder if this is deliberate because intermediate positions may not be needed with this binocular.

Jan has discussed the "Optical Box" the eye pieces are rumored to have in the new CL Companions which allows one to place the eye cups at various points around one's eyes without experiencing black outs.

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3629332&postcount=23

and

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3633097&postcount=49

Well, I can tell you that this is a fact -- for myself at least.

I can brace the eye cups up against my brow ridge under my eye brows like I have to do normally and I can also push them back into my eye sockets and I won't get blackouts. The only other binocular I can do that with is the Pentax 9x32 DCF BC which is not nearly as bright as the new 8x30 CL Companion B.

Bob

Click to expand...

Bob ..... The newer SLC WB HD models have one intermediate click position and the EL SV has two.

You may be right that Swaro thought intermediate stops were not necessary with their "Optical Box" technology. However it did not get the job done for me or the sales rep. Maybe it is like Leica's "Plasticity" where it works for some but not all.

Before I sent my review sample of the CL C 10x30 back to Swaro, I made an honest effort to try to see the famed "Optical Box" phenomenon, and must admit I failed. Pulling my eyes further back from the correct ER distance truncated the view (as it must since the angle at which your eye sees the eye lens narrows with distance). And pushing my eyes closer than ER distance did begin to induce kidney beaning soon enough. Now, there probably was less kidney beaning than with, say, Nikon SE's, but I certainly could not push my eyes freely closer to the lenses and hope to avoid shadows.

That was my experience, your MMV.

Kimmo

BruceH said:

Lee .... The eye cups do have some resistance when rotating them in an out so it may be possible for them to hold an intermediate position without a click stop. ............................................
..........................................


Bob ..... The newer SLC WB HD models have one intermediate click position and the EL SV has two.

You may be right that Swaro thought intermediate stops were not necessary with their "Optical Box" technology. However it did not get the job done for me or the sales rep. Maybe it is like Leica's "Plasticity" where it works for some but not all.

Click to expand...

Bruce,

It might have been a more practical reason too. Quality multi-position eye cups probably would have increased the cost of the binocular.

The Pentax binocular I mentioned above has cheap, mushy in operation, multi-position eye cups which I can only use fully extended, but from there I can place them against my brow ridge or move them back into my eye sockets without getting black outs.

Bob

BruceH said:

...
Mark ..... I view the diopter comments as more of an observation than a debate. I can see where the diopter setting process is not much of an issue for some since it can be a set it once and forget about it experience. I think any issues with the diopter design need to be pointed out so anyone thinking of buying the CL can decide if that is an issue in how they intend to use the CL.

I use the traditional method of setting the diopter of covering the right objective and focusing the left barrel with the main focus, then covering the left objective and focus the right objective on the same spot using the diopter adjustment. The two eye method discussed by some has not worked for me. I started a thread several years ago with a question on properly setting the diopter and I was surprised on the number of ways people did it. Some did not make sense to me but it worked for them!
...

Click to expand...

Yes, "discussion" would be a better word than "debate." I only had one cup of coffee this morning and it shows. Thanks for the discussion. I often use your method as well, but for the last little bit I often leave both eyes open.

I also recheck the diopters, especially with a new pair of glasses, but I'll be darned if both my SV's haven't been sitting in the same spot for years. Seven years in the case of the 8.5 and over five for the 8x32.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this new CL. Just need to find the time.

Mark

BruceH said:

I use the traditional method of setting the diopter of covering the right objective and focusing the left barrel with the main focus, then covering the left objective and focus the right objective on the same spot using the diopter adjustment. The two eye method discussed by some has not worked for me.

Click to expand...

Same here. The traditional method works best for me as well. The two eye method also doesn't work for me. Not at all.

What's more, now that I'm getting older I find I have to adjust the diopter quite regularly, sometimes even during the day when I'm out birding. I used to use just two settings on all my binoculars: The diopter adjustment was on "0" when I wore my contact lens, and at -4 diopters when I didn't. Nowadays it's between "0" and a bit more than -0.5 diopters when I wear my contact lens, and between -3.5 and -4 diopters when I don't. And I actually see the differences between these settings. If the settings are a bit out, the image doesn't look "right", so I adjust the settings until it does.

Hermann

Troubador said:

Bruce
Thanks for a practical assessment of this bino's mechanics. I take it the eye cups did not have a tight enough action to stay put at intermediate settings?

Lee

Click to expand...

I have no problem with the diopter at all. A lot of times you have to adjust and adapt to something new. People are naturally reluctant to accept change. Watch the youtube clip and see how easy the diopter is to adjust. The eye cups are tight enough so they will stay in intermediate positions so in effect you have an infinite number of adjustment positions. I think the eye cups are one of the best engineered parts of the binocular. They are very high quality and really smooth and solid.

http://redirect.viglink.com/?format...t=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3WL8OGqe50

kabsetz said:

Before I sent my review sample of the CL C 10x30 back to Swaro, I made an honest effort to try to see the famed "Optical Box" phenomenon, and must admit I failed. Pulling my eyes further back from the correct ER distance truncated the view (as it must since the angle at which your eye sees the eye lens narrows with distance). And pushing my eyes closer than ER distance did begin to induce kidney beaning soon enough. Now, there probably was less kidney beaning than with, say, Nikon SE's, but I certainly could not push my eyes freely closer to the lenses and hope to avoid shadows.

That was my experience, your MMV.

Kimmo

Click to expand...

The optical box certainly works for my eyes. I have never used a 30mm with such easy eye placement and focus accomodation. I can move them in and out several mm's with no blackouts. Pretty amazing IMO.

[email protected] said:

The eye cups are tight enough so they will stay in intermediate positions so in effect you have an infinite number of adjustment positions. I think the eye cups are one of the best engineered parts of the binocular. They are very high quality and really smooth and solid.

Click to expand...

Thats good to hear Dennis. I do this with our Terra 8x32s and it works fine. But as Bruce points out you need to take care setting the eye cups at the same height and keeping them there. If you don't you won't be looking through the bins on axis and can expect more CA and quite probably other undesirable optical effects.

Lee