Dean, right now on ebay, there are a goodly # of really fine binos on auction.....2 10x42 FL's ($1195 & $1565), 2 10x42SE's (both at $600, one from a regular poster to BF), 2 10x42HG ($755 & $1120), a 10x42SLC ($710 current bid)....also for anyone else interested, 2 8x30EII's ($450 & $495) 2 8x32FL's ($1395 &$1600), and an 8x32LX L ($859). You really can't go wrong with any of these, tho' some may be a little optimistically priced....
I've had a 10x42SE since Jun 01 (have the 8x & 12x as well), and I have 2 FL's and several other brands, so I have no real preference. The only advantage I can see in the FL is a little wider field & twistups. I don't consider waterproofing an advantage, tho' some do. But the view.....the SE will hold its own with anything out there.
Thanks, Spyglass. I've been watching some of the bins that you mentioned on e-bay. If I didn't have a pair of 12X50 SEs on order, I'd probably be trying to bag a pair of used FLs, though I certainly don't need them. However, if Zeiss produced a 12X50 FL T, I might be tempted to take out a second mortgage.
I do consider the FLs to have the most natural view of any bins I've ever used, though the samples I've tried seemed to have considerably greater edge distortion than I've ever seen in any SE. My Canon 10X42Ls are every bit the equal of my 8X SEs in this regard, and actually have even less CA than my SEs.
This issue of contrast is interesting to me. In my perception of things, it isn't unusual to have the perception of less contrast and color saturation when you have greater brightness, and to my eyes, the FLs have the brightest image of all, if only by a small margin. I do consider Swaros to have greater contrast (more punch) than the FLs or the SEs, but to my eyes, colors appear slightly exaggerated and as such not as accurate in their color rendition. I'm certain Swaro advocates would disagree. We all seem to perceive differently.
So far, the bottom line for me has been that the European Alphas, while wonderful, do not provide such a clear cut superiority to all else to warrant an investment of two to three times the cost of some of the better Japanese glass (like the SEs). YMMV.
Dean