Thoughts on sand? (1 Viewer)

In the Eagle Optics Youtube video on the 25mm CL's they refer to them as "sand" as well.

Gotta call it something. It would be a little awkward to say they are available in "black, green, and Traveler," wouldn't it?

CSG, it's the "beige" part I find a touch off-putting. I'm not a big fan of beige and the times I've seen them they kinda struck me that way as well.

Anyway, didn't mean to cause a stink, but internet junkies aren't really gonna be able to tell me what this color is like to live with. For that I need users, and I thank all of those who have used them and offered an opinion.

And I'm so "bonded" to Swaro that I currently own Nikon, Leica, Zeiss, Meopta, Bushnell, Celestron, Olympus...oh, and two Swarovski. I'm so hooked my last purchase of a spotting scope pitted a Swaro ATM against a Meopta S2 and I sent the Swaro packing.

Mark

PS: I suspect the "Traveler" designation started out as a special edition of a single binocular, the 8x32 EL. Now that three different models are available I suspect Swaro would probably phase it out in favor of "sand."

Actually, truth be told, I'd be very tempted by the sand color if I ever bought new Swarovskis. They stand out and like I said earlier, I'm a khaki guy.

If you can't decide between green or brown, take black!

That is what I would take at least...

Well, you guys can go with "sand" if you like, but in my mind that word brings up connotations of Kitty Litter ::cat: :eek!:

And I am really not a Swarovski Fan Boy! If I were I would insist on Tan or Traveler!

Bob

ceasar said:

I've got both the 8 x 30 CL and 8 x 25 CL in Tan. Their "silvered" tubes are muted and really can't be called shiny like those you see on the Leica Silver binoculars.

The 8 x 30 CL is my wife's personal binocular. I've used it a lot. It's focus wheel is smooth and firm in both directions. The 8 x 25 CL's focuser is faster and looser with no backlash but still smooth. Of course, it is much smaller than the focuser on the 8 x 30CL, which I would call oversized.

I've had the 8 x 25 for over a month and have used it almost every day. I am pleased with how good it is. It has the expected sharpness, good contrast and good edges and is a pleasure to use. The double hinges have a stop at full extension. I open the right tube all the way and set my IPD by adjusting the left tube. The hinges are pleasantly stiff and hold the IPD firmly.

The 8 x 30 is noticeably brighter in twilight conditions. The 8 x 25 fits into large work shirt pockets if you like wearing those kind of shirts as shirt-jacs as I do.

It's 17mm ER and large eye cups are very comfortable for me. ER is 2mm longer than the 8 x 30 which has larger eye cups. (I don't wear glasses.) FOV on both of them is not appreciably different although the 8 x 30 is sightly wider.

They are both good looking binoculars but do not particularly "stick out" or call attention to themselves. The black highlights on both of them are attractive.

Bob

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Bob:

How about a review, and can you post some pics of these 2 side by
side.
The size difference may not be much different, so a picture will help
in deciding this one. The weights are not much different.
I am thinking the 8x30 will be easier and better optically simply because of the larger exit pupil.

This thread was concerned about the sand color, so maybe not the best
place to put out the review.

Jerry

With all this talk of colour, has Swarovski ever produced the EL series, SV or pre, in black?

I would wonder why no black version as it seems the nearly universal binocular colour.

james holdsworth said:

With all this talk of colour, has Swarovski ever produced the EL series, SV or pre, in black?

I would wonder why no black version as it seems the nearly universal binocular colour.

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Pure and simple. Long ago, Swarovski Sports Optics established itself as a hunting optics company. Hunters generally buy two colors - green and camo.

Even though birders eventually jumped on the EL bandwagon (after Swaro changed the pokey focuser), the company stayed true to its colors, probably because even with the gains in the birdwatching market, most Swaros are still bought by hunters. Or at least they were until Proud Papa started posting to Birdforum.

Pockets generally aren't used for hunting because of their relatively low light gathering Birdwatchers use pockets, sports fans use them, yachtsmen use them, and ladies who like crystals wear them. So they vary the options to meet the tastes of the individual user.

I can't imagine a black EL selling well, but a camo version might do well with hunters. I think the reason Swarovski hasn't offered a camo version even in its SLC series might be over concern that it would cheapen the brand.

Camo is usually found only in lower priced binoculars, but there are exceptions such as Kahles and the Brunton Epoch ($800 and $1600, respectively), but AFAIK, there are no full sized or midsized camo alpha roofs.

I like to make automobile analogies, so here's another. Back when, automobiles only came in one color - black. Henry Ford Ford wrote in his autobiography that in 1909 he told his management team that in the future “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."

Green was reserved for Ford touring cars, town cars, coupes, and Landaulets (a car body style similar to a limousine, but with the passenger section covered by a convertible top).

My black body 8x30 EII looks nicer to me than my older gray body 8x EII. It has a "classic look." Classic equates with "old fashioned."

More and more green binoculars have appeared on the scene over the past decade or so - Vortex, Stokes, Zen Ray, Hawke, Pentax, Kowa, Kahless, etc.

As Elle Woods might say: Green is the new black.

Brock

Brock,

There may be 50 shades of grey in art and in literature but there are no shades of grey on the EII's as I can attest to having recently re-glued the black rubber covering back onto my circa 2001 8 x 30 EII for the 3rd time.

Bob

Or at least they were until Proud Papa started posting to Birdforum.
Brock[/QUOTE]

I'd say our market is still roughly 5 to 1, hunters to birders. But even at that, more ELs than SLCs. And of the SLCs, the 15x56s are by far the winners.

Any Tan model is the easiest to get. They're never on backorder.

ceasar said:

Brock,

There may be 50 shades of grey in art and in literature but there are no shades of grey on the EII's as I can attest to having recently re-glued the black rubber covering back onto my circa 2001 8 x 30 EII for the 3rd time.

Bob

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Bob,

The early EII has charcoal gray "armoring" (more aptly described as a thin covering on the prism housings) and a lighter gray frame, whereas the newer EIIs have both black armoring and a black frame.

See if you can pick the gray frame EIIs out of the line up (hint: there are two of each version).

<B>

Brock,

Your #4 is weird. I have the original skin (cover) on mine and it is black. Yours isn't. The metal on mine is also darker than your #4. Even the focus wheel on yours looks grey and mine is black although they both have a glossy black IPD cover.

The cover on mine is darker than your #1 but the metal color showing is closer to mine, flat with no gloss. #3 and #4 look like they have glossy black paint on the metal unlike mine but their skin (cover) doesn't look any blacker than mine.

Bob

Bob,

I took some side by side pix that help show the differences better.

The "armoring" on the black body EII is thicker and harder than the gray body's. I don't think I will have to worry about it bubbling or peeling off. It's sticky compared to the original flimsy rubber -- good for gripping but bad in that any schmutz on your hands will stick, and it doesn't wipe off that easily.

The black paint is a semi-gloss. What's the same color on both versions is the metal eyepiece housings, they are black on both. Same with the end cap on top of the center post. On the bottom of the center post, the gray body model's end cap is black in the center with a gray outside ring; on the black body, the bottom end cap is all black.

Not sure why Nikon changed the color scheme, but I'm glad they changed the prism housing covering, which was horrible on the gray body model. I need to re-glue the top on both sides of mine again, too. Bushwackers solve the problem of the bare metal objective housings.

Brock

brocknroller said:

Bob,

I took some side by side pix that help show the differences better.

The "armoring" on the black body EII is thicker and harder than the gray body's. I don't think I will have to worry about it bubbling or peeling off. It's sticky compared to the original flimsy rubber -- good for gripping but bad in that any schmutz on your hands will stick, and it doesn't wipe off that easily.

The black paint is a semi-gloss. What's the same color on both versions is the metal eyepiece housings, they are black on both. Same with the end cap on top of the center post. On the bottom of the center post, the gray body model's end cap is black in the center with a gray outside ring; on the black body, the bottom end cap is all black.

Not sure why Nikon changed the color scheme, but I'm glad they changed the prism housing covering, which was horrible on the gray body model. I need to re-glue the top on both sides of mine again, too. Bushwackers solve the problem of the bare metal objective housings.

Brock

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The differences in the colors on the metal is more evident. The rubber coverings not so much except in the 3rd picture; assuming the new version is rubber like the old ones are.

I can see that the covering is slipping loose on the left prism housing on the top binocular in the second photograph.

Bob