Swarovski 8x30w Porro Prism (1 Viewer)

jmjutras said:

How do they compare to the nikon 8x32 SE? I kinda though (was led to think) that the SE were the only serious contender in the porro world...jm

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I have compared these side-by-side, and the SE outperforms the 8x30 for contrast, center-field sharpness and edge sharpness. I thought the differences were fairly obvious, though to others they may seem subtle. The 8x30 displays much more CA, but in other respects--brightness and field of view--they are similar. I like the ergonomics of both binoculars, and I really like the daintyness and lightness of the 8x30, which comes across as a compact binocular. The focus of the SE is tight in cold weather, but the 8x30 is much worse. Still, the 8x30 is a very fine binocular which deserves far more attention than it has gotten.

I owned the 10x40 Swarovski porro for awhile. It exhibits terrible CA on high-contrast subjects. On close subjects it seemed to be as sharp as an SE, but on distant objects, my 8x32 SE resolved more detail. I never understood that, but perhaps it is linked to the poor control of CA.

jmjutras said:

John,
You are a real fan of the SE, I know that! The SE are realy good binos, I also know that. Now, how do they compare to the Habicht? If you have looked through them, then I would realy like to know your impressions. If you haven't, aren't you a bit intriged about them? I sure am!
jm

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Please read the responses by those who have really compared these bins. They have facts I don't.

John

leicaeddy said:

Literally the FOV of 7x42 Habicht is pretty darn horrible. However, believe it or not, to my eyes the view is not too restricted. .
.

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Yes , the FOV is small ,only 114meters(at 1000m). The Pentax 8x43SP has a FOV of only 110meters!,but not many complain about this. Yes,the Pentax has 1x more magnification,but compared to competitors 110m is very small!
Reviewers always complain about the Swaro 7x42 FOV,but why is this not such a big point when talking about the Pentax SP? I wonder why....

Jonathan B. said:

I have compared these side-by-side, and the SE outperforms the 8x30 for contrast, center-field sharpness and edge sharpness. I thought the differences were fairly obvious, though to others they may seem subtle.

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To my eyes, the image of the Habicht 8x30 looks very similar to that of the 8x32 EL, both in sharpness and contrast. The porro has better 3d view, but the EL has more or less no flaring/reflections. However, many seems to agree that the Nikon 8x32 SE is indeed slightly better optically than the EL.

A short summary of the pros of both binoculars compared to each other could perhaps be:

Nikon 8x32 SE:
Sligthly better optical performance (more or less like 8x32 SE vs 8x32 EL).
Better focus wheel.
Better eye relief.
Somewhat better regarding flaring/reflections?

Swarovski 8x30 Habicht:
Slightly better FOV (138/1000 vs 131/1000 according to tech specs).
Nitrogen filled, waterproof.
Prize: May vary, but at least in Norway the SE cost around 100 dollars more.
Warranty: May vary, but in Norway 30 years for the Swarovski, 10 years for the Nikon.

Both seems to be well made and both have good close focus (2-3 m).

Anything I have forgotten?

TTT said:

Anything I have forgotten?

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Dear TTT,

Do you wear spectacles?

My difficulty with the 8x32 Nikon SE is that the image blacks out, a problem common to wearers of eyeglasses. An 8x30, with poor eye relief, but with great dioptre accomodation, at least -7.5, is more convenient for me because I can take my glasses off and use the binocular. I can use the Nikon, with my glasses, but it takes a peculiar manner of holding to avoid blackouts.

I read that the dioptre accomodation of the Habicht 8x30 is only plus or minus 5, a shortcoming in a glass with 12 mm, eye relief.

Laika,

The Habicht 7x42 has an apparent field of only 46 degrees, which seems constrained. An eight power with the same real field of view, would have an apparent field of view of 52.5 degrees. Most people prefer an apparent, or subjective, field of view greater than 50 degrees. The habicht 8x30 has an apparent field of view of 60 degrees, which many bird watchers would find pleasing.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

Pinewood said:

Dear TTT,

Do you wear spectacles?

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No, I don't, but a friend of mine claims his Habicht 8x30 (non-armored) is rather "spectacle-friendly".