Nikon 8x32 SE review - vs. Habicht and Swarovision (1 Viewer)

Year ago I had older 8x32 SE /but older one maybe 503xxx, I don´t remind exactly/ and I compared it to 8,5x42 EL SV /also older one 7948XXXX.../, and what I found difference was that SV has more white image, slightly brighter /in sunny day/, and clearer view with better contrast, also SE sometimes caused blackouts. Also edge sharpness of SV was better in last ~10% of FOV. Centre sharpness of SE was very high comparable to SV, but 0,5x difference provide better resolution when watching road signs at ~1km.
SE was also very good for stargazing despite its small lens diameter, it also controll CA very well and it was my favourite binocular which I used during walks with dog.
But later I sold it to friend for price which was very unfavorable for me /150€ - in Slovakia it is problematic to sell it, because there are not many birders, and hunters community buy only larger than x50 binoculars/ and I bought demo of Trino-BN 8x42 (300€), mainly due to its durability, and better low-light performance.

Now I sorrow for my old SE, because it was legend between binoculars, and with discontinue of its manufacture its value can rise, because on the market there are no small porro´s comparable to SE in terms of quality, if I do not count Habichts.

Best regards Kestrel

kestrel1 said:

Year ago I had older 8x32 SE /but older one maybe 503xxx, ......
But later I sold it to friend for price which was very unfavorable for me /150€ - in Slovakia it is problematic to sell it, because there are not many birders, and hunters community buy only larger than x50 binoculars/ and I bought demo of Trino-BN 8x42 (300€), mainly due to its durability, and better low-light performance.

Now I sorrow for my old SE, because it was legend between binoculars, and with discontinue of its manufacture its value can rise, because on the market there are no small porro´s comparable to SE in terms of quality, if I do not count Habichts.

Best regards Kestrel

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In 2000 I was offered the Nikon 8x32 SE for US$475/- at a New York retail store which generously let me choose from three samples. It was clearly sharper and brighter than the Pentax 8x42 WP ($325) which I bouht eventually. THe Nikon was clearly better but was it $150 better? I did not think so at the time but now I do.
Chhayanat

Holger Merlitz said:

Please read carefully, this is what Tobias was writing:





The feature he describes here is the well known Absam ring.

Cheers,
Holger

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Hmm. That is what that is called. I have noticed it on my SV although it is very subtle.

kestrel1 said:

Year ago I had older 8x32 SE /but older one maybe 503xxx, I don´t remind exactly/ and I compared it to 8,5x42 EL SV /also older one 7948XXXX.../, and what I found difference was that SV has more white image, slightly brighter /in sunny day/, and clearer view with better contrast, also SE sometimes caused blackouts. Also edge sharpness of SV was better in last ~10% of FOV. Centre sharpness of SE was very high comparable to SV, but 0,5x difference provide better resolution when watching road signs at ~1km.
SE was also very good for stargazing despite its small lens diameter, it also controll CA very well and it was my favourite binocular which I used during walks with dog.
But later I sold it to friend for price which was very unfavorable for me /150€ - in Slovakia it is problematic to sell it, because there are not many birders, and hunters community buy only larger than x50 binoculars/ and I bought demo of Trino-BN 8x42 (300€), mainly due to its durability, and better low-light performance.

Now I sorrow for my old SE, because it was legend between binoculars, and with discontinue of its manufacture its value can rise, because on the market there are no small porro´s comparable to SE in terms of quality, if I do not count Habichts.

Best regards Kestrel

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I agree with everything you said. We are as they say on the same page.

kestrel1 said:

Now I sorrow for my old SE, because it was legend between binoculars, and with discontinue of its manufacture its value can rise, because on the market there are no small porro´s comparable to SE in terms of quality, if I do not count Habichts.

Best regards Kestrel

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You can still get an EII 8x30, Kestrel! I switch between my SE and my EII, and although there are differences, they are equally superb binoculars, and very similar. Some days I prefer the EII. There is a secret society of Birdforum members who know how to source a pair at a a great price from a dealer in Hong Kong. It´s a bit like the Freemasons - you join by application, with the magic question "Can anyone PM me the email address of the guy in HK who can sell EII´s?"

[email protected] said:

I agree with everything you said. We are as they say on the same page.

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So you`re sorry you sold your SE ?

Torview said:

So you`re sorry you sold your SE ?

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No. I still feel based even on just optics the SV is better than the SE and it is a way better all around binocular. I do feel if you can snag one for about $500.00 the SE is the best optics you can get for the money still. But I agree with Tobias that the Habicht 8x30 is the very best porro you can buy based on pure optics if you can modify it to work for you. It is kind of a pain to send it back to Swarovski to get the focus loosened and modify the eyecups and put sunshades on it but he is correct in that it would probably be awesome if you did all that stuff. The Habicht 8x30 is better than the SE optically.

I feel I can forgive weaknesses in a 700.- glass which I can´t in a 1700.- glass...

and I guess - judging from the many different opinions I read - that the SEs and E2s have more sample variation then the SV.

Sancho said:

There is a secret society of Birdforum members who know how to source a pair at a a great price from a dealer in Hong Kong. It´s a bit like the Freemasons - you join by application, with the magic question "Can anyone PM me the email address of the guy in HK who can sell EII´s?"

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:king: :king: :king:

Lee

Sancho said:

I think maybe you´ll have to come to an Irish atlantic island in lousy weather, with precipitation that varies from mist to drizzle to downpour. Maybe I was being overly nit-picky. In all other conditions the SV were superb.

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Ireland does have a habit of throwing up challenging conditions for optics. ;-)

Tobias Mennle said:

I feel I can forgive weaknesses in a 700.- glass which I can´t in a 1700.- glass...

and I guess - judging from the many different opinions I read - that the SEs and E2s have more sample variation then the SV.

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There can't be that many samples of SEs and E2s floating around, even considering their many changes of coatings since 1995, if we believe what we read here; so my conclusion has to be that it is the eyes doing the sampling that have most of the variations in them.

Bob

Tobias Mennle said:

After 9 months of using them side by side with a Habicht 8x30W and the SV8x32 I decided to publish my review honoring these fine and now discontinued bins.

http://www.tmfilmpro.com/alleseiten/reviews/binoculars/nikon8x32se/Nikon8x32se.html


In Germany SEs seem discontinued and prices for the 8x32 have gone up considerably.

In my opinion a good copy of the SE will remain a superb almost state of the art glass for years to come, because they are the sharpest, don´t have RG, and a transmission boost of 5% as with the latest Zeiss will not be really visible, as we discern brightness changes in a logarithmic, not in a linear fashion. The SEs are not very much behind the SV, in some fields they are even better, and for a fraction of the price.

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Tobias,

Thank you for that excellent fair and balanced review of the 8x32 SE.

I like the foam pad eyecup modification that you made. Perfect for using MOLCET for users who don't have Simian brows. I don't have much of an issue with image blackouts with the SEs, but I have had with other bins, so I can understand how some might not be as willing to make adjustments as you have.

I had more of a challenge in getting the wide diameter eyecups, which were slightly flared, deep enough into my eye sockets to see the full FOV. I bought a new pair of SE eyecups, which solved that problem.

I solved the problem of the SE not laying flat on my chest by adding "sunshades." They also help in cold weather to keep heat waves away from the objectives when my warm hands touch the cold barrels since the thick rubber extensions sit on top of the barrels and extend well beyond them.

I agree with you about the SE's FOV being "a bit narrow," although with the new eyecups I can get my eyes closer to the EPs and see the field stop.

The problem with going wider is shown in the 8x30 EII, which has more distortion (pincushion) across the FOV than the SE. This creates a bit of a "roll" to the image (rolling bowl rather than rolling ball, but the effect is similar). The image in centerfield has the same resolution as the SE (as tested with a resolution chart), and the image quality is very similar, with the EII's colors being slightly "warmer" than the SE's.

If you like the SE view but would like a wider FOV, I suggest you try an 8x30 EII with the latest coatings and improved armor (black body version). It's shape is even stubbier than the SE, so I recommend Bushwacker or Butler objective covers for a better balance. The covers also help somewhat with stray light, which the EII is more prone to than the SE.

For me, the SE"s size and shape are "pros" not "cons." The SE is bigger than the Habicht and wider than roof prisms bins, but I have large hands so that suits me. In fact, with the sunshades (see photo), the SE is nearly as long as the 10x42 SE. More "real estate" is good for me.

With most closed bridge roofs, there's no place on top for my fingers to grip, so they end up overlapping as in prayer ("Lord, please don't let my hands cramp up!") nor can I support the roof from below with my thumbs unless the bin has an open bridge or thumb indents that fall in the right place, which is rarely the case. One exception was the original 8x32 EL, which fit my hands perfectly.

The lack of WPing is not an issue for me either for the same reason, although the lack of internal focus does make the SE focuser hard to turn in cold weather, and we had a very cold winter, so the SE didn't get outside much. The internal focus 7x21 reverse porro Olympus PC III was my cold weather companion this winter.

I'm sure the SV EL is a better choice for winter if you are not bothered by "rolling ball" and can afford the hefty price. The Habicht's focuser is already stiff, so that wouldn't be of greater utility in the winter than the SE.

No bin is perfect for everyone, they all involve a set of compromises. The only real flaw the SE has is spherical aberration of the exit pupil. That can make the SE "unfriendly" for some users.

For me, a reasonable price, smooth focusing, lack of "rolling ball," good ergonomics, good 3-D effect, low CA, and sharp optics with high contrast and good edges are the qualities I desire, and they are all found in the 8x32 SE.

Brock

I'm lucky to have both binocular and so far I remembered, I did not experience the flare issue with SV.

And what makes me picking up more of the 8x32 SV than my 8x32 SE because of the relaxed view. No RB with SE and I did see it with the SV but after sometimes (less than a week) my eyes did not bother to see the RB anymore because of the relaxed view of the SV :king:

So that is why it is important to try the binocular b4 buying hehehe

horukuru said:

I'm lucky to have both binocular and so far I remembered, I did not experience the flare issue with SV.

And what makes me picking up more of the 8x32 SV than my 8x32 SE because of the relaxed view. No RB with SE and I did see it with the SV but after sometimes (less than a week) my eyes did not bother to see the RB anymore because of the relaxed view of the SV :king:

So that is why it is important to try the binocular b4 buying hehehe

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Your right. The SV has such a RELAXED and EASY view. Weird isn't it? But that is how I describe it.

Torview said:

So you`re sorry you sold your SE ?

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Since they are discontinuing the Nikon 8x32 SE's I bought a pair before they are all gone. The big web stores like B&H are getting $800 for them now!!!!! I still don't think they are quite as good as the 8x32 SV but for $450.00 shipped they are the best optics you can get for the money. Bar none.

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=848641

[email protected] said:

Your right. The SV has such a RELAXED and EASY view. Weird isn't it? But that is how I describe it.

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Yup for me the relaxed view is very important because I used the SV more than 8 hours during my birdwatching tours.

When I got my 8x32 SE, I compared it with 8x32 HG L. The wide FOV of SE, plus sharpness that makes me used it as the main binocular for my tours. But the HG L wins in smooth fast focus. So both binoculars has their own pros and cons for my eyes.

Then when I got the 8x32 SV, against the 8x32 SE, as I stated in my review based on my usage from the 8th February 2013 in my blog until the time of writing, the main Wow factor I got from the SV is the relaxed view against the 8x32 SE. My blog http://horukuru.blogspot.com/2014/03/swarovski-el-8x32-swarovision-binocular.html

So now 8x32 SV is the main bino for my tours and 8x32 SE as a backup :king:

horukuru said:

Yup for me the relaxed view is very important because I used the SV more than 8 hours during my birdwatching tours.

When I got my 8x32 SE, I compared it with 8x32 HG L. The wide FOV of SE, plus sharpness that makes me used it as the main binocular for my tours. But the HG L wins in smooth fast focus. So both binoculars has their own pros and cons for my eyes.

Then when I got the 8x32 SV, against the 8x32 SE, as I stated in my review based on my usage from the 8th February 2013 in my blog until the time of writing, the main Wow factor I got from the SV is the relaxed view against the 8x32 SE. My blog http://horukuru.blogspot.com/2014/03/swarovski-el-8x32-swarovision-binocular.html

So now 8x32 SV is the main bino for my tours and 8x32 SE as a backup :king:

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I really feel after owning a lot of binoculars that the Nikon SE 8x32, Nikon EII 8x30, Swarovski Habicht 8x30 and the Swarovski 8x32 SV are just based on optics the four best binoculars in the world for the birder. I have never looked through a Leupold GR HD 8x32 though. I can't find one!

Brock, 100% agreed. And yes, I will have to try the E2s...

Question about your sunshades, on the image is it the objective covers? What kind of sunshades? Have thought about getting some custom made metal ones...

Tobias Mennle said:

Brock, 100% agreed. And yes, I will have to try the E2s...

Question about your sunshades, on the image is it the objective covers? What kind of sunshades? Have thought about getting some custom made metal ones...

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Yes, it's the objective covers. Without them, the stubby barrels would be almost touching the shelf.

The sunshades came with my first sample 8x32 SE (501xxx). The guy I bought it from had the bin for a short time, the receipt from B&H was dated 1998, so these were almost new since that was the year Nikon cites as the release year although Henry bought his 500xxx a year earlier.

The seller said the sunshades came from a pair of old Carton Adlerblick binoculars. They fit my barrels and my hands perfectly. You could make a pair yourself from rubber hose. I've made a couple pairs of sunshades, one pair from soup cans and the other from Pringle potato chip containers. If you don't use black rubber, be sure to paint the inside of the tubes flat black to prevent reflections.

I have Bushwacker covers on the EII. If you look at the photo I posted, you can see them on the EII on the extreme right side of the photo.

Brock

Thanks, Brock. So it will be custom made ones. Aluminum and black velvet...