• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Swarovski EL 10x42 SV focusing problem! (1 Viewer)

John, both my 8x32 and 10x50 EL's are exactly as you describe, with overall smoothness increasing with every use.


After checking the SONA website specs, your EL 10x42 SV's have actually +-5 diopter of adjustment, plenty if you ever need it! :t:

Take Care,

Ted
Glad to hear of your experience Ted! The 10x50 ELs have a great reputation but would just be too heavy for me. And thanks for the info about my SVs, which I could have checked out but didn't, for some reason. You take care too, and all the very best.
 
While I'd be pleased to forget about all this, I think it's clear now what happened.

I've remembered that the previous evening, I managed to knock the bins off the coffee table next to my armchair (where they are usually left readily to hand) into an awkward gap. Just a 15 inch fall on to thick carpet, no possible harm. But I have balance problems, and rather than stand up and get past obstacles to fish the bins out, I almost certainly just reached back and picked them up with one hand - I can only suppose, by the focus wheel. Having tried it just now, what of course happens is that the dioptre adjustment mechanism is exposed. Unbelievable, I know.

The following day, I must have failed to notice this(!) and started trying to use the bins normally. Ted said: "Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel!" and that's exactly it, though the range of adjustment is +5 to -5, which is indeed very nearly a half turn of the wheel. The "grating" sound would be the usual clicks of the dioptre adjuster in rapid succession.

All of which I think people have already concluded! I can only say I hadn't been thinking too clearly (a known side-effect of a pain med I'd been put on. With doctor's agreement, I've reduced the dose).

Anyway the bins are still in good shape, and stiction-free as well. Only thing I'd add is that, being hypersensitive to this, I've been very carefully checking the focus action. If the wheel is turned clockwise to its full extent, then anticlockwise again, when resting a finger lightly on the wheel there's a little play present, though it's very slight. But immediately after this, when turning the wheel again, the play is absent and focus is immediately responsive. Seems likely this is just the way spring in Swaro focusers work, and was probably there all along - it's as if there's slight temporary "slack" which disappears when taken up by the action of the spring. In any case, no reason to send them to Absam.

Excuse the length of this screed, and thanks once again to all who have responded and made suggestions.
 
While I'd be pleased to forget about all this, I think it's clear now what happened.

I've remembered that the previous evening, I managed to knock the bins off the coffee table next to my armchair (where they are usually left readily to hand) into an awkward gap. Just a 15 inch fall on to thick carpet, no possible harm. But I have balance problems, and rather than stand up and get past obstacles to fish the bins out, I almost certainly just reached back and picked them up with one hand - I can only suppose, by the focus wheel. Having tried it just now, what of course happens is that the dioptre adjustment mechanism is exposed. Unbelievable, I know.

The following day, I must have failed to notice this(!) and started trying to use the bins normally. Ted said: "Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel!" and that's exactly it, though the range of adjustment is +5 to -5, which is indeed very nearly a half turn of the wheel. The "grating" sound would be the usual clicks of the dioptre adjuster in rapid succession.

All of which I think people have already concluded! I can only say I hadn't been thinking too clearly (a known side-effect of a pain med I'd been put on. With doctor's agreement, I've reduced the dose).

Anyway the bins are still in good shape, and stiction-free as well. Only thing I'd add is that, being hypersensitive to this, I've been very carefully checking the focus action. If the wheel is turned clockwise to its full extent, then anticlockwise again, when resting a finger lightly on the wheel there's a little play present, though it's very slight. But immediately after this, when turning the wheel again, the play is absent and focus is immediately responsive. Seems likely this is just the way spring in Swaro focusers work, and was probably there all along - it's as if there's slight temporary "slack" which disappears when taken up by the action of the spring. In any case, no reason to send them to Absam.

Excuse the length of this screed, and thanks once again to all who have responded and made suggestions.

You're absolutely welcome>
We all learn from each other experiences.

Jan
 
While I'd be pleased to forget about all this, I think it's clear now what happened.

I've remembered that the previous evening, I managed to knock the bins off the coffee table next to my armchair (where they are usually left readily to hand) into an awkward gap. Just a 15 inch fall on to thick carpet, no possible harm. But I have balance problems, and rather than stand up and get past obstacles to fish the bins out, I almost certainly just reached back and picked them up with one hand - I can only suppose, by the focus wheel. Having tried it just now, what of course happens is that the dioptre adjustment mechanism is exposed. Unbelievable, I know.

The following day, I must have failed to notice this(!) and started trying to use the bins normally. Ted said: "Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel!" and that's exactly it, though the range of adjustment is +5 to -5, which is indeed very nearly a half turn of the wheel. The "grating" sound would be the usual clicks of the dioptre adjuster in rapid succession.

All of which I think people have already concluded! I can only say I hadn't been thinking too clearly (a known side-effect of a pain med I'd been put on. With doctor's agreement, I've reduced the dose).

Anyway the bins are still in good shape, and stiction-free as well. Only thing I'd add is that, being hypersensitive to this, I've been very carefully checking the focus action. If the wheel is turned clockwise to its full extent, then anticlockwise again, when resting a finger lightly on the wheel there's a little play present, though it's very slight. But immediately after this, when turning the wheel again, the play is absent and focus is immediately responsive. Seems likely this is just the way spring in Swaro focusers work, and was probably there all along - it's as if there's slight temporary "slack" which disappears when taken up by the action of the spring. In any case, no reason to send them to Absam.

Excuse the length of this screed, and thanks once again to all who have responded and made suggestions.

You are welcome Jonno, clearing up issues like this is one of the reasons this community exists.

Lee
 
While I'd be pleased to forget about all this, I think it's clear now what happened.

I've remembered that the previous evening, I managed to knock the bins off the coffee table next to my armchair (where they are usually left readily to hand) into an awkward gap. Just a 15 inch fall on to thick carpet, no possible harm. But I have balance problems, and rather than stand up and get past obstacles to fish the bins out, I almost certainly just reached back and picked them up with one hand - I can only suppose, by the focus wheel. Having tried it just now, what of course happens is that the dioptre adjustment mechanism is exposed. Unbelievable, I know.

The following day, I must have failed to notice this(!) and started trying to use the bins normally. Ted said: "Didn't think about it before Lee, but if the Swaro focus is pulled out to set the right diopter, then the travel is limited to +-4 diopter of adjustment, or just 1\2 turn of the focus wheel!" and that's exactly it, though the range of adjustment is +5 to -5, which is indeed very nearly a half turn of the wheel. The "grating" sound would be the usual clicks of the dioptre adjuster in rapid succession.

All of which I think people have already concluded! I can only say I hadn't been thinking too clearly (a known side-effect of a pain med I'd been put on. With doctor's agreement, I've reduced the dose).

Anyway the bins are still in good shape, and stiction-free as well. Only thing I'd add is that, being hypersensitive to this, I've been very carefully checking the focus action. If the wheel is turned clockwise to its full extent, then anticlockwise again, when resting a finger lightly on the wheel there's a little play present, though it's very slight. But immediately after this, when turning the wheel again, the play is absent and focus is immediately responsive. Seems likely this is just the way spring in Swaro focusers work, and was probably there all along - it's as if there's slight temporary "slack" which disappears when taken up by the action of the spring. In any case, no reason to send them to Absam.

Excuse the length of this screed, and thanks once again to all who have responded and made suggestions.

Happy it worked out fine, John! Thank You for posting as there are BF members who are new to optics and can learn from combined experiences! :t:

Blessed Holidays to All!

Ted
 
Last edited:
We should ask the moderator to delete this thread :)
The thought did occur... but let it stay up as an example of man's inhumanity to, er, binoculars. While I've made a slight pillock of myself, I'm too relieved by the bins being undamaged to care. And of course, people have taken the trouble to respond, and their patience and and good advice shouldn't vanish into cyberspace :)
 
The thought did occur... but let it stay up as an example of man's inhumanity to, er, binoculars. While I've made a slight pillock of myself, I'm too relieved by the bins being undamaged to care. And of course, people have taken the trouble to respond, and their patience and and good advice shouldn't vanish into cyberspace :)

I am sorry for appearing impolite, John. That was not my intention. The motivation for my (very spontaneous) request to "delete the thread“ had a different reason: Google & co will find the header “Swarovski EL 8x42 SV focusing problem!” until all eternity. But there had not been any focussing issue in reality. This is probably not very fair towards Swarovski. There was another headline in Birdforum recently I disliked: “Stinky Swarovs”. Slogans like that are spooking around the web forever.
 
Last edited:
I am sorry for appearing impolite, John. That was not my intention. The motivation for my (very spontaneous) request to "delete the thread“ had a different reason: Google & Co will find the headline “Swarovski EL 8x42 SV focusing problem!” until all eternity. But there had not been any focussing issue in reality. This is probably not very fair towards Swarovski. There was another headline in Birdforum recently I disliked: “Stinky Swaros”. Such slogans are spooking in the web forever.

Does this mean we can't believe the Internet......:eek!::eek!:
 
I am sorry for appearing impolite, John. That was not my intention. The motivation for my (very spontaneous) request to "delete the thread“ had a different reason: Google & co will find the header “Swarovski EL 8x42 SV focusing problem!” until all eternity. But there had not been any focussing issue in reality. This is probably not very fair towards Swarovski. There was another headline in Birdforum recently I disliked: “Stinky Swarovs”. Slogans like that are spooking around the web forever.
Thank you. I didn't think you were impolite! I still think this should stay up though, because people took time and trouble to respond and their responses shouldn't be deleted from the record. I have no issue with Swarovski, and anyone reading this discussion to the end would know that the "problem" didn't in fact exist. But if you look through the binocular threads, for better or worse there are people who are quite uncomplimentary about various models, brands, and indeed suppliers of optics. As you've discovered, some people - not me! - have suggested the focusing mechanism of Swaro bins is badly designed. That's more damning (for some people) than this particular thread.

Swarovski have a very good reputation for service. They tightened up a very small amount of slack on my Habicht 10x40s focusing wheel a year after I bought them (in 1990) and charged nothing. Those were my sole birding bins for 25 years and were excellent. I have nothing but praise for Swaro.

I do think Swaro can cope! and really don't feel this thread will damage their reputation. If it's OK with you, I'd like to leave it there. Apart from anything else, further exchanges will keep this thread active in "Today's posts" - otherwise it will soon fade away and be largely forgotten. Anyone wanting to buy bins and searching BF forums will discover that Swaro are highly regarded by the majority. Which is good publicity for Swaro!

Later edit: to be clear, when I said the thought of asking for this discussion to be removed "did occur", it wasn't because it might reflect badly on Swarovski, only that it was mildly embarrassing for me...

Best wishes
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top