About twenty years ago I bought my first "good" binocular, a 7x42 SLC. A few weeks earlier the Photokina exhibition in my home city had offered the opportunity of testing most of what was available. I was less experienced then although my eyesight was better and presbiopia had not advanced sufficciently to force me to wear glasses permanently.
The SLC's CA correction is undoubtedly less good but my preference over the Zeiss FL was probably because of the ease of view and the better edge correction.
With binoculars as well as scopes there are always situations where one wishes for more magnification and I acquired a succession of higher magnification binoculars culminating in a 10x42 EL Swarovision bought in 2012, which I still have. An 8x33 Kowa Genesis followed and later an 8x56 SLC, but over the years the 7x42 SLC has been my most used binocular.
Its eye relief later proved to be ideal when wearing glasses - no need for click stops, it's either in or out.
A few months ago when doing a paper test (viewing a white sheet of paper through the objectives) I noticed an internal dark smudge in one of the barrels and, although this was not visible in normal use, the 7x42 took a back seat for a while. Then I read Canip's excellent resumee here Swarovski SLC 7×42 “Habicht” – Binoculars Today and decided I needed to get it fixed and sent it in to Swarovski for a clean and nitrogen filling.
Swarovski's quote surprisigly included new barrels, new armour, new focussing lens mounts and new eye cups for a total higher than I had origially paid for the binocular, but all free of charge, so I was happy to pay the labour costs for a completely restored binocular. It was dispatched yesterday in Absam via UPS and arrived today and I don't recall any new purchase bringing more pleasure than receiving my old SLC effectively as NOS.
The serial number has been retained (D7347....) and, AFAIK, no optical components have been replaced so it probably has the original 3-layer multicoatings but nevertheless transmission around 85%. The focusser, previously somewhat sticky, is now wonderfully smooth and, all in all, the binocular is an absolute joy.
For many products there are periods which could be considered vintage. I can't imagine any of today's automobiles becoming collectors' items but the 1950s and 60s were a golden age for mechanical watches and similarly I think the 1990s and 2000s were a vintage period for binoculars. They were produced without superfluous frills, many like the Trinovids and SLCs were built like tanks and the optical engieers designed them as they considered necessary, without the constraints of demands for reduced weight by uninformed customers. My 7x42 SLC weighs 950 g but has large prisms and less vignetting than almost all the current crop, a factor that contributes to the superb ease of view.
To all with similar treasures, keep them well maintained and don't let them go!
John
The SLC's CA correction is undoubtedly less good but my preference over the Zeiss FL was probably because of the ease of view and the better edge correction.
With binoculars as well as scopes there are always situations where one wishes for more magnification and I acquired a succession of higher magnification binoculars culminating in a 10x42 EL Swarovision bought in 2012, which I still have. An 8x33 Kowa Genesis followed and later an 8x56 SLC, but over the years the 7x42 SLC has been my most used binocular.
Its eye relief later proved to be ideal when wearing glasses - no need for click stops, it's either in or out.
A few months ago when doing a paper test (viewing a white sheet of paper through the objectives) I noticed an internal dark smudge in one of the barrels and, although this was not visible in normal use, the 7x42 took a back seat for a while. Then I read Canip's excellent resumee here Swarovski SLC 7×42 “Habicht” – Binoculars Today and decided I needed to get it fixed and sent it in to Swarovski for a clean and nitrogen filling.
Swarovski's quote surprisigly included new barrels, new armour, new focussing lens mounts and new eye cups for a total higher than I had origially paid for the binocular, but all free of charge, so I was happy to pay the labour costs for a completely restored binocular. It was dispatched yesterday in Absam via UPS and arrived today and I don't recall any new purchase bringing more pleasure than receiving my old SLC effectively as NOS.
The serial number has been retained (D7347....) and, AFAIK, no optical components have been replaced so it probably has the original 3-layer multicoatings but nevertheless transmission around 85%. The focusser, previously somewhat sticky, is now wonderfully smooth and, all in all, the binocular is an absolute joy.
For many products there are periods which could be considered vintage. I can't imagine any of today's automobiles becoming collectors' items but the 1950s and 60s were a golden age for mechanical watches and similarly I think the 1990s and 2000s were a vintage period for binoculars. They were produced without superfluous frills, many like the Trinovids and SLCs were built like tanks and the optical engieers designed them as they considered necessary, without the constraints of demands for reduced weight by uninformed customers. My 7x42 SLC weighs 950 g but has large prisms and less vignetting than almost all the current crop, a factor that contributes to the superb ease of view.
To all with similar treasures, keep them well maintained and don't let them go!
John
