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Message: <blockquote data-quote="elkcub" data-source="post: 1316677" data-attributes="member: 14473">That was a bit unkind.My information source is Nicolas Crista, the inventor of Swift's 820 eyecup, a variation of which is also used on the Raptor and other products.  Obviously, an 8.5x44 configuration is not the same as an 8x42, and the eyepiece optics may be different as well.  But they were made by the same Japanese manufacturer — Hiyoshi Kogaku — using the same basic construction technology.   I wouldn't doubt that the 820 also uses the more expensive prism adjustment mechanism, because Swift held the patent at that time.  I made the statement simply to point out the mid-level technology used in the 820, Raptor, and similar products, nothing more.  They are a far cry from the quality of the SE, or the Swift 804 series that preceded them.  Ed</blockquote>