Habicht 8x30W Family Reunion: 1999 GA CF meets 2022 leatherette. (2 Viewers)

[nickw_]

Hello All,

I thought I’d share some pictures of my new Habicht's. Especially since the central focused, GA (Gummi Armiert) versions are so rare. I really have no idea why Swarovski discontinued the GA CF in 8x30, but continues to offer GA CF on other versions. It makes no sense to me.

These appeared for sale (on the forum) about a month ago and sold quickly. I missed them by a few days. So I was delighted when the new owner contacted me and offered to sell them on. It wasn’t until they arrived that I realized they’re from 1999. No matter, given their rarity I still would have bought them.

I have done preliminary comparisons between them, and will post some findings later as I compare them more. But in the meantime, here are some pics.

Cheers,
Nick





Note how the colour changes depending on the light. I would say the majority of times it looks like the photo below, rather than the one after.

 

[Patudo]

These appeared for sale (on the forum) about a month ago and sold quickly. I missed them by a few days. So I was delighted when the new owner contacted me and offered to sell them on.

Be interesting to know how often some of these binos change hands/how many binoculars some folks here go through in a year...

 

[Maljunulo]

Since the 1960s.

Stellar 7X50
Sears 7X35 wide angle
Fujinon 10X70 older model
Fujinon 10X70 FMT-SX and 16X70
Steiner 15X80
Nikon 10X42 Venturer LX (~2000)
Swarovski 10X42 EL-SV (2014)
Zeiss 8X32 Victory SF (2020)
Swarovski 8X30 Habicht W (2024)

I still have the two 8X glasses, and the 10X70 FMT-SX Fujinon.

I guess I don’t “go through” very many.

 

[Thotmosis]

Hello All,

I thought I’d share some pictures of my new Habicht's. Especially since the central focused, GA (Gummi Armiert) versions are so rare. I really have no idea why Swarovski discontinued the GA CF in 8x30, but continues to offer GA CF on other versions. It makes no sense to me.

These appeared for sale (on the forum) about a month ago and sold quickly. I missed them by a few days. So I was delighted when the new owner contacted me and offered to sell them on. It wasn’t until they arrived that I realized they’re from 1999. No matter, given their rarity I still would have bought them.

I have done preliminary comparisons between them, and will post some findings later as I compare them more. But in the meantime, here are some pics.

Cheers,
Nick

Very good find, it will be interesting to read your comparison. I have the IF version of the 8x30 GA and im very happy with the excellent view and build quality.

 

[nickw_]

Be interesting to know how often some of these binos change hands/how many binoculars some folks here go through in a year...

I can understand the turn over. As for many of us, sometimes buying is the only way of trying.

 

[NDhunter]

I can understand the turn over. As for many of us, sometimes buying is the only way of trying.

I have been like that. And the GA eyecup screws right on to the BL. They are wider and more
comfortable to my eyes. I see you found another winged type that works.
Jerry

 

[nickw_]

Hi Jerry,

I added microscope eye ups to the leatherette version. Adding the eyecups was transformitive for them. I would say they are absolutely a must-have and no-brainer upgrade for the few dollars they cost.

While the GA eye cups work, I find the microscope ones even better and preferable. They are softer and fit me better.

All that said, none these work with my glasses, which (for me) is probably the Habichts most major shortcoming.

Cheers.

 

[recon493]

The 8x30W GA is such a spectacularly compact and rugged bino with the great porro view. Determining I am more of a 7x fan, I was really close to purchasing a leatherette Habicht 7x42. I was prepared to add the microscope eyecups that have been endorsed on this forum and in this thread. After using a GA version Habicht, I opted to just stick with the green rubber model. They just work so well for my eyes.

I appreciate the attention being given to the Habicht line. My collection is extremely small and it will stay that way. Having a Habicht in my arsenal allows me to enjoy the older style of views (what I grew up with) and I love the great rendering and easy panning. I found the NL Pure I owned to be perfect. The FOV / edge crispness was outstanding. The handling and focus smoothness was excellent as well; however, it also was very scientific or lab like in its views. I can see why people have the modern, high dollar glass though.

The tactile GA Habicht model is such a pleasure to hold which adds to the joy of ownership. Nick has a rare bird here and it will last a lifetime.

 

[Cavendish]

I added microscope eye ups to the leatherette version. Adding the eyecups was transformitive for them. I would say they are absolutely a must-have and no-brainer upgrade for the few dollars they cost.

Out of interest, would you mind sharing how you remove the existing eyecups from the leatherette version please? Does the whole metal eyecup unscrew?

 

[nickw_]

The 8x30W GA is such a spectacularly compact and rugged bino with the great porro view. Determining I am more of a 7x fan, I was really close to purchasing a leatherette Habicht 7x42. I was prepared to add the microscope eyecups that have been endorsed on this forum and in this thread. After using a GA version Habicht, I opted to just stick with the green rubber model. They just work so well for my eyes.

I appreciate the attention being given to the Habicht line. My collection is extremely small and it will stay that way. Having a Habicht in my arsenal allows me to enjoy the older style of views (what I grew up with) and I love the great rendering and easy panning. I found the NL Pure I owned to be perfect. The FOV / edge crispness was outstanding. The handling and focus smoothness was excellent as well; however, it also was very scientific or lab like in its views. I can see why people have the modern, high dollar glass though.

The tactile GA Habicht model is such a pleasure to hold which adds to the joy of ownership. Nick has a rare bird here and it will last a lifetime.

Nice. I am glad you are enjoying the Habicht 7x42s. I also really love 7x magnification, it is my favorite power. I would very much like to try a pair of the 7x Habichts. My only concern is the smaller field of view... as I love wide views. That is probably my primary complaint with my Leica 7x42s. I wish the 8° angle of view / 56° apparent field of view was 8.6°/60° or even 9°/63°! That, and I wish they we're 7x35.

As for the porro view, I completely agree. I much prefer the bright and relaxed 3D views to the modern flat fields. Flat is great for a scope where everything is far away, but for anything near field I want 3D!

 

[nickw_]

Out of interest, would you mind sharing how you remove the existing eyecups from the leatherette version please? Does the whole metal eyecup unscrew?

Edit:
I am happy to answer your question. I have been meaning to type up a simple "how to" for awhile. I decided to make a separate post to address this. If you have any questions, just let me know.

 

[Cavendish]

Edit:
I am happy to answer your question. I have been meaning to type up a simple "how to" for awhile. I decided to make a separate post to address this. If you have any questions, just let me know.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. I can now see where I went wrong - I assumed that the new eyecups were mechanically held in place somehow rather than by friction. Makes much more sense!