BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="brocknroller" data-source="post: 1833936" data-attributes="member: 665">I think most people here realize that you just can't just slap a field flattener onto an existing EP design, but that the EP would have to be redesigned to accommodate the new element like the SV EL's EPs. Zeiss's design philosophy, according to your favorite chucklehead Stephen Ingraham, was to optimize center performance at the expense of edge performance. However, from Henry's remarks below, it appears that you can have your cake and eat it too (as long as "rolling ball" doesn't bother you). After using the Nikon EDG, I think Nikon reached a more equitable compromise with center vs. edge performance that would suit the needs of most people, but before I sell the farm, I want to compare the EDG to the soon-to-be-released Swaro SLC HD. I like the diopter adjustment on the SLC much better than the EDG or EL; in fact, it's the best diopter adjustment I've used. You simply push in the button with your finger, turn the dial, and then release, without having to move your hands out of position. For people with poor focus accommodation like me, who can't just "set and forget," but have to reset the diopter at various distances, it doesn't get better than this. I hope Swaro retained this diopter design on the HDs.The SLC's eyecups also fit my deep-set eyes better. I don't have to "dig in" to see the entire FOV. I think the SLC HD, rather than the SV EL, is going to be the main competition for the EDG, particularly now that Nikon changed the EDG to a "cul-de-sac" body design like the SLC HD. That depends on how affluent you are now compared to when you bought your original EL, and how much you get for the trade in.If you didn't have an old EL to trade, you'd have to be more affluent today than when EL's cost $1,200-$1,300. If your salary has kept pace with the cost of living, and you are not a gambler or a spendthrift, and don't have "four hungry children and a crop in the field," it could be affordable. I know doctors, lawyers, engineers, and college professors for whom $2,400 would be "trump change". For Donald Trump, it would be tip money. However, if you have been outsized, downsized, rightsized, laid off, or are concerned about your job security like many people are today, then it's a whole 'nuther story. Yes, the original EL's body was a Blimpie, and it fits my XL hands nicely, but I can see how it could be a "more than a handful" for others. The weight on the original was also a bit pudgy, but I like that too, because it helps me steady the image. What I don't like about Swaro focusers (at least the two I've compared) is that they are smoother in one direction but stiffer in the other direction. Particularly with the 8x30 SLC, which is harder for me to hold, when focusing "in," the rough focuser makes the bin shake. I hope the SLC HD's focuser focuses smoothly in both directions. (before he chimes in with "I didn't [have] no trouble at all with the SLC focuser," I will state that the SLC's owner has a ring finger as strong as Arnold's <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />But it's not that it can't be moved, but that I have to apply more pressure to move in it one direction than the other, which causes the lightweight bin (23 oz.) to shake and makes it harder to focus. I added Bushwackers to the SLC's barrels, which helped with this issue, because they allow me to move one hand down farther so I can focus with my middle finger, which has been made stronger and more dexterous from years of flipping the bird at crazy drivers. I notice a similar difference in the "cleaness" of the image in 2009 8x30 SLC vs. the 2001 EL. You're analogy with the window film is apt. The SLC's image is more transparent.This is not to say that the 2001 EL is shabby, it's still overall the best roof I've tried, but I felt there was something lacking in the image, and when I looked through the 2009 SLC, I realized what it was. I hope your prediction about the SLC HD is "spot on" (or spotless, as the case may be <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />.</blockquote>

Verification