New Swarovski 7x Binocular (1 Viewer)

[fazalmajid]

I just got mine. First impressions:

• the case is useless: too big for such small binoculars

Well, now you finally have a good case for the Zeiss Victory Pockets...

pm42:

By the way: I find it ridiculous that the 7x21 is announced to be designed by a famous designer. It's a very simple and boring design compared to the 25mm models...
Nothing wrong with the simple design, but not anything which needs a famous designer to do! I think it looks pretty much as the 8x20.

If you look carefully, you will notice how the curves mesh together perfectly without gaps when the binoculars are folded, and have smooth continuous curves when unfolded. The comparison photo against the Ultravids shows the designer did a better job.

Plus designers are much cheaper to hire now than even 10 years ago because of the huge increase in supply, even top-flight ones like Marc Newson or Karim Rashid.

Mike... perhaps the VP 8x25 is "The King" that Swaro seeks to "unseat" with the Curio? Unless the form-factors are too dissimilar to directly compete... in which case the UV 8x20.

At 51º AFOV on the Swarovskis against 60º on the Zeiss suggests the king's throne is safe yet. The Swarovski competes with the Ultravid 8x20 when even the Zeiss is not compact enough due to its bulky hinge (I've always found that to be a misfeature even if it is advertised as a plus).

The handling of the Curio will not be as good as the VP based on my use of the identical size and design SW 8x20 -- except for the relocation of the focus wheel on the Curio to the ocular face of the bridge which will almost certainly improve handling.

The size and knurling make a big difference in handling. Certainly the Leica Ultravid 8x20 with its bigger wheel is a major improvement over the Trinovid 8x20's tiny and poorly positioned wheel.

 

[pm42]

At 51º AFOV on the Swarovskis against 60º on the Zeiss suggests the king's throne is safe yet.

This is the subjective view. FOV is 130m at 1000m for the Zeiss and 135m for the Swaro so no real difference here.

In my experience, they are very close when it comes to comfort of use with some differences of course (better focuser and handling for the Zeiss, better contrast and compactness for the Swaro) and it is really a matter of preference.
The Ultravid are the one I like to most ergonomically and they are very well built but they give kind of a tunnel vision when compared to the other two. I would like to have the Swaro optics in the Leica body.

 

[Stevenkelby]

How is the Leica body better than the swarovski?

 

[dorubird]

for me a pocket binoculars first of all must be folded as small as possible. If it has this feature then by definition it will not be very convenient to handle. So the difficulty of looking through very small binoculars is a compromise that must be accepted from the start for this class of binoculars!
It depends on what we want more: small packaging vs. ease of handling. For me, it matters more to be as small as possible to fit in your pocket, because anyway these binoculars will not be used intensively but only occasionally and "for emergency" (other larger and more confortable binoculars I will use intensively anyway-32mm, 42mm). So I really like Curio 7x21 being as small as Ultravid but still not as small as Trinovid (my favorite here)

 

[pm42]

How is the Leica body better than the swarovski?

It fits better in my hands because the bridge is smaller but I was talking about the ergonomics: the Leica has a better focuser, diopter correction is vastly superior, it is less slippery, etc.

 

[dorubird]

The design is also important to me in this class of binoculars! Of course that is olso a subjective opinion. These very small binoculars are beautiful objects themselves that you look more at them than you look through them! For me for exemple, the design of Trinovid 8x20 is the simplest and most pleasant, followed by that Curio 7x21, then SF 8x25 and lastly Ultravid 8x20. The simple lines of Trinovid give the impression of a small weapon, which I really like. I also like Curio's minimalist design. Instead Ultravid does not have a design as coherent as that the Trinovid and Curio has. Ultravid has the bridge with that rounding shape that doesn't really make sense aesthetically. Again this is my subjective opinion.

 

[Swedpat]

If you look carefully, you will notice how the curves mesh together perfectly without gaps when the binoculars are folded, and have smooth continuous curves when unfolded. The comparison photo against the Ultravids shows the designer did a better job.

Plus designers are much cheaper to hire now than even 10 years ago because of the huge increase in supply, even top-flight ones like Marc Newson or Karim Rashid.

What I mean is that straight lines is not much of a design and that a famous designer is not a selling argument in this case.
In opposite to that, the present 25mm compacts are really good looking, and NL Pures have a curvy design which is intended to fit good in the hands. With good success!
These I mean have a design satisfying the eyes, but CL Curio is clean and functional, not much more than that.
Of course this is subjective when we can have different opinions.

 

[dorubird]

the Ultravid 8x20 and Trinovid 8x20 (I have both)

Could you please put a picture with Curio 7x21, Ultravid 8x20 and Trinovid 8x20 (in folded posititon and also eye shield folded down for most compact volum) so that the size differences can be seen as well as possible. Thank you very much!

 

[pm42]

Could you please put a picture with Curio 7x21, Ultravid 8x20 and Trinovid 8x20 (in folded posititon and also eye shield folded down for most compact volum) so that the size differences can be seen as well as possible.

No problem but the size differences are hard to see.

 

[dorubird]

Thank you very much Pm42!
They look very similar in length indeed (Ultravid slightly taller). Also in width, the Ultravid tubes are not as close to each other as in Trinovid and Curio. Due to theirs larger focus wheel diameter, Ultravid and Curio are little bit wider than Trino! Look like Trino folds a bit more compactly than the other two. But at first glance all three are very similar in size indeed! I really like these little optical and mechanical jewelry!
Thanks again!

 

[Swedpat]

No problem but the size differences are hard to see.

Thanks for picture! I think that the eye relief of the 7x21 is better than of the 8x20s, is that correct?
It should be if the eyepieces are the same as with the 8x25.

 

[gcole]

Thanks for picture! I think that the eye relief of the 7x21 is better than of the 8x20s, is that correct?
It should be if the eyepieces are the same as with the 8x25.

One thing for sure, the 7x21 have bigger ocular lens than the 8x20’s.

 

[pm42]

Thanks for picture! I think that the eye relief of the 7x21 is better than of the 8x20s, is that correct?
It should be if the eyepieces are the same as with the 8x25.

It seems to me that they are very close. I see both fields entirely with my glasses.
Is there an easy way to measure them?

 

[leonardo_simon]

No problem but the size differences are hard to see.

Thanks for those photos — any chance of photos of the binoculars in their cases please?

(Someone above mentioned that the curio’s case is too big, which would be a shame for those wanting a totally compact solution. I looked at the Leica 8x20 and was put off it by the case which seemed poor quality and way too big….)

 

[Swedpat]

One thing for sure, the 7x21 have bigger ocular lens than the 8x20’s.

Yes, I thought that when I saw the picture. And there is a relation between eye relief and focal length of the ocular. The longer focal length - the longer eye relief, at least if same optical design is used. So it's natural that 7x has longer eye relief than 8x when objective focal length is similar.

 

[pm42]

any chance of photos of the binoculars in their cases please?

Sure, here are 2 quick snapshots with the phone.

So on the left, the Trinovid with its original, very small, fitting & convenient leather pouch. Used it for around 20 years I think.
In the middle, the Ultravid with its big case: you could almost fit the Trinovid & the Ultravid inside and still closed it. I tried.
On the right, the Swaro which is less large but deeper so around the same volume. It feels like it is better padded though and the Curio move less inside than the Ultravid.

 

[Swedpat]

It seems to me that they are very close. I see both fields entirely with my glasses.
Is there an easy way to measure them?

There is a way to measure it technically. But I use to compare with eyeglasses and notice how well I see the entire field of view, how open the field is. It's actually not perfect as soon as you detect the edges because the field is still a bit unevenly bright.
Apart from that the eyepiece design sometimes wastes a bit of the eye relief because the lens is unnecessary recessed from the eyecup edge. Or that the eyecup edge is unnecessary high.
But according to the picture Swarovski seems to have a great design which allows the eyeglass lens come close to the eyepiece lens.

 

[w220]

New member here - I just got my CL Curios today. I'll leave an actual review to the pros on this site, but wanted to share my first impression.

These are really good. No, they are great! Optical clarity is what you would expect from Swarovski. They are of course not an EL or NL, but that's not their purpose either. They are truly incredible considering how small and handy they are.

I'll keep these in the glove compartment in the car, so I'll never forget them and they can go with my on every little hiking trip. My EL 8x32 now seems gigantic in comparison.

The carry case is way too large, and is useless, and will stay in the box, never to see daylight again. I wish they had included rubber objective covers SLC style, but not a big deal.

 

[gcole]

New member here - I just got my CL Curios today. I'll leave an actual review to the pros on this site, but wanted to share my first impression.

These are really good. No, they are great! Optical clarity is what you would expect from Swarovski. They are of course not an EL or NL, but that's not their purpose either. They are truly incredible considering how small and handy they are.

I'll keep these in the glove compartment in the car, so I'll never forget them and they can go with my on every little hiking trip. My EL 8x32 now seems gigantic in comparison.

The carry case is way too large, and is useless, and will stay in the box, never to see daylight again. I wish they had included rubber objective covers SLC style, but not a big deal.

View attachment 1411635


Hi … I would be very secretive about telling that these will be kept in the car. I never leave a thing valuable in any of our cars, especially a pair of expensive binoculars. There have been horrible stories of forum members having their optics stolen from their vehicles.

 

[banwe11]

I received mine a couple of days ago (direct from Swarovski) and have been comparing them to my Ultravid 10x25.

I love 7x binoculars - I think they are really underrated and a victim of the "megapixel" culture where a lot of people want to buy stuff with higher metrics without really considering how it actually affects the function of the device.

When I saw the new 7x21 Curio I immediately decided to buy a pair, with the plan to replace my Ultravid 10x25. I really like the Ultravids but have always found them slightly hard work because of the small 2.5mm exit pupil. For the Curios the combination of the slightly larger exit pupil plus the less shaky view is very attractive to me.

After trying them out for a couple of days, I have to say the Curios are very nice and I personally find them better than the Ultravids for the reasons mentioned above.
Good points:

• They are razor sharp as you would expect and really nice to view through for such a small binocular. I like the style and construction - although to me it does not stand out that much from other Swarovski binoculars - I would not have guessed a special designer was involved if they didn't make such a big deal about it.
• For me the small increase in exit pupil size (2.5mm -> 3mm) really improves ease of eye placement and makes them more relaxing to look through
• The size is just about as small as you can imagine possible for a pair of decent binoculars.
• The strap is good quality yet small and simple so it does not add much bulk to the binoculars.
• The focuser is smooth and has just about the right degree of resistance. I have not used it with gloves but it sits proud of the bridge by a decent amount and works better than you may imagine.
• The diopter adjustment works well. No, it is not clever click-set or button mechanism like other binoculars, but on the other hand it is simple and intuitive and easily adjusted.
• The hinges are vastly improved compared to the CL 8/10x25 models. One thing that always put me off them is that that when the binoculars are folded the hinge opens to expose the inner part which could easily become filled with fluff and dust. For the 7x21 Curios the hinge is not exposed at any position.
• The black paint on the bridge looks strong and durable. It is slightly textured and looks more anodizing than paint. However it can be scratched (see below!)

The bad points for me are:

• Pouch too big as others have mentioned - although bear in mind it is presumably designed to accommodate the strap as well as the binoculars. To be honest I never use the supplied pouch with small binoculars - instead I bought a small draw-string glasses pouch from Ebay and this works fine and does not take up any extra space.
• The eyepiece cover functions well but when attached to the strap as suggested in the booklet, it causes the binoculars to hang awkwardly off-balance when they are around your neck (because only one side of the strap attaches to the cover). The eyepiece cover is made of rubbery plastic and attaches to the strap by a small loop moulded onto one side of it - it seems well made, but I wonder if the strap could cause wear on this over time and eventually break it. Finally, when you remove the eyepiece cover it hangs right over your nose/mouth when viewing (a bit annoying).
• No objective covers - although neither do my Ultravids have these
• I find the eyecups slightly awkward to rotate as they only have one setting and you need to rotate them quite far around to fully extend them. However I really am being critical here - it's not a big deal really.
• There is a tiny bit of chromatic aberration for dark subjects against bright backgrounds when they are clost to the edge of the field of view. The Ultravids are slightly better in this respect. However it's only there if you look for it. I tried some CL 8x25 in a shop once and noticed the same or degree of CA through those.
• A really picky point: the printing of "CL 7x21" on the focus wheel looks a bit... cheap... to me. In fact I have always thought the printing on Swarovski binoculars looks a bit cheap (it was similar on a pair of 10x40 Habichts I owned until recently). I am sure the paint is plenty durable but I think it is something about the font that looks a bit like the sort of printing you see on cheap binoculars from China. Does anyone else also think this?!

Overall I am really pleased with them. However... unfortunately when they arrived they already had a small scratch near the hinge - in the photo you can see a small white mark below the hinge on the left-hand side. On close inspection, the metal is actually pitted there as if someone has wedged screwdriver in there. I am not usually too obsessive about perfection but this to me is quite visible and would affect the resale price if I ever chose to sell them. I am a bit surprised that they were sent to me like this as Swarovski usually seem to have very good quality control. I contacted Swarovski and they told me I can send them back for a refund but the refund will take 2 months and furthermore they have run out of Curio models so I won't be able to buy a replacement pair until 2022. The other option is to send them back for repair but this will take 6 weeks plus shipping and other delays due to Brexit (I am in the UK - not my fault, I voted to remain ).

This situation is quite frustrating as you can imagine. Ultimately, I have managed to find a few UK dealers who still have some stock so I think I will send mine back to Swarovski for a refund and try to purchase a new pair from a dealer - hopefully second time lucky.

The flip-side of this is that I also have a new appreciation for the Ultravids. I like the design of the Ultravids but never found them that exciting or novel. Now I can see that very well designed things often don't stand out as being impressive because they just function well without you noticing. The focuser is great and very ergonomic. The eyecups pull out instead of twisting out - I did not previously like this but actually it is a very positive feel and very quick to adjust (quicker than the twist-eyecups on the 7x21). There is more rubber armour than on the 7x21 Curio which makes me less worried about scratching them. The eyepiece covers are separate and attach well to the strap. The strap is much simpler and almost looks cheap - just a thin piece of soft material - but this actually works really well as it wraps compactly around the binoculars without scratching them and takes up no extra space. Finally the size really is compact - despite being 25mm objective, they are barely larger than the 7x21 (or 8x20 Ultravid) other than being a bit longer.

I think the perfect binoculars for me would be 8x25 Ultravid in the same body as the 10x25. Unfortunately these do not exist, but the Swarovski 7x21 Curio have a lot of the features I am looking for in a very small package so I am really pleased with them - or at least I will be when I buy my replacement pair!