New Swarovski binoculars soon (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Purcell]

Do only the best roads use Swaro "highway reflective materials". Perhaps they work best with German cars (yes, I know Swaro are Austrian). And the rest of us have to use Bushnell Made in China cat's eyes.

I'll give you a couple of shares in my "Universal, Platonic Binocular Company", Sancho. It'll be inflatable porros all through the model range. Perhaps the "Fickle Shallowness" will be the entry level model?

Sancho: to quote bits copy the test and click the yellow "speech bubble" on the toolbar.

 

[elkcub]

... how can it be truthfully stated that this new EL is (or, is going to be) "sharp to the edges" when even the mighty SE actually falls WAY short (maybe something like 34 degrees out of 60, based on Henry Link's evaluation)? Perhaps it is because we lack not only a technical definition, but even an accepted qualitative one as well.

Whatever we can call it, some more accurate descriptions need to replace this "sharp to the edges" bull-butter. How about some sensible suggestions (or explanations) from the regulars here?

APS

AP,

I'd like to acknowledge your thought provoking comments on post #218, which unfortunately got lost in the discussion after A. Pittl's announcement. Looking forward to an extended bull-butter debate after the ELNeu arrives. :t:

Ed
PS. Until then if anyone must have edge-to-edge sharpness the compacts already have it. It says so right here in the 1991 brochure.

 

[ThoLa]

Do only the best roads use Swaro "highway reflective materials". Perhaps they work best with German cars (yes, I know Swaro are Austrian).

Austria's car industry has a very low output ..... approximating to the sales numbers of the new ELs.

And does it all mean that the new ELs are on a highly reflective Highway to Hell now?

wonders
Major Tom

 

[Swissboy]

......., if I bought shares I´d just spend the entirety of the next 12-year cycle worrying about them, and reducing my lifespan. It´s far less stressful to worry about irrelevant playthings like binoculars. When the only thing you have to worry about is their non-availability, you know you have enough in life.

I love this point of view, Sancho. :t:

 

[opticoholic]

Summary

I was a little frustrated trying to dig up or extract what we know about the new Swaro EL's in this enormously long thread. For those who might have the same problem, here is a summary of what seem to me to be the more important facts or rumours in the previous 244 posts (!)--

* Swarovski has officially announced they won't be available until 2010 (someone should take "soon" off the name of this thread).
* they will probably be significantly more costly than the current EL's (of course)
* a couple of the better sources of photos and information provided above are as follows (these links may of course go dead, but they both work right now)--
http://www.staroptics.it/otticaterrestre/Swarovski/binocoli_swarovski_el_swarovision.htm
http://www.swoptics.co.uk/view.asp?key=3003&pic=c

Based on the prototype photos, previous posts and the specs listed, the following changes are expected--

* larger eyepiece lens and reported better edge-to-edge sharpness or "sweet spot"
* improved eye relief 20 mm vs. 18 mm on the current 8.5X model (the links above report 20 mm even on the 10X model, which would be remarkable, and a big improvement for "10X folks")
* slightly wider field of view 7.6 degrees vs. 7.4 degrees on the current 8.5X model
* redesigned "Swarovision" optics with their "ED" glass
* close focus limit will be shorter (1.5 meters vs. 2.5 meters currently?)
* slightly lighter in weight, slightly smaller (8.5X model ~5 mm shorter?)
* barrels appear straighter, less tapered, but otherwise styling is similar (still green)

Others can feel free to correct or add onto this list, but that seems to sum it up for me. Normally binoculars improve incrementally. The list above seems a little more significant to me. We'll have to wait and see. Like others I hope they overhaul the 8X32 model, and how about a redesigned premium porro for the 21st century?
B

 

[fugl]

I was a little frustrated trying to dig up or extract what we know about the new Swaro EL's in this enormously long thread. For those who might have the same problem, here is a summary of what seem to me to be the more important facts or rumours in the previous 244 posts (!)--B

Thanks for that--a very useful summary. I'd long ago lost the forest for the trees.

 

[dogfish]

The focus on the new ELs isn't faster than the old ones. The same gearing, the Sawro man told me. But because it starts at a closer focusing distance, you have to turn the wheel further to go from closest focus to infinity. That was the case when I tried them in August at the British Bird Fair. But who knows, by 2010 it may all have changed.
Sean

 

[Leif]

and how about a redesigned premium porro for the 21st century?
B

I doubt that will appear as porros are out of fashion. You could say that the dog legs are in the dog house.

 

[opticoholic]

The focus on the new ELs isn't faster than the old ones. The same gearing, the Sawro man told me. But because it starts at a closer focusing distance, you have to turn the wheel further to go from closest focus to infinity. That was the case when I tried them in August at the British Bird Fair. But who knows, by 2010 it may all have changed.
Sean

Thanks Sean. I thought I read that the focusing was "faster," but I agree with you; I must have read too much into that... I removed it from my summary. One other thing that I could care less about is the increased diopter compensation range from +/-3 to +/-5...

 

[ceasar]

I've been away for 2 days and now I find out that Swarovski STILL Has not released them!

Oh, the humanity!

Bob

 

[ThoLa]

Others can feel free to correct or add onto this list, but that seems to sum it up for me. Normally binoculars improve incrementally. The list above seems a little more significant to me. We'll have to wait and see. Like others I hope they overhaul the 8X32 model, and how about a redesigned premium porro for the 21st century?
B

Some more photos here:
http://600birds.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-swarovski-els.html


To me the most significant new aspect is an image that is said to be free of distorsion, a much overlooked but very nasty lens abberation.

Cheers, Tom

 

[Dale Forbes]

Thanks Pyrtle! Wow, highway reflective materials....I´m a huge fan of same, can´t understand why we waste so much energy on lighting car-less roads all night, when high-quality cat´s eyes, etc. guide us adequately.

The company that makes the road reflectors is Swarco, part of the Swarovski Group. They work incredibly well and the roads through Wattens (the home of Swarovski Crystal) lights up beautifully.

 

[Sancho]

The company that makes the road reflectors is Swarco, part of the Swarovski Group. They work incredibly well and the roads through Wattens (the home of Swarovski Crystal) lights up beautifully.

Thanks for that, Dale! Fascinating stuff.:tAt least their products are available....might buy myself a bag-ful to play with....)

 

[ThoLa]

[/QUOTE]might buy myself a bag-ful to play with....)[/QUOTE]

This one's also part of the Swarovski group:
http://www.tyrolit.com/page.cfm?vpath=index

Why don't we all start to grind our own lenses while we wait .... and wait ... :smoke:

The first one to finish a whole set of lenses and prisms for a bino (no coating necessary) shall be "King of Bird Forum" for a full year (all expenses for new optical toys during this time covered by a members' fund). :king:
How does it sound?


Why-don't-they-hire-ME-for-marketing-Tom

 

[Omid]

Guys,

Here are are a few other points to consider:

1-To my knowledge, there was no new concept in these binocular to push the limits of optical design or engineering techniques. It was just an evolution of existing designs. Was there anything new in them that I missed? A new type of lens, prism, coating??

2-Almost all optical designs are made by ray tracing software such as ZMAX. The software calculates all abberations, etc. and also analyzes the effect of manufacturing tolerance. If a design is too sensitive to manufacturing tolerance, temperature change, etc. this would be known before the first prototype sees light!

3- ZMAX costs only $2000, much less than a new EL!!

4- In view of Item 2, there is no engineering need for hand-made
alpha-prototypes. These are marketing demos and they are not
exactly hand-made

5- As someone mentioned above, it is posssible to make superb binoculars with porro prisms which will be ALWAYS better than the equivalent roof design and CHEAPER too. The fact that porro designs are gone is a purly fashion thing.

Now, 2010 is a loooong way ahead! I invite you guys to come to
Florida and checkout some cute birds with your current full-of-abberation Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss binoculars while you
are waiting for these marvels of engineering to emerge...

 

[bitterntwisted]

This one's also part of the Swarovski group:
http://www.tyrolit.com/page.cfm?vpath=index

I can't believe they missed the opportunity to entitle their careers section 'the daily grind'.

 

[Sancho]

My 2-kilo of Cats´ Eyes from Swarco arrived yesterday, and lastnight I was the envy of my neighbours, who must still rely for evening entertainment by looking at street-lamps (the Bray Cineplex closed last year). Arranging my Cats´ Eyes in interesting patterns on my patio, and shining a flashlight on them, provided me with endless amusement and an opportunity to compare their resolution, pincushioning and aberrations with a bag of marbles that I keep handy for such purposes. I shall be posting a Complete Review on the "Available-Top-End-Toys-For-Those-Who-Have-Quite-Enough-Bins" forum, of which I am the Uber-Moderator and thus far, only member.

 

[Omid]

... shining a flashlight on them, provided me with endless amusement and an opportunity to compare their resolution, pincushioning and aberrations with a bag of marbles that I keep handy for such purposes.

Bravo!! :t::t: I specifically look forward to reading your detailed analysis of chromatic aberration when these cat eyes are looked upon from the top-left corner of one's feild of view.

 

[ceasar]

Some more photos here:
http://600birds.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-swarovski-els.html


To me the most significant new aspect is an image that is said to be free of distorsion, a much overlooked but very nasty lens abberation.

Cheers, Tom

Interesting link!

Look at the size of the new oculars! The comments in the link seem to indicate that most of the improvements in the view will come from the new eyepieces.

They must be quite expensive to manufacture, especially for the limited market and use they will have only in EL's. They aren't like standarized high quality astronomical eyepieces which can be used in most scopes and which have a more extensive market.

Bob

 

[etc]

Interesting link!

Look at the size of the new oculars! The comments in the link seem to indicate that most of the improvements in the view will come from the new eyepieces.


Bob

Exactly what is the benefit of the larger oculars? The exit pupil size is still the same, right? (42MM/8.5 = 4.9MM)