New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...? (1 Viewer)

[Canip]

three day training seminar for the product in Absam

Which, according to my trusted local Swaro dealer, happened in November 2023 - how the heck were they able to keep the info confidential until now?

 

[wllmspd]

Probably as swaro would “not be happy” if they said anything… ;-)

Peter

 

[Bentley03]

Which, according to my trusted local Swaro dealer, happened in November 2023 - how the heck were they able to keep the info confidential until now?

I happen to know that the member of the Ace Optics team who attended the seminar has been 'locked down' in Chile ever since and only returned to the UK just as the embargo was lifted. Do Swarovski have some sort of facility there where all attendees are sent with no means of communicating with the outside world pending the lifting of embargos...?

 

[grackle314]

Well the cat is presumably out the bag with the AX Visio 10x32.

With regard to IS, I had wondered whether any of the top brands will ever make IS bins, but the launch of the AX Visio has got me rethinking.

My logic has always been that top grade binoculars are beautifully crafted and engineered and that IS is quite a big add on. Assuming that adding IS to bins requires some give, what would you compromise to gain IS - FoV, weight, image quality, or even just ergonomics and how they fit your hand?

I have a pair or higher powered IS binoculars, but for me these are on occasional pair for certain conditions and habitats. For occasional use, I am happy with the performance of the current offering (I have the Kite 16 x 42). Would I spend top dollar on a secondary set of bins for occasional use - probably not.

Before today, I would have said that all the top brands have probably done their market research, know their current offering will be the main sellers, and realize that a line of IS bins that are a compromise in some way, will have more limited sales.

If the goals of image stabilization, IS, are better discernment of detailed features and more enjoyment of a fixed view, doesn't a camera photo or video provide that as well, actual IS, at the same magnification? Going the camera route instead of IS allows plugging the imagery into the rest of the web and personal computer. I'm finding sometimes my camera at 10x provides wonderful views now that camera phones are so good. I could imagine skipping the IS stage and continue past it into the digital.

 

[jan van daalen]

I happen to know that the member of the Ace Optics team who attended the seminar has been 'locked down' in Chile ever since and only returned to the UK just as the embargo was lifted. Do Swarovski have some sort of facility there where all attendees are sent with no means of communicating with the outside world pending the lifting of embargos...?

And I was under the impression we discussed just a new binocular.......

 

[wllmspd]

Seems pretty extreme… hopefully the birding was good over there!

Peter

 

[dries1]

Which, according to my trusted local Swaro dealer, happened in November 2023 - how the heck were they able to keep the info confidential until now?

Money.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

I could imagine skipping the IS stage and continue past it into the digital.

Off thread but a lot of birders now rapidly turn to a camera for 'evidence'. A discussion I recently had, is that if you only see the bird through a mirrorless EVF have you really seen the bird? - it is a bit like looking at a television image.

IS does work amazingly well in certain circumstances, say when you are being buffeted by the wind. Most expensive cameras have IS (some have IS built into the camera body and lens), so digital is not a replacement for IS. You can kind of do something like IS electronically - Premier Pro will take out shake from video, but this is a time consuming post production process (not real time by any stretch of the imagination) and results in a cropped video. The reason static images are sharp on a camera is more to do with shutter speed than the fact that they are digital images.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

doesn't a camera photo or video provide that as well, actual IS, at the same magnification?

To woffle on, on a recent pelagic expedition I used IS bins - not only did I have a steady image at higher magnification, but I could also see how a bird flew, which is an impossible task from a photo. When we had one tricky bird (which was photographed), Peter Harrison eyed the image for some time and then asked 'what did it fly like?'

I definitely think IS has it's place and would recommend every keen birder to have a look through a pair and see what they think. I just am not sure I would pay top dollar for an add on that invariable adds weight, impacts ergonomics, and seems to invariably reduce FoV. Particularly as in 'normal' conditions, and when using lower magnification binoculars, I don't find shake a noticeable problem.

 

[Bentley03]

And I was under the impression we discussed just a new binocular.......

That's the other thread, Jan.

😉

 

[wllmspd]

Having an image is useful as it allows you to go through the detail to split difficult ID or work out what just popped it’s head out for a few seconds…

Peter

 

[jan van daalen]

That's the other thread, Jan.

😉

I must still suffer from brainfrost.....

 

[Maljunulo]

I must still suffer from brainfrost.....

I think you're too young.

Maybe in another 30-35 years.

 

[kestrel1]

Looking at pictures of old Leica 7x42 BD rangefinder and current rangefinder products gives me hope that AX visio will evolve in 10+ years into something more mainstream, less bulky, less costly. Nowadays mainstream products had once early versions which were kind of rich people toys. I assume it will be same with this instrument. Yet today instrument at price of 2x NL or 5x Conquest HD x32 it is not convincing for most of us here...

 

[Canip]

Do Swarovski have some sort of facility there where all attendees are sent with no means of communicating with the outside world

The Swiss attendees were in Absam for two days end of Nov and returned home thereafter.

 

[jan van daalen]

The Swiss attendees were in Absam for two days end of Nov and returned home thereafter.

There goes the myth......

 

[DRodrigues]

The ATX STX is over 10 years old now so I imagine it's only a matter of time before a new version is released

Hopefully during 2024...🤞
Swarosvki was fast to reply to Leica after the release of wide-angled zoom ep but is taking longer to reply to the Zeiss Harpia... I'm expecting wider AFOVs and at least 3x zoom factor...

 

[DRodrigues]

If the goals of image stabilization, IS, are better discernment of detailed features and more enjoyment of a fixed view, doesn't a camera photo or video provide that as well, actual IS, at the same magnification? Going the camera route instead of IS allows plugging the imagery into the rest of the web and personal computer. I'm finding sometimes my camera at 10x provides wonderful views now that camera phones are so good. I could imagine skipping the IS stage and continue past it into the digital.

Nope, nothing like birding through good optics! No camera has the immersion of true optics!!!
The IS, specially at >=10x, just increase even more the immersion!!! I'm using, since some months, a Canon 18x50 to replace my 15x56 binos Test of 15x56 binoculars

 

[Bentley03]

There goes the myth......

Oh well. Fact remains, as observed by Canip, the embargo was respected by all parties, not a single leak. I like that! 🙂

And I'm told the birdwatching in Chile is exceptional! 😉

 

[Jon.Bryant]

Hopefully during 2024...🤞

If they do update the ATX/STX, I hope it remains compatible with the Mk1.

I have always argued that the ATX/STX is a lot of extra dosh, if you are only going to have one setup - might as well save a grand and buy a model that it not modular. Unless you are super rich, I imagine most people will slowly acquire the components they want. I bought the ATX with 95mm objective lens when it first came out (I remember being at Pagham and a women said to her husband 'you said nobody else would have one!'). Anyway, I bought the BTX eyepiece many moons after launch, with the dream or more sea watching and wader counts. However, I still would like to buy the 65mm objective , but cannot make the excuse for the purchase, until the death of my old Leica APO 65mm.

I would be apoplectic if mark 2 components were not compatible, particularly as the BTX was only launched in Feb 2017 (and the 115mm objective lens in October 2020). I would feel compelled to snaffle up compatible Mk I components, before they were withdrawn from sale, which would not be a great feeling.

Rather than a MkII, how about a an ATX Visio eye-piece? I won't buy it, but given the latest launch, I can see it coming one day....

Now IS in a telescope would be great for sea watching on blustery days (which are the only days worth sea-watching!), but I suspect that IS would need to be built into the whole scope, so really only likely in a 'one piece' scope option.