52 is kind of a cool choice. I liked that Zeiss did 54s, although was always disappointed that they didn't make 15s. I would similarly be disappointed if Swarovski did not make 15s. But, the prospect of 12x52s is exciting to me. I have had a 12 size hole in my binocular collection for a long time. The 12x42s never really excited me for whatever reason.
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NL >=50 mm versions? (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter DRodrigues
- Start date
Alaska4me
Well-known member
You are talking my language
tenex
reality-based
I imagine most people do. In my case I'm never quite sure what a 12 would add to the 10 and 15x I use. And I already have enough bins that taking one means leaving too many home, so occasionally I'm still curious, but can't define a specific use case.
Totally. I've owned 12s and have also been unsure what they added to my collection. And I almost always grab lower magnification rather than higher anyways. And yet, I want a new pair of 12s.
NDhunter
Experienced observer
tenex
reality-based
OK, "half" price was a joke, but the last EL 50s are turning up some places at $500-600 off.
DRodrigues
Well-known member
Yes, I would be one of the buyers of a real good zoom binocular with IS. I already told that I would be interested on a binocular resulting from the joining of 2 STC56 (if with at least central focusing...), but would prefer a IS version of it, even if "only" 17-33x...
Yes, it would be big, heavy and expensive but would be unique!
And yes, very useful to me...
iseegeorgesstar
Well-known member
So strange. Today I'm seeing this thread with the NL 52mm rumors and this past night I had a dream of larger Swaro bionculars side by side with my Habicht.
iseegeorgesstar
Well-known member
I was wondering about this. IF is obviously in their favor and apparently the nikons have a great depth of field. However I was thinking Swaro customer support is probably better and CF has more utility. You can probably still take the big NLs for scenic viewing somewhere. Also the swaros will probably have better resale value but who knows.
I'm really curious how they will compare to the 12x50 ultravids. I remember seeing a post on CN comparing the NL 42 to the nikon wx and in the fov pictures I was impressed how close the 42 NLs were to the nikons already.
I'm hoping that the NL 52s won't have a much larger physical footprint than the NL 42s. The EL 10x50 is only about half an inch longer than the El 10x42. If that is the case, and the weight is similar to the EL 50s, they'll certainly be field-usable.
The WX is really a dedicated astro binocular for sweeping night-sky views.
The real field of view on the NL 8x42 is about the same as that on the WX 10x50. If the NL 10x52 has a similar FOV to the 10x42, the WX 10x50 will still exceed it by close to 20%.
But aren't we constantly told that depth of field depends on magnification? So it shouldn't matter whether it's a 10x25 Nikon Traveller (or whatever they call their little reverse porros) or a WX, assuming actual magnification is the same...
crinklystarfish
Well-known member
In my case an NL12x meant I no longer needed or even wanted any other full-sized bin anywhere between 10 and 16x magnification.
See above. Sell 'em and buy an NL12x
Sorted.
Eurooptic has new Swarovski 10x50 and 12x50 both $2399
tenex
reality-based
The myth cannot be killed. People just know what they think they see.
As another point of comparison, the NL 10x42 is only 0.5" longer than the NL 10x32.
Whenever I hold a pair of NL42s, it seems to me that the platform could readily accommodate a 50mm version without adding much, but that's just my brain interpreting the form, and has nothing to do with any understanding of the optics.
Of course, if they switch to AK prisms all size bets are off, but my suspicion is that they'll keep these as compact SP-prism models, and keep the SLCs as the AK offering.
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The other thing I'd like to see on the NL52s is compatibility with standard tripod adapters. If Swaro don't put a regular 1/4"-20 socket on a single hinge 52mm binocular, that would really be spitting in the eye of their customers (what they have on the SLC56s works just fine). And yes, I know that there are bulky and overpriced platform-&-strap alternatives, but if I do spend an obscene amount of money to get the best new binocular, I'm going to want to be able to use the best set-up with it.
Anyone who knows any Swaro reps, please convey that message to them before it is too late.
Anyone who knows any Swaro reps, please convey that message to them before it is too late.
SuperDuty
Well-known member
Seems like any top tier 12 power binocular should have a good quality built-in tripod/monopod adapter installed at the factory, a lot of the used 12X42 NL have them installed, I’d say that’s pretty telling.
