At the end you got SF 10x42???????
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Paultricounty
Well-known member
Yes , NL flatness is similar to the SF and EL, yet not quite flat all the way to the edge like the EL.
I’d pay pay the money.
I won’t buy them now because I know how good they were before being deliberately cheapened.
I don’t want cheap. I want good! If they felt that they had to actually handicap the EL in order to sell the NL as better, you have to wonder whether the NL was THAT much better!
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Yeah that was one of the reasons one rep gave me that they couldn’t have the new NL having a shorter short focus than the EL. I wouldn’t say they are much better , just a slight Evolution, wider field of view , better panning qualities and some say better ergonomics.
I’ve had both EL‘s Side by side and I can tell you there’s not one iota of difference in the optics other than 2 1/2 feet of short focus. Bizarre phenomena an binoculars, and there’s nothing cheap about them.
elkcub
Silicon Valley, California
Exactly!
John M Robinson
Well-known member
You’re right, something special about it. It’s funny that way, hard to define, but it takes you by surprise.
John M Robinson
Well-known member
What was his reasoning in suggesting the SF over the NV? With these top of the line optics, it just seems to come down to personal preference and what works best for you.
He did not really espouse one.
I spoke this morning with a local dealer who has a pair of SF 10x42 that I can try out in person.
The same dealer has Ultravids in 8x but not 10 and won't get me a pair of Noctivids because he might not sell them if I do not buy them! So far I can find no way to see those without spending time and money flying up to Auckland which will be a 2 day trip and $1000 by the time I am done!
Well not a bad start. Can you contact any local bird association? Or maybe a search at this forum and see you lives near by you?
Anyway SF, NV, UV, NL or EL all are great. But if you could try as many as you could and discard the ones that do not suit you to the perfection..
But I warn you, I doubt that you will find the ones 100% perfect. I got EL and SF, both great but there is always a but in each one.
If you've got a local reserve try chatting to other birders. In my experience most birders are more than happy for you to try their optics.
Personally I really like the NLs and the Noctvids - both different but I'd be happy with either, yet I didn't really get on with the SFs, but it's very much personal choice and none of the top end binoculars could be described as bad.
Personally I really like the NLs and the Noctvids - both different but I'd be happy with either, yet I didn't really get on with the SFs, but it's very much personal choice and none of the top end binoculars could be described as bad.
tenex
reality-based
I have the impression that this was done not in order to make NL look better, but by setting a clearly different price point to keep EL 42 on the market at all rather than discontinuing it (as sadly happened with the 32 for some reason). Swaro had been in the position before of having SLC HD and EL simultaneously on the market, priced close together for several years, with rather similar features except for flat field, which you'd imagine was fantastic for user choice but must have turned out to be confusing for marketing and suboptimal in sales. And they solved it the same way, by simplifying SLC to lower its price. So there still was a choice: an excellent binocular continued in production, and not everyone cares so much about close focus or "cheapening". (And today it has moved over to Kahles, a further sign of how highly they continue to value that model.)
That said, if you really feel this way (as I did), you can still get exactly what you want: buy an earlier EL, and have it serviced if/as needed to like-new condition. I love the 2011 SLC HD I got last year.
elkcub
Silicon Valley, California
In the odd and curious case of Swarovski Optik, the old is often better than the new. 🤫
Ed
I don't agree completely with that. The CL Curio is better than any previous Swarovski-made pocket binoculars (probably better than any pocket binoculars). For many NL 12x42 is a groundbreaking discovery. The flat wide field and the breathtaking transparency of the NL line have never been achieved previously. NL focuser has been improved a lot compared to the EL line. Even new coating improved the color rendition and light transmission of the older Habicht model. The only disappointing thing to me is their new armor. Of course, different people have their own preference for older models of binoculars, and no doubt SLC HDs are still very best binoculars.
Just a thought.... search the internet to find a 2nd hand pair of Noctovids.... get a decent price on them and try them out.
If they're no good for you, sell them on at little, or zero loss..... It certainly won't cost you the $1000 of the trip.
If they are great, either keep those ones, or sell them on to fund a brand new pair.
Either way you lose little...
Sadly they’d almost certainly end up coming from overseas. It’s probably a product that sells 10 units a year in NZ or something like that!!
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Your considering buying the best and most expensive binoculars on the planet (excluding WX). Narrow your choice down to the two you think you want the most and bite the bullet and order them. Try them out , choose what you like, and return the other. You pay the costs for shipping, sometimes you have to pay if you want to play. I'm pretty sure 99% of people will be more than happy with any of the top binoculars.
For me this doesn’t always work out well , because I wind up keeping both. 😜.
Paul
For me this doesn’t always work out well , because I wind up keeping both. 😜.
Paul
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tenex
reality-based
We're playing some kind of guessing game here. Why did you buy NL 12x instead of 10? If you really want 12x, that's a different set of choices (EL or UV). If 10x is good, you might like a pre-owned/refurbished EL 10x42, or even SLC. Too many options there!
But if you really think you've narrowed it down to SF or NV 10x42, why don't you just ask this dealer in Auckland to send you both with the understanding that you'll return only one?
Mainly because my UV 10x32 (non HD or HD+) tell me that 10 x doesn’t get me close enough. A Noctivid or SF 12x would be interesting. There is an Ultravid in that range but for some reason it’s not listed on Leica’s NZ web page.
I’m usually looking at things in open country here in the South Island of NZ. Bird wise it’s wide flat braided rivers, mountains and valleys, coastal shore birds and oceans, flying raptors (although we only have two species of raptor in daytime plus a couple of owls at night). Other than that it’s general observation of deer, Thar, seals, sea lions and so on.
Given that, high magnification is of more utility than nimble wide fov to chase darting small birds in dense woodland, for example.
The reason for not doing what you suggest with regards to getting both is that under NZ consumer law there’s no right of return other than in the case of faulty goods. Changing your mind isn’t considered a reason for return.
The nearest Leica dealer doesn’t have Noctivids and isn’t prepared to order such an expensive item just so I can try it!
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tenex
reality-based
So if you really want 12x and NL doesn't work for you, the obvious choices are EL or UV 12x50, and from your experience with UV 10x32 and EL 8.5x42 (both optics and handling) you might be able to guess which you'd like better. Otherwise, regardless of general rights, I wonder whether that Auckland dealer might be willing to make an agreement with you to get a relatively rare sale.
