A lot has been written about the Swarovision 8x32. When I briefly compared the SV 8x32, SV 8.5x42 and SF 8x42 more than a year back, the SV’s appeared the sharpest. Of the two SV’s I preferred the 8x32 as it had the bigger FOV and narrower barrels to let my fingers wrap around them. That memory stayed with me and I jumped at a great deal on the SV 8x32 Traveler as I liked the sandy brown color better than the usual Swaro green. This was an extravagant purchase for me and I was ready to find any excuse to return it.
The SV Traveler bins look amazing even next to the handsome Leica UV. The sand brown armor is smooth and soft. The integrated objective lens covers are very nice. The eyepiece covers close down so well over the eyepieces it is amazing how much thought Swarovski has put into the design. Attaching the Comfort carrying strap to the bins proved easy and everything felt secure.
As I already knew the SV 8x32 is light and a delight to hold and use. The eyecups rotate out smoothly with one stop in the middle and doesn’t have many click stops like the Leica. The view through these are obviously spectacular. I have been comparing it with the Nikon EII and UVHD for four weeks. For a 8x32 medium sized bin the SV is almost the same length as the UV 10x42. Even though the UV 10x42 is compact for a full sized bin seeing the SV equaling that size might give some pause, but the SV is lighter and the width shorter. If the SV 8x32 was sized smaller like the UV 8x32 it would be too small to handle. For me this size is perfect in every way.
Optically the SV produces a bright, sharp and a flat image. It is slightly sharper and more vivid than the EII. The image is flat to the very edges. Compared to the UVHD I’d rate the center field sharpness to be the same, but the flat crisp image of the SV adds a sense of clarity that is missing in the Leica. You don’t need to move your eyes around to get a sense of the flat field. You just perceive all nearby objects in the peripheral vision very clearly and it makes the view so relaxing. The SV also appears a bit brighter than the UV. The SV also has good depth of field. A few days back I saw Jupiter and the four moons lined up perfectly through the SV and it was stunning. The stars stay sharp till around 80% from the center. My opinions are based hand holding the bins without using a tripod.
The SV focusing is smoother than the UV. It turns faster clockwise and there is slightly more friction anti clockwise. I like this because I can turn clockwise fast trying to focus on a moving bird and may overshoot it and then adjust it anti clockwise just so slightly and the extra friction makes it work well. I thought the UV had precise and smooth focusing and it was nice to see that the SV was even better. It goes from 20ft to infinity in half turn and close focus is under 6.5ft. The great thing about SV's close focus is that it has a wide FOV with a sizable overlap of the view through both barrels. This makes it easy on the eyes to look at objects closer without any eye strain or needing to bring the barrels closer. What Swarovski has done here is just amazing.
CA is almost non existent in the SV. I see CA in the UV whenever I try hard. I compared watching hawks and eagles circling way up and quite a few red winged black birds and I didn’t notice any CA in the SV. These rwbb’s can elicit CA in bins without trying too hard. The Nikon EII also shows very little CA. The Leica UV is poor in this regard.
Now to the rolling ball. This has been a bone of contention here. A barf bag was with me when I tested for this. After using the SV for four weeks almost daily I don’t see any funny edge distortion. And I saw no rolling ball when panning. I even stood in the middle of the soccer field and spun around like a top. I got very dizzy from the spinning, but not from any rolling ball. The kids playing soccer thought I was acting very strange![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
About glare - This is what I spent the most time looking for. Comparing the SV, UV and EII extensively I can say this. The SV and EII have similar characteristics. I do see a hint of glare during dawn and dusk, but adjusting the eye placement makes it go away. This morning it was cloudy and bright and looking into the thick undergrowth I saw a slightly washed up image in the Leica UV. On the SV I did see some glare appear and disappear, but the image stayed clear. Same with the EII. I was surprised that the Leica UV which is supposed to have better baffling showed a milky image. I also have a B&L Discoverer 7x42 which showed the same veiling glare as the Leica. On the SV I see some light artifacts appearing and disappearing at the top when the light conditions are bad, but the image the center is always clear. I never could get a washed up image in the SV however I tried in bright light or during overcast days.
Handling is where SV 8x32 beats every other bin I have tried. The narrow barrels let the fingers grip them tightly. The 20oz weight is easy to carry around your neck and I felt no strain using these for hours at a stretch. The view through this is devoid of any tremors due to the weight and balance that it feels like an IS bin. The Leica 10x42 is only 8oz more, but that extra weight is felt within 10 minutes of using it. Kudos to Swaro designers for getting this perfect. This is one bin where I can forget about the different characteristics of the bin and just use it for birding. There is nothing that bothers me even a little when using the SV.
When discussing handling I have to say something about the Field Pro. The new adapter is easy to mount and the adjustable strap is useful to increase or decrease the length. Going from wearing it messenger bag style to wearing it close to the chest takes 10 seconds. This new strap doesn’t get tangled like the older flat strap.
Low light - I thought that going down to a 32 will make it harder to use when the light falls, but no, the SV 32 hangs with the UV 10x42 and the B&L 7x42 till very late in the evening. Looking into shadows and undergrowth I don’t see the SV 8x32 struggling to keep with the UV 10x42. The Nikon EII is noticeably less bright compared to the SV 32 in low light.
All in all I’d say that pound for pound this is the best birding glass I have looked through. Sure, the bigger SV’s and HT’s might work better in some lowlight situations. Taking into consideration the low weight, right size, great handling and amazing image this could be my only pair if I have to choose one. There are only a few times when action matches words and the SV 8x32 is just that. Very impressed. I am keeping it and have registered with Swarovski Optik.
The SV Traveler bins look amazing even next to the handsome Leica UV. The sand brown armor is smooth and soft. The integrated objective lens covers are very nice. The eyepiece covers close down so well over the eyepieces it is amazing how much thought Swarovski has put into the design. Attaching the Comfort carrying strap to the bins proved easy and everything felt secure.
As I already knew the SV 8x32 is light and a delight to hold and use. The eyecups rotate out smoothly with one stop in the middle and doesn’t have many click stops like the Leica. The view through these are obviously spectacular. I have been comparing it with the Nikon EII and UVHD for four weeks. For a 8x32 medium sized bin the SV is almost the same length as the UV 10x42. Even though the UV 10x42 is compact for a full sized bin seeing the SV equaling that size might give some pause, but the SV is lighter and the width shorter. If the SV 8x32 was sized smaller like the UV 8x32 it would be too small to handle. For me this size is perfect in every way.
Optically the SV produces a bright, sharp and a flat image. It is slightly sharper and more vivid than the EII. The image is flat to the very edges. Compared to the UVHD I’d rate the center field sharpness to be the same, but the flat crisp image of the SV adds a sense of clarity that is missing in the Leica. You don’t need to move your eyes around to get a sense of the flat field. You just perceive all nearby objects in the peripheral vision very clearly and it makes the view so relaxing. The SV also appears a bit brighter than the UV. The SV also has good depth of field. A few days back I saw Jupiter and the four moons lined up perfectly through the SV and it was stunning. The stars stay sharp till around 80% from the center. My opinions are based hand holding the bins without using a tripod.
The SV focusing is smoother than the UV. It turns faster clockwise and there is slightly more friction anti clockwise. I like this because I can turn clockwise fast trying to focus on a moving bird and may overshoot it and then adjust it anti clockwise just so slightly and the extra friction makes it work well. I thought the UV had precise and smooth focusing and it was nice to see that the SV was even better. It goes from 20ft to infinity in half turn and close focus is under 6.5ft. The great thing about SV's close focus is that it has a wide FOV with a sizable overlap of the view through both barrels. This makes it easy on the eyes to look at objects closer without any eye strain or needing to bring the barrels closer. What Swarovski has done here is just amazing.
CA is almost non existent in the SV. I see CA in the UV whenever I try hard. I compared watching hawks and eagles circling way up and quite a few red winged black birds and I didn’t notice any CA in the SV. These rwbb’s can elicit CA in bins without trying too hard. The Nikon EII also shows very little CA. The Leica UV is poor in this regard.
Now to the rolling ball. This has been a bone of contention here. A barf bag was with me when I tested for this. After using the SV for four weeks almost daily I don’t see any funny edge distortion. And I saw no rolling ball when panning. I even stood in the middle of the soccer field and spun around like a top. I got very dizzy from the spinning, but not from any rolling ball. The kids playing soccer thought I was acting very strange
About glare - This is what I spent the most time looking for. Comparing the SV, UV and EII extensively I can say this. The SV and EII have similar characteristics. I do see a hint of glare during dawn and dusk, but adjusting the eye placement makes it go away. This morning it was cloudy and bright and looking into the thick undergrowth I saw a slightly washed up image in the Leica UV. On the SV I did see some glare appear and disappear, but the image stayed clear. Same with the EII. I was surprised that the Leica UV which is supposed to have better baffling showed a milky image. I also have a B&L Discoverer 7x42 which showed the same veiling glare as the Leica. On the SV I see some light artifacts appearing and disappearing at the top when the light conditions are bad, but the image the center is always clear. I never could get a washed up image in the SV however I tried in bright light or during overcast days.
Handling is where SV 8x32 beats every other bin I have tried. The narrow barrels let the fingers grip them tightly. The 20oz weight is easy to carry around your neck and I felt no strain using these for hours at a stretch. The view through this is devoid of any tremors due to the weight and balance that it feels like an IS bin. The Leica 10x42 is only 8oz more, but that extra weight is felt within 10 minutes of using it. Kudos to Swaro designers for getting this perfect. This is one bin where I can forget about the different characteristics of the bin and just use it for birding. There is nothing that bothers me even a little when using the SV.
When discussing handling I have to say something about the Field Pro. The new adapter is easy to mount and the adjustable strap is useful to increase or decrease the length. Going from wearing it messenger bag style to wearing it close to the chest takes 10 seconds. This new strap doesn’t get tangled like the older flat strap.
Low light - I thought that going down to a 32 will make it harder to use when the light falls, but no, the SV 32 hangs with the UV 10x42 and the B&L 7x42 till very late in the evening. Looking into shadows and undergrowth I don’t see the SV 8x32 struggling to keep with the UV 10x42. The Nikon EII is noticeably less bright compared to the SV 32 in low light.
All in all I’d say that pound for pound this is the best birding glass I have looked through. Sure, the bigger SV’s and HT’s might work better in some lowlight situations. Taking into consideration the low weight, right size, great handling and amazing image this could be my only pair if I have to choose one. There are only a few times when action matches words and the SV 8x32 is just that. Very impressed. I am keeping it and have registered with Swarovski Optik.
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