Hermmann,
You mean even after Jan told you that the focusers on every Swaro in his shop aside from one (which had a "gritty" focuser) turned smoothly, you're still worried about getting another Swaro with a stiff focuser? Me, too.
Re: your btw, there are 70* AFOV binoculars suitable for birding (except in the rain, but I never understood birding in the rain, or for that matter why Gene Kelly was "Singing in the Rain" while dancing around a lamppost
. But for fair weather, you can't beat the 8x30 and 10x35 EIIs for EWA 70* AFOV sharp, contrasty images.
I haven't tried the Conquest HD, but the centerfield sharpness on my 8x30 EII matches that of my 8x32 SE, and Bruce H said the same thing about the 8x EII he just bought compared to his 8x SE. It simply doesn't get sharper than the 8x SE, so it should match the 8x32 Conquest HD.
Ditto for the 10x35 EII vs. the 10x32 C-HD. You're not going to find a 70* AFOV midsized roof even at the alpha level in either configuration, and I'm not just saying that to "pump and dump" because I'm selling a 10x EII. Either 8x and 10x model will give you give you top optical quality with an EWA.
Good Luck! in finding one, though. I only see one 8x EII left from Japan on eBay. I have seen some in European stores, I'm not sure if it's the VAT or what, but Euro store prices on EIIs are really high. Japan's prices are catching up, though, due to the high cost of energy since shutting down most of the country's nuclear plants. They're using imported liquid natural gas, which costs three times what natural gas costs in the U.S.
I see 8x EIIs from Japan selling for over $600 on eBay. They used to cost a little more than half that much - $325-$350 for the 8x EII and $350-$375 for the 10x EII -- when they first came out in 1999.
The newer black body models are better - stronger armor and more advanced AR coatings -- but I think most of the difference in price today is due to the higher cost of manufacturing in Japan due to higher labor costs and energy prices vs. 1999.
Brock