Why apples to oranges? I am interested in mostly same specs (8x42 heavy duty body or at least not easily breakable, shock resistant). I am wondering why all the 3 costs 500-1500$ more but doesn't offer any lifetime warranty and from other forums and reviews if something happens or breaks with Leica or Swarovski it's a trouble to get it fixed.....
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Vortex vs Swarovski vs Zeiss vs Leika bins (~8x42) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Steves13
- Start date
Vortexes are good and have fab warranties. What you get buying more expensive optics is a bit better quality, but do you need it?
But Swaro does have a very good service dept, too. The Habichts are worth every penny spent.
Per
Paultricounty
Well-known member
I think what Mal means by outliers, is that Vortex is the new comer compared to the other three premium makers. Also Vortex is only recently breaking into the premium level bins, with the MIJ UHD’s. They do have lifetime warranty on their binoculars, but most of the time they don’t repair they just replace depending on the pice point, but then again a lot of other manufacturers do the same thing. The big three usually will repair your binoculars, sometimes even after the warranty is over. But I will say their customer service a second to none. You can always get somebody on the phone and they’re happy to talk to you.
Paul
Paultricounty
Well-known member
They’re all very well made and tough, they’re made to be used. The apples to oranges comparison is imo that S, L and Z have have been around for a long time and have been known to be the best of the best. It’s a reputation , and of course optics as good as can be devolved within reason of cost.
The Votex don’t have that historical reputation and only recently produced alpha (premium) level binoculars in the (MIJ) UHD’s. Warranties change over time with some of these companies, Leica had a lifetime warranty years ago, then went to shorter three or five years years , and only in the last few years brought back longer warranties. Vortex maybe able to offer these lifetime no questions asked warranties because the majority of their line up are less expensive entry level (MIC) to upper mid grade optics made in the Philippines. That would be my guess.
Paul
I think buying by specs is a mistake, but you are spending your money, so it is your choice.
That was my point. There is a huge difference in price but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone’s eyes are different and direct comparison is the only way to see what you like. BTW to my eyes, after direct comparison, the NL is indeed superior. Not to you though. That’s fine but buy what you like best. So many people here present their opinions as fact.
What would be your advice? I am not going to buy without deep investigation and testing, it's not an Aliexpress 5$ item.
I see that most of you guys tell me to check each one physically and decide. I will try to find people/shop to test them all.
hopster
Well-known member
It's a very good idea to test them all physically, but the amount of time and the variety of conditions in a shop over an hour or so won't tell you everything you need to know. You should probably have 2 or 3 of them with you in a variety of realistic observing conditions over a period of a week or two, if you can manage that.
Also, make sure to set the IPD and eye cup positions very carefully on each of them before you decide on their optical properties. In terms of eye cup positions, you may need to use O-rings or something similar to temporarily hold them between stops. Some optics will give you blackouts if you are too close, and limit the FOV or give ocular reflections/glare if you are too far out. The difference might only be 1-2mm. Try not to jump to conclusions but take your time and don't be too biased by the opinions of others. Only you know what is most important to you.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Where are you located in the states? B&H in Manhattan as well as Adaroma usually have most all of these in stock. They don’t always have everything as demos on the shelf and much of their stock is in warehouses but you could narrow down what your looking for and purchase a few and return what you don’t want. If you were to find a retailer that had them, I would ad that sometimes it’s very difficult to know which optics you would like most from five minutes in the store. You probably will be able to rule out the ones that don’t feel the best in your hands.
Paul
That is why I am going to test each of them. Most of the experts here told me that these 4 are very well built and
I am going to try to ask people who own them to let me try/play with them.
iseegeorgesstar
Well-known member
You need to be more specific about your use-case situation. Binoculars are a tool and different tools are needed for different situations.
If your use-case is "general purpose" there's still the subjective element. For example, some binoculars have a strong rolling ball effect when panning. Some people find this very intolerable while other's either don't notice it much or find it within tolerable limits.
Swarovski's current model EL/NL armoring issue has thrown me a loop in binocular recommendation. Swarovski used to be my go to. Can I recommend a current Swarovski binocular knowing what I now know?
Recommendations?
From the second-hand market:
Swarovski SLC 8X42
Zeiss FL 8X42
New:
Leica Ultravid HD+ 8X42
Nikon Monarch HG 8X42
Meopta B1 model of some type 8X42
All the above are proven performers with an excellent track record. I think they all pretty much get along with most users.
Recommendations?
From the second-hand market:
Swarovski SLC 8X42
Zeiss FL 8X42
New:
Leica Ultravid HD+ 8X42
Nikon Monarch HG 8X42
Meopta B1 model of some type 8X42
All the above are proven performers with an excellent track record. I think they all pretty much get along with most users.
There is a mint 'as new' pair of Swaro 8x42SLC's in the classified.
My advice.... buy them !!
An amazing bino you CANNOT fail to be impressed with. Non of the current Swaro issues !!
They will blow your mind.
If they don't work out exactly as you want (unlikely) .... then move them on... they will always sell, they are a classic.
It would be a great, no risk, start to your 'alpha' binocular journey.
No one gets it right first time, and it's an expensive game.
My advice.... buy them !!
An amazing bino you CANNOT fail to be impressed with. Non of the current Swaro issues !!
They will blow your mind.
If they don't work out exactly as you want (unlikely) .... then move them on... they will always sell, they are a classic.
It would be a great, no risk, start to your 'alpha' binocular journey.
No one gets it right first time, and it's an expensive game.
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In addition to my previous post....
Paultricounty has a mint pair of Vortex UHD's... I was hugely impressed with these when I looked through a pair. They are stellar bins with AK prisms, and huge warranty !!
Another 'no risk' purchase... try them, and either be blown away, or move them on for little or no loss.
These two options are a great way to 'find your feet' in the expensive world of premium optics
Paultricounty has a mint pair of Vortex UHD's... I was hugely impressed with these when I looked through a pair. They are stellar bins with AK prisms, and huge warranty !!
Another 'no risk' purchase... try them, and either be blown away, or move them on for little or no loss.
These two options are a great way to 'find your feet' in the expensive world of premium optics
norway
🔻FP🔻
+1 on the Ultravid.
While they tend to get a bit overlooked, the image is beautiful and the overall package is IMHO still the most appealing on the market in terms of handling, feel, quality and design; it packs amazing glass in a very compact and well-built chassis. They're just confidence-inspiring and satisfying to use over the long haul, and offer great value for money in today's market.
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hopster
Well-known member
The OP has already suggested the Noctivid in 8x as one of his options. I would assume (having not compared them side-by-side) that this would at least equal, or probably improve upon, the Ultravid in terms of image quality, or is it being suggested because of the slightly lower price?
