Thread: Pocket Binos

I have some older Steiner binos and they have held up well.

IMHO the best pocket bino is the Lecia 10x25 ultravid. Size and clarity is excellent.

Hi Liam,

Thanks for posting this question. I'm thinking of getting something smaller and lighter too. My 8x30 Kahles are wonderful to use but weigh 610g (750 with case and strap) I never realised the saddliery was 20% of the total weight.

Looking at the specs of the Zeiss vs Swaro, the optics seem the same in FOV, exit pupil and so on as you'd expect for 8x25. External dimensions are similar.
The Zeiss has an asymmetrical fold system. Could be OK. I wonder why ? Both seem to have substantial bridges for ruggedness.

Weights:
Swaro CL Pocket 345g
Zeiss Vic Pocket 290g

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Hi Liam,

Thanks for posting this question. I'm thinking of getting something smaller and lighter too. My 8x30 Kahles are wonderful to use but weigh 610g (750 with case and strap) I never realised the saddliery was 20% of the total weight.

Looking at the specs of the Zeiss vs Swaro, the optics seem the same in FOV, exit pupil and so on as you'd expect for 8x25. External dimensions are similar.
The Zeiss has an asymmetrical fold system. Could be OK. I wonder why ? Both seem to have substantial bridges for ruggedness.

Weights:
Swaro CL Pocket 345g
Zeiss Vic Pocket 290g

Hi @Bagheera,

Yes the exit pupil is the same but the Zeiss has a 130m FOV vs 119m for the Swarovski. The lighter weight also appeals to me but could be a negative thing when trying to hold them steady for long periods of time. Lots of things to think about haha.

+1 for Swarovski CL Mountain 8x25 (ex Sarvo). Easy carry so always at hand when wanted, excellent optics, brilliant all-rounders.

Some of you need to hit the gym.

The Swarovski 8x25 CL Pockets are great. No problem with extended glassing sessions. I also have some 8x32 Ultravids and as good as they are I grab the pockets most of the time. The time difference at last light is less than 3 min whenever I have compared them and past the time I would be happy to take a shot spotting with both.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

The Swarovski 8x25 CL Pockets are great. No problem with extended glassing sessions. I also have some 8x32 Ultravids and as good as they are I grab the pockets most of the time. The time difference at last light is less than 3 min whenever I have compared them and past the time I would be happy to take a shot spotting with both.

Thanks mate, looks like Swarovski it is. Cheers

I have some 10x26 Steiner wildlife xp which are great.BUT shit lens caps,replaced with some modified pill bottles from the plastic box for a couple of $.Got the binos out of Germany for about $380 a few years ago.Would do it again they are good.

I have a set of Ultravid 10x25s and holey shit are they nice. Much better than the diamond backs the glass quality makes up for ALOT of the brightness at last light. They also have way better contrast. Animals stand out more. I would likely have preferred the 8x20s but it is what is is. I'd be up for a trade if you decide you want the 10x25s and want to save some money. There is a set of 10x25s on trademe that didn't sell if your interested in the details.
I have contact details if you like. He wanted 650 reserve or 700 buy now. But hit him up off trademe and you could save him about 50 bucks success fees

Originally Posted by Stocky

I have a set of Ultravid 10x25s and holey shit are they nice. Much better than the diamond backs the glass quality makes up for ALOT of the brightness at last light. They also have way better contrast. Animals stand out more. I would likely have preferred the 8x20s but it is what is is. I'd be up for a trade if you decide you want the 10x25s and want to save some money. There is a set of 10x25s on trademe that didn't sell if your interested in the details.
I have contact details if you like. He wanted 650 reserve or 700 buy now. But hit him up off trademe and you could save him about 50 bucks success fees

Thanks @Stocky, I have PM’d you. Cheers

I have a pair of Leica 10x25's and a pair of Swarovski 10x25's and both are top class binòs. In terms of performance there appears to be nothing in it at all. My personal favourites are the Swaro's but I admit this is subjective.

I finally had an opportunity to compare these compact, lightweight binos to my mates 10x42 EL Rangefinding Swaro's in early March. I was really surprised by how well the CL's held up against the EL's. Field of view was only slightly more in the EL's... I didn't quantify it but maybe only 10m wider at the 800m target we were looking at? The clarity didn't appear any different. I would expect the EL's to be better in low light but for me I'm unlikely to ever need to take advantage of this. The EL's were nice to look through and being heavier might not shake around so much but what small gain you have in overall performance you give up in weight. As I've always said... I have NEVER sat on the side of a mountain wishing I had a heavier pair of binoculars, but I have sat on the side of a mountain wishing I had lighter and more compact binos.

Finally, the EL Range came in around 980 grams from memory, while my CL's and my pocket rangefinger together came in around 680 grams I think, so while I'm carrying two devices and my mate carries only one, I'm 300 grams lighter. Naturally this is the subject of much good natured ribbing between us.

I believe many people have asked Swarovski to make a rangefinding pair of 10x30's but they're not interested in this. There will be many good reasons I expect. For me, the 10x30's are the nicest combination of feel, weight and performance so a rangefinder in those would be the perfect answer. I'd buy a pair tomorrow if they made them.

What Sarvo was talking about but might need clarification is that Swarovski have just put their wholesale prices up. This occurred in mid-February. If you buy from a retailer who has a high turnover in this stuff you will doubtless find the new prices in effect. If you are lucky, you might be able to find somebody with a pair of your desired binos at the old price... but only if you're very quick.

i have both 10 and 8 power swarvo x25's, I also have bigger ones. the 8x25 get the most use. I spend a lot more time bird watching than looking for game and the compacts are plenty bright enough during the day(dawn/dusk they suck if your used to good full size) and being so small and light they get taken places at timesI wouldn't carry the bigger ones.
my five year old has tried very hard to destroy the compacts as he gets to use them when he gets dragged along bird watching but so far they are holding up

current NZ swarvo prices are fantastic, new is less than second hand in a lot of markets

Originally Posted by res

i have both 10 and 8 power swarvo x25's, I also have bigger ones. the 8x25 get the most use. I spend a lot more time bird watching than looking for game and the compacts are plenty bright enough during the day(dawn/dusk they suck if your used to good full size) and being so small and light they get taken places at timesI wouldn't carry the bigger ones.
my five year old has tried very hard to destroy the compacts as he gets to use them when he gets dragged along bird watching but so far they are holding up

current NZ swarvo prices are fantastic, new is less than second hand in a lot of markets

What's a good price you have seen lately say for the pocket 10x25 B?

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

Thanks for all the feedback team, I ended up getting the 10x25 Leica ultravids as I got an offer to good to refuse. But I will still call init a ship and have a look through some Swarovski 8x25 to see if I prefer them. Cheers