Thread: Swarovski slc/el bino

Originally Posted by dannyb

And if it was that dark would you have still shot it knowing you would then have to re cover it in the dark....depends where you are I guess

Where we were the answer is no. we went back to camp and made a cup of tea.

I have some older el 8.5x42 ,but I find them too heavy and I m thinking of getting some of their pocket ones (8x25 or 10x25). For bow hunting and bush hunting I don't need more. For years I have used an old pocket pair of zeiss , the glass was excellent but they ended up failing mecanicaly.

Originally Posted by Tech

One evening @Southcity and I were sitting in the Southern Alps glassing for Chamois. He was using his 10x42mm ELs and I had my 10x32mm ELs and we both came to the conclusion that my binos lost about 5 minutes worth of viewing time compared to his. If Southcity had seen an animal in those last 5 minutes the question would then be could it be seen through a rifle scope?

I once overheard a Swarovski rep say they wanted people to buy their binos before they bought a rifle scope. That way when they could see the animal through the binos but not their scope they would be back to buy the scope.

That’s what it reads like have you got the slc? I can live with the weight and body construction if performance is on par cheers

Originally Posted by Shearer

I once overheard a Swarovski rep say they wanted people to buy their binos before they bought a rifle scope. That way when they could see the animal through the binos but not their scope they would be back to buy the scope.

The Swarovski rep got it wrong in my case as I bought a Z5 and then decided I needed binoculars with good glass.

[QUOTE=Mathias;999251]Latest SLC's give up nothing in optical quality compared to the EL's, only a few grams in weight. Check the specs on the Swaro

That’s what it reads like have you got the slc? I can live with the weight and body construction if performance is on par cheers

Yeah, I did the comparison and bought SLC instead of the EL. They are great.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

Go have a gander through em in the fresh & see what suits you, both are great bino's just don't discount 8 powers, I've got a pair of 8 x 32 EL's & they're awesome

The biggest difference between them is that the EL and SLC are based on two different optical designs, and you may have a preference for one over the other.

The EL incorporates field flattening technology which gives the image a flat/uniform appearance across its entire field. The image appears sharp to the very edges. The benefit of this is that the entire field of view can be utilized, because you can use eye movement alone to 'roam' around the image. The two major drawbacks to this design is that it's not 100% true to life (the world as we see it through our eyes isn't 'dead flat'), and the field flattening can also induce a 'fish bowl/globe' effect when panning. Some people experience it, some don't.

The SLC is a more traditional design, with a big sweet spot in the middle of the image, with the sharpness gradually falling off towards the edges. They're a smidge brighter than the EL's due to the lack of field flattening lenses, and the overall image is more three dimensional/stereosopic than the EL's.

The EL is also more feature rich, which partly contributes to its higher price. I.e an 'open bridge' design (easier to hold one handed); "field pro" strap attachment system (convenience); and close focus (the 8.5x42 model offers this). Because of these refinments, many find the EL to be more user friendly.

The SLC is simpler in it's construction/design which no doubt contributes to its lower price. But many prefer it over the EL, and vice versa.

Whether you need/want the extra features of the EL, or would be happier saving some $$ and going with the more traditional design of the SLC, is up to you.

i have 15x slc and 10x el's.

I mostly use them for bird watching and shooting comps. I use 8x compacts for most of my hunting.

I find the el's more user friendly in the hand but worse for tripod use due to mounting(retro fitting a decent mount is possible but$$$ and shipping your optics).

Making out fine detail in dusty sunny conditions (such as foot tag numbers on birds) seems to be easier with the el's than the slc's, as does keeping a clear image on something thats moving fast and that therefore is all over the place within your field of view. Other than that I find the clarity to close to call.

End of the day, if they come out with some larger el's (18-20 power please!) Ill be buying them and selling the slc's - so in my view if you have the cash without affecting other gear choices and want to buy a "forever" set of binos I would recommend the EL's. But its close and for hunting I doubt the difference really matters unless being easier to hold on to is a really big deal to you- often see the older birders moving to the smaller diameter el's due to this-but these people are generally frailer than I can imagine any active hunter being.

Jonny-Utah-I,m working @ the Gas Stn @ the Junctn 2day Tuesday 5/5/20 then More cow 1 on thurs.Come see the builders & ask 4 Al. I,ll have my 30 yr old SLC 8X30 on hand 2 take a gander.Take them 4 a walk.

Originally Posted by Frodo

The biggest difference between them is that the EL and SLC are based on two different optical designs, and you may have a preference for one over the other.

The EL incorporates field flattening technology which gives the image a flat/uniform appearance across its entire field. The image appears sharp to the very edges. The benefit of this is that the entire field of view can be utilized, because you can use eye movement alone to 'roam' around the image. The two major drawbacks to this design is that it's not 100% true to life (the world as we see it through our eyes isn't 'dead flat'), and the field flattening can also induce a 'fish bowl/globe' effect when panning. Some people experience it, some don't.

The SLC is a more traditional design, with a big sweet spot in the middle of the image, with the sharpness gradually falling off towards the edges. They're a smidge brighter than the EL's due to the lack of field flattening lenses, and the overall image is more three dimensional/stereosopic than the EL's.

The EL is also more feature rich, which partly contributes to its higher price. I.e an 'open bridge' design (easier to hold one handed); "field pro" strap attachment system (convenience); and close focus (the 8.5x42 model offers this). Because of these refinments, many find the EL to be more user friendly.

The SLC is simpler in it's construction/design which no doubt contributes to its lower price. But many prefer it over the EL, and vice versa.

Whether you need/want the extra features of the EL, or would be happier saving some $$ and going with the more traditional design of the SLC, is up to you.

Nice write up thanks for that 👍🏻

Originally Posted by res

i have 15x slc and 10x el's.

I mostly use them for bird watching and shooting comps. I use 8x compacts for most of my hunting.

I find the el's more user friendly in the hand but worse for tripod use due to mounting(retro fitting a decent mount is possible but$$$ and shipping your optics).

Making out fine detail in dusty sunny conditions (such as foot tag numbers on birds) seems to be easier with the el's than the slc's, as does keeping a clear image on something thats moving fast and that therefore is all over the place within your field of view. Other than that I find the clarity to close to call.

End of the day, if they come out with some larger el's (18-20 power please!) Ill be buying them and selling the slc's - so in my view if you have the cash without affecting other gear choices and want to buy a "forever" set of binos I would recommend the EL's. But its close and for hunting I doubt the difference really matters unless being easier to hold on to is a really big deal to you- often see the older birders moving to the smaller diameter el's due to this-but these people are generally frailer than I can imagine any active hunter being.

Thanks soild feedback

Originally Posted by bluebaiter222

Jonny-Utah-I,m working @ the Gas Stn @ the Junctn 2day Tuesday 5/5/20 then More cow 1 on thurs.Come see the builders & ask 4 Al. I,ll have my 30 yr old SLC 8X30 on hand 2 take a gander.Take them 4 a walk.

Thanks for the offer out of town for work at the moment/ good to be back at work 👍🏻 appreciated all the same

Ive been looking, researching new binos for a bit as well so rather interested in this thread, currently have 20year old swaro 8x30 slc wb. What Frodo said above, is pretty much what I discovered in my research of 8x42 10x 42, slc vs el..

Seem to recall, some comments overseas (birding plus hunting forums) also stated that the slc was possibly the better binocular of the 2, for hunters due to being a little bit brighter at first/last light.

If you throw leica into the alpha glass mix as well, some "experts" rate the noctovid as edging the "el" ever so slightly...