A Sneak Preview of the

NEW Swarovski 8.5x42 EL

Expected Product Release Date: January 2010

By Pete Dunne, CMBO Director

We gathered in Newport in one of the last years of the millennium–a handful of hand- picked birders and optics experts plus a sampling of engineers and marketing people from Swarovski Optik. We were charged with designing the ultimate birding binocular. We were told there would be no compromises.

The result of this two day mind meld was the Swarovski 8.5x42 EL and 10x42 EL–the instruments that have been, for over a decade, the optical flagships of the company that has dominated the birding optics business–both here and in Europe-in this new millennium. The EL was an instant success and a market dominator (as soon as one or two niggling design flaws and one congenital defect were corrected).  It was sleek, sexy, ergonomic, rugged, performance packed and it offered a superb, eye-friendly image.

The iron-clad warranty that comes with every Swarovski was icing on the cake; Swarovski went from being a company with a name nobody could pronounce, to the company every competitor had to beat and every binocular shopper had to consider but....

Over time those competitors came out with instruments of their own that matched and even surpassed the optical and performance qualities of the ELs. It was a matter of pride and only a matter of time before the Austrian Optics firm upped the ante. With thanks to Clay Taylor, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking through the future of glass.

New and Not

If a birder walked by wearing one of the new ELs you probably wouldn’t recognize it as such.  Slightly slimmer, ever so slightly lighter (28 oz. vs. 29 oz. for the older model), the color is the same product-distinguishing green with black trim. The bridge system is a bit racier; the branded name and iconic goshawk have changed perches on the barrels. The focus wheel has gone from black to green. They aren’t identical twins but the family resemblance remains overwhelming.  You pick them up and the balance is similarly superb; you bring them to your eyes and you are smack on target. The slimmer size will appeal, most particularly, to those with smaller hands and might cause some who would otherwise have favored the smaller 8x32 EL to buy the big boy instead.

So where’s the difference?

What’s to Like

One very obvious improvement is eye relief.  According to the accompanying specs, the NEW ELs offer 20mm of eye relief as compared to the older model’s 18mm. Fact is, the older EL never came close to offering 18 mm.  As I measure it, the old EL offers about 12mm; the new one about 18/19mm.  Eh.  Fact still is that the NEW EL offers greater eye relief and the half click down stop will offer eyeglass wearers who do not need a full 18 mm of eye relief a fitting more in keeping with their eye relief needs. The impressive thing is that this increased eye relief was not accomplished by sacrificing field of view.  On the contrary; the NEW EL claims 399 feet at 1,000 yards as compared to the older model’s 390 ft at 1,000 yards. Let’s be conservative and just say it’s a dead heat.  Even so, a field of view of near 400 feet at 1,000 yards for an 8.5x glass is right up there at the top of the performance charts–slightly better than the 8x Leica; ever so slightly less than the 8x Zeiss.

Of great interest to some will be the NEW EL’s tighter focusing distance.  The specs are 5 feet.  My glass goes down to 4 ft.  The older model?  It focused down to about 8 feet (which is near perfect for most birding).  Butterfly watchers, however, are always on the hunt for instruments that go down to shoe-lace levels and the NEW Swarovski constitutes a functional, full-sized cross-over glass for birding and butterfly watching.

How’s the image? Stunning. Breathtaking. Superlative.  Cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die bright and beautiful. They’re brighter and they’re sharper.  They’ve got richer and more bias-neutral colors.  They...

Look;  I get to look through a lot of glass.  I haven’t seen an optical leap like this in a few years now.  Just when you think glass can’t get any better somebody proves you wrong. It’s Swarovski’s turn to turn heads again.

Other things?  The objective lens is more recessed so better protected.  The focus wheel is every so slightly smoother (and there was nothing wrong with the old EL’s focus); there are almost certainly adjustments made that are not apparent, adjustments based upon suggestions and minor performance shortfalls that have been accumulating on ‘Post-it’ notes in some engineer’s drawer, waiting for the day the glass was given an overhaul.

Well the day came.  The second generation EL is the beneficiary of more than a decade of in-the-field product testing.  Future owners are going to find a lot to love about this instrument.

What’s Not to Like?

Damn little–unless you are one of those rare breed of nature enthusiasts who are both avid butterfliers and rabid hawkwatchers, too. Do you remember earlier when I mentioned the “niggling design flaws” in that first EL?  One had to do with the focus system; when we sat down with the engineers in Newport, we impressed upon them the importance of a glass whose range of focus–ie. near to far–could be accommodated in a single turn of the focus wheel. One turn. Close as you can focus to all the way to the horizon.

Somehow this information didn’t get translated into the design. When the EL first came out, it took a full 2 3/4 revolutions to go the range of focus–a performance-compromising design defect.  After several months of frustration, I put my complimentary EL up on the bookshelf, next to all the other instruments I’ve used and retired.  It hasn’t budged from that spot since. Later models were much improved, going the range of focus in about 1 1/2 revolutions.  So after the black eye Swarovski earned as a result of introducing that first, slow focusing EL, I was shocked to discover that the range of focus on the NEW EL puts it right back in the molasses class. To go the range of focus in the NEW ELs requires close to 2 1/2 revolutions of the focus wheel.

Doh!

Then I looked closer.  It turns out that 1 1/2 turns of the wheel will cover any distance between about 8 feett and the horizon (the normal range for almost all birding).  The extra turn of the wheel adjusts the focus from about 8-5 feet, a range birders rarely need to resort to in the field. It’s probably going to take some getting used to. Standard practice for me when I’m walking up on a bird in close confines is to focus all the way down while closing the distance then backing off on the focus wheel a touch until I’m pre-focused for, what I gauge to be, the appropriate distance. There’s a lot more play in the NEW ELs between full left stop and, say, 20 ft. than I’m used to.

Other detractions? Two.  First, the glass will not be available until after the Shot Show in late January.  However I have been told that the quantity of instruments that will be available will meet demand.  (Some might recall the first ELs came with about a six month waiting list).

Also, price.  The NEW ELs are going to top the financial as well as the optical charts. Anticipated price for members will be  $2,339. But if you don’t want to wait, I have a single, slightly used pair for sale for, oh, $20,000. Comes with the original packaging but you are still going to have to wait a week or two or three until I stop playing with them!!

Damn these things have got a nice image.   

Want to order a pair of the new Swarovision EL Binoculars? We're currently taking orders, which will be fulfilled as soon as stock is available from Swarovski. If you place an order now, Swarovski guarantee to fulfill outstanding orders before distributing elsewhere. For more details, call us at CMBO on 609.861.0700 or 609.884.2736 to discuss availability and prices.