Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars In Depth Review

Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars In Depth Review

While they may not be a big name in the camera world, for many birders, hunters, and binocular enthusiasts, the name Swarovski is a big deal. Generally associated with binoculars and spotting and rifle scopes, Swarovski Optik released their Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars last November, and true to form, these new binoculars boasted both impressive optics and build qualities. Featuring “Swarovision” for eye comfort, field flattener lenses for a distortion free viewing experience, and HD lenses for overall image sharpness, Swarovski’s EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars promise an outstanding viewing experience, and they’re priced accordingly, with an estimated cost close to $2500. Clearly at that price, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions had better deliver something special and then some. Happily, we can report…they do.

Availability

Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars at B&H Photo Get Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars and support this site at the same time, by making your purchase through the link above at B&H Photo Video. Your purchases there made this and hopefully future articles possible.

Specifications

Binoculars	Swarovski EL 10x42 SwaroVision
Price (est. street)	$2479
Magnification	10x
Objective Lens Effective Diameter	42mm
Filter Size	n/a
Real Field of View	6.4 degrees
Apparent Field of View	60 degrees
Exit Pupil Diameter	4.2mm
Eye Relief	20mm
Prism Type	roof
Eye Width adjustment	56-74mm
Focusing Method	Manual focusing by turning the focusing ring
Dioptric Correction	±5
Closest Focusing Distance	4.9 ft./1.5m
Image Stabilizer	no
Tripod Socket	no
Dimensions	6.3 x 4.8 x 2.4" / 16 x 12.19 x 6.1cm
Weight	28.2 oz / 799.47g

Design

When you get through the handsome packaging, and finally get your anxious hands on the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions, I can assure you, you will be impressed. From the exterior, the EL 10×42 SwaroVision are blessed with a wonderful understated elegance, they’re minimal, purposeful, and yes, frankly quite beautiful in person. They feature a dual bridge design with the two lens barrels armored in a deep green rubberized coating. One barrel is decorated with Swarovski’s trademark hawk logo, while the other barrel is emblazoned, “Swarovski”.

In the hands, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions are simply perfect. I offered them to several other associates to handle, all instantly could “feel” the same thing I had. The simplicity of the design, the subtle ergonomic sculpting, and the aforementioned grip material are just amazing in the hands, they just fit perfectly. To get more specific though, on the underside of the binoculars are indents for thumb locations, and they locate the hands in such a way that the binoculars feel completely balanced, and the smartly distanced bridges make even one handed use quite comfortable. Then there’s that rubberized grip, It’s hard to describe, but it’s just so delicately textured that it feels just – - perfect, it really does!

It isn’t just all about looks and feel though, no the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions are smartly designed too. On the objective lens side, they’re deeply recessed, keeping them well out of the way of fingers, brush, and anything else that may damage or distort them. The interpupillar distance is firmly, but easily adjustable, and Swarovski even includes a crafty lens cap for the eye cups that adjusts with the two barrels. Also unlike the Canon 10×42 L IS WP Binoculars we reviewed recently, these binoculars are blessed with lens caps that actually fit snugly and securely, whereas the Canon’s caps would essentially refuse to stay attached.

For eyeglass wearers and those concerned with general eye comfort, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions offer a whopping 20mm (more than the average 10x magnification binoculars) of eye relief, and the eyecups themselves offer plenty of room to find a comfortable viewing position. Finally the focus wheel doubles as your dioptric correction, the combo works effectively at securing and maintaining focus.

Usage

Because the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions have been designed so well, they also turn out to be a real treat to use. At under 2 lbs., the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions are light enough to carry around without being too much of a pain, while still offering the requisite amount of density in the hands. The EL 10×42 SwaroVisions ship with a nice padded strap that attaches either directly to the binoculars, or to its protective case, which when worn on the front of the chest allows for easy and convenient access.

In the field, it’s hard to come up with reasonable complaints about the EL 10×42 SwaroVision’s general usage. It’s rather effortless to get them into a comfortable viewing position, and they’re good about staying in position too. Focusing for this roof type prism model is precise and to the point, and given the wheel doubles as the dioptric correcter, it’s no problem at all to readjust precise focusing if need be. One cool aspect to the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions is their 5′ focusing distance which makes for some interesting “macro” like viewing.

Eye comfort is pretty good, even with extended viewing. The ample eye relief allows your eyes to have a little wiggle room and still maintain an unobstructed view. We used the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions alternatively with and without glasses, and had no issues with overall eye comfort.

If there is a flaw to be found in using the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions, it has to be stability, or rather, its lack of it. At 10x magnification, binoculars can be very tricky to hold steady, and that holds true with the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions as well. Due to the dual bridge design, there is no included tripod/monopod socket, so for truly stable viewing a separate tripod adapter would have to be purchased. Here’s where we’d knock some points off for value, especially since several cheaper models do offer not just a tripod socket, but full blown image stabilization, which like eye relief, seems invaluable once you’ve enjoyed it once.

Image Quality

Optics is Swarovski’s claim to fame, and that heritage is alive and very well in the EL 10×42 SwaroVision. In promoting the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions, Swarovski touts, “Swarovision” which aids in eye comfort, “HD” lenses that provide razor sharp detail, and field flattener leneses that provide clarity from corner to corner. Regardless of the “recipe” used, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions simply deliver excellent optical results. Sharpness and clarity are excellent from edge to edge, color renditions are superb, and the contrast provided make birds and the natural world really pop! I tried hard to force some aberrations or fringing, but couldn’t really mange, the optics are just really good at controlling these sort of visual flaws. What’s also nice about the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions is that the eyes are given some room to roam, you don’t have to be exactly lined up in one perfect position, which makes your viewing experience even more enjoyable.

The EL 10×42 SwaroVision are also waterproof, not just weatherproof, and Swarovski rates them at being good to 4 meters deep — underwater. With a $2500 price tag, that feature went untested, but we can say that fogging was a non-issue, thanks to the nitrogen filled, and sealed chambers.

In the end, we got a much better sense at why Swarovski glass is so coveted by enthusiasts, the view just can’t be beat. I’m still just a bit amazed at how clean and clear the world looks through glass at this level. The only flaw boils down to stability, it’s just quite tricky to hold 10x magnification binoculars steady, and that applies no matter how excellent the optics are. In the case of the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions, the great view can be somewhat diminished by shaky hands. It’s less of a factor when enjoying birds at the feeder, or when exploiting the EL 10×42 SwaroVision’s 5′ minimum focusing distance, but looking at things in the distance, for example the moon, can be somewhat challenging. Making matters worse, these binoculars don’t offer a tripod socket nor do they come with an adapter.

For most users though, I suspect that Swarovski’s EL 10×42 SwaroVisions will be a real revelation. Boy, do they feel great in the hands, and the view is hard to fault.

Conclusion

Truly there’s quite a bit to like about the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions, but it isn’t without several noteworthy flaws as well. Before serving up our final verdict, let’s take one last look at the positives and negatives.

Positives

• Perfect ergonomics.
• Beautiful, if understated aesthetics.
• Binoculars include digiscoping attachment for digital camera.
• Excellent optical qualities.
• Actually waterproof (not just weatherproof).
• Well thought out design (recessed objectives, etc).
• Very good eye comfort.

Negatives

• Price
• Binoculars lack way of attaching monopod or tripod
• No image stabilization

Verdict

All you have to do is open the package and actually hold the EL 10×42 SwaroVision binoculars in your hands to know you’ve got something special. The Swarovisons just feel great, like they were made for your hands, but the fun doesn’t stop there, because it’s the viewing experience that separates the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions from your average binoculars. The optics are definitely outstanding, with flora and fauna rendered in such a crystal clear way, with a just a bit of Photoshop’s unsharp mask seemingly thrown in as well. The big issue with the Swarovski’s binoculars though is the price. At almost $2500, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions represent a substantial investment to say the least, and that of course doesn’t include a feature we’ve sworn we wouldn’t live without, image stabilization. The fact that other binoculars can be had with nearly as good optics (but not as good), with stabilization, and much lower price tags keeps us from giving the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions a “Highly Recommended”. This should in no way be regarded as a sleight though, the EL 10×42 SwaroVisions are truly binoculars worthy of envy, and if you have the funds, and are a real enthusiast, Swarovski’s EL 10×42 SwaroVisions will be worth every penny. They definitely come “Recommended”.

Design: 9.5
Operation: 10
Focusing: 9.5
Optics: 10
Value: 7.5

Get the Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars

Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars at B&H Photo Get Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars and support this site at the same time, by making your purchase through the link above at B&H Photo Video. Your purchases there made this and hopefully future articles possible.

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1. 

   Fils-de-Daguerre says:

   April 3, 2010 at 9:12 pm

   Is it worth the extra $1280 over Canon’s?

   reply
   • 

     Patrick says:

     April 3, 2010 at 11:45 pm

     I personally wouldn’t want to do without the IS. The optics are superior, but that moderate degree of improvement is somewhat negated by “shake”. Of course one should be aware that the Canon 10×42 IS is a much bulkier object, where as the Swarovisions are fairly svelte. I must say the SwaroVisons have provided me many out loud “wow” moments this last week, watching turkey vultures the other day it was like discovery channel HD, but live and outside. They’re comfortable, easy on the eyes, and at least for birding, visually amazing. Your wallet will have to decide on the worthiness.

     reply
     • 

       CJ says:

       May 6, 2010 at 3:54 pm

       Which binoluars would be similar in quality but with IS?

       reply
       • 

         Patrick says:

         May 6, 2010 at 10:15 pm

         CJ,
         that’s a question we’re also trying to find the answer to. The issue when adding IS is quality of optics and quality of IS. Canon 10×42 have excellent optics, but some say not the best IS. Newcon, Fujinon, Nikon, all may possibly have better IS, but less superior optics. So far we’ve liked Canon’s approach best, but we still have several models to try.

         reply
         • 

           CJ says:

           May 8, 2010 at 11:05 pm

           Thank you Patrick. I find your reviews helpful and thorough.
2. 

   Patrick says:

   May 9, 2010 at 8:31 pm

   Thanks, glad to be of service.

   reply