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Old 04-19-2004 | 08:38 AM
  #11  
oldelkhunter
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Default RE: Binoculars

Are the Swarovski 10X42 really worth the price? vs Bushnell Legends or Nikon Monarchs.
Yes and No is the answer. If you hunt open areas and use your binoculars all day long they will be marginally better then the other two. For the person who just uses the binos for occasionally scanning his/her area the other 2 brands will be plenty of bino for the occasion.
The gap between the high end euros and the rest is getting closer by the day though. A few years back when I bought the Leica 8x42BA's after looking at all brands they were the best I had ever looked through, their build is simply untouchable no other bino will passes the submersion test like they do. Currently if you read reviews and look thru binos and not take a manufacturers advertising to heart there are plenty of good brands out there and one Japanese brand that surpasses even the best Euros. That would be the Nikon Venture . These are truly great glass just a little bulky for my tastes. Pentax has introduced the WP Sp's which are super binos not quite in the euro class but close enough that the difference will be extremely minimal. Zeiss is about to release a new full size bino that will be in the Japanese price range and should be a winner(summer introduction) . There are a lot of choices out there and the gap is narrowing big time. Personally I am waiting on the new Fullsize Zeiss to come out. Swarovskis are way overpriced for a bino that is built on a Polycarbonate chassis I have not been impressed by their SLC line and their claims about swarobright are baseless. Their El's are nice glass but too long for my tastes and I wonder about their build quality.
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