swarovski EL swarobright or new slc Hd?

[gilmillan1]

Hello guy,

I am in the market for a new set of binos. I am set on buying a set of swaros. I don't want to spend more than 2000. I was leaning towards the new slc Hd since it seems everybody loves the upgrades. However, I found a demo of the old EL, which at some point was the top of the line bino. It was at a real good price. Which one would you choose? I use it for deer hunting mostly in the early morning or late afternoon at long distances.

 

[bruce_ventura]

Which model is the demo EL?

 

[gilmillan1]

It's got the swarobright glass. 8.5x42.

 

[bruce_ventura]

That would be a difficult choice for me. Both are very good optical designs and would have good brightness and resolution. The SLC would be about 13% brighter, and the EL would be about 6% higher resolution. Not huge differences. It takes a very experienced and discriminating person to tell the difference in optical performance between the current SLC and the current EL. There is a difference, but it lies in the width of the sweet spot, the eye relief and the distortion. These parameters are not very important to hunters. The difference in optical performance between the current SLC and the previous EL may be very difficult to tell.

I don't have the old EL specs. Is there a big weight/size difference? For me, the choice may depend on the price and condition of the demo EL binos. If there are any visible scratches on the lenses or other obvious wear & tear, I would pass on it unless the price was very low.

 

[gilmillan1]

I am assured that the glass is in perfect condition. It only has wear from the handling of the binos at the store. The price is 1400. Should I get them or pay the extra for the slc hd? These will be for hunting only.

 

[bruce_ventura]

I checked the specs. Nearly the same weight and eye relief. The new SLC HDs are a bit shorter and have a tad wider field of view.

The SLC HD has about the sharpest resolution (lowest aberration) out there. It is about the best all-around hunting bino. If you have good vision (with correction) and are under 60 years old, you would see a small but noticeable improvement in resolution and brightness going from the non-SV EL to the SLC HD. Then, I think the SLC HD would be worth the extra coin. If your corrected vision is not great, then I would recommend the non-SV EL instead - save your cash for something else.

 

[azsugarbear]

At a price point of $1,400 you are looking at the first generation of 10x42 el's. They were marketed with the term 'Swarobright'. The newest (or second generation) el's were marketed with the term 'Swarovision'. These newer el's have the lens flattening technology. You need to be careful in buying a used pair of el's as Sellers - and eBay - often use these terms interchangeably.

The easiest way to tell the difference is that the first generation el's have the logo exactly opposite of the Swarovski name on the other barrel. These used binos will go for about $1,400. I've seen them as low as $1,200. And I have seen them go as high as $1,600 - but I think the Buyers were not aware that they were buying the Gen I el's. The newer Gen II el's will have the Swaro logo placed low on the opposite barrel very close to the objective lens. These will go from $1,650 on up to $1,900 in used condition.

As to the difference between the new SLC HD and the Gen II el's, Bruce hit it on the head. Very subtle difference. Something most of us would notice only after being told exactly what to look for. Good news is: no matter which way you go you get the best glass out there today.