Swarovski EL Swarovision Pro 42-mm Binoculars

Review Highlights Simply incredible optical quality 4.67-foot minimum close focus Huge field of view Amazingly flat edge-to-edge performance Unique digi-binning capability

Full Review

In January of 2010, Swarovski launched their first update of the classic 42-mm EL binoculars. When the original ELs originally came out, they redefined what a full-sized, high-end binocular was supposed to be, from the look and feel to the optical performance. Swarovski wanted to know what we thought of them, so they sent us a couple of pairs. We felt a bit privileged to have gotten to play with these! The original ELs were brilliant, innovative and downright addictive to use. Dubbed “Swarovision” by Swarovski, the 2010 ELs were even better. These binoculars represent a major leap forward in optics technology. The Swarovski 42-mm EL Swarovision is the kind of binocular that raises the bar for everybody and in one step, changes the top end of the optics market. It's also the kind of binocular that makes this job really fun to do!

Swarovski wasn't content to stay put, however, so in October 2015, they introduced an ergonomic upgrade called the EL Swarovision Pro. All of the optics remained the same. The three major changes were the strap function and attachment method, the way the objective covers are attached, and making the eyecups more comfortable and consistent between models.

Optical Properties

The view through the 42-mm ELs is very bright. When talking about the very best binoculars or the very best scopes on the planet, usually the differences in optical quality among the top contenders are fairly small, and often choosing between them comes down to a matter of personal preference. We waited until dusk and then took them out to see what they could do. If the Swarovski 42-mm ELs aren't the absolute brightest binocular available, they are so close it doesn't matter. For image sharpness, the Swarovisions rank right at the top. But the real revelation is in image richness. The view through the ELs is so vibrant and detail-rich, the colors so vivid, that it almost takes your breath away. There's no way to explain how they do this, but we'll try anyway.

The 42-mm EL Pros are made with fluoride-containing HD lens that feature a unique design that Swarovski refers to as “field flattener lenses”. There are two field flattener lenses between the prisms and the ocular lenses whose function is to remove curvature of the field. This isn't actually new technology: these are essentially the same kind of lenses used in print shop cameras to produce flat images of documents. The innovative part is to actually put them in binoculars. And it works beautifully: the field is incredibly flat and virtually free of edge effects. Straight lines stay straight even in the field margins, and there is almost no color-fringing even on brightly-lit, high-contrast objects. In short, the edge performance is amazing! This flat field edge has an interesting consequence: when you pan across a landscape, particularly with relatively close objects, the view seems to ripple before your eyes, as though things in the center of the view are jumping closer to you and then receding again as they slide by. This “rolling ball” effect is a bit disconcerting at first, but we found that you soon stop noticing it. Two other things jumped out at us when we first took the ELs into the field: contrast and depth of field. The image through the EL Swarovisions has amazing pop – it is startlingly detail-rich. The depth of field is simply huge. We looked at a tree full of White-crowned Sparrows. The sparrows in the background seemed as sharp as sparrows in the foreground, as though we had the entire tree on the same focal plane!

The EL Swarovisions have a 336-foot field of view at 1000 yards for the 10x42 model and a 399-foot field on the 8.5x42 model. Those numbers are well above average for the respective magnifications, with the 8.5x actually being somewhat extraordinary. We compared them to binoculars that are listed as having the same or slightly larger fields of view and we found that the Swarovskis often seemed to have the bigger field because of that flat-field performance. Any way you look at it, the EL Swarovision binoculars have a tremendous field of view. Eye relief on both models of 42-mm EL is 20 mm, way above average for this trait, ensuring that these binoculars will be very comfortable for all users.

Coatings

Like all top-of-the-line binoculars today, the ELs are phase-coated and fully multi-coated. As with most high-end optics manufacturers these days, Swarovski has their own proprietary coatings, each with its own function. There are the Swarodur and Swarotop coatings, which work to optimize image brightness and contrast. The Swarobright coating maximizes color fidelity across the entire light spectrum. Swaroclean is a water-shedding coating that reduces the amount of dirt and foreign matter that sticks to the lenses, making them much easier to clean. You don't have to know how these coatings work but you can take our word for it that they do the job very well.

Dimensions

EL Swarovisions are roof-prism binoculars with Swarovski's classic double-bridge design, but it's been refined a bit since you last saw it. The new ones are about 6.5 inches tall with eyecups fully extended, and about 5.25 inches wide with the hinges at their widest setting, but the barrels are more than a quarter inch less in diameter, resulting in a sleeker, more rakish look. Our postal scale measured the new 10x42 ELs at 29.5 oz with the objective lens covers and strap removed while the 8.5x42 version comes in at 28.9 oz in the same state. This is a bit heavy for modern 42-mm binoculars, but you really don't notice it in the hands. You pick them up, and your thumbs fall naturally into the perfectly-placed, angled divots on the barrels and they feel good. The dark green rubber armoring has a seductively tacky feel that provides a secure grip with or without gloves on. The balance of the optic is excellent. In short, everything just feels right! A few other minor details for your perusal: the interpupillary distance range on the new Swarovision binoculars is 56-74 mm. That's fairly average for this trait, meaning you can comfortably use these binoculars unless you have an unusually wide or narrow face. And of course, these binoculars are fully sealed and nitrogen-purged to be dust-proof, internally fog-proof and watertight to a depth of 13 feet (4 meters).

Focusing

Both EL models are listed as having a minimum focal distance of 4.9 feet. In our hands we found this to be about 4.67 feet, and this was with only minor field collapse. That performance is way better than average for minimum close focus on a full-sized roof prism binocular. The EL Swarovisions go from minimum close focus to infinity in a full 2.5 turns of the focus knob. If you're like us, you read that and think, “That's terrible!” The funny thing is, it isn't terrible. We didn't believe that until we actually tried it. Here's how it works. From about 4.67 feet to about 9 feet is a full turn of the knob. From 9 feet to 19 feet is another half turn of the knob. And literally, from 19 feet to the surface of the moon is another half turn of the knob. The moon was out on the afternoon we did this, so we tried it! Then there's another half turn that helps people compensate for extremes of far- or near-sightedness. So basically, everything between about 9 feet away and essentially infinity is within about 1 full turn of the focus knob. What you have is a full turn's worth of precision focusing for things that are closer to you than 9 feet. At the distance where most of the things you want to look at are going to be, it's all within one turn of the focus knob.

User Adjustments

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The diopter adjustment is concealed under the focus knob. To adjust the EL Swarovision binoculars, focus the left ocular on something, and then without moving that focus, pull the knob up towards yourself until it clicks open, displaying the scale of +/- 5 diopters relative to equal. Looking through the right ocular, adjust focus with the knob until it comes in sharply, and then, snap it shut by pushing it down again. There are four click-stops within each diopter, and these hold the position steady as you close the mechanism down, a nice refinement. The usual problem with diopter adjustment mechanisms on the focus knob is that it's almost impossible to push the knob down without twisting it some, meaning you lost the adjustment you just made. This mechanism doesn't have that problem, which is really nice. The eyecups adjust with a helical twist mechanism: counter-clockwise moves the eyecups outward, clockwise adjusts them inward. There is one stable position between fully-in and fully-out though it has kind of a “mushy” feel to it. While it feels a bit funny, the intermediate eyecup position is stable. The eyecups go into a sort of pseudo-lock if you keep twisting them when they are all the way out. This position is very stable.

Covers and Case

Among other features of note are the lens caps and covers. The objective lens covers on both the original ELs and the Swarovision models attached with a rubber ring and tether strap connected to the caps, which overlapped the barrels. This arrangement was not secure enough, and users were losing them a bit too frequently. The EL Pro models have a metal pin at the bottom of the objective tube and the objective cover snaps on more securely. The caps are heavy enough and the tethers pliable enough that they always dangle down out of the way. When closing, they fit easily and precisely into the barrel ends and stay in place. These objective lens covers are an improvement over previous ones. The rainguard is a rubber unit that fits snugly on the eyecups and doesn't dislodge easily. The rainguard can be attached to the strap on either or both sides by sliding the strap through closed loops. One marked improvement over the previous EL rainguard is that this one is made of slightly more flexible rubber, with the result that it does not make as much noise when it bumps against the binocular.

The neck strap has been completely redesigned. Instead of nylon webbing that passes through metal loops, the neoprene part of the strap connects to cords that end in little plastic rings. The rings slide onto hollow posts and are fastened by buttons that plug into the posts and are twisted into the locked position. The cords travel through a flat, disc-shaped locking mechanism that allows for easily adjusting the length and securing it. This is the easiest strap length adjustment we've ever seen. What a great design! Swarovski updated their “Bino Suspenders” to the same Pro system. For those who want to use a harness with a traditional attachment system, Swarovski includes a pair of strap loop connectors with each binocular.

The case has gone through a couple of iterations as well. The current case is well padded and fully enclosed and seals with a two-ended zipper.

Digibinning

Swarovski has one further refinement to all their optics: "digibinning". Digibinning is the art of using your binocular as a telephoto lens for a digital camera. The original EL Swarovision binoculars came an S3 Snap Shot Adapter, which fit over the eyecup of the ELs and allowed one to fit a digital camera (provided it has an extendable lens of suitably small diameter) to the binocular. The pictures shown here were taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera with and without the Snap Shot Adapter and ELs, just to illustrate the process.

Since 2010, the consumer camera market has changed drastically. Smart phones now have high resolution cameras, so many people find that they don't need a pocket-sized camera in addition. Swarovski recognized this trend, and moved away from the Snapshot Adapter in favor of smart phone adapters. There original offerings were only for specific iPhone models and did not include any of the larger iPhones or any Android phones. Starting in 2018, Swarovski introduced their VPA (Variable Phone Adapter) which is an adjustable model that can accommodate virtually any smart phone. Attachment rings are available for most of their full size binoculars as well as ATX/STX scopes and ATS/STS/ATM/STM scopes.

Conclusions

The EL Swarovision binoculars offer optical performance and image quality that is breath-taking for its richness, sharpness and depth of field. The view is so good it's practically intoxicating. The new 42-mm ELs look and feel great. There really isn't a single feature of these binoculars that we could find significant fault with. The new Swarovski ELs cost $2,659.00 for the 8.5x42 model and $2,689.00 for the 10x42 model. If you are in the market for the best binocular money can buy, you owe it to yourself to try the EL Swarovision binoculars. Then, hopefully, you'll owe it to us when you buy them.

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