The Swarovski 12X50 EL Binoculars have been a piece of gear that I have been pondering over for some time. Once I got them in my hand the excitement grew exponentially. I used them over the weekend while scouting for Arizona Desert bighorn sheep and was very impressed with the clarity around the edges and the crisp bright image that I have grown to love with Swarovski Optik. I have been using Swarovski Optiks for years so it wasn't like I was shocked with how good they were but they seemed impressive for my initial testing. The images through the 12's definitely seemed brighter, the field of view was great and the shortest focal point on the 12's is about 10 feet. A couple of important comparisons to point out between the 15X SLC (which I love) and the new 12X50 EL; First, field of view on the 12's is 300 feet at 1000 yards compared to the 15's at 231 feet at 1000 yards. Second, weight on the 12's is 35.5 ounces compared to the 15's at 45.5 ounces. Third, length of binoculars, 12's are 6.8 inches compared to the 15's at 8.47 inches. One of the most important things that I look for in a binocular is low light performance. I have not been able to test that out yet but will in the very near future. I did not get a chance to hand hold the 12's enough to make an accurate assessment as to how practical that will be. For now I have to say the 12X50's might be bumped up into the starting rotation. I will keep you informed as I do more testing. Thanks to the guys at the Outdoorsmans in PHX for all of their help on these binoculars.
No comments:
Post a Comment