In spite of the wide variety of models made available by Swarovski Optiks, the technical differences really boil down to the difference in magnification (8x and 10x) and objective lens opening (20 mm and 25mm). The higher magnification and aperture do impact on certain other technical features like the field of view and close focus distance. These binoculars are excellent pocket binoculars, being very lightweight and compact enough to fit any pocket. Although they are all of very high quality in terms of optics and finish, some have crystals embedded in their housing, which makes them more expensive.
There’s at least 10 pocket binoculars available from Swarovski Optiks, so how do you know which one to buy, since they seem to be quite the same. The one aspect you don’t have to consider is the optics. Swarovski Optiks haven’t made a low quality instrument. For that matter neither a cheap one. So every single pocket binocular will be right up there with the best in terms of optics. That goes for the housing as well. Not only stylish, but durable as well. As a matter of fact, Swarovski backs all their products with a lifetime warranty! The pocket binoculars under review are all also very lightweight (all weighing less than 8.1 ounces) and very compact – all will easily fit into your jacket –even shirt - pocket.
These instruments are not exactly the same, even though it might seem so from what I’ve argued up to this point. The differences in appearance and certain specifications may just be what you were looking for to base your final choice on.
Magnification: Some of these pocket binoculars magnify by 8 times and some by 10 times.The Swarovski Optik Pocket 8x20B-P (Green) and 8x20B-P (Black ), the Traveler, Tyrol and the three crystal ones, the Tosca, Nabucco and Idomeneo – all have magnification of 8x. The Swarovski Optiks Pocket Binocular (10x25B-P, Green) and the 10x25B-P, Black, as well as the Traveler have magnification of 10x. The 10x power gives you more magnification, but makes finding and following an object more challenging, since movement is exaggerated with higher power.
Another problem associated with higher power has to do with the exit pupil. Since the exit pupil is calculated by dividing the diameter of the objective lenses by the magnification, it means that higher magnification inevitably means smaller exit pupil size – unless the objective lenses are made bigger. This is what Swarovski Optiks did (all the 10x’s have 25 mm lenses at the front). (Smaller exit pupil will deliver less light to your eyes, which will become a problem in fading light.)
Field of view (FOV): The field of view of a binocular is the range the viewer sees at a certain distance – which is 345 feet at 1000 yards. Another way of stating this is in degrees: 6.6 degrees. The wider the FOV, the easier one can spot an object in the distance and the easier to follow a moving object; the narrower, the more difficult. One of the technical features that determines the FOV is magnification: More power translates into narrower FOV, as can be seen in the case of the 10x25’s: 285 feet at 1,000 yards (5.4 degrees), which is considerably narrower than the 345 feet of the 8x20’s. This is one of the sacrifices one has to make going for a more powerful binocular.
Objective lens size: Making the objective lenses wider is an easy decision for the manufacturers in the case of normal size binoculars, but it’s another matter in the case of pocket binoculars, since bigger apertures always make the instrument more bulky and heavier, which is not good when the binocular has to fit in a pocket. However, Swarovski dealt with those matters (see dimensions and weight below). The wider objective lens of 25mm of the 10x25’s does have an advantage of collecting more light than the 20 mm, which will deliver a slightly brighter image to the eyes. This will come into play in dim or fading light.
Weight: The 10x25’s are all slightly heavier than the 8x20’s due to the wider objective lenses: 8.1 oz. vs 7.6 oz. However, this is not really that much.
Dimensions: The dimensions of the 8x20’s are exactly the same: Their height is merely 1.5 inches, they fold up to an incredible 2.3 inches and their length is not even 4 inches (3.98 inches). The 10x25’s have the same height (1.5 inches) and width (2.3 inches), but are slightly longer (4.57 inches).
Close focus: The longer barrels of the 10x25’s also make a difference to the ability of the binoculars to focus on objects close by. The closest the 10x25’s with their slightly longer barrels can focus is 16 feet, but the 8x20’s with their shorter barrels can focus closer: 13 feet. For all types of applications this is excellent, except if you’re interested in real small things like butterflies or bugs, in which case you should consider the Pentax papilio, which can focus perfectly on an object 18 inches away!
Price: There’s quite a difference in price between the different models, even though the specifications are quite the same. The “standard” and “travel” 8x20 models are all going for $679 currently, but the luxurious 8x20’s are considerably more expensive, even though their specifications and performances are exactly the same. The Swarovski Optiks Pocket Binocular Tyrol 8x20 goes for $839.99 and the crystal models (the Crystal Tosca 8x20, Crystal Nabucco 8x20 and Crystal Idomeneo 8x20), are all priced at $899, probably due to their very beautiful and lustrous housing studded with Swarovski crystals. Whether this beautiful housing is worth the extra $120 or not, is something everybody has to decide for himself, as long as you realize you’re not getting a better binocular than the other 8x20 Swarovski’s. The 10x25’s are all priced at $769.
For more information on pocket binoculars (including a selection of fine pocket binoculars in different price ranges, reviews, comparisons, discussions,etc.) please visit http://www.pocketbinoculars.net.
