Best Swarovski Binoculars: Reviews EL, SLC & Compact Binoculars

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While not the most popular, Swarovski binoculars are lightweight, compact & provide perfect clarity. Read reviews of Swarovski EL, Compact & SLC binoculars.

Well before Swarovski ever manufactured binoculars, the company was famous for crafting sculptures, miniatures, jewelry, couture, and home decorations like chandeliers.

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Founded in 1895, it wasn’t until much later that the Austrian-based Swarovski Group expanded their trade into tools (Tyrolit), reflective road marking (Swareflex), and optical components (Swarovski Optik). From the Optik branch comes the complete array of Swarovski binoculars.

Today, Swarovski may not be the leading manufacturer of binocular products in the industry, but they do have a selection of some of the highest quality wares in the world, and that simply cannot be ignored.

Best Swarovski Binoculars: Reviews of Popular Models

Swarovski binoculars are known for their incredibly fine design, integrating high technology with precision engineering and a large degree of sophistication.

For these reasons, Swarovski binoculars may not be the most popular among the average sightseeing enthusiast, but professional bird watchers love them!

Setting the standard for optics and design to an almost unmatchable level, the more-than-twenty models of Swarovski binoculars come in four different series, including:

Swarovski EL Binoculars

Sleek and compact, it would be easy to discount the El series as being low-powered because of their size and style. But that would be a mistake. These are perhaps the best binoculars in the world for bird watching.

Swarovski SLC Binoculars

The Swarovski binoculars in the SLC lineup run the gamut of usefulness. These are rugged, high-tech, tough, and precision products that are suitable to any number of activities. Because of their great versatility, these are also the most popular model of Swarovski binoculars.

Swarovski Pocket Binoculars

These Swarovski compact binoculars are compact and lightweight enough to fit comfortably in a jacket pocket. But what separates these from other compact binoculars is the fact that they’re made with high end precision and superb engineering. They pack quite a punch in such a small body.

Swarovski Habicht Binoculars

Swarovski Habicht binoculars are considered the classics of the company’s catalog. With a timeless design and a traditional porro prism optical system, these Swarovski optic binoculars are not just fashionable but also hardworking. These are great for any number of outdoor activities, though they are not nearly as compact as some of the other models.

Swarovski Binoculars Review: The El Series

A company whose name is synonymous with top quality goods, Swarovski has had its hands full trying to maintain their status.

The problem with being on top is that there’s always somebody waiting to take you down a peg. But if you have the resources and facilities to continue your trend in innovation and technological advancements, then you can always stay one step ahead of the competition.

And that’s exactly the case with Swarovski El binoculars.

When it comes to magnification, the El series is good, though not as varied as some of its competitors.

For each model there’s a number you have to look at to gauge its magnification. With binoculars you look at the two numbers separated by an X, like 10×42. The first number (to the left of the X) represents the fixed or zoom magnification if there are two numbers. This refers to how many times an image is enlarged with your binoculars from its natural size (for instance: a 10×42 product would enlarge your view ten times more than normal).

When it comes to the Swarvoski El binoculars line, the range of fixed magnification goes from 8x to 10x, which is fairly narrow, though certainly not as constricted as it could be.

The second number (to the right of the X) represents the device’s objective lens diameter in millimeters. Binoculars with bigger objective lenses allow more light to enter the device, giving you a clearer and more vivid image.

The El series objective lens diameter ranges from 30mm to 42mm. This means that these binoculars are great during the late mornings and late afternoons, at a time when the light isn’t at its best, but the birds are awake and singing.

In short, they are an amazing pair of birdwatching binoculars.

Here is a sampling of magnification and objective lens diameter combinations in the El series:

• 8×30
• 8.5×42
• 10×32
• 10×42

As far as design goes, the Swarovski El binoculars simply couldn’t be better. They are made using the highest form of optics technology available to give you the clearest, cleanest, crispest, and brightest views possible of anything in nature.

All of the El series binoculars feature Swarobright coatings on their lenses (for the truest colors in the industry) and Swaroclean coatings on the exterior (to keep dust, dirt, or other destructive particles out of its inner workings).

Shop for Swarovski EL Binoculars Here

Swarovski Binoculars: Range of Abilities

Let’s take a more in depth look at Swarovski binoculars’ technical specifications so that you can begin to see just how advanced and sophisticated these machines truly are.

Magnification

As with the El series, the range of magnification for the entire Swarovski catalog isn’t varied. But then again, the purpose of owning a Swarovski is to do some serious bird watching, and for that you only need a pair of binoculars with a certain mid-range magnification.

The lowest you’ll find in the collection is 7x (used by the SLC 7×42 binoculars) and the highest, 15x, only comes in one model: the SLC 15×56 WB.

Objective Lens

Perhaps to make up for the lack of magnification diversity, Swarovski binoculars offer a pretty wide range of objective lens diameters.

In fact, this makes it so you can watch birds (or other creatures in nature) in all kinds of natural light–from morning to noon to dusk to evening. The range begins at 20 millimeters with several models in the Pocket series, including the Pocket 8×20 B Tyrol.

And the range ends with that SLC behemoth–the 15×56–which offers a 56 millimeter objective lens diameter.

Field of View

First of all, what’s the Field of View? The F.O.V. (as it’s called by those in the know) measures the area of your observation in feet, as if you were looking from 1,000 yards away.

Wait, what? Okay, let’s take a look at an example. If a pair of binoculars has a Field of View of 245 feet, then that means you are able to see an area that big from standing 1,000 yards away.

The lowest F.O.V. for Swarovski binoculars is at 231 feet, while the highest hangs tight at 420 feet.

Here’s a sampling of a few F.O.V.s of Swarovski binoculars:

• 231 feet – Swarovski SLC 15×56 WB
• 330 feet – Swarovski EL 10×42
• 420 feet – Swarovski EL 8×32

Swarovski Binoculars: Consumer Info

Before you take the plunge and pick up a pair of these binoculars, let’s take a look at a few more bits of information, including prices, warranties, and consumer ratings.

Price Range

Swarovski binoculars are very high-tech, high-precision, high-quality items, and can therefore be a bit high-priced. If you are a professional observer, or even a hobbyist with enough money to own the best, then you should certainly consider investing in these products. If, on the other hand, you are just on the prowl for a standard pair of binoculars, you might want to look at a different, less expensive brand.

The cheapest pair is Swarovski’s Pocket 8×20 B-P binoculars with a price tag of just under $650.

Meanwhile, most of the other models are priced around the $1,000-$1,200 mark and the most expensive comes in at $2,000 (the powerful SLC 15×56 WB).

Warranty Information

Not the most friendly in the industry, but certainly fitting their upscale reputation,

Swarovski offers a limited lifetime warranty for their binocular products. They will repair factory defects for free (as any decent manufacturer should do), but the warranty doesn’t cover any damage done to the device by you or by accident. The warranty covers:

• Accessories – 1 year
• Electronic elements – 2 years
• Other binocular parts – 10 years

Not to over generalize, but the kind of people who can afford to own these are the kind of people who tend to keep their things neat and safe.

In general, consumers have not had too much complaint about the limited nature of Swarovski’s warranty. That being said, there are still those who wish companies like Swarovski would be a bit more lenient when it comes to accidental damage.

Swarovski Binoculars: Consumer Reviews

So, how do these things really work in the field? Let’s take a look at a few of the positive and negative attributes of Swarovski binoculars, as stated by actual consumers.

Consumers like: Adjustable hub for eyepieces Perfect clarity Compact, lightweight, but tough-as-nails design

Consumers don’t like: No competitive pricing Rubber housing can come loose with extended use Customer Service leaves much to be desired

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