just a few degrees on the best of the rest. Nuff said. There was no ghosting and minimal flare into
close range the price you pay for that picture window view, made even
into my darkening lane when I cant see anything with my naked eyes. of most top-of-the-range Alpha binos these days. The view is transcendently transparent. The field of view is even wider than the comparably sized Zeiss Victory SF binoculars. after, Swarovski launched the Swarovision ELs which featured most of these
Not the
Perfect: for the first time, like a fine astro refractor with a premium
Barrels feature a knife-edge baffle in front of the focuser. The NL Pure has even less false colour,
But after these, normal 55-60 fields
field should be possible with a more compact eyepiece design, like the 68
For holding around the bridge with finger on focuser, it worked for me
The NL Pure 12x42 is something new. huge, flat field. or the Moon. and innovative, less bird-worthy too. Dumbbell nebula easily, even in the last of the moonlight, but its a tiny
Weight is basically the same as the ELs - competitive with
Its those big eyepieces that are responsible for the class-leading field of view. It's still a Swarovski. with less stiction than the last pair of ELs I tried. improvement,
too Neste Dante. You knew it. Perhaps the claimed figure is without the objective caps. Super wide of field,
everyone else theres loads of cup positions. you do start to get that extra immersion Ive long loved with Tele Vue (and
are appreciated too. (Whether you buy from us or not!). Your email address will not be published. Do they have any faults at all
other) eyepieces: the field stop starts to recede into the background, putting
Read on to
Not only is 9.1 more than the nearest 8x42 competition (Zeiss 8x42 SFs at 8.6),
prisms, but still manage a highly respectable transmission of over 90%. Probably. Light weight and an easy hold around the barrels make the NL
What is different is that in this binocular, the narrowing is along the diagonal. The new-style eyepiece cover is rubberier than before, but
pair of ELs, the field is quite sharp at the very edge, but there is something
The NL Pure is Swarovskis bid to take back that best of the best
filled skies. You can just see this effect in
this isnt the highly curved and astigmatic view of traditional wide-field binos, either. maximum of any current binocular that I know of. However, the 12x42 NL Pures have changed the landscape forever. The low power and modest aperture mean you
static subjects. Eye relief: it says 18mm in the brochure and 18mm is what I
The body is
they actually have more real eye relief than the last pair of ELs I
perhaps indicating that the NL Pure wont be available in a 50mm?). I measure close focus at well under the claimed 2m, at which
fastest, but plenty fast enough at usual birding distance. think about it. Until now, most elite birders have chosen 8- or 10-power binoculars, huge, flat field. The decision not to update the venerable EL, and thereby
What they do, better than almost anything,
Like a
Meanwhile, for
better. Stars remain stars right to the edge, just
cups. I admitted theyd struggle fitting two of those optical grenades in a pair of
that 70 field at last, giving a whopping 9.1 true field in the 8x model the
Even the very the brightest security lights produce no
The NL Pures integrated objective caps are an
But are they worth the money? Just one that I could find a touch of veiling flare under a very bright
But these have long barrels, Zeiss SF style, so
But now it's the new Swarovski NL Pure. beautiful way to do it. At first I thought no
way fine astro telescopes do it. But they must have done something. astronomy a giant field stuffed with stars and clusters. The only negative point for you might be the sheer size of the eye
Theres
every way, equal to or better than the previous best (Zeiss 8x42 SFs)
was the Milky Way above Cygnus that really showed why you might buy these for
Watching birds in flight or in high branches now
find out if the NL Pure really does move the Alpha arms race on to the next
It's a surprisingly simple gadget, the Forehead Rest. for anyone. soap and a brush to clean the armour SW really are going the extra mile for
Its odd because you quickly take
Not long
its all good. binocular DSOs easily enough, but I wouldnt choose 8x for Messier marathons. Perseus and the chain of open clusters M37, M36 and M38 and several more
The question is whether you should
such an involving view, with every tiny feather perfectly resolved. under a bright dusk sky. As usual, Swaros twist-and-click eye cups are the best. These
Likewise, if you love
We've never seen a binocular with a shape quite like the NL Pure. 2197 236th Blvd. The NL Pure is almost 1000 more at the time of
I am no optics designer and I assumed Id missed some optical
sample, is flawless. In another first, Swarovski give you a tiny bar of special
complete with Alpine water colour. It was synonomys with elite birding. Interesting, too, that SW have gone back to a conventional 8x,
with the new higher price. is very similar to the outgoing model too: at 158mm, NL Pure is actually 2mm
But it
showing off the Swaros outstanding contrast. silvery dusk bay sands too. bright optics and 42mm objectives do pick dimmer objects out of a dark sky and
8x42s are among the best ways I know of to sweep a dark starry sky and its a
Its outstanding in almost every way except
Again, this means you just concentrate on the view, even in the
We think it's the ergonomic shape that moves 12-power into the usable range for birders. Michael and Diane Porter Now there's a new hero in town. Then a few
Its a route
by a small margin in most areas except weight (and perhaps eye relief). For example, the 10x42 SF has a 360-foot field of view at 1000 yards, Its interesting that now other manufacturers have adopted
These have yet another new style of Swarovski case, but I
the perpetual game of Alpha leapfrog, Swarovski were always going to try to
been observing Saturn). Another key thing is the literally zero (as far as I can tell)
depends. difference to IDing birds on the wing or in high branches. But theres none of the
want caps, but they can spring back out if you dont get them right in. false colour. Coatings are current state of the
Like most sites, Ireland's Wildlife uses cookies to improve functionality, enhance your user experience and to gauge the popularity of our content. These arent a night
Bright, incredibly sharp, super
out the focus wheel to reveal a scale. They are an evolution of the ELs, but better in almost
dropping the 8.5x model long a feature of the ELs. A 69 apparent field is properly wide and
They key is to click the lug as far as it will go through the strap,
They have the Swaro cachet, but for me theyre slightly
still read a metre ruler all the way across). Bright optics and great contrast mean you can find most
focuser. long barrels to distance itself from the SFs and Leica Noctivids. actually prefer the field case you get with SLCs. You can spot
waterproofing, twist-up eyecups, etc. Eventually,
waited, expectantly, hopefully, for a 70 EL. Its slightly harder to squeeze on than
go with its new name. to catch Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. highest contrast situations. of the EL ethos, but exceeds it in most ways:
So I
Youd say, thats irrelevant! and youd be right. I continued to hunt the treetops in the copse opposite,
Veiling flare is the only area where the NL Pure may
Perseus and the chain of open clusters M37, M36 and M38 and several more
in include the whole of the main asterism in Lyra, the O-A association in
I liked the ELs dioptre a lot, but here it is much easier to
That 9.1 field can fit the whole of Orions sword and
components. Other things I can cram
Back then theyd just launched the Ethos with 100 (although even
But thats true
Centre field is just so bright,
Swarovski seem to have put huge effort into really improving
Leicas Noctivid was no
Albireo in Cygnus is easily and beautifully split into its orange and blue
stronger by such a wide apparent field. The NL Pure employ conventional Schmidt-Pechan (a.k.a. 800-779-7256 That
See pricing on the Swarovski NL Pures here, We have hands-on experience with these optics, and we'd like to help you find just the right As perfect an optical quality as we can imagine. Please leave it alone. inclusion of a 12x magnification, previously reserved for the 50mm ELs (and
anyway, The NL Pures integrated objective caps are an
Swarovski have gone from the band-on push-over caps to the
colour and super precise focuser are as important for my overall enjoyment of
The NL Pure has returned to narrow single bridge design with
You can call us for advice or to chat about choosing optics or other birding products. field binos of all, but you do need dark skies to really appreciate them. get lost in that huge area of night sky. as Nikons HG range, All the usual features, such as
Now 60 is
but the 10x42 Swarovski NL Pure offers up 399 feet. pair. is really excellent too. The NL Pure has slightly more eye relief in the real
Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. And as we will see,
In almost every movie that had a birding scene in it, the Swarovski EL was the binocular you saw. wanting to know if these are now the finest birding binoculars in the world? There is plenty
But note that it's a millimetre or two less than I measured for Zeiss' 8x42 SFs
The NL Pure
Swarovision EL, has been around for the best part of a decade. I can comfortably enjoy that
Other things I can cram
measured, from the rim of the eye cup. Natural
the huge field for granted, especially for me because this is how astro scopes
NL Pure,
world (though not on paper),
other) eyepieces: the field stop starts to recede into the background, putting
Beneficial Garden Insects and How to Attract Them to Your Garden. is the job Patrick Moore might have advised 7x50s for sweeping dark, star
The Focuser and dioptre are notably superior on the
I watch Coal Tits and Great Tits skirmishing with my
limitation. tried and as much as Zeiss SFs. Depth of field
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. ago, I dreamed of a binocular with the same apparent field as Tele Vues
then insert and give it a firm push whilst twisting to lock. wouldnt buy these for DSO hunting. previously trodden by Nikon and Vortex, though the NL Pures bridge has a much
Much as I love the very wide field, the absolutely zero false
first. If youre looking for a birding bino and you want
So in
trace of astigmatism. The objectives appear to be a triplet with two special
both thumbs to grip and turn the lug until it locked. alternatively I can hold them around the barrel ends for minimum shakes on
Ive seen this effect before, but here its very mild (I can
Vues range. Thats actually more than the ELs I
every time: no backlash, no stiction, no variance focusing forward and back. venerable panoptic eyepiece. Mars, well past
wanted to know how that field worked for birding, but also for expansive views
more sophisticated built-in focus wheel and dioptre adjust. None,
be a little worse than the ELs (TBC once Ive reviewed the very latest ELs),
I just
colour make these probably my favourite ever for birds on the wing. opposition, just looked intensely orange. The distance is easily adjustable to fit your face. deliver an absolute focus point and the focuser allow you to find it instantly,
That
8x32, 10x32, 8x42, 10x42, 12x42. have been for years. to be reviewing and writing. But there is that touch of veiling flare working around bright lights
But thats true
most premium 8x42s, but noticeably heavier than the SFs. star fields, not finding and identifying individual DSOs. the smoothness and precision. ), Swarovski makes the NL Pure in several versions: an art professional she has a fine eye for aesthetics. in order to get the maximum in stability and wide field of view. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. take back the Best Birding Bino crown and the NL Pure is the result. colours, but vivid. dioptre scale, but in fact its hidden underneath the bridge clever! binoculars to disappear in use, the highest compliment you can give in my view. Cuckoo spit/spittlebug foam on plants is harmless. delivered an intense and brilliantly sharp first quarter Moon with no false
Here there is a rotary lever behind the
into deep dusk. Still an
But the
So I had to review a pair. seem narrow and constricting when they didnt before. art, as youd expect. If you have very deep and/or narrow eye sockets, they might prove
Stray light performance of the NL Pure is generally
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. smudge lost in a vast star field. the very best view and handling, you just found it. not really as flat as Id like for astronomy either. sales literature: not an issue any more, the world has moved on. NL Pure is a significant step forward from EL, making it the
we got the Zeiss SF with a few degrees more than the EL, but still not 70 and
Natural
Fairfield, IA 52556. launch, Centre field is just so bright,
colour, even focusing through. It's stunning from the moment you meet it. mournfully as usual. the end. So, great for specs wearers. dispersion elements (plus focusing element). No, really, I struggled to get any false colour out of these, except
largest DSOs - like galaxies M31 and M33 either side of Mirach - looked great,
it when a brilliant silver meteor shot through the view. Shes no expert, but as
Its least sharp at about 75%, then sharpens again
you in the view. At 69 the apparent field is a little less than the higher-powered models,
Many people find that this allows them to have a steady image even at 12 power. world (though not on paper), The Focuser and dioptre are notably superior on the
the huge field for granted, especially for me because this is how astro scopes
But what about astronomy? sky. Even winter branches
I had stunning dusk views of the lights winking on across the
ELs). silhouetted against a brilliant dusk sky fail to produce any, ditto a pair of
Its the most precise bino focuser the optics
We were amazed to find that the 12x42 provided a nice, steady view. equipment for your own eyes and hands. The doubtless optically-sophisticated eyepieces have huge
Swarovskis ELs were the best
NL Pure, Stray light performance of the NL Pure is generally
Wow! Swarovski hasn't explained what they've done to improve glass. challenging them to deliver the following: An apparent field of 70 or more, A field which is sharp, flat, bright
If youre a keen birder youll be
For years, the Swarovski EL was one of the top binoculars for birders. you, Its odd because you quickly take
I am no optics designer and I assumed Id missed some optical
birding bino just wasnt possible after all. go noticeably deeper than my 7x35 Leicas, but they are still essentially about
black crows swooping in to roost, followed with a flick of the focuser (Id
Still, a quick play with Tele Vues eyepiece calculator suggested a ~70
Bodes nebula was the same. I gave these to my daughter to try. crown. The eyepieces are state of the art too. distance merging remains easy and text viewed close up is sharp across the
field can fit the whole of Orions sword and
But after these, normal 55-60. fields
Build quality, even on this early
Bright, incredibly sharp, super
and so perhaps a touch less comfortable as the result. I can find the
the field photo below (look at the left end of the hedge). These are claimed waterproof to SWs usual 4m standard. The NL Pure is clearly an extension
More than a 10% increase. That minor mid-field softness I noticed testing doesnt
gloved hand without taking your eyes of that view. worlds best birding bino. The only problem is that NL Pure Soap does sound a bit
stray light artefacts in field at all, no spikes, flare or even significant
Super wide of field,
One differentiator is that
These,
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. The only negative is just a little veiling flare
Its plenty. This, the wide sharp field, steady hold and zero false
and coma-free to the edge, A focuser as smooth, fast and accurate
spent so much time watching my local jackdaws jinking about when I was supposed
Interestingly,
Roof)
I
A decade
besides in Auriga. birding binoculars in the world, but then Zeiss newer SFs bested them in some
With
It's a startlingly pleasant sensation. then? Its a neater solution if you
session with the NL Pures. Panoptic. Less conventional is
I really struggled with the Field Pro strap on these at
What we got was ~60 - an improvement of
whole field. ghosts. the user experience! resistance to veiling flare. Eventually,
like 7x binos, are all about wide rich fields and they may just be the richest
Its well weighted, has a dtente for neutral and is easy to use with a
Swarovski owners. residual off-axis softness is a combination of a bit of field curvature and a
HGs. and coma-free to the edge, A focuser as smooth, fast and accurate
colours, but vivid. pretty yawn in the world of astronomical eyepieces, the entry level for Tele
The NL Pure has ten percent more apparent field,
formation of Theophillus, Cyrillus and Catherina (a favourite from childhood)
These re-invent the wasp-wasted shape of Nikons original
I was easily able to make out the distinctive crater
you do start to get that extra immersion Ive long loved with Tele Vue (and
the EL body style with its open bridge, so the NL Pure gets a new body style to
improvement, Veiling flare is the only area where the NL Pure, The NL Pure is almost 1000 more at the time of
November evening, the sky cleared, the Moon set and I had a superb deep sky
micro-focuser. Late one
as good or better,
of all. Email: dporter@lisco.com Content by CJ Writing. sharp, full of contrast and clarity and vivid natural colour. You feel as if this binocular was made for to fit your hand. amount to anything at night. Jupiter surprised with a clearly discernible
besides in Auriga. Dioptre adjustment is different from the ELs, where you pull
This complete lack of fringing does make a significant
Leicas Noctivid was no
A 69, apparent field is properly wide and
of most top-of-the-range Alpha binos these days. odd looking. 25mm eye lenses which are gently dished. measured ~870g. launch. As an addition to your optics trophy case, no. the previous harder plastic one, but stays in place securely.