Recently tried and compared both models above, kinda liked the optics of the Swaro more but the Zeiss has better close focus and wider field of view...however the diopter on the model I tried seemed to jam as soon as the focus wheel was flipped up, not exactly inspiring considering some comments on here about Zeiss's long winded customer service compared to Swarovski's?
Oh I just don't know?
Just aswell I can't afford either of them at present!!!
What would others go for?
Matt
Though choice!
I have a soft spot for Zeiss but I personally like their optics better, so easier for me.
I tried all three (Leica HD, Swaro EL and Zeiss FL) at a bird show, side by side, and I found that focusing and ergonomics were the main factors in making my choice. I did not really see major differences in the optical performance, unless I would put them on a tripod and look at a resolution chart maybe. I could see full field of view with glasses on, and close focus was best with Zeiss>Swaro>Leica.
Leica was slow and less ergonomic, Swaro focus was harder and 'dry' compared to the fluid, fast focus of the Zeiss, but the Swaro has excellent ergonomics.
The representative from Zeiss was very helpfull, but all representatives, from Leica and Swaro were as much. The Zeiss rep. assured me they are working very hard to improve customer satisfaction through better service. I brought my Zeiss with me, he inspected them and concluded I could need a new strap, new rubber eyecups (I had the old 'hard' version), and new lens caps, all for free! I was impressed. I showed him the rubber letting loose on one place were I put my thumbs, and he looked at it like it was the first example with loose rubber he ever saw. He said I should bring them back to the shop immediately, because this would be repaired for free as part of the warranty. I said I couldn't miss them, and he immediately proposed I could always ask for a spare Zeiss bin.
So from the the talk with the (Dutch) representative, my reservations I had about Zeiss and warranty totally vanished. I guess this kind of service is standard and to be expected with Swarovski, but it was nice to know that Zeiss was (trying) to do the same. He also aknowledged the service from Swaro is top notch, and they were using them as example how to do it right.
The other representatives were also very friendly, has to be said, but at Leica, they couldn't say much more than it would cost a lot to service the focus of my girlfriends Trinovid (which was a little dry), and they said it would take a long time to get the job done.
From the side-by-side comparison, I prefer the Victory FL, and Zeiss seems to be (finally) working hard to get the service right.
Swarovski has been improving fast on the optical quality, but the current EL without HD glass will be outdated if the Swarovision EL 8x32 comes out in 1-2 years. If you like the view better than the FL, I guess you won't see the difference with the Swarovision, either.
Leica seemed to me like a small handicraft/family factory compared to the 'professional' approach of Zeiss and Swaro. They make very good (not the best) binoculars, but they seem to be very slow and expensive with customer service. I don't see them survive as they will loose market share without good policy on customer satisfaction and without any innovation in their binoculars coming.
[QUOTE=matt green;1770606]Recently tried and compared both models above, kinda liked the optics of the Swaro more but the Zeiss has better close focus and wider field of view...however the diopter on the model I tried seemed to jam as soon as the focus wheel was flipped up, not exactly inspiring considering some comments on here about Zeiss's long winded customer service compared to Swarovski's?
Oh I just don't know?
Just aswell I can't afford either of them at present!!!
What would others go for?
Matt[/QUOTE]
You don't see CA so go with whatever one you can get the best price on. Try looking at a black object on a sunny day with both of them and see if you see a purple fring around the object through the Swarovski's. That's CA and that's one reason they came out with the new Swarovsion's. I personally would not pay an alpha price for a non ED binocular like the Swarovski but if you like the view better go with what you like.