Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics 15X binoculars

Not sure if I missed it in this thread, but has anyone compared the Monarch 5 to the Minox?

Kent makes a good point, the 56mm objective lens on the Swaros limits a fair number of folks from using them because their interpupillary distance is too small for the binos to accommodate them. The Kaibabs are a little better in this regard. I have to overlap the lens cover straps for them to work for me. I don't have the new HDs (yet) so can't comment on how close them get. Porros are always easier to use. Just bulkier. They also have on less prism per side so they are just plain easier to build right.

Daughter has a small frame and we have had issues with fit in the past. She can use the new 15HD w/o a problem. 3mm was enough for her-- fwiw...

from Swaros page:
Swaro

I have a question about the interpupillary distance. On your current slc 15x56 neu the interpupillary distance is 59mm. Will these have a closer/shorterinterpupillary distance?

Dear Jeff, the pupil distance of the new SLC 15x56 is 56 mm - 76 mm.

Editorial Team
Posted on September 05, 2013, 13:27
Dear Clint, the SLC 56 are completley new developed binoculars and have HD lenses. It's very hard to compare these two binoculars because between the old and new SLC are 15 years of develeopment. The main advantages are the field of view, transmission, edge-to-edge sharpness and the ergonomic handling. The perfect total package for viewing and hunting over long distances....

Yes - The HD's are more user friendly for the narrow faces.

Biggest upgrade with the HD's is the lack of or extremely minimal glarewhen I am glassing into the sun for hours -

This alone is a huge game changer -

Went to the local Cabela's last week and briefly looked thru some binos... 16x Monarch 5, 15x EuroHD/Meopta, and 15x Swaros. The young lady at the optics counter offered to take the binos outside but I was limited on time and wasn't ready to buy. Indoors is not a good test of optics but they had a goat display in the far end of the store, in a dark corner.

The Swaros were by far the brightest, with good contrast. The Euros were next best, with the Monarch 5 not far behind. The Euros and Nikons are much more comparable to each other and the Swaros clearly in another class as one would expect

The Monarch 5 was much better than I expected. I'd like to try them all again outside in low light, along with the Minox.

This is also true with the 12x50ELs... and made selling my 15x60 B/GATs that much easier.

I have used the last model of swaro 15's and now the newest model. It took me all of about 10 seconds looking through the new model to decide I had to have a pair. A buddy and I were sitting glassing the same hillside towards the rising sun. Normally wouldnt do this, but we were looking for a specific buck that liked to hang there. He had spotted spotted several deer and I had only spotted a lone doe so far. I was using my 65 hd swaro spotter set on 20x with the sunshade extended and was fighting a lot of glare. I went over and looked through his 15's and quickly realized why he was seeing more stuff than I had. There was hardly any glare. The other thing that really sold me on them was the pop of the different colors. I'm sure there is a technical term for it, but it just makes even slightly different shades of the same colors stick out to your eye. I'm excited about spending a lot more time behind a pair come September and October.

As a peasant I use Nikon 16x50's with a window mount. My specialized use is looking for blacktail bucks bedded within rifle range in brushy clearcuts, especially in rain or wet snow. For a serious examination of something farther, I pull out the spotting scope, but I search and find things better using both eyes.

If I spent hours looking through them, would upgrade the glass.

Okbow87,

What distance was the hillside you were scanning with the 15x and 65 HD? At what distance would you feel that the advantage would swing to the spotter over the big eyes?

Thanks,

Jason

Mike how do you like the 12x50's vs the 15's?

Bob - I bought the 12's when they first came out and after a couple of seasons I realized that for my eyes at least, the extra definition and wider field of view made up for the power drop from my 15s (which I never thought I'd sell).

I do have a 65mm non HD Swaro spotter that I pack along more often with the 12s than I ever did with the 55 oz. 15x Zeiss.Thinking about upgrading the spotter to an HD as well after using a few on sheep hunts.

Here's a blast from the past. Please no help from the guys who remember this set of pics. Find 'em gents, and then let's talk the value of 15x!

8x:






10x:






15x:

Looks like a rhinoceros facing away with its head down on the right side under the tree in the middle.

I have the Swaro 15s and an Outdoorsman tall tripod with the extension and a Velbon head for stand-up glassing. If using the tripod isn't fast enough I find a tree or rock to rest on or grab my hat brim. The Outdoorsman has a lifetime warranty, I wouldn't fork out the $ if it didn't. I also pack a Zeiss 85mm scope, either one doesn't replace the other, IMHO.

Another plus is Swaros' customer service. Buy once, cry once. I'll pack a cheap rifle, only the best optics.

Thanks Mike. A friend bought the 12x50 EL...has me thinking.

I was wondering how good they are.

4th,

It was prob 3/4 to a mile away. Im not really sure how to answer the other part. I use the 15's now to glass everything. It goes like this....

Sit down and pull up my 10x I wear in a chest harness and give everything a pretty quick run over to make sure there isn't anything just sticking out.

Set the tripod up and put the 15's on. Then I glass everything within reason with the 15's, because you will be able to pick up a lot of things a ways out with them. Especially if they are standing up or bedded in the open. Being able to use both eyes has way less fatigue and seems to make it easier to spot things to me.

Then I get out the spotter and start glassing from the point I felt I wasn't able to pick things apart the way I wanted to with the 15's and on out. I also glass on 40-50x most of the time with the spotter because I'm usually looking well over a mile with it.

One trick I use with a spotter as well. Go get you an eye patch to wear over your non dominant eye. It allows you to keep that eye open and you get way less eye fatigue in your glassing eye and your face will not get tired either from constantly holding your off eye closed. It makes a huge difference in the amount of time I can sit and glass.

BobinNH,

The 12x50 el is the best performing bino they make. While we were guiding last year, several employees from swaro were using them from a tripod. They would just start with the 12x on a tripod and then switch to a spotter.

Okbow thanks for the feedback on the 12x50's. Think there is a pair in my not-too-distant future.

Does anyone have a link to the original "Big Eyes" posts? It must be over a year old and the Search function is limited to one year. Or does anyone know how to search the older postings?