Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Swarovski 8x25 CL Pocket Optik

Are these binoculars good enough to be used as a primary glass?

Only in totally full daylight

Thanks!

I’ve got the 10x25 Swarovski little ones and like them a lot for a pocket bino. A pretty limited fov that takes some practice to put them up and seeing what you want to. I used them out west when I didn’t want to carry anymore weight than necessary. Birding is very good for the clear image, but I carry 8x32’s often together with the tiny tens when I want to glass and have a wider fov. Kind of like carrying a kit gun when you are out. Not the best for the job, but along when you need something.

They work very well in low light. Don’t be fooled, most guys have never even put them to the real test.



Even bought my old man a pair!

My go to binoculars were the Leica 8x32 ultra HD. Very light and compact. I now often choose the 8x25 Swarovski now. In my area the sight distance is pretty limited, so the smaller binoculars are very effective. Both binoculars are amazing for their size. So based on the terrain here the smaller ones are plenty good. I think a big step over previous generation compact binos from Leica or Swarovski.

I had the CL 8x25 for awhile and hunted the Oregon coast with them. Think steep terrain and fairly tall tree canopy. In other words, it can be dark well before sunset.

First the good - I find this size/weight of bino very handy. I normally use a bino harness or bino pack, but you can get away with a simple strap with these. Also handy to throw them in a winter coat pocket.

The bad - Dusk and dawn. I wouldn't say that they are dim in general, but you'll lose those last minutes+ of daylight compared to most anything with bigger objective. Or when the sun first comes up.

I compared them to the Zeiss Terra 8x25 and SLC 8x30 for an extended period of time. The Terra comes so close, that I think they are a better buy but don't have the resolution. The CL 8x25 had better resolution than the SLC too. Samples of one.

I sold my CL 8x25 and have been using the Legend 10x25. I don't miss the CL one bit. Same issue with dusk and dawn, but I really value the lightweight and compact size.