Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics SLC W B compared to newer designs?

I have only had the SLC W B for a short time, but under difficult ambient light conditions that matter to me most, they are clearly a step above the sub-$1k class (or sub-alphas as some people call them?). I used a tripod for comparison, but it wasn't really needed as it was obvious even handheld.

I have had a hodgepodge of sub-$1k binoculars (mix of 8x and 10x, as well as different objective sizes) and can't do a proper direct comparison, but I own or have owned SLC-neu, CL, Conquest HD, Monarch HG, Tract, Kowa Genesis, and others that I am probably forgetting. Each of those has pros and cons, but are similar in many ways. Peas in a pod? To my eyes, the SLC W B is a definite step up.

I'm sure that there are some cons that will be discovered over time with the SLC W B. However for now, I am impressed. Of course the SLC W B sold for nearly double the price of some sub-alphas, but I've seen some good deals now that they are discontinued or people "upgrade" to EL or NL. I don't know that I would pay the original full price for the W B, but I could justify it simply based on the ease of use and obvious improvement in image quality over those others.

I think that I got what I was looking for. Something noticeably better than what I have or had in the past. And appreciate the feedback I got here from those who still use an SLC even with the newer models available.

Thanks for checking yours and letting me know. Seems weird that some make the noise and others don't. I've read online where some EL make noises too out of the box, but others don't.