Review: SWAROVSKI OPTIK NL PURE 8X42 Binoculars
18 March 2021
By Stuart Hamilton
By Stuart Hamilton
My global pursuit of wildlife (predominantly birds) began in earnest in 1986. In consequence, over all those years I have been lucky enough to have used several sets of optics which were deemed the 'best' available for the task.
It has always been my opinion that any birder worth their salt will equip themselves with binoculars and a telescope of the finest quality they can afford. And so, the rule of optics thumb over all my years watching wildlife in the UK and all over the world, seems to follow that the better they are the luckier we get!
Binoculars and telescopes from the premium brand stable have accompanied me on countless birding endeavours for the past 10 years or so. Clearly telescopes have very many advantages for species identification but lack the versatility of binoculars which accompany us wherever we find ourselves.
In February, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to evaluate the new Swarovski Pure NL 8x42 binoculars and didn’t hesitate. From the moment I removed them from the box I realised that my optimism had been justified.
What's in the box?
- NL Pure 8x42 Binoculars
- UCS Universal Comfort Strap
- FSB functional Sidebag
- Eyepiece & Objective Lens Cover
- Soap & Brush Kit
- Microfiber Cloth
- Strap Loop Connector
Right from the first pick up, the new NL shape and curvature struck me with a bit of a wow factor. The design, which has been ergonomically suited for ease of handling, was noticeably lightweight and superbly balanced - not a bad introduction.
In keeping with current restrictions for Covid-19, the trial venue was limited to reservoir and farmland habitat and I did get varied weather conditions ranging from gorgeous late winter sunshine through to the more extremes of wind, rain and mist.
Ideally, I would have liked to have sat in a hide with these bino's for an hour or two as the brand also sent the attachable head rest which is available to buy separately and brings comfort and value in hides and the like for scanning waders etc, but alas, sadly that is not possible at the moment.
When I introduced myself to the business of looking through them I was amazed at the wide field of view. This is without question, greater than any binocular I have previously used.
The objective lenses have been designed and coated to ensure maximum light transmission and not surprisingly the colour fidelity is crisp, natural and pin sharp. There is no distortion in the lenses, no colour fringing - edge to edge perfection.
I am unable to fault the performance even in poor light. Speechless.
Verdict
In short, the NL Pure's have obviously been crafted with love and are a tribute to the team that brought them into being.
Am I aiming to own a pair? I would be daft not to!
★★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
Testing scores
- Design: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
- Performance: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
- Durability: ★★★★★★★★ 8/10
- Weight: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
- Value: ★★★★★★★★ 8/10
📞 Contact: www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en/birding
🏷 Price from: £2,370.00
The NL Pure's are available from all official stockists now.
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