Competition inspires innovation, and there are few fields in which this is more true than consumer optics. In general function, binoculars haven't changed much in a century. But in ergonomics, quality of glass and the features of the view, they're as far from their World War I antecedents as a 2024 luxury car is from a Model T.
When I started birding many of my mentors were using bulky army surplus 10x50 Porro prisms or a racetrack-worthy 7x35. Jason, Tasco, Bushnell, Binolux, and Nikon were among the few widely available brands. Other than world-travelers and residents of Manhattan or Miami, few new birders were aware of the leading European optics manufacturers.
Now the list of well-known optics brands runs into the dozens. And birders and butterflyers have pushed companies to make improvements that hunters and astronomers hadn't required. Those improvements flow down-market, so today it's not hard to find affordably priced binoculars that work for birding.
At the same time, today's experienced optics users are well aware of the leading European optics triumvirate. And in that group the Austrian company Swarovski is always innovating. Their Flagship EL series have approached cult status for over a decade.
When you learn that Swarovski has a successor to the EL series in the works, you certainly don't worry that they'll mess with success; rather, it's more a feeling of "how much better can they make them?" The new Flagship models came ashore in early September 2020, so we've had the chance to find out! They're called NL Pure, and all of us at CMBO have been able to check them out. Thery initially launched the NL Pure 8x42, 10x42, and 12x42. You read that right, a 12x42 instead of a 12x50. In spring 2021 they introduced the NL Pure 8x32 and 10x32. If you are a committed proponent of 32 mm bins, both of these are sweet handfuls. And in mid-2024 Swarovski launched the NL Pure 10x52 and 14x52.
All of us at CMBO use optics every day, and over the years we've looked through just about everything. So, we just grabbed the NL Pure 8x42, and... first impressions? You just kind of fall right in. By that I mean, you are immersed in the view. The generous eye relief and multi-step eyecups present the full field of view with or without eyeglasses. Both actual and apparent field of view are larger than the EL 8.5x42; indeed, they're larger than the EL 8x32! And then you notice: huh, this barrel is a funny shape. It's constricted in the middle. Which makes it remarkable easy to hold, even with one hand. Now, that was true for the EL with its double bridge as well. But now there is a comfortable one-hand grip with a single bridge.
An unexpected (and optional) accessory is the FRP forehead rest, which can be mounted to work just like the one on their BTX scope. It adds stability to the view, especially when glassing with one hand. It is especially helpful with the NL Pure 12x42.
I won't say this is the new binocular for everyone; some viewers with smaller hands found the focus location not ideal for them. Also, though the weight is virtually the same in the NL Pure and 42 mm EL, a couple viewers thought them heavy in a simple "hand heft". But even they found them well balanced when viewing.
I'm a scope lover and generally not a fan of high-power binoculars. I've never been tempted by a 12x50. But I must say that after spending some time glassing with the NL Pure 12x42, I began to rethink that. I was scanning a quarter-mile long lake, watching Laughing Gulls drinking and bathing about 1,000 feet away. And with the NL Pure 12x42 I thought, "I could pick a Franklin's Gull out of that flock with these, no scope needed". I'm not giving up my scope, but if you're spending time at a sea watch, mountain hawk watch, or a decidedly non-montane hawk watch where just about any and every conceivable, distracting, non-hawk can show up (I'll let you guess which one that is), these just might be the bins to bring.
I built my life list between 1971 and 1984 with binoculars which, for an eyeglass wearer, were lacking either optically or ergonomically. Unfriendly features such as hard plastic eyecups, a close focus of almost 30 feet, insufficient eye relief, and narrow fields of view all made birding a challenge; getting on a bird and getting a good look was always a struggle. In 1985 I upgraded to the "classic" Zeiss Dialyt 10x40, a big improvement but still not perfect for eyeglass wearers or those with a very narrow interpupillary distance. I and many others stepped up to newer models as they became available. Today I can say the Swarovski NL Pure line continues that innovation and offer models that will excel for nearly anyone.
