Swaro SLC vs Nikon Monarch HG 10X42

[wdsmhunter]

I'm fairly new to the site and have learned a ton already by reading many various posts and articles and I apologize for this being my first post.

I'm preparing for an archery mule deer hunt in CO and need to upgrade my glass.

I currently have a pair of Nikon Monarch 5 in 8x42, which I've used for years hunting whitetails in Iowa (archery and muzzleloader) and they've suited me just fine for that purpose, but I feel I need something more for this upcoming hunt and hopefully more western hunts in the future.

I "think" I have it narrowed down to 10x42 and either Swaro SLC or Nikon Monarch HG and need someone to push me over the edge. I've looked hard at the Meostar HD as well, but I think I've ruled those as 3rd place contender (to me) at this point. I've read pros and cons and reviews on all of them and gathered opinions from a couple of members on this site already. I've handled and viewed the Cabelas Euro and SLCs, but not the Nikons.

Personally the Nikons stand out to me based on the reviews, features and price, but I think deep down I had my heart set on SLCs. I've kept my eye out for used (less than 5 yrs old), but have not jumped on anything yet.

I know Nikon has field flattening lens, so is it more appropriate to compare them to the ELs than SLCs? In that case leaving the SLC's as kind of there own class/price point?

I know either will perform and I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I don't want to overspend, but I want to buy once, cry once so to speak.

Ultimately I want the best optical performance I can afford (ELs are out of my budget) and versatility. I'd end up using these in Iowa 90% of the time, but want a pair that I can use out west and be able to spend hours behind them both freehand or off of a tripod.

I know there's no clear answer and this is a heavily debated subject...but that's why I'm here.

Thanks in advance for you input.

 

[elkguide]

I am a Swarovski fanboy.
I have a pair of Swaro 10X42's in both SLC and EL versions and they are both great.
I also have a Nikon spotter and as soon as funds are available, I'm upgrading to Swarovski.

 

[Wapiti1]

The glass is going to be really close, so to me, it comes down to eye relief, feel in the hands/on my nose and focus depth.

The SLC's have pretty good depth of focus, so you aren't refocusing constantly. I don't have time behind the Nikons to have a handle on that aspect of them, but it is something to consider if you get to do a side by side comparison. Same with the other two criteria. I don't want finicky eye relief or barrel position. Eye cups have to fit my face/nose. I do want a binoc that is easy to hold. On a 10X, you are hand holding most of the time rather than tripod mounting, in my experience. If I am planning to sit behind bincos on a tripod, I grab my 12's.

Just my two cents. Go somewhere, have a salesman go outside with you and test them out side by side. Go home. Do it again a week later. One of the two will be the obvious choice the second time around. There'll be something small that just bugs you about one or the other, or just wows you, and that will be the deal maker.

Jeremy

 

[wdsmhunter]

elkguide - do you have a preference on when you use one versus the other?

Wapiti1 - Thanks for the feedback. I did notice the depth of focus with the SLCs when I tried them in the store and really liked that about them. As far as trying both, the SLCs are available locally, but I haven't run across the Nikons yet. I may have to go the route of over-ordering and returning.

 

[slowelk]

I made the switch from Vortex to the Nikon HGs, and I am very impressed with their depth of field - minimal adjustment. I handled the SLCs at my local cabelas quite a bit before I made a decision, and the Nikons surprisingly feel higher quality - the rubber coating is grippy, the focus knob is smooth (I thought the SLC knob felt cheap). Other selling point is the field of view at distance, the Nikon wins that hands down - then to go along with the lighter weight, and the price, hard to say no to the Nikons.

 

[wdsmhunter]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm leaning towards the Nikons at this point, especially since I just came to the realization that I need a different pack, which I wasn't really planning on until now, but difference in cost will help solve that problem.

Still interested in any other feedback others might have.

 

[timberbuck]

To put it bluntly;

Nikons premium bino the EDG that was just discontinued and is better than the HG was not the match optically overall to the SLC or Zeiss and Leica designs of today or when it was introduced.

Contrary to what is being said the HG is no SLC. The HG however is one of if not the best choices in a $800-1000 glass along with the GPO passion HD and Zeiss Conquest HD, Meopta HD.

I disagree that optically overall the HG is "very close" to the SLC.

Comparing casually in the parking lot of a store or your backyard will not show you the difference.

 

[bmanb940]

I have been using Nikon's HG's for a few months now and my Swaro's haven't been out of the safe since I got the Nikon's. Check them out yourself and you'll see which is truly better.

 

[camping1601]

I own them both right now and gave some input in the above sticky.

 

[WestNE]

To put it bluntly;

Nikons premium bino the EDG that was just discontinued and is better than the HG was not the match optically overall to the SLC or Zeiss and Leica designs of today or when it was introduced.

Contrary to what is being said the HG is no SLC. The HG however is one of if not the best choices in a $800-1000 glass along with the GPO passion HD and Zeiss Conquest HD, Meopta HD.

I disagree that optically overall the HG is "very close" to the SLC.

Comparing casually in the parking lot of a store or your backyard will not show you the difference.

I'll disagree with the point that anyone with differing opinions has only used the Nikon's in a parking lot, that would represent the crowd at some other forums but I don't believe Rokslide fits that mold.

I will say that I have the HG's and I love them but find it very hard to believe they equal the new offerings from Swaro. The HG's are awesome but can be found new for $850, if they equaled SLC's in the field any Swaro should rightly be pi$$ed. I don't think Swaro would let that happen.

For me personally it can be very hard to distinguish products that offer tremendous value per dollar from high priced top tier offerings. My mind just will not allow me to be subjective and I'll always give the benefit of the doubt to the tremendous value, which the Nikon's offer in spades. I guess it was the way I was raised, top tier wasn't an option so my tastes were defined by products that offered alot of punch for a little money.

I am very happy with the Nikon's but if new Swaro's were available for the same price of take the Swaro's 110% of the time.

Nick

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[wdsmhunter]

Thanks to all who have shared opinions and feedback, that's exactly what I was looking for and needed to help me decide. I appreciate everyone's perspectives, particularly those who have used both.

Nick - I've searched around and have not found that kind of pricing on the HG's - may I ask where I might find that?

Thanks again - this site is a wealth of information and I'm happy I found it!

 

[Cant hit em]

I found my HG’s on ebay new in box they are very compact and lite compared to most 10x42 and the glass is night and day , heads above my old Vortex. Im very happy with them , ive never compared them to Swaro’s but they are easy on my eyes for hours on end

 

[WestNE]

I just looked on eBay quick and found that pricing. Before you do that I would call Doug@ CameralandNY, he will do the best he can for you!
Nick

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[ElkElkGoose]

To put it bluntly;

Nikons premium bino the EDG that was just discontinued and is better than the HG was not the match optically overall to the SLC or Zeiss and Leica designs of today or when it was introduced.

Contrary to what is being said the HG is no SLC. The HG however is one of if not the best choices in a $800-1000 glass along with the GPO passion HD and Zeiss Conquest HD, Meopta HD.

I disagree that optically overall the HG is "very close" to the SLC.

Comparing casually in the parking lot of a store or your backyard will not show you the difference.

Actually there are significant reviews that state that the EDG 2 is the best bino made ever (With the MSRP to match), even ranked over the new Swaro ELs. One of the reviewers is a very well respected site over on the bird forum which are much more critical of glass and usually take optical measurements for their reviews.

Run on sentence of the year and I'm not going to take the time to correct it because I'm at work

The same reviewer ranked the HGs and the SLC pretty much the same, something like 141 points to 140. The difference came down to the HGs having a wider field of view and the SLCs having less CA. So they pretty much netted out and you can pick which attribute you care most about.

 

[LandYacht]

I chose the Nikon EDGs over both the Swaro offerings when I was shopping 8 years ago. I can’t comment on the HGs, but the Nikons have a much better color than the Swaros do. I think that Swaros are too cold.

I prefer the Zeiss HT to the Swaros. I’ve got the HTs and EDGs in my bino harnesses.

You really should make sure you look through them both though, because if your heart is set on the SLCs the nagging voice in the back of your head will always be asking what if.


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[timberbuck]

Are you looking at allbinos.com?

Compare the light transmission graph and curve of the SLC against the EDG and HG and you will see that the SLC's light transmission is much better than the Nikon in low light. Allbinos likes field flattening binoculars and gives high points for low distortion on the outer FOV. Binos like the SLC HD, Leica ultravid HD and Zeiss HT do not use field flattening lenses which just a many people prefer as it presents a more natural 3D type of view that is also free of the rolling ball/globe effect when panning caused by the field flattening lenses in binos like the EL,EDG,zeiss SF and the HG.

 

[Ingo]

I just spent time behind the Nikon HGs and Swaro SLC HDs. At last light I can't tell a difference in brightness maybe a machine can but I have excellent vision. I'm going to purchase the HGs soon. They don't have the "field-flattened" feel like Swarovision or Zeiss SF. I think Nikon went about it a different way because the FOV is VERY wide but it's not exactly focused to the edges like the other aforementioned binos. It does taper off some but because of the extra wide FOV and way more usable view than cheaper (and many more expensive) binos it's just dang pleasant to spend time behind.

I was trying to decide on buying a pair of Meopta 15x or upgrading my neck binos and after getting a couple days afield with the HGs I feel like that'll be the best money I can spend.

 

[bmanb940]

Just so you know, Nikon's MONARCH HG bino's are currently under a Nikon sponsored PROMO that gives you $100 off the purchase price when you buy from a participating dealer. A heck of a deal on an outstanding bino. I have been using a pair for almost a year now and since receiving them my Euro bino's haven't seen the light of day.