Swarovski Habicht 7x42 bino

[ozyclint]

i'm considering upgrading a pair of steiner peregrine 8x42 binos i have. i already have a pair of steiner nighthunter 10x50 which i'm really fond of. the nighthunters are porro prisms the peregrines are roof's. the nighthunter get used more for long range glassing when tahr hunting. the peregrines see 90% of my bino use as a bowhunter.

i'm beginning to see that porro binos are underrated in the modern age. often they are optically superior or equivelent to roof binos twice the price. the price not being a function of superior quality of the roof but rather the difficultly in producing top quality roof prism optics. the tolerances must be much higher and phase coating etc.

so...i'm thinking of getting a porro prism again for my general bowhunting binos. as i said i really like the steiner nighthunters but they have the individual focus not a center wheel. this is great for what i use them for but for bowhunting in forested areas the close focus distance isn't acceptable. this leads me to search for porro's with center focusing which will give a much nearer close focus distance.
steiner is out of the equation since they don't make a porro with center focusing.

i started looking around and found the swaro habicht 7x42GA and i must say i'm warming to the idea. i'd be losing 1x magnification but i don't think that is a big deal for bowhunting use. most likely make them a little steadier to use offhand anyway. with the same objective diameter it will be a little brighter in low light perhaps.
i have seen them new online here in OZ for AU$1300 which really piqued my interest.

any porro lovers out there? anyone with opinions of the habicht? any other options i should consider?

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Have you considered the Steiner P750 7x50 Police Binocular? We've got a demo for only $199.99. Same individual eye focus as the ones you've been using. Very sharp optically

 

[Eric4]

I own a pair of Swaro Habicht 8x30 W GA's and really like the views and ergonomics. With modern coatings, porro binoculars can hold up to high end roofs.

The only things you may not enjoy about the 7x42s are the firm focus knob, narrower FOV, no tripod mount, and larger size for a harness.

The habichts are built for life, and I imagine the'll be serviceable for a long time.

 

[ozyclint]

gr8fuldoug- i'd be all over another steiner porro if they made one with center focus. their sport focus is awesome but for what i want to use them for the close focus range is not close enough.

eric- thanks for your insights.
i've been trawling bird forums for info and you know how obsessive they are about their optics. they seem to be rated very highly with many saying you can't beat the depth of field you get from a good porro bino and i tend to agree based on my experience with my nighthunters.
i heard about the stiff focus wheel and narrow FOV you mention. in regards to the FOV, i did some maths and compared to my peregrine 8x42 roof's the 7x42 Habicht would only be 1.1m/3.6' narrower @ 100m. infact the 7x42 FOV is fractionally more than the swaro EL10x42 @1000m.

built for life is the other thing they mention too. that design has been around since 1949! with modern upgrades in everything inside it appeals to this trad bowhunter! something i can hand to my son or grandchild one day.