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Finding the Universe

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Home » Are these the perfect travel binoculars?
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Are these the perfect travel binoculars?

Published: 28th February 2015 by Laurence Norah 2 Comments

Binoculars. Truth be told, they aren’t something I have ever really spent much time contemplating. As a photographer I spend a great deal of time peering through bits of glass with one eye, rather than enjoying it with both!

This isn’t to say I’m not familiar with binoculars of course. I grew up on a small island in the Seychelles called Bird Island, which was famous, as you might imagine, for its hordes of nesting seabirds, not to mention being home to many passing migrant species. My parents and many of their friends were avid bird watchers, and I have certainly spent some time with my eyes up against binoculars having the virtues of various birdlife explained to me.

I was also lucky enough to travel to Africa on a variety of occasions, where my parents would also have binoculars to hand for spotting the further off wildlife, which was always very handy.

You could say that between those expeditions and my passion for photography, I have had a good amount of practice at looking at things through polished pieces of glass.

Where is this going you ask?

swarovski cl pocket binoculars review 4

Well, Swarovski Optik recently contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in trying out their CL Pocket binoculars, to see how they fit into my travelling lifestyle. These are a super small pair of binoculars, designed for the traveller who wants something they can easily take with them whilst still getting excellent optical quality.

You probably recognise the name Swarovski as being synonymous with well polished pieces of crystal, from giant swans through to jewellery. Well, Swarovski Optik is the part of the business that focuses on making high quality optics, from binoculars to telescopes. Founded in 1949, it built on the experience that Swarovski had developed from polishing the world’s clearest crystals, with the goal of making the world’s finest optics.

That goal appears to have been achieved – if you’re familiar with the world of binoculars or scopes, you’ll likely already be familiar with the Swarovski Optical name.

If you’re like me, you have probable just learnt something, because I was fairly sure Swarovski just made big shiny swans and other things that make Jess go “ooo”.

swarovski cl pocket binoculars review 3

I said yes, because I was interested to see what a really top quality pair of binoculars was like, and also to see if someone like me would find them useful when travelling. With trips to Finland and California planned out, I was sure I’d find some ways to put them through their paces.

When they arrived, I was straight away impressed by how small they were. They came with a handy carry case that protects them when not in use, and they are light and easy to use, particularly after setting them up properly. Which the included instructions do a fine job of explaining.

Of course, there are two real questions to answer. First – are they any good as binoculars. Second – is there a place in my already overstuffed digital nomad packing list for them?

Well, the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. Actually, a slightly awed and mind-blown yes.

I spend a lot of time looking through bits of glass as a photographer, and I use some fairly expensive pieces of Canon equipment – much of which is expensive because producing high quality glass that doesn’t distort or create image aberrations is an expensive endeavour.

The quality of the image that these binoculars produce is, in a word, stunning. Bright, sharp, clear – putting these little binoculars to my eyes was an imaging experience like none I’ve had before. They just made the far away objects feel like they were right in front of me. They were just that good. I kind of wish Swarovski Optik would get into making camera lenses actually.

swarovski cl pocket binoculars review 2

The second question is a bit trickier for me to answer. These binoculars offer staggering image quality, and clearly come from a manufacturer who make things that are designed to last. For a lifetime. And possibly someone else’s too.

The price tag, which initially seems steep at just shy of a thousand US dollars, is to be expected when dealing with pieces of glass that perform like this. Good camera lenses cost, and I wouldn’t expect these to be any less expensive. They are, for sure, an investment, but one that will last you a lifetime, a fact which is obvious from the build quality.

From my point of view, the bottom line is that they fall into the category of “I wish I could justify the outlay” rather than “they need to be in my bag”.

Personally I love looking at birds or wildlife, but my travels tend to require me to do it through my camera, and capture the moments to share with you. So in my personal case, they don’t fit into my workflow. Don’t stop reading yet though, because you aren’t me.

Travel offers us so many amazing things to see, and not all of them are going to be easily in view. From getting a clear view of the close up detailing on high-up pieces of classical European architecture, through to wildlife and far away landscapes, I can absolutely see how a pair of binoculars would easily fit into a traveller’s essential items bag.

In addition, if you are a keen wildlife watcher, then you will obviously want a great pair of excellent binoculars, and you might as well have something light to take with you everywhere.

So if I was going to pick up a pair of binoculars, then these would be the binoculars I would invest in. The image and build quality of the Swarovski CL Pocket binoculars make them something I can unequivocally recommend, and I’m fairly sure you won’t be needing to replace them, ever.

Disclosure: I was supplied a copy of the reviewed binoculars for a limited time. Thoughts remain mine.

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About the authors

Laurence and Jessica Norah

Laurence and Jessica Norah are the British-American travel blogging couple behind photography & adventure travel blog Finding the Universe and luxury / couples travel blog Independent Travel Cats.


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Comments

  1. Gary Sonnenberg says

    4th July 2016 at 2:04 am

    Hi Laurence,

    Are these the only pair of binoculars you’ve ever tried? Might there be something else available that’s even better?

    Reply
    • Laurence says

      4th July 2016 at 9:35 am

      Hi Gary

      My experience is that there’s always something better, it just depends on your budget! In terms of binoculars, no, these aren’t the first I’ve tried. I grew up in a bird mad house (living on a small island called “Bird Island” will do that to your parents), and there were always binoculars around. My thirteenth birthday present was in fact a pair of, you guessed it, binoculars. So I’ve looked through a fair number of binoculars in my time. I’m no expert, and I’ve not experienced a lot of higher end binoculars, but I could definitely tell the difference between this pair and other pairs I’ve used. My parents, who spend great chunks of their day staring through binoculars (there are two pairs hanging by the window for emergency bird spotting use), were blown away by both the quality and lightweight nature of these. So much so that I got them a pair as a gift for their bird watching trips.

      Hope this answers your question! I would definitely suggest doing some more research before making a purchase, as these are quite pricey, but the quality is very high.

      Reply

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