Swarovski CL Pocket 8×25 Binoculars: Our Review

At A Glance

PROS:

• Beautifully clear, sharp, and bright image
• Brilliant color and contrast
• Small, compact, and comfortable to use

CONS:

• The most expensive option in our pocket binocular review
• Double-hinge design saves space but barrels can be jostled out of position, requiring a quick readjustment

STATS:

• Price: $949 at press time. Prices often fluctuate, so check with retailers
• Close focus: Listed at 8.2 feet (250 cm). In tests, we could focus these binoculars down to about 7.1 feet (216 cm)
• Field of view: 6.8° (357 feet at 1,000 yards). More about field of view 
• Weight: 12.2 oz (346 g)—that’s about 1.6 oz (44 g) heavier than the average for pocket binoculars in our review
• Eye relief: 17 mm

Viewing Experience: The Swarovski CL Pocket 8×25 binocular is so bright, so sharp, and so light it’s almost addictive. The image seems to wring every bit of brightness from the surroundings and displays colors with exquisite subtlety. We enjoyed watching steely Barn Swallows circle against a hilly backdrop of new leaves in delicate shades of green and pink. And the sharpness (both edge to edge and at distance) conjures a sense of confidence and satisfaction with each look. At a quarter-mile away across a lake, a male Wood Duck is not just a mishmash of the right colors, but an etching of stripes and blocks of white, green, and burgundy. Even with a backlit Orchard Oriole in the top of a shade tree, the Swarovskis brought out the rich burgundy color of the breast contrasting with the black back, while the silhouette of the finely pointed oriole beak was a crisp triangle. In the shade, a newly arrived American Redstart was brilliant, glossy black with burning orange wing and tail patches against the green leaves.

Feel and Build: These very small binoculars have a solid, comfortable, no-nonsense design. The slim barrels have just a thin rubberized coating for grip, while the slightly heavier weight gives a sense that they contain premium glass. The focus wheel is tiny and requires care to focus, but it spins smoothly and stops precisely. The eyecups swivel up in a smooth motion and are large enough to cover your eyes and block out peripheral light—not always the case with pocket binoculars. The double-hinge design helps the binoculars to fold down extra small for easy storage. This design does make it easier for the barrels to get jostled out of position, however, and can require frequent readjustments, which can make it slower to get a clear view of birds.   

This article is one in a series of mini-reviews. To see how these binoculars compare to others we’ve tested, see our full review of pocket binoculars.