Thanks so much for the sub! Really appreciate it and glad this series was helpful! We had 10 volunteers on this testing, 2 different days and then I did a ton of testing myself in addition to that. Definitely a fun project! If you haven't yet, check out the more in-depth article with a lot more details! backwoodspursuit.com/26-best-binoculars-for-hunting/

Just a side note....we are working on a rangefinding bino review here right now as well....look for that this summer!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Excellent! I'll check that link out and I hope that you gain many subscribers in the future!

@@roberta6360 thank you sir! Really appreciate that!

Hey there Matthew! Thanks for the sub and kind words! Happy to answer questions and help whenever I can!

Thank you for watching and appreciate your input! Glad it was helpful.

Thank you and thanks for watching!

Hey there and thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for the sub as well!

The EL's are amazing!

They really are amazing and the field of view is incredible. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the suggestion! That would be very interesting I'm sure!

This is a fantastic idea.

Da stimme ich Dir einfach nur lächelnd zu, denn hier bestimmt der hohe Preis eindeutig das Endergebnis und nicht die Qualität des Fernglases. Viel gute Hersteller von hervorragenden Ferngläsern, Zielfernrohren und anderen optischen Geräten, werden abgestraft, weil sie ihr Produkt zu einem realistischen Preis anbieten. Hier mal ein paar richtig gute Hersteller: Fujinon (z.B.: Grossfernglas Fujinon LB 25x150 MT-SX), Minolta, Canon, Meopta, Steiner, GPO, Alpen Optics um nur mal ein paar davon auf zu zählen. Und wenn ich von denen jeweils das Spitzen Fernglas in seiner Klasse wähle, dann heißt der Sieger schon ganz anders, bei einem "Blindtest" Best regards, Rainer

Hey there Daniel! Yes, the NLs are ridiculously clear and bright. Amazing glass. Thanks for watching!

Agree!

Leica and Zeiss is beaten far!

​What?

Thanks and you won't be disappointed with the Victory SF! They are awesome! Let me know how you like them if you end up going that way. Thanks for watching!

Thanks Casey! Didn't particularly exclude them, but wanted to compare these three given that each respective company tours them as their "alpha" glass. I'm sure the ELs would do just fine in this class as well though! Thanks for watching.

@@BackwoodsPursuit I was thinking same thing. If he added the EL, which I would’ve liked as well then he’d have to ad the Leica Ultravid plus to the mix. Zeiss is the only one of the three that doesn’t have two full premium alphas in there line up, unless we include the FL but there out of production.

@@Paultricounty yeah, there were certainly a number of others we could have added..and that class just below this Alpha like the EL and Ultavid... would have been awesome, but had to draw the line somewhere lol. Thanks for watching though!

Thanks Billy! Appreciate it!

@@BackwoodsPursuit places were i hunt in Oklahoma are 20 yards or less with trees and thick brush .

@@billycarter1911 well... Not a lot of reason to spend this kind of cash on optics on that case lol!

Thanks Patrick.... We'll see what we can do! That would be a great comparison.

If they do I would like like to see the delta optical 9x45 hd. Only a few us dealers but they are great.

@@me200342 thanks! We'll have to check them out!

Hey there Gary! I have not... sorry I can't be of more help there. Thanks for watching!

I've been able to hold them for a minute, but that's about it so I can't really say on the size being uncomfortable. Thanks for watching!

Yes sir. Tough to beat the NL Pure! Thanks for watching!

8 or 10 zoom

Thanks for the feedback Mert! Really appreciated it. Man, that's a great question. Like you said, that's gonna have a different answer depending on a lot of factors and it's different for everyone(budget restraints, uses, how much you hunt etc). Are these 3 top of the line better than any in the $1500(or less expensive options)? Without question. That said, most folks practically won't realize the extra performance you get from these alpha glass binos when out in the field. Low light performance and eye strain are two of the biggest differences. For instance....I had the NLs and a pair of $500 binos side by side in the field this Sept and early morning (well before shooting light) I could not only spot, but picked out a bull with the NLs, while BARLEY able to make out that there were even elk on the hill with the $500 pair. But...that only lasted for 15-20 min. That said...the elk were gone in 5 min, so likely would have missed them entirely without the NLs. It's a lot of extra cash to drop for this alpha glass, but sure is nice. Of all the ones we tested, I'd have to say the Athlon Cronus offered the best bang for the buck. They run just under $500, but out-performed some of the 1k binos. They were very impressive, especially for the price point. The performance difference does get smaller between, say the $1500 pairs and these three, but it's there. Edge to edge is significantly better on these three, low light etc. Again not enough to where most folks would regret buying a $1500 pair, but then again, if you save a bit extra, you'll always have confidence in the back of your mind that you've got the best out there. Hope that helps! Don't hesitate to drop any other questions!

@@BackwoodsPursuit excellent answer! Thank you!!

@@MrTurkan26 absolutely! Thanks again for following the channel!

Purchased two pairs NL pure for this season. Our other glass is between 1k-1500. Night and day upgrade and plan to outfit everyone in the family with NL pure for next season. FOV is huge, clarity incredible and depth of field blows everything else we own out of the water, also own two other pairs of Swarovski. Where we hunt I would just look at a mountain and the elk jumped out, no focus in and out required. The elk were so easy to find. Six days into the season, we glassed hundreds of elk and filled our tag on the second day of rifle. Would have filled first day but some hunters scared out a monster we had just set up shooting sticks on at 280 yards, painful to watch him run out of the bowl with his herd. We stalked him 3 of the 4 days we hunted archery, got within 20 yards of his bed before he busted, no shot, beds in thick stuff facing wind. Worth every penny

@@tyb3938 thanks for the story! Agreed..they are amazing and really make a huge difference! Bummer you didn't get that bull though....I feel your pain! Hopefully next year😁. Thanks for watching!

Hey there and thanks for watching! Check out our written article for some of those details and top to bottom rankings! backwoodspursuit.com/26-best-binoculars-for-hunting/

Hey there! If memory serves correctly, they can rotate on the stud to allow for different interpupilary distances. Thanks for watching!

Awesome Gary! Sounds like you got a great deal. Enjoy and thanks for watching!

Absolutely! They are are fantastic and comes down to what your eyes prefer. Thanks for watching!

​@@BackwoodsPursuit do you think NL pure is more 2 dimensional?

@s.d.r1062 hey there! I can't really say that any of us made the comment or observation that the NLs were more 2 dimensional that the Victory SF or Noctivid, but we all thought they had better edge to edge clarity and a little better low light performance. Hope that helps and thanks for watching!

Haha..yeah, try to stay up on the comments 😆. Yes, it's interesting how each pair has a different feel optically. Some of it just comes down to personal preference at some point.

@@BackwoodsPursuit it’s good you’re staying on top of it that’s what makes a successful channel. Keep it up I wish you all the luck. It’s a shame what happened to optica Exotica. Looks like you guys have a much better budget. I agree 100%, all these binoculars are just phenomenal and it’s very difficult to pick one over the other, that’s why I have them all. It’s like one day you’re in the mood for chicken and another day you’re in the mood for steak. Keep up the good reviews and thank you.

@@Paultricounty thank you! I hadn't heard what happened to them?

@@BackwoodsPursuit this was just one guy kind of doing these cool videos. They weren’t very technical stat heavy reviews. He was kind of a funny guy and he took the binoculars out in different environments and used his iPhone to discuss the optics and the quality. He was buying the equipment with his own money according to him and then selling them at a loss. So I guess the financial part of it caught up to him.

@@Paultricounty awe... gotcha. That's too bad.

Thanks Lucas! The UHDs are great binos for sure....they really surprised me in our testing. That said, they NLs are certainly better without question. In most real world hunting situations the Razor UHDs will do more than you need, but if you can swing the NLs (or any of these three) you won't be disappointed!

@@BackwoodsPursuit thanks👍👍

@@lucasfrederico5806 any time!

That would a great one! Might have to put that together :) Thanks for watching!

I second that but would add Kowa to the scope comparison.

Good deal! We didn't note a green light during our testing(at least none of our testers said anything about that). Hope you love them!

​@@BackwoodsPursuit i bought the NL pure. Awsome!

@s.d.r1062 excellent! Enjoy!

Hey there! Thanks for watching. I'd say go with the NL Pure, but take a look at our detailed review comparing these three as we go through more details in this article. There are pros and cons to each of them. backwoodspursuit.com/swarovski-nl-pure-vs-zeiss-victory-sf/ Thanks and let me know what you end up getting!

@@BackwoodsPursuit what’s yr opinion on the el 12x50 to the nl pure 12x42

@@alanmehringer8982 you know I haven't directly compared those two, but I've heard that the NL Pures are definitely better than the ELs.

@@BackwoodsPursuit thank u love yr reviews

@@alanmehringer8982 thank you! Really appreciate that!

Hey there! Man...those are all incredible binos! Based on our testing, I think you'd find the best overall low light and edge to edge clarity with the NL Pure. But, the Victory SF are lighter and the focus mechanism is the smoothest of the bunch. Personally, I prefer the NL, but can't go wrong with any of them. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Thank you for your suggestion ! I really appreciate!

@@loredragon7473 absolutely! Any time!

Hey Ryan! Man... personally I preferred the NL. They are all great, but the NL just had better edge to edge and slightly better low light performance. The weight and focus mechanism of the Victory SF are amazing though! Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit thanks for getting back to me Highly appreciated keep up the great reviews

@@ryanmurphy8327 you bet! Thanks and will do!

Hey there! It looks like Outdoorsmans has a stud for the Victory SF, but I don't see one for the Noctivid. Maybe give them a call to confirm though. Thanks for watching!

Hey there! Anybody these would work amazing for that....just depends on how much you want to spend. Many other less expensive pairs would also work well. Thanks for watching!

Probably a Vortex Razor UHD or even the cheaper Chinese made Razor HD for your situation since Vortex has the best no fault warranty in the business with no equal and no matter what happens accidental or not they always repair or replace them with brand new ones and they even offer free cleaning whenever needed. Can't state this fact about any other brand of binoculars.

Hey there! That's a great question. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to put the new SFL next to the Noctivid, but I did put them next to the NL Pure. The SFL were pretty impressive even next to the NL Pure. Not quite as good of edge to edge clarity (similar to the Noctivid though), but not as good in low light for sure. Every pair in this video will put perform the SFL in low light. That said, for the amount of price difference, the performance difference is negotiable. Thanks for watching!

Thanks! Yeah, I agree that the Nikon EDG would be awesome to test against these! Hopefully we'll be able to. Thanks for watching!

Nikon seems to be going out of business regarding their scopes and binoculars. They no longer honor their lifetime warranties.

Greetings to all. 2 weeks ago I decided to buy NL PURE.. Absolutely amazing binoculars. Huge FOV, contrast, pastel colors, clarity of the image binoculars that will be in for decades. I also own a Meopta Meo pro Air which provides a very very good picture. But when after Meopta, I look through Swarovski, then I understand why it's Swaro, Swaro. In short, looking through NL is like watching a good 4k movie, some well-produced documentary about nature.

@@igorperekovic I had a Swarovski Swarovision EL 10x42, but I sold it because it lacked sharpness. From edge to edge the image is very clear, no other scope has such a clear image, just the sharpness is lacking and I think the NL is the same... I read reviews on EL and NL and they also mentioned that it is not sharp and has a lot of reflections.. Now I own the SF Victory and the EDG and they are sharper than the EL only towards the edge the EL held the sharpness better. By all accounts, the sharpest binoculars in the center of the field of view is the Leica Noctivid

Hey there Ed! None of them suffered from any noticeable CA that we could tell, and they all presented a very flat field of view with no roller ball effect. From what I could tell, they were all very close to equal in those departments. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit awesome to hear and thanks for your great reviews

@@highanddryful absolutely! Glad they were helpful!

Thanks for watching! This was a super fun project! I was really stumped by the Meopro having better edge to edge clarity as well. I don't think I got a bad pair of the Meostars (both were brand new direct from Meopta), but I suppose it's possible.

Meopro seems to be very close to the top 3 in reality. I was tempted to buy one to try out just recently on sale for just over $1000.

For me, the extra field of view and slightly better edge to edge clarity, and slightly better low light performance of the NL Pure would make them my personal choice. Thanks for watching!

Hey there! Yeah, the EL could certainly be in this group as well. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for sharing! They all certainly have their strengths! All amazing glass as well. Thanks for watching!

That's a great question. I'd say the Noctivd overall feel more robust in their build, but I'd expect that given the design intent with the SFL (to be ultralight). That said, I've had zero issues with the build quality of the SFL and found them to have an excellent build quality. I much prefer the focus mechanism of the SFL over the Noctivid, but the Noctivid will out perform the SFL a but in low light. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit thanks for the prompt response! one last question, is the larger field of view on the sf very evident?

@BluesMan90 you bet! The larger field of view is noticeable, but it's not a massive difference. Personally I love a bigger field of view, but the Noctivid is certainly in line with typical 10x42s, just less than these other two "Alpha Glass" options.

@@BackwoodsPursuit Thanks again for your availability! Your answers have really helped me!

@BluesMan90 absolutely and glad to help!

Hey there! I've honestly used all these for mid to longer range viewing, so I can't say that I've compared them at that close of a distance.. Sorry I'm not more help there! Thanks for watching!

Agree about the more 2-dimensional look through the Swaro NL Pures. I have used all three of these binoculars, and the Zeiss have a little bit of that “flat” look as well (about middle of these three). All binoculars that have the flat field and edge-to-edge focus have that 2-dimensional look. The flat , edge-to-edge sharpness also results in some distortion at the edges, particularly when panning across the field of view. I’m a hunter, but also a birder, and the Leica Noctivids are easily my preferred binocular of the three. Reason for me is the color and contrast, much better to me than the other two. Suppression of glare, the Leica easily beats the other two. The Swarovski in particular have glare issues compared to the other two. All three have a GREAT image quality when looking through them, so you really can’t go wrong with any of them. It’s just a matter of which optical characteristics are most important to you.

@@Rob-pv4zc thanks rob. That helps a lot. It’s quite a trade off swaro have made. The swaro 2d look seems the worst of all of them, at longer ranges probably not an issue. I’m surprised more people don’t speak up about it, especially birders at medium to close ranges and swaro touting NL’s as a birders BIN? Solid recommendation with Noctavid. I’ve also read comments with lacking construction on the NL’s and some others. One would think this would not be an issue at this price point. Also, Globally sourced parts, ‘assembled’ in Austria or Portugal, this high end should be as authentic as possible and detached from the ‘throw away’ mentality of manufacturing. Maybe I’m being too OCD / picky.

Hey there! Personally I prefer the 10x42 for the size and weight savings. Thanks for watching!

Good question! We tested the B1s, said there was a considerable difference between them and this class. Obviously a pretty big price jump as well though.

Maven's are below Vortex Razor UHD. In Mavens' price range you're better off buying Kowas with Fluorite glass they got it right or Zeiss Conquest. Maven's aren't perfect nor the best in their price classes especially their overpriced versions of binoculars and spotters. There's far better for a lot cheaper from other brands. Maven's mid to lower tier stuff are ok though.

@s.d.r1062 hey there! Great question. I was actually able to put the 10x30 SFL next to the 10x32 NL, and other than FOV and edge to edge clarity, I preferred the SFL. Both are fantastic though. I've heard Great things about the 12x42 as well if you want some extra light gathering in the 42mm objective. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Isnt the 10 x30 too close to a 8x25 and 8x42? Or do you think its a good extra option?

@s.d.r1062 I guess that depends on what you are using them for. Out west here I typically like a 10x bino for general use, but I'm big country the 12x is very nice as well.

@@BackwoodsPursuit Thanks for answering. Big country? You mean mountain area? I live in the Netherlands. Flat land I use 8x42 as my main bino because i live in a forest area and love the spot deer and birds in evenings. But maybe i can use a 10 or 12 power when i am at coast or lake area. But 12 maybe too much.... I will check in in shop one day.

@@BackwoodsPursuit wy do you prefer the 10x30 SFL over the 10x32 NL?

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can't speak to thr Leica rangefinder bino model(haventested those yet), but it's interesting that we found the a Zeiss focus mechanism to be far superior to the Leica. This pair of Leica in this video had noticed play that was quite disappointing, whereas the Zeiss and Swaro did not. Agree though that the Leica had the best color rendition & contrast of this group. Thanks for watching!

Hey there! Man, they are so incredibly close, it's difficult to pull out much difference. That said, all of us who tested them side by side felt that the NLs had the slight advantage. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Anyway tell me which one to buy I don't care about handling, appearance, eye cups, etc The only thing that matters to me is the quality of the image I see

@@hamidaraghi45 haha....I hear ya. For me, I'd go with the NL Pure. They were my personal favorites of the group.

@@BackwoodsPursuit great

@@hamidaraghi45 any time!

I never tested them for that purpose, but I would imagine so. Thanks for watching!

Research astronomical telescopes for your specific needs.

High magnification with universal replaceable eye pieces.

because of the flat and very wide wide field, almost certainly

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for watching! I thought they all had great eye cups, but I preferred the eye cups of the NL Pure over the other two here. I thought they were the most comfortable, but I thought the SF eye cups moved a little more smoothly. Overall, I felt like the NL Pure were best of the group...but as you probably know, they are all fantastic binos. Thanks for watching! Here's our detailed review of the three if interested. backwoodspursuit.com/swarovski-nl-pure-vs-zeiss-victory-sf/

Haha! Pretty much truth lol! Thanks for watching!

Hey there! That's a great question....and one that is absolutely splitting hairs to answer, but I thought the NL Pure had the slight edge in resolution in the center of the image. All of them are phenomenal though. Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Thanks for the answer. According to Optica Exotica, the sharpest binoculars he has seen so far is the Leica Noctivid. He said that they are unearthly sharp

@@vikinona the Noctivid is phenomenal no doubt! They have the best color rendition and contrast absolutely. That said, the 14 of us that tested these 3 side by side preferred the NLs for our eyes and given that our primary purpose using them is for hunting, where the NLs have a massively bigger field of view, superior edge to edge clarity, and are better in low light, those factors swayed is towards the NLs.. There are things I don't like about the NLs as well.... the unforgiving eye box and don't love the focus mechanism either. The Noctivids we tested (a new pair) had some play in the focus wheel, which was disappointing for binoculars at this price point. Not a huge amount, but it was there. Again, they are all phenomenal and I'm being nit picky for sure....certainly can't go wrong with any of them! All of them are amazing. Let me know which way you decide to go and how you like them!

@@BackwoodsPursuit Thank you very much for your answer. I'm thinking about these binoculars. Leica Noctivid 10x42, Swarovski EL 10x42, Nikon EDG 10x42 When I buy some of these, I'll let you know what it is..

@@vikinona sounds great and good luck deciding lol! It's a tough decision!

Unfortunately not in this one, but we've got some Steiner in a rangefinder bino review we are working on! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for your thoughts... yeah I've got a pair of the Tract Toric as well...they are nice binos! Thanks for watching!

@all41n14lla What are you talking about? Zeiss owns Schott Glass and uses it in their HT and SF binoculars plus sells HT glass to both Leica and Swarovski and the best scope manufacturers. Tract Toric is a good scope but falls far short of ZCO and Tangent Theta.

@Sagittariustoo thanks for your input!

The Tract Toric with Schott glass gave this reviewer some eye strain/fatigue.

In fact I own a Tract Toric 4.5-30x56 with Schott glass but my Sightron SVIII 5-40x56 with Japanese ED glass is noticeably clearer. I had two of the lower magnification Toric 4-20x50 with Schott glass and replaced them with Chinese Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 with Chinese HD glass and prefer them over the Tract Torics they replaced. Still have the 4.5-30x56 Toric though but will probably replace it with a Burris XTR PRO 5.5-30x56 which is superior to the Toric. I own a lot of different brands of scopes and always compare a lot at any given time and owned three Tract Toric scopes already and got rid of two. They're ok if you don't compare them to all others from different brands and price points.

They are amazing! Thanks for watching!

Yeah they do great reviews! Thanks for watching though.

Sounds like you are a fan of the Swaros then? Thanks for watching!

@@BackwoodsPursuit No.Meopta

@@helthuismartin Awe...yes, those are extremely well built!

For me, the Leica image is the nicest of these because of the colour, contrast, central sharpness and the ability to 'look into shadows' which actually beats both of the others when zoned in, the Zeiss in particular is a little dull in terms of contrast and colour despite its great handling and the Swaro is a bit colder, flatter (not a fan of flat field) and with more glare. Of course in absolute terms they are all great and the FOV of the SF and NL are an amazing technical achievement. The only downside with the Leica is that if you don't get your eye position just right you can get a surprising amount of CA, even in the centre. The others don't do this. Older alphas like Zeiss FL and (particularly my favourite) HT 10x42 are basically CA free under all circumstances and still have a sharpness and contrast that matches the best of this group along with superior transparency and brightness from their Abbe-Koenig prisms, albeit with a slightly smaller FOV and softer edges. This doesn't bother me but the current marketing drive is 'wide & flat field'.

Thanks for sharing! I'll be curious how the NLs hold up to time for me as well. I've been using these since they were released and not had any build issues, but we'll see. Thanks for watching!

They are quite phenomenal! Thanks for watching!

@@sticksnstones5407 I've not had the chance to test them, so I can't really say. Sorry!

They are awesome for sure! Thanks for watching!

Hey there! Each certainly had their pros and cons. Thanks for watching!

Hey Jason! Thanks for that info. Yeah, most optics companies don't manufacture their own glass or components. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share.

Build quality is terrible? I guess you don’t own any of these three. The Noctivids are probably the most luxuriously quality built binoculars ever made. The fit and finish is phenomenal. I’ve owned the top four best made binoculars over the last 30 years, Noctivids build quality is the best.

@@Paultricounty yeah, the Noctivids are great binos!

@@BackwoodsPursuit you must be joking iv just sent my Nocti 10-42 back to Leica after five weeks, two stray items internally, all Leica binoculars are now made in Portugal, oh and yes iv owned two pairs of Swaros and four leics and three nikons and zeiss since 1984 Pual, the Swaros i owned for past four years have had to go back to ausrjtia for re building twice , absolute garbage as you Americans say

@@jasonhiggins6698 sorry to hear that....that's no good at all. Thanks for sharing your experience though!

@roxy_xcxc6869 thanks for the suggestion.

Hey there! Kowa binos are really nice, but in a different class than these 3 Alpha glass binos. We had the Kowas side by side with these three, and they don't have as good of resolution, edge to edge clarity, or low light performance.... But also 1/3 the cost. Kowa makes great binos though for their class! Thanks for watching!

Kowa specialize in fantastic spotting scopes.

@commonsense5709 yeah, Kowa makes some amazing spotting scopes!

What about minox binoculars

Thanks for your feedback. Yeah, based on my conversations with them, the folks in Europe where they are made don't use binoculars mounted on a tripod, so having that apart of the design isn't important to them. That said, it's extremely important to those of us who hunt out west in the US and glass long distances. But, like you said, each person's use will be different. Thanks for watching!

Oh man that's a bummer. Hope they are able to send a new pair! Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching!

I agree they should all be perfect at this price. How was the CA performance?