In the days before
usable zoom eyepieces if you wanted to change the magnification of
your scope you had to change the eyepiece, with most manufacturers
typically offering a 20x, a 30x and a 40x. The early zooms were not
very user-friendly items, having very narrow fields of view and
lacking sharpness at anything much over minimum magnification.
Things were much improved with the first zooms from Swarovski and
Leica in the 1990s, but these were still a compromise in terms of
field of view over a fixed lenses. In the late 2000s wide-angle
zooms came on the market and delivered a viewing angle comparable
with fixed eyepieces but also giving the valuable flexibility of a
zoom, essentially the best of both worlds. Swarovski's 25-50x
wide-angle zoom is a fine example of this, and now Swarovski only
produce this and the older, but still outstanding, 20-60x zoom,
having discontinued their fixed 20x, 30x and 45x earlier this year.
With the need for
multiple eyepieces removed, their latest scopes have taken a
different approach in having interchangeable objective lens modules
that attach to the front of a combined eyepiece and prism module with
a built-in zoom.
The new ATX 65mm and
85mm objective modules are similar to previous ATM 65mm and 80mm in
that they have the same focal length and so the zoom has a range of
25-60x, regaining that extra 10x magnification at the top end missed
by some ATM users with the 25-50x. The real feature that sets these
new scopes apart from the competition is the addition of a 95mm
version which has a longer focal length making it an outstanding and
improbable-sounding 30-70x wide-angle zoom. There is a price to pay
with the weight of this 95mm piece of glass compared to the other two
models, but in spite of this huge lens it is only about the same
weight as the old Leica 77mm Televid and is 200 grams lighter than
the Nikon EDG 85.
Bright and colourful
The three top European
birding optics firms (Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski) all take a slightly
different approach to colour rendition, each favoured or criticised
by different people. The previous generation of Swarovskis were
sometimes said to have a slight cold blueish colour bias, where as
Zeiss scopes to some eyes seem to have a warm yellow bias. The new
Swarovskis (like the current Leicas) have a very pleasingly neutral image with no hint of a
preference in in any direction which is relaxing on the eye and
removes any doubt about weather you are seeing a true representation.
The light transmission
is class-leading. Not a lot more that can be said about that really,
it simply is. All the modules are as bright as you could wish for
their size. Well done the Austrians.
The big selling point
with these modular scopes from Swarovski's point of view is the
ability to have two or all three objective modules and switch between
them depending on what location or light conditions you are birding
in. The lightweight 65mm module for travel and trekking, the 85mm
for general use and the awe-inspiring 95mm for the ultimate light
gathering and magnification. For me however the best feature on this
scope is the zoom and focus rings being side-by-side. This is not a
first in scope design, the well built but optically questionable
Bushnell Discoverer had this feature, as does the Zeiss Photoscope,
but everything seems to have come together with these practical and
flexible scopes.
Throwing light on
the dark art of digiscoping.
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| The new DCB II digiscoping adapter |
As
well as completely redesigning the scope from the ground up there is
a new simplified range of camera adapters for compacts and SLRs. The
new adapters work just as well with the “old” ATM/STM and the
reincarnated ATS/STS scopes. There are two adapters, one for compact
cameras and one for DSLRs. The compact adapter is an improved design
of the DCB swing-over bracket, allowing users to quickly switch
between viewing a taking pictures. The new APO DSLR adapter is the
most user-friendly adapter of this type I've ever seen, allowing a
DSLR or mirrorless system camera to be simply pushed over the
eyepiece of the scopes without having to mess about with taking the
eyepiece out.
Below is a video from Swarovski showing how the new DSLR APO adapter works.
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| Swarovski ATS |
Back from the
beyond.
As
well as the addition of the new modular scopes the previous range has
been brought back with a aluminium rather than magnesium body and a
lower price tag. This is essentially the same ATS/STS HD scope as
the one launched in 2002 with the addition of the modern “Swaroclean”
water and grease repellent lens coating.
The ultimate
all-rounder?
 |
| The Glandford shop's view |
All
of the features of the new ATX/STX scopes mentioned above combined
with Swarovski's legendary after-sales service has really raised the
bar as far as scope design goes, and the real surprise is that they
have improved on the outstanding image quality of the previous
generation. Swarovski haven't rendered their competition obsolete
over night, as we know very well there is no one telescope or
binocular that works for everyone, and so the offering from Leica,
Zeiss, Kowa and others at the top of the range still offer a real and
comparable alternative. What they have done is bring out a range of
scopes that is not simply a repackaging of existing technology but a
shining example genuine innovation.
Come
and field test them for yourself at our Glandford shop over the
excellent farmland views.
Cley
Spy.
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