Swift Audubon 8.5x44 Roof Prism Binocular

These binoculars are the ones that were used at my first Adult Nature workshop. They were so much better than the ones I started out with. I like the feel of them. Not to heavy. Not to light. Great starting binoculars if you can't afford the better brands.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to compare this binocular and a very expensive European one with similar specs. I was very impressed by the Swift 828. It was not as good as the European binocular but it more than held it's own considering it cost over $1000.00 less.

It's ergonomics are outstanding. It has great eye relief and very comfortable eye cups with rims that are reasonably close to the oculars which helps them to work well with glasses It is well designed and balanced and pointing it at one's subject is almost instinctive. The focusing is slower than I am used to but I adapted to it easily. The diopter, once set, stays set. The 8.5 power is an excellent compromise in an all around binocular and the 5.17mm exit pupil helps greatly in conditions of low light.

Optically it is very sharp and has excellent contrast. There is a small bit of glare when looking toward the sun in difficult situations but otherwise it is very well controlled. Colors are great on bright days. The edge of the view is a bit soft but if you choose not to move the binocular off the subject you can dial the sharpness into the edges with the focus wheel.

It is both an excellent binocular and an excellent value.

I purchased a pair of Swift HHS 8.5 X 44 binoculars in 2004. I bought them as a back-up pair to have in the car. But when the twist up eye caps on my much more expensive binos broke for the second time, the Swifts became the one's I use every day. I have not looked back since. The Swift's are every bit as good and the high end binoculars. I would recommend them to anyone, from beginner birder to advanced. They are great.

My husband and I have a pair of Pentax binoculars (DCFWP) -- the earlier, Japanese-made version. We were very happy with their performance, but wanted to get a second pair so that we did not have to share while birding. The equivalent Pentax binoculars are now just out of our price range. After much research, we decided to buy the Swift Audubon binoculars. They, too, are made in Japan (not China). These binoculars are excellent and very comparable to the Pentax ones that are much more expensive. They are clear and sharp, and work well with eyeglasses. Highly recommended.

It had been over 20 years since I had bought binoculars so I was interested in updating. I read numerous reviews and tried several brands before settling on the Swift Model 828 Audubons. These binoculars were an easy fit. The image is bright and sharp with excellent depth of field. The handling is intuitive. The focus knob is a little slow compared to some I tried but this turns out to be a good thing a lot of the time, keeping me from over-shooting focus and having to do the back-and-forth thing. The focus knob is also a little rough in spots and it has not smoothed out much over the past several months of use. I'm a bit spoiled in that regard since my main binoculars prior to the Swifts were some ancient Leitz Trinovids that are smooth as butter.

In the $350-500 range, I would highly recommend trying these binoculars. I did try some at the high end of that range and the Audubons fit me much better. Give them a try and see how they work for you.