Swarovski vs Leica; or Zeiss? OR...

[Lawrie Conole <>]

Gary Davidson wrote:

I am wondering why no-one has mentioned the Bausch and Lomb Elites.  Perhaps they aren't available in Australia??  I bought mine in Canada a few years ago.  At the time they were over $400 less than the Swarovski.  I compared them with Leica and Swarovski, (didn't get to try Zeiss), and I wasn't sure I could see any difference at all.  Certainly not enough to justify the $400 jump to Swarovski.  At the time the B and L's were CAD$1400 and the Swarovskis CAD$1800+  I am not necessarily recommending them over the others, but they certainly should be in the conversation!

Good point Gary - you've reminded me of an omission on my part.  I did briefly try a pair of B&L Elites somewhere out of Australia some time back, and I thought they were closer to the "elite" level than most of the competitors - way better than Nikon or Minox for my eyes anyhow.

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Lawrie Conole
Senior Ecologist
Ornithology & Terrestrial Ecology

Ecology Australia Pty. Ltd.
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