Binoculars Small Enough to Take Anywhere.

Swarovski CL Pocket binoculars.
© Phil Pickin

For many years I have carried a pair of binoculars with me whenever I have been out and about. From heavy black optics that wouldn’t look out of place on a ships bridge through to tiny pocket sized binoculars. They’ve all proved to be very handy when trying to ID some animal or bird, but I’ve often found that the smaller the optics the worse the image. It’s logical when you think about it, if the lenses are only small then only a small amount of light can enter making for a dull image to look at.

That was until I had the opportunity to try out a pair of tiny binoculars made by Swarovski, a name many will be familiar with. The company has an enviable record of producing, amongst other things, some of the best optical equipment available and this legacy shows when you use the CL Pocket 8x25’s made by the company.

The first impression is ‘they’re tiny’ and very light, but when you start to use them you see that their diminutive size seems to have no bearing on their ability to produce stunning results. As their website says, they’re “small outside, big inside” or so it would seem. Finished in green these foldable and very compact binoculars are very comfortable to use, and if, like me, you wear glasses you should find the individually adjustable twist-in eyecups make using the CL Pocket’s very easy.

The big benefit for these binoculars is that their size ensures they can be with you frequently and, as Swarovski themselves say be “part of everything that you do” For me that’s the most important thing, that they can be with you in almost all situations without compromising the image you see. Quite how the company manage to get that much light in through 25mm lenses is beyond me but they do. For the birding community the compact size of these binoculars coupled with the fact that they are waterproof makes them ideal to carry everywhere, all without needing to carry bulky optics.

All of this quality and design skill does come at a price, £560 to be precise but, you get what you pay for and the build quality, coupled with the practicality of these binoculars will mean that you are unlikely to need or want to buy any others in the future. So if you are serious about the quality of equipment like this, and you are looking for an investment, then I can highly recommend the Pocket CL.

For more information visit Swarovski’s website at http://uk.swarovskioptik.com/nature