SwarovskiOptik 8x30 CL Companion Wild Nature Waterproof Roof Prism Binocular with 7.6 Degree Angle of View, Green

Love the size and weight of these compact binoculars. The build quality and optics are exactly what one would expect from Swarovski. I was concerned about these in low light conditions considering the smaller 30mm objective lenses, but these have proven to be at least equal, if not better than my old pair of Bausch & Lomb Elite 8x42. Highly recommend this product, especially if you can get them on sale like I did.

Third Swarovski product I’ve bought (alongside NL Pure and spotting scope). The quality is superb, it’s rare to know you own the best of any kind of gear, but with these I do.

I have had Nikon Monarchs (8x42) for over 10 years, but the abuse it's gone though from literally traveling the world has come to a head. The coating on the lenses seem to have been scratched. So I was in the market for new binoculars.Every time I have looked through Swarovski bins, they stunned me with the clarity and brightness, so I was pretty well set for getting a pair, but it, admittedly, was hard to justify $2000 for the 8x42 ELs, which seem the standard for birders. One of my complaints about the 8x42 Monarchs was that they were a little bulky and heavy for my tastes. I'm a photographer, and like to carry both bins and cameras, and the 8x42s were a bit much. So, I wanted smaller ones. I thought about 8x25s, but worried about low light performance. I travel to the rainforest a lot, which is pretty low light. I like the size of the 8x25s, but ultimately I think I wanted something a little bigger. This left me either with 8x30 CL Companions or 10x32 NL Pures (the NLs have the same field of view as the CLs, but with 10x magnification). I waffled between them, but couldn't justify nearly $3000 for binoculars yet. I might in the future, but figured that the CL Companions are a good introduction to Swarovski.I think anyone considering these knows the positives. They're clear, light, small (probably could fit them in a cargo pocket), and very smooth. I want highlight a few things worth noting that are "negatives."First, the attachment of the strap to the bins is not easy to deal with. You basically have to press in the button while turning it. Easy, right? There are a few raised ridges that help a little bit, but there's not much leverage there. That is compounded because it rests in the adapter a little bit. I think that if they put in a flathead screwdriver slot that you could fit a coin into, that'd help a lot.Second, the proprietary attachment makes it a little annoying to use third party gear. For example, if you wanted to use a chest strap rather than the neck strap, you'd have to get the Swarovski brand one because it does not have standard loop attachments. That said, they sell a loop attachment that is advertised for their larger binoculars (like the ELs or NL Pures). They will work with the CL Companion, but you will need a pin that is meant for the ELs or NL Pures. It is a little longer and a little wider than the one that comes with the CL Companion. It will run an additional $20 or so to buy that, which is kind of annoying that it's not included in a $1000+ pair of binoculars.That said, and if you've gotten this far, this is the important part. If you contact customer service, they will send the loop adapter and pins to you free of charge. So that is a big plus for me.In all, I am very pleased with these binoculars. They may be a little small for some, but I think they'll fit the bill well. Maybe I'll upgrade in a few years to NL Pures, but for now, I like these. They may be a little small for people with larger hands, but I don't mind it. Can't wait to take them to the rainforest to see how effective they are.

Swarovski picked a great name for this binocular in "companion". Its a great companion binocular for the hiker and birder. Its also a great companion to my EL 8.5X42. It is far lighter and smaller with little compromise in image quality. I can fit this in a larger coat pocket in a pinch, and still have an 8 power bino with 90% light transmission and a field of view that rivals many bino's with a 42mm entry pupil. As always, well done Swaro with a tack sharp and rugged product I plan on having on hand for many adventures.

I've been a Swarovski customer for over 20 years and have owned a number of their bins. You can always rely on Swaro glass quality - the best there is. However, some idiot decided to design a new strap mechanism that is pure nightmare. The strap snaps in, and swivels at both sides of the barrels. So you continually end up with a strap that has wrapped around itself into a complete tangle. Everyone I know hates this "innovation" as do I, and as a result I regularly reach for my older bins that have the regular strap configuration. Shame on you Swarovski.

My Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 binoculars is easy to focus, easy to hold steady, great color, stark contrast and overall clear image!I bought the CL Companion 8x30, back in 2019 I absolutely love them for wildlife viewing (mostly birds and squirrels, and the occasional coyote). They have a very clear image and wide field of view. The depth of field is flattened, which is great for getting birds into focus; that means things 40 meters away, and things 400 meters away are both in relatively good focus! The combination of wide field of view and flattened image means I can get flying birds into focus quickly and keep them in focus easily, to catch those dramatic events like diving birds of prey or waterfowl passing overhead quickly. In other words, I have to adjust the focus less often. It makes learning to identify flying gulls, to species, possible for me, finally!8 power magnification is easier to hold steady than my old 10x42 SLC swarovski binoculars I bought in 1994. The steady (no shake) image means I can keep a long steady eye on an animal's behavior in view for watching for glimpses of say a crow's mouth interior to check if it is pink meaning subordinate or black meaning dominant. Getting glances like that requires a long steady look until the bird opens the mouth for a split second call.The image is also bright and shows color well, for those times I'm looking to see the leg color of say a Semipalmated sandpiper (black), or a Least sandpiper (drab yellow), on a cloudy day. In other words it has little chromatic aberration, sharply delineated color, with no bleeding edges. The contrast is excellent too showing images in stark clarity. For the price, you get what you pay for; they are definitely worth it!Summary: easy to focus, easy to hold steady, great color, stark contrast and overall clear image, and premium quality for less than other premium binoculars