Critics' Corner

Swift Ultra Lites ride again!

For years, birders in search of affordable, lightweight binoculars turned to the innovative Swift Ultra Lites, which earned a virtually uncontested “best buy” rating in our 1995 Living Bird review. Over the last decade, however, several manufacturers—most notably Eagle Optics, Nikon, and Leupold—have captured the mid-priced binocular market with better and better options for truly excellent quality at lower and lower prices. This balance may shift yet again as Swift introduces their completely remodeled Ultra Lite roof-prism binoculars. The small box containing the 8x42 Ultra Lites arrived at the Lab just as our massive binocular review was going to press (see “The Age of Binoculars,” Winter 2005). I decided, therefore, to put them through the same test as the other 78 models, asking 10 critical reviewers to rate their optical quality, overall feel, and eyeglass-friendliness on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Reviewers were impressed with these features, and the resulting overall “quality index” of 25.3 would have placed the Ultra Lites near the top of the “Mid-priced” category in our large review.

Photo by Rachel Rosenberg

Compared directly with their closest competitor (Nikon Monarch 8x42), the new Swifts sport a similar rubber-coated, nitrogen-purged roof-prism body, very comparable phase-coated lenses, and an identical field of view. The pair I tested focused even closer than the Nikons, down to 5 feet, 4 inches, and the large focus wheel was smooth and fast. The twist-and-lock eyecups offered a similar nearly perfect view with eyeglasses. To my eye, the Ultra Lites provided a slightly crisper, more contrasty, and brighter image than the Monarchs, and they brought out more of the colors on a drake Mallard in evening light.

Although the Swifts have a solid, well-balanced and very comfortable feel, the moniker “Ultra Lite” no longer applies—at 25 ounces they are fully 15 percent heavier than the Nikon Monarchs and a bit heavier than the Eagle Optics Rangers. The body consists of smooth black rubber, making up most of the casing, with softer, blue or gray rubber insets and “knobs” providing a solid grip. One crotchety reviewer thought these binoculars were ugly, but my young daughters thought they looked really cool. Actually, both my 7- and 10-year-olds found them very easy to use, and the narrow inter-pupillary distance makes them ideal for young faces.

In a direct comparison with top-of-the-line 8x42 roof prisms, the Swift Ultra Lites show some expected fuzziness at the edge of the field and some barely noticeable color-fringing, but the overall image is remarkably sharp and bright. At a list price less than a third as high as the top models and a store price well under $300, these new Ultra Lites are an exceptional value.

Although Swift only sent us the 8x42s, I recently checked out a pair of the new 10x42 models and was duly impressed. As with other low-cost 10x binoculars, the image was not quite as bright or crisp as the comparable 8x, with a noticeably narrower field of view. But housed in the same compact, comfortable package as the 8x42s, these more powerful Ultra Lites were certainly on a par with the similarly priced Nikon or Eagle Optics models. As always, I urge you to test drive these binoculars for yourself before buying, preferably in a direct comparison with other suitable models. But, for anyone in the market for very affordable 8x or 10x binoculars, the Swift Ultra Lites have clearly earned a place among the top choices

--Kenneth V. Rosenberg

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Tim Gallagher, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-2443. email: twg3@cornell.edu