Have you tried the HT? You will be surprised how good they are. Don't believe everything you read. They're the brightest, lightest and best low light binoculars on the market.The Edsel of binoculars?
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Have you tried the HT? You will be surprised how good they are. Don't believe everything you read. They're the brightest, lightest and best low light binoculars on the market.The Edsel of binoculars?
The thing is if you look around you can find an HT 8x56 for around $1800. Not much more than a Conquest HD 8x56. The HT is brighter, has perfect color fidelity and the biggest advantage over the Conquest HD, FL and SLC 8x56 is they are 20% lighter and handle much better. The HT 8x56 only weighs 36 oz. compared to the 44 oz. weight of the FL, SLC and Conquest HD, which makes a huge difference if you are going to use it as a birding binocular. The other big advantage of the HT over the other big eye binoculars optically is its flat transmission curve which makes it brighter in low light because it transmits higher in the blue orange spectrum where are rods are most sensitive to light and the completely neutral color presentation. In an HT, the whites are really white. There is no greenish tint like in the FL and Conquest HD. You have to try them to appreciate their perfect color fidelity. It is refreshing to use a Zeiss that doesn't have the green monster all the time.Yes, the HT is just 0.2% or 0.3 points ahead of the Conquest in allbinos, not really that good for a binocular that cost almost twice as much.
Andreas
You have to look at the transmission graphs to understand why the HT 8x54 is brighter than the FL 8x56. Yes, the FL may have a 2% higher peak transmission, but it is NOT in the Blue Orange area of the spectrum where are rods in our eye are most sensitive to light. Zeiss designed the HT with a flat transmission curve through the Blue Orange area of the spectrum specifically to make the binoculars brighter in low light, and that is what it does. Of course, the flat transmission curve also has the added benefit of giving the HT perfect color fidelity with no green tint like the FL. Another big advantage. The transmission curve of the HT is sensational! There is no other binocular like it on the market, not even the Habicht. The Habicht 7x42 may peak higher, but it is not flat like the HT through the Blue Orange spectrum. The HT is the brightest binocular on the market, without a doubt.Funny I read something completely different from the allbinos evaluation!
The old FL has 2% higher transmission and the total score is also above the HT???
Something doesn't seem right here, either with allbinos or the HT...
Andreas
Long story short, I've already tested the HT 8x54, I felt similar to Henry and Kimmo, not my glass.You have to try them to appreciate their perfect color fidelity. It is refreshing to use a Zeiss that doesn't have the green monster all the time.
I trust Henry more than I trust myself, and I trust myself more than I trust you.Have you tried the HT? You will be surprised how good they are. Don't believe everything you read. They're the brightest, lightest and best low light binoculars on the market.
We all have priorities and preferences and that is what makes a choosing a binocular a personal decision but to a lot of people a 2% difference in transmission would be important in selecting a binocular designed for low light.Long story short, I've already tested the HT 8x54, I felt similar to Henry and Kimmo, not my glass.
I think the SLC 8x56 has a much better corrected optics, 2% more transmission or not is pretty unimportant to me.
Andreas
That is fine and Henry is definitely knowledgeable about binoculars, but my point is all binoculars including the HT have their strengths and weaknesses, and you have to consider your priorities and preferences when choosing one, not what somebody else tells you should have. The HT could be weak in SA and CA, but it has a lot of other strong points like low light performance and color fidelity, and those performance characteristics could be more important to some people when choosing a low light binocular. I definitely would not base my binocular purchasing decision on what Henry likes, and I don't think anybody does, or we would all be carrying big heavy Zeiss FL 8x56's around our necks!I trust Henry more than I trust myself, and I trust myself more than I trust you.
I chose the 8x56 SLC, an autonomous decision, but what Henry condemns doesn't interest me.That is fine and Henry is definitely knowledgeable about binoculars, but my point is all binoculars including the HT have their strengths and weaknesses, and you have to consider your priorities and preferences when choosing one, not what somebody else tells you should have. The HT could be weak in SA and CA, but it has a lot of other strong points like low light performance and color fidelity, and those performance characteristics could be more important to some people when choosing a low light binocular. I definitely would not base my binocular purchasing decision on what Henry likes, and I don't think anybody does, or we would all be carrying big heavy Zeiss FL 8x56's around our necks!
The 8x56 SLC is definitely one of the best big eye binoculars. All the Swarovski's are superb, and probably the best in many cases. You can't really go wrong with any Swarovski. When somebody dogs a binocular, it doesn't stop me from trying it. I found some of my favorite binoculars taken out of someone else's trash heap!I chose the 8x56 SLC, an autonomous decision, but what Henry condemns doesn't interest me.
To be honest Dennis, I think more people respect Henry's opinion, which is at least considered and consistent, than yours that changes every 5 minutes!! BTW, I thought the 7x42 Habicht was the brightest binocular available, or is that now old news??That is fine and Henry is definitely knowledgeable about binoculars, but my point is all binoculars including the HT have their strengths and weaknesses, and you have to consider your priorities and preferences when choosing one, not what somebody else tells you should have. The HT could be weak in SA and CA, but it has a lot of other strong points like low light performance and color fidelity, and those performance characteristics could be more important to some people when choosing a low light binocular. I definitely would not base my binocular purchasing decision on what Henry likes, and I don't think anybody does, or we would all be carrying big heavy Zeiss FL 8x56's around our necks!
I agree. I don't think my opinion has changed on the HT, has it? My point is Henry's criticism of the HT is based on SA and CA, and he doesn't mention the strong points of the HT, like the very high flat transmission curve and superb color fidelity and light weight. Because of Henry's criticism, a lot of people might rule the HT out without even trying it, which would be a mistake because it is an excellent binocular, and they might like it better overall than the FL 8x56 or SLC 8x56. It all depends on your priorities and preferences and what is important to you in a binocular. Zeiss has achieved their design goals with the HT because it is probably the brightest low light binocular you can buy. I hadn't tried the HT 8x54 when I said the Habicht 7x42 was the brightest binocular available. Since the transmission curves on the HT and Swarovski Habicht 7x42 are so close and equally flat in the blue and orange area of the spectrum, it will probably depend on your age if one seems brighter than the other. If you are under 60 years old and your eyes can use the bigger exit pupil of the HT, then the HT will have more apparent brightness than the Habicht but if you are over 60 years old and your pupils are only dilating to about 6 mm or so the HT and the Habicht will seem equally bright. Also, due to the Twilight Factor, the HT 8x56 would show more detail in low light than the Habicht 7x42 even though the apparent brightness would be about the same. Zeiss is probably correct when they say the HT 8x54 is the brightest low light binocular you can buy. They are not blowing smoke.To be honest Dennis, I think more people respect Henry's opinion, which is at least considered and consistent, than yours that changes every 5 minutes!! BTW, I thought the 7x42 Habicht was the brightest binocular available, or is that now old news??
Glad to hear you agree that people value Henry's opinion more than yours Dennis!!I agree......
I don't have one actually!! Too big and heavy for me!gweller just curious what 8x50 glass do you currently use.
The only fairly light 8x50 I know of is the Opticron Discovery 8x50 at 28 oz. I heard it has a lot of CA.I don't have one actually!! Too big and heavy for me!
Just remember. Opinions are like a certain lower posterior body part. Everybody has one!Glad to hear you agree that people value Henry's opinion more than yours Dennis!!